The items were adorned with a patch of glass beads in the shape of a five-pointed yellow star.
By AMY SPIROUpdated: AUGUST 24, 2017 01:07A jacket designed by Miu Miu that has been criticized. (photo credit: screenshot)
After an uproar over several items of clothing featuring a yellow star, Italian design house Mi Miu said it is pulling the offending pieces from its collection.“It was not Miu Miu’s intent in any way to make any political or religious statement, and we apologize for any offense that may have been taken,” said Preia Narendra, Miu Miu’s senior VP of marketing. “Kindly note that effective immediately these items will be removed from the collection.”The items in question included jackets, dresses and skirts that were adorned with a patch of glass beads in the shape of a five-pointed yellow star – printed with the name “John.”The collection featured clothing with stars in many colors, as well as similar patches that were rectangular in shape. But it was hard to ignore the historical reference in those items with a yellow-star patch featured on the left side of the chest.The outcry began when a Canadian shopper noticed such a dress in a display window at the upscale Holt Renfrew store in Toronto. Upon hearing complaints, the store first removed the dress from the window, and then later said it would stop selling it entirely.Holt Renfrew told The Jerusalem Post late Tuesday that “Based on customer feedback we have removed the garment from store windows and floors.We apologize for any upset that this may have caused and want to reassure customers that this was not our intention.”As the news then spread Miu Miu said the items would ultimately be removed from the collection.The World Jewish Congress was quick to take credit for the decision.“The World Jewish Congress commends Miu Miu and its parent company, Prada, on its swift attention and action to the concerns we raised regarding the use of the yellow star on its clothing items,” said Robert Singer, WJC’s CEO. “At this critical time, when antisemitism and bigotry are rearing their heads in the public sphere, we must continue to exercise caution and show sensitivity in every sphere and sector.”
A representative for the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Canada said they had also been in contact with Miu Miu, and credited that dialogue with helping the designer make the decision to pull items deemed offensive. FSWC said it was also in contact with Holt Renfrew and said it “commends” the chain “for hearing our concerns and having it removed from stores.”Narendra told the Post on Wednesday that all items featuring the yellow star motif would be “pulled from all retail including our retail partners.”While they were still available for sale in multiple locations on Wednesday afternoon, Narendra said: “There may be a time delay in some retailers being able to pull from their sites, but be assured, they will be.”
