Lebanese jewelry and clothing brand Vanina released a new collection entitled The Light of Beirut last week inspired by the August 4 blast that decimated the city, killed more than 200 people, and injured thousands.
The collection included handbags made out of materials damaged by the explosion, with one being made of broken glass and another dedicated to the destroyed wheat silos.
Upon announcing their collection, they were met with severe criticism and anger from those who felt that they were capitalizing on the victim’s pain and on Beirut’s tragedy.
So we’re wearing people’s blood and trauma now?! How insensitive can you be to make profits out of this. This is truly disgusting and disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/W0kR5Biiss
The idea of reusing shattered glass from the August 4th blast is actually great, but can we please talk about the marketing strategies they’re adapting and the bad execution? Silo bag? Some people were stuck under the silos for days before their bodies were recovered… pic.twitter.com/AN88D1JrWL
The designers then released a message announcing that they would be pulling the collection after the backlash, stating that it was intended to be a tribute.
Despite the fact that 25% of the profits generated by the collection were to be donated to the Beirut Heritage Initiative to support their preservation and reconstruction efforts, many criticized the pricing of the collection with one bag being sold for $550.
Do you find this to be a heartfelt tribute or a disrespectful one?
