Gallianogate. It’s got quite a ring to it really. All of a sudden everyone and their granny have an opinion on the shamed former head of fashion house Dior, and I am no different.
To be quite frank, I can’t afford Dior Couture, nor do I really have any great burning desire to, therefore the quandary facing most dollar laden fashionistas does not apply to me – would it be wrong to keep buying Dior clothes and accessories Galliano has designed? – but it’s something I have an opinion on (surprise surprise) nonetheless.
My answer, in its most simple form, is yes – is would be wrong to keep buying clothes and accessories he has designed because, in my opinion, it would be like purchasing an army jacket from Hitler in 1941. Now I know that we’re all supposed to assume an ‘innocent until proven guilty’ stance when it comes to allegations such as Galliano’s anti-Semitic rant – however, we’ve all seen the video (if you’ve not, here is the link) and the flamboyant Brit clearly has some issues that should not be swept under the carpet and considered to be ok as long as he keeps his head down just because he’s an amazing designer.
Yes his clothes are deemed to be sensational by the stars who wear them; his tailoring is incredible and the cut makes you look so thin and so fabulously elegant – but he basically expressed love for Hitler in that little tirade against an unsuspecting couple in a Parisian bar last week. What’s next? A range of Galliano Couture Swastikas?
Some celebrities have attempted to ‘show support’ for Galliano and sugar-coat his comments somewhat – in fact Patricia Field (Sex and the City stylist and designer) has gone as far as to say that when Galliano expressed the opinion that all Jews should have been gassed, he wasn’t being anti-Semitic at all; he was merely being ‘theatrical’. Well I’m sorry, but if that’s classed as theatrical you won’t catch me frequenting any West End productions in the near future.
Then there are some who claim Galliano was simply being ‘controversial’ in his rant. Apparently there’s quite a fine line between controversy and anti-Semitism but I think – I THINK – Galliano may just have crossed it. Controversial is Alexander McQueen using a double amputee athlete to model in his runway show. Controversial was Madonna and Britney playing a little tonsil tennis at the MTV awards in 2003. Hurling racist abuse and screaming that all Jews should have been gassed during the war is not controversial.
But I can’t help but wonder if this is all just going to swing in Galliano’s favour one way or another. He’ll come out of rehab (which, by the way, I love. He’s in rehab for being anti-Semitic like it’s an illness or something that can be cured) pleading temporary insanity, not to mention a love for all things Jewish, and someone somewhere – some idiot – will say ‘oh maybe he didn’t mean it after all, he doesn’t seem such a bad sort’ and Mr John Galliano will be on his way back to the top. He might even really milk it and use a Jewish model in his next runway show just to prove a point. In the way that being snapped snorting cocaine simply propelled Kate Moss onto bigger and better things after the initial furore calmed down, John Galliano and his people will eventually use this to their advantage. After all, you know the old saying – no publicity is bad publicity.
Interestingly enough, Galliano strongly denies the claims made against him and yet he still feels the need to apologise for his actions - here's what he had to say in his official statement released last week:
“Since the events of last Thursday evening I have not been able to make any public comment on what took place based upon advice from my French lawyer. However, given the continuing delays at the French Prosecutor’s Office I should make my position clear.
“I completely deny the claims made against me and have fully co-operated with the police investigation.
“A number of independent witnesses have given evidence and have told the police that I was subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing. For these reasons I have commenced proceedings for defamation and the threats made against me.
“However, I fully accept that the accusations made against me have greatly shocked and upset people.
“I must take responsibility for the circumstances in which I found myself and for allowing myself to be seen to be behaving in the worst possible light.
“I only have myself to blame and I know that I must face up to my own failures and that I must work hard to gain people’s understanding and compassion. To start this process I am seeking help and all I can hope for in time is to address the personal failure which led to these circumstances and try and earn people’s forgiveness.
“I have fought my entire life against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination, having been subjected to it myself. In all my work my inspiration has been to unite people of every race, creed, religion and sexuality by celebrating their cultural and ethnic diversity through fashion. That remains my guiding light.
“Anti-semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologise for my behaviour in causing any offence.”
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