Alfonso Majetic
The fashion industry has been rocked in the last few weeks by the controversial anti-semitic comments made by the designer John Galliano and by the decision of Dior to fire him from his position as creative director. Galliano, who could even face jail, is in the eye of the public’s hurricane. It seems that this time, his creative mind got the better of him and went too far in this so-called free society had that always judged him because of his extravagant taste.
For 15 years this talented artist worked for the prestigious fashion house of Dior. However, not even his considerable experience could have saved him from this spectacular fall from grace. After he expressed his opinions about being supportive of Nazi practices and made some anti-semitic comments, the designer really paid for his mistake, receiving a lot of criticism.
Although most people have denigrated the designer because of his statements, another prestigious designer, John Paul Gaultier, has defended him from the accusations. The designer expressed that just by looking at Galliano’s collections and his intercultural inspiration that he is anything but racist.
This terrible incident has made everyone remember the sad days that the amazing designer Coco Channel spent in forced exile because of her sympathy with the Nazi system after World War II. Actually, it is interesting to see how a fashion industry that allows so many other prejudices and judgments towards people is now been participating in this sad episode. After all, aren’t we in Europe – the continent that is famous because of its freedoms and acceptance of free speech in its societies? If we want to call ourselves democratic and support the freedom of speech, we should all support Galliano because freedom of thought must be accepted regardless of how hateful or extreme it could be.
