The worst of 2023: Fashion’s most regrettable moments

Celebrity Fashion, News & Views / By Team PAYP / December 16, 2023

From tone deaf campaigns to carbon emitting pop mania, we’re bringing to you moments we wish didn’t happen in fashion history.

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour includes 131 shows across five continents. — Taylor Swift has been in the news for her frequent flights. But her private jet isn’t the only thing blowing out massive quantities of carbon. The multiple variations of each of her custom-made tour outfits, and the fan frenzy, with Swifties going on a spending spree, hiring designers to recreate Taylor’s famous looks, are all adding up. Not to mention the beaded friendship bracelets her fans have been exchanging. According to reports, the volume of this trading is so high, Seattle city ran out of plastic beads, just before the Taylor Swift concert. Now let’s try multiplying the impact of that 131 times!

Pharrell Williams, LV’s creative director, has been sporting a crocodile leather bag on a number of occasions. — Louis Vuitton’s Millionaire Speedy, a bag made of exotic crocodile leather, costs a whopping USD 1 million. While most major players in the industry are trying to move away from fur and animal skin, in a tone deaf move, not only is LV using exotic leather, albeit for a hefty price tag, but the creative director is leaving no stone unturned to champion the bag!

Bangladeshi garment workers took to the streets after rejecting an inadequate pay offer from the government. — Garment workers in Bangladesh have been agitating for a rise in minimum wage, from the current BDT 8,000 (approx $72) to BDT 23,000 (approx $208). The protests have witnessed several clashes with the police, and instances of violence that include a factory in Gazipur being set on fire, along with a widespread disruption to exports. A number of garment workers have been injured, with four dead, and police cases have been registered against approx 11,000 garment workers.

A still from Kim Kardarshian’s ad for Skim’s nipple bra. — Kim Kardarshian’s Skims nipple bra’s climate-themed campaign was nothing short of a disaster. Not only was the tone of the advertisement sardonic but the product is made from synthetic materials (nylon and spandex) derived from fossil fuels and is, therefore, directly contributing to global warming.

A shot from Zara’s campaign that was withdrawn after major criticism. — Zara’s December campaign sparked outrage for its resemblance to the images of destruction coming out of Gaza. In one image, the model holds a white mannequin wrapped in a white cloth, with a background of damaged mannequins and broken plasterboard. Zara has since taken down the campaign.

Author: Team PAYP

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