The blackface fiasco from a few months ago has led Gucci to make changes several policy changes to the company's internal structure. Interesting to note, Gucci' parent company Hering has handled the situation far differently than the brand's PR department. And yet, Gucci's CEO Marco Bizzarri is perhaps at the intersection of polar opposites. Bear in mind, Bizzarri recently claimed he didn't know blackface even existed before the controversial "mix-up." Gucci's CEO offered his thoughts to an op-ed published by The Washington Post.
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"It was easy for me to say, 'Okay, who made the mistake? I'm going to fire you to save my face.' If we made a mistake, I was the person who made the mistake," he opined, shouldering a good portion of the blame for the backlash.
As outlined in the same Washington Post op-ed, Gucci's policy changes will see them open up a global scholarship fund, an assortment of learning centres/schools around the world (one and the same), and a $5 million dollar pledge towards social welfare projects in 10 different cities where Gucci is believed to some kind of foothold or presence.
Gucci will also allow their employees to spend a percentage of their "time at work" in a charitable capacity - by volunteering for a social program of their choosing. Lastly, the company is setting up a diversity council comprised of academics, activists, as well as Noami Campbell. Will these measures be enough to repair the brand's public image in America? Only time will tell.
