Fashion World Reacts To (And Some Defend!) John Galliano's Anti-Semitic Behavior

We have to say, the only thing more shocking than the video of John Galliano's "I love Hitler" rant is the fashion world's defense of it.

We thought Natalie Portman's condemnation on Monday would be one of many: "I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano's comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way." (Update: Daphne Guinness and former model Jamie King have both condemned the behavior as well--see below.)

Not so among his fashion colleagues, who in some cases seem upset that he made these statements, but even more upset that he was caught making these statements. (We'll allow that some of these reactions may have been delivered before the video came to light.) Is the fashion world so out of touch with reality that they'll excuse deplorable behavior by a designer just because he's talented? And eccentric? And most likely has a drinking problem? There are plenty of eccentric designers and alcoholics and eccentric designers who are also alcoholics who would not say such things. There is no excuse.

But some people in the fashion world are still making them, it seems.

(Clarification: the top five slides represent which comments readers found most indefensible.)

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Daphne Guinness

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@TheRealDaphne
Daphne Guinness

The infamous tapes of galliano praising Hitler are beneath contempt. Anyone with any humanity should condemn these repulsive remarks. Tbf

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tyrant510 said on 2 Wednesday 2011 pm31 2:30 pm: i think the headline to this article is overly simplified and misleading. the writer of the article is also very simplistic. i really didn't get the feeling that most of the people quoted were necessarily defending mr galliano, but merely showed empathy for him in this situation, while at the same time condemning (appropriately) hate speech. it's much more complicated when you actually know someone well, or are friends with them, as these people are. we've come to a point in this world where everything is presented as being black or white. as if you have only 2 options, to love or hate everything. what mr galliano says in the videotape is horrendous, but we should be able to have a thoughtful conversation about it, him, and the whole situation around it.

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Comments

[Tomass De]

02:32 PM on 04/06/2011

alexandra shulman editor british vogue....suck yourself

[Tomass De]

02:29 PM on 04/06/2011

thank you chanel iman ..for standing with galliano..you are a beauty not just outside..god bless you

[Tomass De]

02:24 PM on 04/06/2011

look who is talking..she would put her legs out for a buck..now is preaching..what a stupid woman she is..

[Tomass De]

02:23 PM on 04/06/2011

just put yourself in a chicken house and make eggs..maybe finally you are good in something..stupid dapne girl

[tizzylish]

04:28 PM on 03/15/2011

JPG is really out of it. What Galliano said is on tape....twice...How much more proof does JPG need?

[cdnbystander]

02:10 PM on 03/06/2011

I don't defend him, I don't even like him but I thought about something that happened to me as a kid. Someone of a different race called me the N-word (they were not white FYI), and I responded with a tirade of all the racial insults I knew. I wasn't a racist then or now, but I knew which words would hurt just as much as what they had said to me. My mother heard the exchange, and called me in the house for a little chat. That was before cell phone cams and you tube, but I wonder how people would have viewed me if they were shown a video of what I had said.

[UrbanAddictiondotcom]

11:17 AM on 03/06/2011

Mr Armani is sorry he was videotaped without him know? Why, so Mr. Galliano could refrain from expressing his true feelings???? What an odd thing to say.

[Lam56]

10:57 AM on 03/06/2011

In vino veritas: In wine there is truth. I can't believe that some people have been defending this guy because he was obviously inebriated. When sober it is a lot easier for people to put on an act, to behave as civil society expects. The truth does come out when the filter of sobriety is no longer in place. Galliano has some ugly beliefs, and now we all know what they are. Nobody put those words into his mouth; they are his own.

[andrewsullar]

08:11 PM on 03/04/2011

Too bad people didn't defend Pastor Jones, Michael Richards, and Don Imus like they do Galliano. Wonder why not?
Btw for everyone who thinks a big stink is being made of this because the people of the receiving end of the abuse were Jews get your facts straight. If the same comments had been made about Africans, Arabs, Muslims, gypsies, etc he would also have been prosecuted­. Someone was found guilty last month of "inciting racial hatred" for stating on a talk show that Africans and Arabs are disproport­inately involved in crime. if you can be convicted of racial hatred for that why wouldn't someone be convicted of the same thing for saying "they should gas you"? Here is a partial list of people prosecuted in France and Europe for slights about other minorities­: Briget Bardot, Eric Zemmour, Geert Wilders, MichaeL Focualt, Brice Hortefeux, etc.
I should also note there have been instances where people have been arrested in the US for saying things like "go back to where you come from" to muslims.

[thetruthhoits]

08:45 PM on 03/05/2011

Those are instances you noted that none of us have heard of. We see Beck and all of Fox News support hatred against Blacks, Mexicans, and Muslims, but they still have a job. I've yet to see a person publically lose their job for saying anything insulting about other minorities. Don Imus is teh only one I can think of.

[magicalbee]

11:18 AM on 03/06/2011

What he actually said on the video clip was the truth, He did NOT threaten the filmers, he relayed a Fact which was that 'they would be gassed" and he would have been gassed too if Hitler was alive today. Funny how we never saw the unedited version of this video....

[mmgbizgirl]

11:49 AM on 03/04/2011

A white man married to a black woman attended a union lunch related to his work. In this small group a discussion about black and mexican workers got heated and a few top union leaders made openly racist statements. He stood up and said, "I won't listen to you belittle people this way." He turned and walked out of the building. He'd known these men for years but took a stand in the face of racism. As he left he wondered how this might impact his business but felt good for doing it. As he reached his car, he heard his name being called out. 4 more men, sitting in that meeting took his lead and left the lunch meeting.

It doesn't matter how long you've known someone. When the veil gets lifted on who they really are, you have to have the courage to make a real decision no matter what anybody thinks of you.

[Tarik Hussein]

01:47 PM on 03/07/2011

You really think this improves anything just walking away from it??? If the comments were meant in earnest, he should have tried to convince them to mend their way. Walking away does not solve anything at all.

[Lupus Pete]

05:02 AM on 03/04/2011

What this man said was horrible; however, I find it odd that one can make derogatory statements about any race on the planet, and it's "free speech" (in most countries) yet you say these things about Jews and you face prison time. Why is that? Why is one group protected from hateful remarks while no one else is?

[garystartswithg]

11:01 AM on 03/04/2011

Check out the work of Ian Hancock, a prof at UT Austin. To date he is the only person of his kind that has served on the board of a museum, and the museum likes to keep it that way.

[lotus321]

02:16 PM on 03/04/2011

Same reason Charlie Sheen is not currently working.

[bizeebee]

04:08 PM on 03/03/2011

"I'll repeat what I said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph on February 25: I am against and I condemn any kind of racism or any behavior that shows disrespect toward any religion. But I would like to say that I'm just as disgusted by these people who saw what state John was in and took advantage of the situation by trading on his name and notoriety. It's obvious that this was a bit inauthentic in the sense that if you are truly fighting with someone, you don't have time to pick up a mobile phone, turn on the video GIGGLING and mockingly film what he is saying. Exploiting someone's notoriety to have your own moment of fame is one of the most disgraceful and disloyal things one can do. Any famous person is open to attack or insult, and it's difficult to defend him when, as in this case, the news goes around the world." - Franca Sozzani

Well said Ms. Sozzani!

[marisol888]

05:08 PM on 03/03/2011

The first sentence was all that needed to be said. I don't pay attention to people's declaration of saying they condemn______" but". The "but" means you do excuse it.

[Lupus Pete]

05:03 AM on 03/04/2011

What an extreme over-simplification. You must do well in debates.

[Laxsmi de Potrero]

03:39 PM on 03/06/2011

there are generally two sides to every story.

[Laura Berdejo]

11:25 AM on 03/03/2011

Did you see the whole 10seconds video? There is something that i don't get. If I am videotaping someone who I clearly see is drunk or high or whatever, and begin to anoy him it's obviously that he will react with what I am annoying him. And how "offended" these girls could be that they inmediatly sell this video to the sun instead of accusing him. In my PPOV these girls, that you clearly hear them laughing are not so victims. And according to some people, if he was racist at the beggining, didn't Dior House know about his preferences? Neither the CEO who is jewish?

[SubliminalKiddo]

02:28 PM on 03/03/2011

The video is a completely different incident, and is not the woman he attacked in Paris. Yes, while it is disgusting to sell things like that to tabloid, potential buyers have the right to know about whose pocket their money goes into.
Galliano is not just an artist, he's part of a corporation, Fashion is an industry where the designers are held to a code of conduct. People can easily hid racism, look at Mel Gibson, even Jewish people defended him when there were claims that his Passiom of the Christ Film was Anti-Semetic, but a few years later he launches into a drunken conspiracy theory ranting about how the media is controlled by Jews.
Also looking at if from the business side, Galliano has been costing Dior money lately without racist tirades, his collections have been gaudy and sloppy. I can't imagine they would have kept him around once his contract had expired. This was just a great excuse to end it early.

[Kald]

10:54 AM on 03/03/2011

If artists (whatever discipline) had always been deemed from what they say or think, instead of what they make, we would still be in the dark medieval period, culture wise.

[brooklyn3]

10:25 AM on 03/03/2011

It's amazing that people who choose to work in the film industry (like Mr. Gibson) or fashion (like the above), both areas with large numbers of Jewish people, would even think they could utter anything anti-Semitic and get away with it. They've both made large amounts of money due to the work of many Jewish people. If you don't like Jews, try sheepherding and disappear from the world.