From Noose, Blackface to Naked Jeans: When Fashion Went Bizarre

Time and again, international fashion labels and designers have looked beyond practicality and explored the bizzare side of style statements to make an impact on fashion lovers. But sometimes, it ends up turning against them - just like the noose hoodie did for Burberry.

Burberry noose hoodie

At the recently concluded London Fashion Week, British luxury fashion house Burberry showcased a hoodie that featured a noose around the neck. It has come to be called the 'suicide' hoodie after model Liz Kennedy criticised it, saying: "Suicide is not fashion."

"There are hundreds of ways to tie a rope and they chose to tie it like a noose completely ignoring the fact that it was hanging around a neck," Kennedy said, unleashing a widespread online backlash for the brand.

Gucci blackface Sweater

The Italian luxury fashion brand came out with a hoodie, which social media users found to resemble blackface, a form of theatrical make-up used predominantly by non-black performers to represent a caricature of a black person.

Soon after receiving flak, the brand removed the black polo-neck sweater from its stores. Referred to as the 'balaclava' jumper, the polo neck stretched up to the eyes and had an opening for the mouth which was outlined by thick red lips. The label had to issue an apology.

Thong or naked jeans

Japenese designer Meiko Ban showcased the ‘thong jeans' at a fashion week in Tokyo. The jeans - or the lack of them - only had the seams on display, baring the legs. According to people.com, in 2017, the jeans were priced at $168.

Reverse denims

UK-based online fashion retailer boohoo.com has come out with reverse denims priced at 20 pounds (over Rs 1,800). The jeans are in reverse, where the stitching lines are clear and the pockets are large.

Bare butt denims

French clothing and footwear company Vetements, along with denim brand Levis, introduced the 'Bare Butt Jeans' to the world in 2017. The jeans have zippers down the backs of the legs, as well as one on the back-centre seam, which leaves the wearer with a bare bottom when unzipped.

Meat dress

Singer-actress Lady Gaga's 2010 meat dress is an unforgettable fashion statement. At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga wore a dress made of raw beef, designed by Franc Fernandez. The dress was condemned by animal rights groups, but was named by Time as the top fashion statement of 2010.