Men’s clothing brand faces fierce backlash after unveiling gay-inclusive fashion campaign
The company has been accused of pushing a 'gay agenda'.
A men’s clothing company has faced a fierce homophobic backlash after unveiling their latest advertising campaign.
Dutch fashion label Suitsupply unveiled their new new Spring/Summer 2018 on Wednesday (February 21), featuring several male models posing intimately and kissing while sporting the brand’s latest collection.
The new campaign, called “Find your perfect fit”, has gone on display in the brand’s 91 stories in 22 different countries around the world, with the exception of Russia and the UAE, Dutch News reports.
Despite the ad campaign’s positive message, the company has been hit with a vocal backlash from homophobes on social media. Within 24 hours of unveiling the images on Wednesday (February 21), the brand had lost 12,000 followers on Instagram.
While many praised Suitsupply’s refreshing attempt at inclusivity, bigots accused the company of “promoting a gay agenda,” and even threatened to boycott the label.
“This is awful! I will never dress anything from your store. Disgusting propaganda”, commented one Instagram user.
Another added: “You just lost a customer Suitsupply.”
Responding to the controversy, Suitsupply CEO Fokke de Jong pointed to the many positive of support the fashion brand had received amongst the hatred.
He told Business Insider: “We do not aim to and cannot control the reactions, however, the new followers and positive messages that have been prominent in our social media is a good indicator that this campaign has been well received and has impacted many people positively.
“It’s amazing what one kiss can do,” he added.
De Jong added that a mainstream advertising campaign featuring “gay imagery” was “long overdue”, and denied claims that the company was exploiting the gay community.
“The message of this campaign is love, attraction and passion,” he said. “We are a fashion company and we sell clothes but it was not targeted to commercialise the gay community.
“It was to show the message of love and attraction stylised by Suitsupply.”