Photo: Laurent Elicha/Instagram
A founder of the fashion brand The Kooples has been accused of wearing blackface, according to a report from theDaily Mail.
In a story published on Friday, the outletposted photos showing Laurent Elicha — one of the founders of the French fashion label — and his wife Noemi wearing dark brown paint on their faces. In the images, which were allegedly posted on Noemi’s Instagram account, the duo also wore fake dreadlocks as well as “tribal” makeup and jewelry. (Noemi’s accountis now set to private.)
According to the outlet, Laurent and Noemi, as well as their two young children, were dressed up for the Jewish holiday of Purim, which was celebrated Wednesday and Thursday of this week. In one screenshot allegedly from Noemi’s Instagram Story, she captioned a selfie of her costume “#tribalvibe.” Another caption read, “when I said I fell in love with Africa.”
TheDaily Mailreported that Instagram users commented on the images to accuse the family of wearing blackface.
The Kooples did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but theDaily Mailreported that Noemi removed the photos and apologized in a statement, saying that she “regret[s] and apologize[s] for any offense that has been caused.”
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On Wednesday, theBusiness of Fashionreportedthat the owner of fashion brand Lacoste was in talks to buy the brand.
The outlet reported that Swiss investor Maus Frères, which owns Lacoste along with other brands, is said to have begun “exclusive negotiations with shareholders of The Kooples.” The company did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The Kooples isn’t the first fashion brand to come under for fire for blackface in recent months. In February, Gucci faced intense backlash over an $890sweater that sparked accusations of racismfor resembling blackface.
Gucci
Guccihas since apologizedfor the sweater.In a statement on Feb. 15, Gucci president and CEO Marco Bizzarri said the brand would “accept full accountability for this incident” and announced plans to step up diversity hiring.
source: people.com
