Luxury fashion brand Gucci is facing severe backlash for using real tigers in its latest advertisement. The campaign was launched earlier this month in order to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Tiger.
An Instagram post which features the campaign shoot was shared by Gucci on its official account. The collection called ‘GucciTiger’ showcases the Italian designer brand’s wide-range of ready-to-wear items and also includes various accessories which feature the animal.
Gucci has mentioned that the collection is a main stay of Alessandro Michele’s collections and is a reflection of his fascination with nature.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYUNVaioHfu/?
The photographs of the campaign shows models wearing the recent Gucci collection, which has been designed for both men and women. In the shoot, models are seen lounging on a couch, sipping tea and also posing with a tiger sitting nearby.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYZW8BvIW7j/?
One of the posts also mentions that the entire campaign was shot alongside actual tigers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYbhZnLNa_F/?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYbhZnLNa_F/?
World Animal Protection US criticised the campaign for sending a wrongful message by promoting tigers as luxury items. It urged Gucci to stop using wild animals in their campaigns and issued a statement that tigers belong in the wild.
https://twitter.com/MoveTheWorldUS/status/1483456397350252544?s=20
The Italian luxury house was also blasted by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Instagram for exploiting animals and using them as props in their campaign. ” When will @gucci learn that animals are not props,” PETA asked in its its statement and people to to the brand’s profile “and tell them to STOP using wild animals in their ads!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYX6-yas9Qc/?
Carole Baskin, Big Cat Rescue founder, also known for her appearance in the Netflix series Tiger King also criticised the fashion brand for using actual animals in their advertisement.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY1SBYWrKUK/?
Baskin wrote, “I don’t know anyone in the animal protection community who believes a sign off by American humane means anything. You can also tell from the still photo image that it is the same tiger both on the floor and on the piano.” Baskin further added that she wanted to know who was the cat provider and asserted that she was sure the public would be aghast at how the poor cats were being used for profit.
A number of Instagram users also criticized the fashion house for using tigers in their advertisement. A user asked the brand to stop using wild animals in its marketing campaigns while another commented that that the brand was still trying to fins ways to exploit tigers even after it stopped using real fur in its designs.
Most people mentioned that wild animals belong in their natural habitat and should not be used for entertainment and media.
However, Gucci has mentioned that nature and wild animals are particularly important to the brand. It has also stated that it has joined The Lion’s Share Fund, an initiative raising funds to protect endangered species in their natural habitat.
What are your thoughts on Gucci’s new ad campaign?
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.