• Director Spike Lee announced he was boycotting Gucci or Prada until the brands hire some black designers.
• The brands have been mired in controversy after releasing designs that resembled blackface.
• Lee wrote that consumers should "WAKE UP" and that black designers need "To Be In Da Room When It Happen" to prevent racist imagery from being included in collections.

Director Spike Lee says he will no longer wear Gucci or Prada until the brands hire some black designers, following a pair of blackface fashion controversies.

Lee said on Instagram Friday that "It's Obvious To Da Peoples That They Don't Have A Clue When It Comes To Racist, Blackface Hateful Imagery. WAKE UP."

Spike said the brands needed black designers "To Be In Da Room When It Happen."

 

The personal boycott in the midst of movie awards season was a powerful message to luxury fashion houses that are already suffering backlashes for designs evoking racist images.

Gucci apologized earlier this week for a $900 high-neck black wool sweater that featured bright red lips when pulled over the face, writing in a statement that the "balaclava sweater" had been removed from all stores and online.

The brand added that it was "fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment."

Read more: Megyn Kelly defended blackface on the 'Today' show, but here's the racist history behind it

In December 2018, Prada pulled a monkey bag charm after sharp social media backlash against the figure, which many pointed out resembled blackface.

Gucci's controversy stands in contrast to its victory in topping the Lyst Index, which reported the Italian brand had overtaken luxury streetwear label Off-White as the most in-demand brand in the final quarter of 2018.

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