Macy's forced to apologise after hapless PR uses London riots to promote new fashion line

Add to My Stories Share It doesn't happen often, but when the two worlds of fashion and violent protest meet, PR faux pas seem to follow.As the UK is rocked by violent thuggery, the editors at Fashionista have received an email from publicists regarding last nights party celebrating the launch of INCs Editor at Large campaign:
'Last night while rioting ensued on the streets of London Tom Stubbs caused ariot of his own with editors and guests at Parlor for the launch of INCs Editor at Large campaign.'

Fashion and political protest: Never the two should meet. Macy's INC publicists used the UK's riotous violence to promote the line's new campaignThe email clearly uses the current UK violence as a promotional tool to promote INC's new fashion line.
The INC fashion range, sold exclusively at Macy's, is this season being 'guest edited' by the eccentric Vogue Japan editor Anna Dello Russo. The collaboration will see the off-centreindustry stalwart editing and styling INC's new collections.Thousands of miles away in the UK, ongoing protests have seen three deaths, millions of dollars' of damage and horrific images of violence, destruction and disorder. The nationwide unrest follows the death of a 29-year-old London man in a police dispute last week.

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The tasteless email has struck a bitter chord with some Fashionista readers, who react with offense.
'Thatis just so unbelievable' said Ryan Charchian, while another, Marion Kihogo, said 'Offensive. Even if they did not mean to offend (and I'm sure that was not their intention), to use this situation which has had many of [us] here in the UK scare! d is ine xcusable. Lives have been lost,inexcusable.'

Rioting: The UK has sustained days of violence and senseless crime following the death of a 29-year-old in London last Friday'Guess Kenneth Coles tweet-astrophe didnt serve as a cautionary tale for some fashion publicists,' comments Fashionista.The publicists responsible for the badly-judged message - who have not been named - have contacted Fashionista with an apology: 'We truly apologize for the off color remark in our last email communication in regards to the London Riots,' they said.'It was, in hindsight inappropriate and was not intended at all in this way. It was a hasty and poor decision and very regretful. Please accept our apologies.'The hapless incident echoes Kenneth Cole's now-infamous blunder during the Cairo protests in February, when the shoe designer took it upon himself to conflate the pursuit of revolutionary political change with crowds clamouring for his new footwear collection.
Atthe time, he wryly tweeted: 'Millions are in uproar in #Cairo, rumor isthey heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo -KC.'February's 'tweet-astrophe' saw the inappropriate Kenneth Cole message being re-tweeted 98 times almost immediately and widespread condemnation followed. An apology was soon issued via the micro-blogging site.


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