- Fashion label Stolen Girlfriends Club has been slammed on social media
- A photo of a bed in a car boot appeared on the label's Instagram page
- Social media users accused the brand of making fun of homeless people
- Creative director said it was only meant to be a 'light-hearted' jab at Airbnb
A fashion label has been slammed as 'ignorant' after a photograph of a bed in a car boot was uploaded on its social media account that appeared to make fun of homeless people.
The picture was posted on New Zealand brand Stolen Girlfriends Club's Instagram page on Saturday night and has since been deleted.
'Just checked into the Airbnb,' the caption under the photo of a mattress in the back of car with pink sheets, dolls and curtains tied back with purple and pink ribbon.
Fashion label Stolen Girlfriends Club has been slammed as 'ignorant' after this photograph of a bed in a boot appear on its Instagram account that appeared to make fun of homeless people
The hashtags 'Airbnb' and 'five star' followed the caption, according to newshub[4].
Social media users were quick to point out the offensiveness of the post but Stolen Girlfriends Club creative director Marc Moore said the post was meant to be a 'light-hearted' jab at Airbnb.
'Fashion label thinks it's funny to mock homeless people? Shame people think it's funny to make fun out of other people's terrible situations,' one man wrote.
'Bring awareness to the homeless crisis, take a stand as an organisation, be a leader. Don't be another shameful example.'
One woman said: 'Oh my God. Ignorant and uncaring much? I suppose you are too busy profiteering to give a damn about the less fortunate.'
New Zealand Coalition To End Homelessness's Corie Haddock questioned the timing of the post after some families were forced to live out of their cars during the colder months.
Some of the creations from the label at New Zealand Fashion Week in 2014
A woman's dresses from the brand can cost up $489 and a man's T-shirt is priced up to $229. Pictured is a model wearing a piece from the 2014 collection
'It shows a lack of insight, a lack of social responsibility, but they are a fashion label so I guess it's not high on their priority list. It would be risque and they want to sell things, I suppose,' he told the New Zealand Herald[5].
'I think some homeless people would be offended by it when you consider the cost of some of the products that they sell.'
A woman's dresses from the brand can cost up $489 and a man's T-shirt is priced up to $229.
The label's creative director Marc Moore said he had seen the photo on microblogging site Tumblr and had re-used the image on Instagram.
'[It was] intended as a light-hearted poke at being "catfished" on an accommodation website,' Mr Moore told Daily Mail Australia.
'You know, when you're looking for accommodation and the photos look amazing and you turn up to the place and it's nothing like the image.
'There was absolutely no intention of directing that post towards homeless people and it had never crossed my mind until I saw all the negative comments.'
Mr Moore said he had 'absolutely nothing' against homeless people.
Social media users were quick to point out the offensiveness of the post
But Stolen Girlfriends Club creative director Marc Moore said the post was meant to be a 'light-hearted' jab at Airbnb. Pictured is a social media user's post about the photo
A New Zealand homelessness group questioned the timing of the post after some families were forced to live out of their cars during the colder months. Pictured is another post
Another social media user's reaction to the offending post made on Saturday night
The label's creative direction Marc Moore said he had 'absolutely nothing' against homeless people. Pictured is an apology from the brand
'It's a serious and sad issue that affects not only New Zealanders but people all around the world,' he told Daily Mail Australia.
'We would never intentionally direct something like this at the homeless, it would be insensitive and inhumane.
'It was bad timing on my behalf more than anything because locally there has been a media spotlight on the issue recently, totally unbeknownst to me. I never read the news because I find it so negative.'
Mr Moore also thanked the people who had supported the label through the incident and 'clearly knew we'd never intentionally do something like this'.
'It meant a lot to me, those messages kept me sane,' he said.
References
- ^ Louise Cheer for Daily Mail Australia (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ e-mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ View comments (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ newshub (www.newshub.co.nz)
- ^ New Zealand Herald (www.nzherald.co.nz)
