Source : the age
Initially, there was palpable excitement for next year’s Met Gala. News that fashion designer John Galliano was to be celebrated for the 2027 edition – one of the most watched red carpets in the calendar – was considered long overdue. As an industry-favourite from his early collections, Galliano grew to fame following his tenure at Givenchy and Dior in the 1990s and 2000s, becoming a fashion superstar after reviving Dior’s New Look while lending it post-modern theatricality, and dressing Kylie Minogue, Madonna and Princess Diana.
But the news soured as online chatter increased around the suitability of Galliano for the retrospective, considering a series of racist and anti-Semitic remarks that resulted in his firing from the top job at Dior in 2011.
Finally, in the grand tradition of online cancellation culture, we saw Galliano’s Instagram announcement that he had decided to step down from the exhibition.
Galliano addressed the racist and antisemitic remarks he made while an alcoholic and addict, saying: “After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time.”
“I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry … I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have guided, supported and accompanied me throughout these 15 years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction.”
Rather than relieved, fashion insiders were enraged. The New York Times declared that “Galliano was never cancelled – at least not by the community that knew him best”. The outlet’s fashion editor Robin Givhan called on the Costume Institute to “cancel the Met Gala instead” and gather up an “intellectual spine”.
Fashion influencer Lyas declared that Galliano was “bullied into it” and fashion gossip outlet Diet Prada called the cancellation “fishy”, questioning the Costume Institute’s leadership.
So was it the right decision? Should a celebration of Galliano’s work be cancelled for a mistake made while an addict, almost 15 years ago?
In 2011, Galliano appeared in court and was handed suspended fines almost €6000 ($8900). The designer has shown atonement: working with Jewish community leaders, liaising with the Anti-Defamation League and entering rehabilitation – reportedly having maintained his sobriety for 15 years. His most recent statement was a masterclass in addressing and apologising for his rant once again and taking responsibility for his own actions without a hint of victim blaming or denial. It’s a far cry from other versions of public non-apologies that we have seen in the news of late.
Within the fashion sphere, some people are repeatedly held to the fire for their mistakes, while others evade “cancellation”. Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel was honoured at the Met Gala in 2023, despite vilifying the #MeToo movement, repeated acts of sexism, and Chanel’s Nazi-adjacent legacy. Similarly, the industry appears to have quietly accepted Alexander Wang and Stefano Gabbana (of Dolce & Gabbana) back into the fold following their own controversies over alleged sexual assault and a racist rant respectively.
When the response to appalling behaviour seems to follow no clear pattern, cancel culture pushes the best of us to retreat, and the worst of us to pick up a podcast microphone in a bid to push back against a perceived “woke agenda”.
An exhibition centred on Galliano’s art could have been an opportunity to address the long-debated question of whether art can be separated from the artist and their failings. It could have acknowledged the designer’s past and engaged the public in a discussion about anti-Semitism or racism. Instead, we missed out on the opportunity in the absence of an “intellectual spine”.
The commerciality of the Met Gala – a red carpet spectacle with its own one-night theme that often overshadows the actual exhibition it set out to represent – is another problem. When sponsors and US$100,000-a-seat tickets are involved, it’s no wonder we are denied the chance to interrogate the idea of an “infallible genius”.
Cancel culture demands an impossible standard of a public figure who never gets it wrong, who is perfectly unproblematic, even in retrospect, even as culture and expectations change over time.
But we are all human. We all make mistakes – some larger than others. What counts is our ability to atone for our sins and our willingness to learn.
Bianca O’Neill is a freelance writer based in Melbourne.
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