Louis Vuitton Pulls ‘Jamaican Sweater’ From Online Store After Using Wrong Flag Colours

Luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton has stirred controversy over a new menswear design that was described by the brand as being influenced by, and paying tribute to, the Jamaican national flag.
The item, which retailed for US$1,340 before being removed from Louis Vuitton’s online store, is called the ‘Jamaican Stripe Sweater’, and features three stripes in green, yellow, and red.
When the item first appeared online, the product description, according to multiple reports, read: “With striped design inspired by Caribbean island’s national flag.”
However, the Jamaican flag is green, yellow, and black.
The error was called out by Twitter user @pam_boy, in a tweet that has since been liked more than 3,200 times. While other users pointed out that it appeared to have been inspired by the Rastafarian flag, a religious movement with roots in Jamaica.
Louis Vuitton’s Jamaican stripe pullover & Jamaica’s actual flag.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to implement diversity as a value and not a symbol within fashion companies. pic.twitter.com/neg2W3uIE3
— @PAM_BOY (@pam_boy) February 2, 2021
Cedella Marley, the daughter of Bob and Rita Marley, also commented on the blunder, posting on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
After updating the description of the jumper to remove the word “flag” and swap it with “cultural heritage”, the product was pulled from the official Vuitton website.
Clicking on the link now sees a ‘404 page not found’ error message appear.
Louis Vuitton’s creative director of menswear Virgil Abloh has previously collaborated with Jamaican born skateboarder Lucien Clarke.
But as POPSUGAR’s Nikita Charuza notes, the issue with this particular sweater is not that it was inspired by a flag or a culture, “it’s that the original product description allegedly said the sweater was modelled after the Jamaican flag, when in fact it was not”.
“This shows a lack of effort and care by a major brand during a time when inclusivity in fashion should be championed, celebrated, and top of mind,” Charuza writes.
According to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, the colours of the Jamaican flag represent “the difficulties faced by the nation (black), its natural wealth and the beauty of its sunlight (yellow), and agriculture and hope (green)”.
In a statement to B&T, Louis Vuitton spokesperson Jade Guishard said: “We deeply regret the error in the description on our e-commerce site and we have corrected the information.
“The sweater is from the Spring-Summer 2021 Men’s Collection, throughout which green, yellow and red, the colors of the Ethiopian flag and a hallmark of African independence, were used, including to pay tribute to the Ghanaian heritage of our menswear designer Virgil Abloh.”
Note: This article has been updated to reflect commentary received from Louis Vuitton.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Louis VuittonLatest News

ghd Appoints GrowthOps Digital As Digital Marketing Partner
Global hair styling brand, ghd has today announced the appointment of GrowthOps Digital as its digital marketing partner.

Prahran Market Announces Masterchef Grand Finalist Simon Toohey As ‘Sustainable Simon’
Prahran Market is excited to announce Simon Toohey as the Market’s new sustainability guru ‘Sustainable Simon’

Xandr Shares Comprehensive Approach To Identity
Xandr today shared insight into its multi-faceted approach to identity solutions, to facilitate high-value transactions for buyers and sellers following the deprecation of third-party cookies and device IDs.

Bolster Group Launches Regional Tour ‘Small Town Big Sound’, For The Transport Accident Commission’s Vanessa
A nod to the colourful, late 70’s Aussie pub rock scene, Bolster Group has created the Small Town Big Sound campaign; collecting a handful of the nation’s locally adored bands to tour regional Victoria in the latest campaign for TAC’s Vanessa.

When It Comes Brand Building, Less Isn’t Always More
In this guest post, Hulsbosch’s creative director Marcel Wijnen, casts his design eye over what truly makes a brand and says it’s all about being true and essential… To do simple – and to be original – is a truly tough task. Not impossible, but not easy. Naturally, we can get lost in ‘striving for simplicity’ […]

Seven Victorian Charities Join Forces To Light Up Thousands Of Lives With ‘Power Up’ 2021 Campaign
Seven Victorian charities are uniting for a month-long virtual fundraising challenge - Power Up 2021 - between 28th February and 28th March. There’s no denying that 2020 affected everyone, but small charities experienced a huge drop in much needed donations and it is hoped the Power Up campaign will bring fundraising back to life.

South Australian Supermarket Chain Foodland Launches ‘Mighty’ New Campaign, Via KWP!
South Australia’s largest independent supermarket chain, Foodland – with its unforgettable jingle “Foodland, the mighty South Aussies, yeah” – will launch a new campaign on 7th March. The campaign coincides with the chain’s $251m expansion program to open twenty-five new stores, revamp fourty-seven and create 2,500 new jobs over the next five years. Agency KWP! […]

AFG Launches Brand Refresh From The Works Ahead Of Tech Launches
Ahead of major new technology launches, AFG (Australian Finance Group) has unveiled a new brand design, logo and campaign created by The Works.

Client Retentions Boost Carat’s Billings And Solidify Growth
Jim Groves, Managing Director of Carat Perth, announced today a significant growth period for the agency with the retention of three existing clients.

Julie Bishop, Thelma Plum And More: Klarna’s First Aussie Smoooth Session
A-listers turned out to Klarna's Sydney party last night. It did move significantly down the alphabet on B&T's arrival.

The Future Of Post-Pandemic Advertising Or Plain Gross? People Are Freaking Out Over This Racy Menswear Campaign
B&T warns this contains imagery of attractive people in various states of undress. And by "warn" we mean "encourage".

A Win For Privacy Or For Google? Ad Tech Industry Weighs In On Tracking Changes
Here, B&T asks "a win for privacy or for Google?" & you'd pick the splinters out of our arse such was the fence-sitting.

72andSunny Announce New Narratives: Mapping Modern Masculinity Event
72andSunny announces plans for a masculinity event, adding it's not compulsory to do donuts in a ute before attending.

Government Supports ‘Buy Aussie Now’ Marketplace With ‘Tick Of Approval’ For Australian Businesses
B&T always looks to buy Australian, except that is when it comes to sombreros, Shih Tzus or plundered Inca ruins.

Co-Founder Of Eyeota Returns As Head of Brand Solutions AU/NZ
Eyeota, the leading audience technology platform enabling the intelligent use of data, today announced its co-founder, Trent Lloyd, has been appointed Head of Brand Solutions, Australia/New Zealand.

Muval Launches First Broadcast And Digital Advertising Campaign, Targeting ‘Relocation Of The Nation’
Muval is an online booking platform for removalists, despite sounding like a psyllium fibre supplement for constipation.

The Indie Recipe: A Dash Of Agility And A Spoonful Of Adaptation
Here's the recipe for indie agency success! Sadly it doesn't go so far as tips on stealing your competitor's clients.

Clems Melbourne Launches New Content Division
Judging by the press photo, Clems content division enjoy a laugh. Unless they're learning of a colleague's termination?

The Wiggles Mash-Up Tame Impala’s ‘Elephant’ With Iconic Hit ‘Fruit Salad’ For Triple J
The Wiggles have done triple J's 'Like A Version' and, thankfully, no one had a bout of narcolepsy or a heart attack.

Yes, You Can Now Buy Cadbury Creme Egg-Flavoured Beer!
The hot cross bun said to be the ideal accompaniment to Cadbury Creme Egg beer. Followed by a trip to Weight Watchers.

WPP Snares Facebook’s Dave Rolfe For Global Head Of Production Role
Dave Rolfe named WPP's global head of production while confirming he's no relation to convicted sex pest Rolf Harris.

Thursday TV Wrap: Gogglebox Numbers Continue To Climb
With MAFS on hiatus, it was a Steven Bradbury sprint to the line for the networks last night. Sans the silly helmets.

Australian Community News Launches Travel Website
Clearly having not read a newspaper in the past 12 months, Australian Community News announces plans for travel website.

Moccona Launches New “Me-Time” Brand Platform, Via Edge
Moccona's the premium instant coffee of choice at the B&T office. Even if we do refill the jar with International Roast.

Network 10 And Nickelodeon International Partner For First-Time With Live Action Series
Dreading the fast-approaching school holidays? This may be of interest or even a bulk purchase at Dan Murphys.

Introducing The Zavy Social Scoreboard
Get yourself acquainted with the Zavy Social Scoreboard here. Why not mix a martini for added mood and intimacy.

Study: 81% Of Creatives Say COVID’s Hit Their Earnings, 40% Saying It’s More Than Halved
In lieu of the AstraZeneca vaccine, B&T's warding off the pandemic with a Vick's Vapor Rub & a Johnnie Walker & honey.

Priceline Pharmacy Celebrates Every Day Being A Festival of You, Via Whippet
Priceline celebrates the 'festival of you' in latest campaign. Particularly if you stink, itch, secrete or blister.

Foxtel Media Unveils Four New Digitally Enabled Cient Offerings
Miss the Foxtel Group 2021 Showcase yesterday? Watch a video replay of it in full here while pausing for toilet breaks.

“The Free And Open Internet Is A Force For Good”: Quantcast Reveals New Intelligent Audience Platform
On Thursday, Quantcast held their Virtual NOVA event, discussing the current state of the advertising industry, the end of third-party cookies, the open internet vs walled gardens, and data privacy and consent. The event coincided with the launch of their new Quantcast Platform. It is an intelligent audience platform powered by the company’s patented AI […]