Fashion with a heart. Ethical fashion. Organic Free Trade ... all these good intentions are worth a million, because for all of these righteous few, there is always the big name, with the HUGE budget and reputation doing it all wrong and , God forbid, getting away with it.
These are my thoughts upon hearing about MAC's new collaboration with Rodarte, via Big Fashionista, a fellow blogger.
The crime? Attempting to make profit from a horrendous subject matter - the female killings of Juarez. Rodarte claim to be inspired by the women working at the factories there, the (and I'm quoting them) "ethereal nature" of the place. It is well know that in this small town of Nothern Mexico hundreds of them are murdered on their way home. Their campaign depicts ghostly looking women. Death as subject matter, how arty.
The perpetrators? MAC and Rodarte reaching disgusting levels of insensitivity by naming some of their pieces of the collection Badland, Factory and Ghost Town.
Their defense? Following the blogger uproar both MAC and Rodarte have issued hardly apologetic letters. MAC, and I quote "will give a portion of the proceeds from the M·A·C Rodarte collection to help those in need in Juarez"
Verdict? Guilty as charged. Portion of the proceeds? If anything ALL profits should go to charity. If anything, this collection simply shouldn't go ahead. If anything Rodarte and MAC should show some humanity and scrap the entire thing.
Shame on you MAC, shame on you Rodarte.
To read more about this, here's some bloggers that have got involved, including Perfectly Polished, Big Fashionista and all of these below:
http://www.mizzworthy.com/; http://www.britishbeautyblogger.com/,http://www.bangsandabun.com/; http://www.ladyofthelane.com/; http://www.bigfashionista.blogspot.com/; http://www.bigfashionista.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.sofarsochic.co.uk/; http://www.makeupsavvy.co.uk/; http://www.sofarsochic.co.uk/; http://www.lesalondebeaute.com/; http://www.getlippie.com/; http://www.londonbeautyqueen.blogspot.com/; http://www.londonbeautyqueen.blogspot.com/; http://www.makeuploveer.blogspot.com/;http://www.sparklesandbows.blogspot.com/, http://www.healingbeauty.co.uk/ ;http://www.reallyree.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.just-nice-things.co.uk/;http://www.musicalhouses.blogspot.com/, http://lilooblog.blogspot.com/; http://www.ditzymake-up.blogspot.com/ http://www.clairewaterworth.tumblr.com/ ,http://www.beautymouth.com/
Picture: Big Fashionista via Temptalia
UPDATE: Via Perfectly Polished
"With pressure from the beauty blogging community as well as customers, M.A.C. responded with another statement today to the effect that they are donating $100,000 to a non-profit organisation to help improve the lives of women in Juarez and that it was changing the product names and Rodarte have also issued an apology."
To read statements from MAC and Rodarte via the lovely Perfectly Polished click here.