Short Take: NYC’s Designs For Prada

New York, New York, is a helluva town, and the New York City Commission on Human Rights finally figured out how to use this to its advantage. Among the many industries that call NY home, or at least their American home, is the fashion industry. It’s not that it has to be that way, but it just turned out that way. Somehow, Des Moines didn’t make the cut instead.

So a little known, and even less cared about, city agency, the NYCCHR became captive of the woke, where they spun new rules and regs to reinvent their little patch of earth to suit their sensibilities. From African hairstyles to forbidden words like “illegal alien,” they dictated what was (sniff) politically acceptable and what would cost a bundle if you didn’t behave their way.

When their focus was turned by a complaint of offense at a fashion window display, the fashion house of Prada, inexplicably, decided not to resist.

In December 2018, Chinyere Ezie, a civil rights lawyer, posted a picture on Twitter that seemed to encapsulate a year’s worth of racial and cultural faux pas from major fashion brands.

It showed the window of the Prada shop in downtown New York filled with Pradamalia figurines that resembled monkeys in blackface. “I don’t make a lot of public posts, but right now I’m shaking with anger,” Ms. Ezie, who works at the Center for Constitutional Rights, wrote on Facebook.

Whether they “resembled monkeys in blackface” must be a personal call. People see what they want to see. It’s possible, but “resembled” does a lot of heavy lifting here unless you desperately seek things to make you shake with anger.

Even more curious is that Chinyere Ezie works for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which once upon a time, like the ACLU, cared about constitutional rights. It’s not obsessed with its own bastardized view of the Equal Protection Clause, where equal means the tyranny of the minority, and the rest of the Constitution can take a hike.

Upon Ezie’s complaints, the NYCCHR leaped into action.

In short order, Prada had done away with the offending objects, apologized and vociferously declared its intention to focus on diversity.

Perhaps the one overarching thing about fashion is it must be fashionable, and there are few things more fashionable than having your designs dictated by commissions. But Prada rushed to acquiesce.

The company will put all New York store employees—and company executives in Milan—through racial sensitivity training. Prada will also appoint a diversity and inclusion officer, subject to the commission’s approval. This person will be tasked with “reviewing Prada’s designs before they are sold, advertised or promoted in any way in the United States,” according to the terms of the agreement.

Note that the commission-approved commissar must approve all products “sold, advertised or promoted in any way in the United States,” which goes a bit beyond the Hudson and above 34th Street. So too do its dictates about whom Prada will allow to staff its Milan offices.

A year after signing the agreement, Prada is required to tell the commission “the demographic make-up” of its staff at every level, and summarize “Prada’s past and future activities aimed at increasing the number of people from protected classes under-represented in the fashion industry.”

Well, this brings new meaning to Coco Channel. But as it turns out, Prada wasn’t the first fashion house to succumb to the NYCCHR’s fashion sense, as its agreement “mirrors Gucci’s agreement.” And it clearly hasn’t had any negative impact on Gucci’s designs, as reflected in its Fall 2020 men’s collection.

It’s unclear whether this look has caught fire in Milwaukee as yet, but at least no one on the New York City Commission on Human Rights finds it offensive.


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10 thoughts on “Short Take: NYC’s Designs For Prada

  1. Central Scrutinizer

    Whats the matter Admiral, not enough crazy comments to trash lately?
    I think someone at Prada is a closet Zappa fan, and they built a male and female version of a Telefunkin’ U-47. Of course, they still jumped-the-shark for the woke by not making a version for the other 52 genders.

      1. Guitardave

        Hey, musicians are allowed to dress funny, didn’t you get the memo?…oh, right, drums…never mind.

  2. Skink

    I always wonder why corporations bend-over for this stuff and invite something like a “commission ” into the business, so I went to the website. The Commission explains itself:

    The New York City Human Rights Law (Title 8 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York) prohibits discrimination in New York City, in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Protected classes in these areas are noted below. The New York City Human Rights Law also protects against discriminatory lending practices, retaliation, discriminatory harassment, and bias-based profiling by law enforcement.

    Some reading reveals that it’s an add-on to state and federal laws already in place, but they get to lay extra fines–they even have a “Law Enforcement Bureau”!

    But just like any respectable law firm, they list their proudest moments:

    Spitzer v. Dahbi, 06/07/2016: In Commission on Human Rights ex rel. Spitzer v. Dahbi, a taxi driver was found to have chastised two lesbian passengers and told them that he would not transport them if they kissed in his cab. Such conduct was held to violate the NYCHRL’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in a place of public accommodation. Drawing once again on principles of restorative justice, the Commission ordered that the Complainants consider the possibility of a mediated apology or other form of alternative resolution in lieu of an award of $7,000 in emotional distress damages. The Commission further ordered that the Respondent perform 164 hours of community service or pay civil penalties of $5,000. In addition, the Commission required the Respondent undergo training on the NYCHRL. Following issuance of the Decision and Order, the Complainants opted for a restorative justice remedy in lieu of the payment of damages, and Respondent agreed to perform community service in lieu of payment of a fine.

    See that magic phrase in there? But City dwellers really need to be careful with words:

    Commission on Human Rights v. Shalom Bombay 2 LLC, et al, 06/21/17: Respondents placed a discriminatory job posting on Craigslist, seeking an “Indian” waiter or waitress, thereby expressing a limitation based on race and national origin. The Commission imposed a fine $1,000.

    Don’t they get points for at least making it waiter or waitress? Wait, I get it: that’s only 2 of the 17 genders.

    But I still don’t get the bending. What happens if Prada just explains that the stuff in the window might offend some, so it was taken down? Why invite the government in and go whole-hog on being social justicie over this? It isn’t as though Prada customers will flee to another house during the 13 minutes anyone paid attention.

      1. Skink

        Not true–I got me a cultured pearl farm in the river. When I get some, I’ll sell them on Saturdays at the flea market.

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