Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton has found itself caught in a social media controversy over a $820 T-shirt. Pro-Palestine segments are branding it ‘opportunistic marketing’ while supporters of Israel are claiming the shirt is ‘antisemitic’.
The T-shirt is a simple white cotton jersey with a patch featuring the Louis Vuitton initials ‘LV’ in pink, green and black, which some users have said resembles a slice of watermelon.
The watermelon shares the colours of the Palestinian flag. It became a symbol of resistance following the 1967 Middle East war when Israel seized control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
The watermelon has increased in popularity in recent times among social media users who use the emoji to indicate their support for Palestine.
“What this seems to me is Louis Vuitton, capitalising and profiteering off the mass movement in support of Palestinians,” wrote one user on X. “However, what they’re not doing is supporting the Palestinian cause.”
Hidden meanings?
“LV was on the boycott list due to their support,” said another user, referring to boycott calls as the CEO of its parent company, LVMH, has invested in Israeli companies. “Now it’s playing a double game to make more profit.”
There is a section of the social media which has refused to read any hidden meanings in the design on the T-shirt. However, others have accused the fashion giant of bias against Israel.
“Did @LouisVuitton create a $820 t shirt as an ode to Hamas?” asked the US-based Stop Antisemitism organisation on X. “Note the watermelon, colors, and upside down triangle.”
There is a media report, now deleted, that LVMH CEO Sidney Toledano has clarified that the design was a coincidence and that steps were being taken to remove it from the website.
This is not the first time the company has been in hot waters in connection with Palestine. In 2021, the fashion house was slammed for marketing a $700 scarf influenced by the traditional Palestinian ‘keffiyeh’ without mentioning its symbolism in the product description.
The ongoing Gaza strife has so far killed more than 32,000 Palestinians and wounded over 70,000.
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