The Met Gala is ignoring Karl Lagerfeld's Islamophobia and misogyny by honouring him

New York’s fashion scene is already thinking about its next big event with an announcement of the 2023 Met Gala theme: ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.’ The decision to celebrate Lagerfeld despite his controversial career has been met with backlash, but this will likely do little to change the Costume Institute’s choice.

Lagerfeld’s designs have proven to be a cornerstone of modern fashion for the last five decades, but his legacy is also marked with immense Islamophobia and misogyny. The fame and public platform he once enjoyed, and his huge industry presence, meant his controversial and largely harmful views always had the space to be voiced.

In the early 90s when working as a revolutionary designer for Chanel, he unknowingly printed a verse from the holy Qur’an on to three dresses which went on to be dubbed ‘the Satanic Breasts’. He later admitted to choosing the Arabic scripture for its aesthetic and belief that the words simply arose from a love poem about the Taj Mahal. Chanel later apologised and burnt the garments after international backlash from the Muslim community, including revered religious leaders.

''What becomes a glamour filled moment in Manhattan once a year, will in this instance celebrate what should have been a critical lesson. The industry has set a precedent for immortalising the genius of problematic men, whilst ignoring the toxic behaviour that has followed their careers. It seeks to create a selective remembrance of the figure, by preserving him into a false narrative as if he had spent his entire life creating without harm.''

Although perhaps one of the most controversial moments was back in 2017 during an appearance on French talk show, Salut les Terriens! where he criticised Angela Merkel for opening the German borders to Syrian refugees. Commenting that, “one cannot – even if there are decades between them – kill millions of Jews so you can bring millions of their worst enemies in their place.” The incident led to a stream of complaints to French media regulator, CSA, but there was never an apology from Lagerfeld.

The late designer was also infamous for his fatphobic and misogynistic comments toward women he deemed ‘too curvy’ for his runways. In an interview with Numero magazine he was quoted as being ‘fed up’ of the #MeToo movement; and later in an exposé from The Boston Globe proclaimed “if you don’t want your pants pulled about, don’t become a model,” in defence of sexual misconduct allegations toward stylist Karl Templer.

He worked to revolutionise modern-age fashion and his revival of Chanel’s once dwindling brand during the 80s proves this. Yet he clung to the same version of the industry he began his career in decades ago, and refused to be part of any change by diversifying the models who walked for him.

By clutching on to what was left of an age-old rhetoric of ‘size 0’ supermodels, he embodied a huge part of the industry that was debilitating and harmful particularly towards women. His only prerequisite? Clothing should be about “dreams and illusions".  The average woman can only aspire or 'dream' to be, but can never become those models.

Jameela Jamil an open critic of Lagerfeld, called out the Gala’s decision to celebrate the life of a man who was “distinctly hateful” to those most marginalised in society. She labelled the event a “pick me red carpet moment,” calling out those who wished to ignore the designer’s toxic legacy for an invitation to fashion’s biggest event of the year.

 

 

 

 

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Some may have little knowledge of his problematic history; it wasn’t something that was overly condemned or ever met with repercussion. However, many of us remain too familiar with an industry that has never been truly welcoming toward anyone other than the ‘thin, able-bodied, white woman’. It isn’t exactly surprising therefore, that the creative director of two of the world’s most prolific fashion houses displayed a huge amount of racism and misogyny throughout his career, yet rarely bared any consequences.

What becomes a glamour filled moment in Manhattan once a year, will in this instance celebrate what should have been a critical lesson. The industry has set a precedent for immortalising the genius of problematic men, whilst ignoring the toxic behaviour that has followed their careers. It seeks to create a selective remembrance of the figure, by preserving him into a false narrative as if he had spent his entire life creating without harm.

The exhibit itself hopes to ‘examine the life – and creative legacy’ of the late designer. But how much of this will include the Islamophobic, fatphobic and anti-refugee remarks that his name triggers for marginalised groups?

The 2023 Met Gala is set to be yet another example of male creatives being lauded in death for their genius, whilst sweeping aside the victims who are still with us.

The talent of a creative should never stand for more than their character, including how we remember them in death. By refusing to contend with Lagerfeld’s problematic history, we also take a step back from advocating for the minorities he attacked throughout his lifetime. Instead, he gets to prevail as a brand under his eponymous label and a carefully curated aesthetic, without any permanent consequence.

The decision to honour Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala should be one we all condemn. After all, can we really separate the art from the artist if every time we experience their work, we seek to forget the toxic legacy that helped create it?

Anisha Mansuri is a recent MA Creative Writing graduate from the University of Birmingham, a poet, writer, and freelance journalist who writes on issues surrounding the experience of the South Asian diaspora, as well as the silencing of women in the current political climate.

Follow her on Twitter: @AnishaMansuri

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