Anna Wintour cancels John Galliano Met Gala retrospective after backlash
Wintour's effort to rehabilitate the disgraced designer's reputation collapsed under pressure over his past antisemitic and racist remarks.
What to know
- Wintour championed a Met Gala retrospective for designer John Galliano, who was fired from Dior in 2011 for antisemitic and racist tirades captured on video.
- The announcement triggered immediate backlash from Jewish groups and others, questioning why the Costume Institute would honor someone with such a controversial past.
- Galliano and Wintour cancelled the 2027 exhibition, but insiders argue Wintour should face greater accountability for initiating a project she didn't fully think through.
- The cancellation left Jewish critics in a difficult position: proceeding honored someone with a hate-filled past, while cancelling allowed critics to be portrayed as censorious.
The dispute Whether Galliano's past antisemitic remarks should permanently disqualify him from such honor, or whether sufficient time and rehabilitation efforts have allowed him to move forward in his career.
Wintour exercised poor judgment and should face accountability for championing Galliano without considering consequences.
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“She is the person who wanted this to happen, never fully considering the consequences. Why does she only get to reap the rewards and not face more criticism?”
Fashion industry insider · New York Post (via Fox News)
The cancellation creates an unfair bind for Jewish critics who are blamed whether the exhibit proceeds or not.
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“It goes ahead, and a man who espoused hate-filled views is given fashion's most exceptional honour. It's cancelled, and they blame the Jews. We can't win.”
Jewish observers · The Telegraph ↗
“It goes ahead, and a man who espoused hate-filled views is given fashion's most exceptional honour. It's cancelled, and they blame the Jews. We can't win.”
Jewish observers, Community voices · The Telegraph ↗
John Galliano Fashion designer
Anna Wintour Met Gala chair, Costume Institute patronMetropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Institution
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