Panties in a Bunch - "Heil Lagerfeld"

Every since the couture shows ended in Paris something, or in this case, someone has had my “panties in a bunch”… That someone is none other than designer Karl Lagerfeld – or shall we from this day forth address him as “Heil Lagerfeld”.

Of course this has nothing to do with the irrefutable creative genius of Karl Lagerfeld, and everything to do with the flagrant racism of Karl Lagerfeld and the Chanel brand, particularly when it comes to the use (or lack of use) of black models. Fuhrer Lagerfeld’s creativity shouldn’t automatically give him a free pass when it comes to his personally perpetuating an industry practice that is not acceptable.

For a while I simply got used to not seeing black models in Chanel shows and would simply suppress these thoughts to get through a video or slideshow of one of Mr. Lagerfeld’s couture shows. Not to mention, as a black designer building an emerging brand in a white dominated industry, I often have to attempt (poorly I might add) to suppress the urge of calling a great number of people out for their violations. We all know the media are quick to label African Americans that vocally stand up for what we believe in as “angry black men or women”. Well this time they have my permission – because I am mad and angry as hell…

Also as a ready-to-wear designer I am rarely interested in seeing other designers' prêt-a-porter shows, but for me couture is where all designers can go to show gratitude and appreciation for the possibilities of our craft. Yesterday after revisiting Mr. Lagerfeld’s recent masterpiece for Chanel on Style.com I found myself not being able to suppress my feelings any longer over Chanel’s blatant racism when it comes to black models. Of course there are Asian models sprinkled in the show as Chanel has systematically courted the expanding Asian market for years. Therefore, I decided to peruse Chanel’s runway presentations over the past three to four years in search of any black representation and what I discovered not only saddened me but it really got my panties in a bunch.

Be careful of men that worship symbols and logos (looks familiar huh???)

According to the photos on Style.com, since Chanel’s Spring 2006 show, the Chanel brand has presented over 17 collections. In the photos of the 17 collections featured, Karl Lagerfeld has only used one black female model (Jourdan Dunn – Resort 2009) and one black male model (shoe designer Courtney Crawford). This is absolutely outrageous, unacceptable and obviously racist. Something even tells me that Mr. Lagerfeld was almost forced to use the lovely Ms. Dunn in light of the recent “black model” controversy. After logging off of Style.com, I couldn’t help but wonder if Mein Fuhrer Lagerfeld had been sending the message for years that he believes “black women” don’t look beautiful in Chanel.

Jourdan Dunn - Resort 2009

Shoe Designer - Courtney Crawford

Well Mr. Lagerfeld – “the times they are a changing”. Therefore, I will personally be sending a message to Michelle Obama’s camp informing her of Chanel’s documented stance on women of color. I will encourge Mrs. Obama should she ever have the occasion to don a Chanel suit or handbag that our future First Lady steer free and clear of Mr. Karl Lagerfeld and his Chanel brand. I also encourage women of all races to take a long hard look at the behind-the-scenes practices of some of their favorite brands and not simply be blinded by the logos.