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Street Style - Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 : Day Five

Source: Daniel Zuchnik / Getty

I’ve been in the room with Bevy Smith many times. Working in this industry, there’s no way to miss her. Her boisterous voice is as big as her larger than life personality and she’s everywhere you want to be. So when she called Virgil Abloh a “fraud and basic b*tch,” not only did I read it in her voice I could feel it in the shade she intended.

What did Abloh do to deserve such a verbal lashing? The Louis Vuitton designer and creator of the overly expensive Off-White brand is being criticized for his statements on the #GeorgeFloyd protests and subsequent riots that have led to looting. He chastised looters who had ransacked his rich friend’s establishments.

“You see the passion, blood, sweat and tears Sean puts in for our culture. This disgusts me. To the kids that ransacked his store and RSVP DTLA, and all our stores in our scene just know, that product staring at you in your home/apartment right now is tainted and a reminder of a person I hope you aren’t. We’re a part of a culture together. Is this what you want?? When you walk past him in the future please have the dignity to not look him in the eye, hang your head in shame….” he wrote.

While other celebrities and brands pledged thousands of dollars to the protests, Abloh donated a whopping $50 to the Miami art collective called Fempower to help toward bail money for protestors.

Model Duckie Thot also called out the designer, who is accused of profiting off Blackness without actually giving back to the community.

Abloh isn’t the only celebrity facing backlash over his comments or actions this weekend. Actor Shamiek Moore was dragged for his anti-protest stance. Shekinah shed tears over the looting of Gucci. B. Simone was proverbially cancelled for insisting we should pray for our enemies, rapper Saucy Santana was called out for his performative protest photoshoot…you get the point.

Abloh has since apologized if his sentiments conflicted with his stance on the protests.

“I apologize that my comments yesterday appeared as if my main concerns are anything other than full solidarity with the movements against police violence, racism, and inequality,” his statement read. “I apologize that it seemed like my concern for those stores outweighed my concern for our right to protest injustice and express our anger and rage in this moment.”

He clarified that he donated $50 because he was on a chain with others who donated the same.

“I also joined a social media chain of friends who were matching $50 donations. I apologize that appeared to some as if that was my only donation to these important causes,” he explained.

Abloh says he has since donated $20,500 and will continue to donate.

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