Fans have blasted Moschino designer Jeremy Scott for the poorly timed concept.
Gigi Hadid has found herself at the centre of a social media storm after she appeared in a Moschino campaign dressed like an “alien”.
Designer Jeremy Scott shared a photo to Instagram which shows the model in a Star Trek-inspired orange suit and blue body paint.
“THE ONLY THING ILLEGAL ABOUT THIS ALIEN IS HOW GOOD SHE LOOKS,” Scott originally captioned the post.
At a time when the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy has seen children forcibly separated from their parents at the border, many took offence to Scott’s use of the phrase “illegal alien”.
“What a tone-deaf caption,” one Instagram user wrote.
Scott later amended his caption to explain that he had been attempting to make a political statement.
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“The concept of my ad campaign is to bring attention to the US administration’s harsh stance towards ‘illegal aliens’,” he wrote.
“I painted the models in my show and this campaign as a way to open a discussion on what exactly an ‘alien’ is – are they orange blue yellow green? Does this matter? They are our friends, neighbors, co workers, relatives and people we love.”
Some online commenters remained unconvinced, making the point that Moschino was essentially profiting from the current political situation.
I love abstract work & new ideas. That’s what the beauty and fashion industry is about. But the new “Illegal Aliens” campaign is profiting from the current immigrant crisis. Had Jeremy Scott reconsidered the phrasing of his caption, it would not have received such backlash. pic.twitter.com/RGWVf4OZGX
— princess (@donutsmattertoo) June 27, 2018
Gigi Hadid has not yet commented on the campaign. However, the half-Palestinian model has previously spoken out against Trump’s immigration policy.
Last year, both Gigi and her sister Bella joined the #NoBanNoWall protest march in New York City. The sisters carried a homemade sign bearing the words, “We are all humans”, and joined the crowd in chanting: “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here”.
The cause was a personal one for Gigi and Bella, whose parents both emigrated to the US.
Their mother Yolanda was born in the Netherlands, while their father Mohammed is Jordanian-American, Muslim, and of Palestinian descent.
Main image: Instagram
