Amid Blackface Scandal, Prada Recruits Ava DuVernay To Help

SOHO, NY — Nearly two months after the city began an investigation into Prada's store display widely criticized as racist, the luxury brand launched a star-studded "diversity council" co-chaired by Ava DuVernay and Theaster Gates.

The Italian brand announced Wednesday that movie director and producer DuVernay and artist and activist Gates would co-chair the "Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council" at Prada to "elevate voices of color within the company and the fashion industry at-large."

The council will host a conference with the company's corporate social responsibility department to discuss diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and in the coming months, will "examine processes and advise on tactical and strategic approaches to inclusion," the company said. Prada also said the council will work with universities and organizations to start internship opportunities for diverse communities and sponsor scholarships and training programs.

"Prada is committed to cultivating, recruiting and retaining diverse talent to contribute to all departments of the company," Prada chief executive officer and lead creative direco Miuccia Prada said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council to help us grow not only as a company but also as individuals."

That individual growth from Prada appears to have been sparked by a city investigation into the brand after a Soho store displayed racist figurines that depicted monkeys with exaggerated red lips on various products, imitating blackface, which has historically been used throughout American history by white people as a caricature of black people and widely known to be racist.

In December, a line of products called Pradamalia featured the $500 monkey keychains in a Soho store display at 575 Broadway. Prada withdrew the keychains, saying they were "not intended to have any reference to the real world and certainly not blackface." The Italian luxury line committed to donating the products to a New York-based organization "committed to fighting racial justice," a December press release said.

Otto, the dark-wood monkey figurine with large red lips, is part of the Pradamalia product line.

Soon after, the city's Commission on Human Rights launched an investigation into the store display as well as a report that an employee who complained about the display was retaliated against.

The Commission did not respond to questions about the results of the investigation or if it is still ongoing. Prada did not respond to questions about its new diversity council.

Less than two months after the incident, Prada has called in DuVernay, known for directing "Selma," "13th," and "A Wrinkle In Time," and Gates, known his art regarding civil rights and the African-American identity and work as executive director of Rebuild Foundation in Chicago.

"My work amplifies the voices that have been absent from broad cultural conversations, and I am happy to partner with Prada to advise on processes that will make the company and industry more reflective of the world today," Gates said in a statement.

We are committed to creating products that celebrate the diverse fashion and beauty of cultures around the world. We’ve removed all Pradamalia products that were offensive from the market and are taking immediate steps to learn from this.

Full press release attached. pic.twitter.com/rKhnKjasDz
— PRADA (@Prada) December 16, 2018

Photo courtesy of flair fashion/Youtube.