U.K. Fashion School Apologizes for China-Linked Instagram Post

(Bloomberg) -- Central Saint Martins, the London art and design college that trained Alexander McQueen and other fashion icons, apologized on Friday for posting a series of images of a student project on activism that prompted backlash on Instagram.

The now-deleted images appear to be a protest against fast fashion. One of those images shows an individual holding up a banner in front of an apparel store, which “looks like the flag of China’s Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), a Qing-style braid” and has the words ‘Made in China £0 worth’, CGTN, the English channel of state broadcaster CCTV, reported.

The college said it agreed that it was not appropriate to publish images on the social media platform without fully identifying the cultural sensitivities surrounding the works’ production and exhibition.

“We accept that the imagery and language used in the artwork caused offense, as did the course’s initial response to concerns,” the London-based college said in a post on Instagram.

Fashion brands including American label Coach, LVMH’s Givenchy and luxury house Versace have recently faced criticism in China for designs perceived to run afoul of local political sensitivities and issued apologies.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Jacob in Amsterdam at sjacob19@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katerina Petroff at kpetroff@bloomberg.net

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