Donna Karan’s controversial comments about the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment accusations, have prompted calls for a boycott of the fashion label DKNY.
The 69-year-old businesswoman and fashion designer said it was important to consider: “How do we present ourselves as women? What are we asking? Are we asking for it by presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality?”
She later issued a public apology saying her comments had been “misinterpreted”.
″[It] does not represent how I feel,” she said. “What I was trying to say is that sexual harassment is a pandemic and a much bigger issue than Harvey Weinstein. Sexual harassment is unacceptable.”
However, despite the apology, many people on Twitter are using the hashtag #boycottdkny to call for the brand that bears Karan’s name to be shunned.
People have also been sharing old DKNY campaigns featuring women dressed “provocatively”.
However, Donna Karan sold DKNY to luxury behemoth LVMH in 2015 and it has since changed ownership again, coming into the hands of the G-III Apparel Group.
Donna Karan’s PR told HuffPost UK that the designer “is no longer connected” to to the high-end womenswear brand.
So, technically, her comments are not a reflection of the clothing company - even if they may affect her legacy.