Sana Safinaz’s highly awaited lawn catalogue sparked a debate as soon as it was released. Shot in the Masaai Mara National Park of Kenya, the campaign featured the panoramic backdrop of Kenya, replete with it’s splendid wild life, as well as men and women from the Masaai Tribe, that became reason for controversy.
Several images featuring the Masaai Tribe were considered racist and were slammed for glorifying colonialism. The campaign was linked to another Sana Safinaz campaign, released several years ago, that was criticised for playing up social disparity by casting coolies to carry Louis Vuitton baggage that the featured model was traveling with. At the time Sana Hashwani and Safinaz Munir, the women behind the brand, chose to remain silent but this time they decided to respond to allegations.
The official statement/clarification regarding the campaign reads as follows:
We’re glad that the designers, who have almost three decades of hard work and success behind them, spoke out this time. As they said, controversy is not new to them or to the fashion industry at large, come to think of it. But it’s always good to know the other side of the story and the fact that public complains and outrage – justified or unjustified – isn’t falling on deaf ears.
