STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Swedish clothing chain Hennes & Mauritz said Tuesday it will drop a planned advertising campaign with model Kate Moss after she admitted to recently using cocaine.
H&M, Europe's largest fashion retailer, had planned to use Moss to help launch a new collection designed by Stella McCartney that will hit stores in 22 countries in November.
The decision to drop the campaign comes after Moss acknowledged last week that British tabloid reports of her recent cocaine use were true.
H&M initially said it would proceed with the campaign, but company spokeswoman Liv Asarnoj said Tuesday that "after evaluating the situation, we have decided that a campaign with Kate Moss is not consistent with H&M's clear disassociation from drugs."
The company will call in another model for the campaign, Asarnoj said.
H&M said Saturday that Moss had apologized for her drug use and promised in writing to abide by a company policy that models be "healthy, wholesome and sound."
McCartney, daughter of former Beatle Paul McCartney, will design a limited women's collection of about 40 items that will go on sale in 400 stores on Nov. 10. Last year, H&M released a similar collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld, which sold out in a few hours in many stores worldwide.
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I've always liked Kate Moss... I guess I'm not surprised, but disappointed in her.
I think this is completely ridiculous. Coke use is so rampant in that industry and they're acting like they're all shocked that she does it. If they were really serious about it they'd be drug testing their models, but then no one could show the clothes. I guess I just don't really care about Kate's drug habits and I think it's pretty hypocritical.
I think this is completely ridiculous. Coke use is so rampant in that industry and they're acting like they're all shocked that she does it. If they were really serious about it they'd be drug testing their models, but then no one could show the clothes.
totally true. the only reason she got in trouble for it is that some video surfaced a couple weeks ago of her doing lines somewhere--maybe her boyfriend's recording session?
I'm not surprised, but it's still appalling considering she has a kid (at least I think she does).
I think this is completely ridiculous. Coke use is so rampant in that industry and they're acting like they're all shocked that she does it. If they were really serious about it they'd be drug testing their models, but then no one could show the clothes. I guess I just don't really care about Kate's drug habits and I think it's pretty hypocritical.
See, I disagree. I agree that coke use is rampant in the entertainment industry but I fall on the side of healthy models. Maybe if models will get fired for getting caught doing coke, maybe they won't do it so much. And I assure you, I could not care less about the health of the models. I just don't like the unhealthy body image they portray. I mean, look, obviously it takes some kind of substance like coke or not eating or diet pills or whatever to look the way they do. And yet everyone wants to look like people in entertainment. So why not have some negatvie outcome for those behaviors? Maybe (and I'm being hopeful) it's the start of something more healthy for girls and women to aspire to.
I understand it, I think. The company would have gotten complaints if they kept her, maybe not a lot, but it was probably worth it to them to scrap her. She got "caught," that's the real rule breaker according to the media, it's not private, so it's not like they would offer rehab like a corporate employer "might."
Remember Kobe Bryant? He got caught "being bad" (whether he raped or not) and he lost his promotional contracts...even though he was never convicted. These contracts were kind of like modeling, unfortunately, that's Kate Moss's bread and butter, while Bryant kept his as a pro athlete.
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"Go either very cheap or very expensive. It's the middle ground that is fashion nowhere." ~ Karl Lagerfeld
I'm kind of on the side of good luck finding a model that doesn't do coke. Not that I'm ok with that, but isn't it just kind of a known fact?
Good for them for taking a stand, but until designers stop hiring size 0 or skinnier models, what do they expect? I know that there are people that small that don't do drugs, but I think the fact that this is the standard for a model is that tiny, all of them will strive to be that & coke is an easy way to starve yourself!
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blubirde wrote: See, I disagree. I agree that coke use is rampant in the entertainment industry but I fall on the side of healthy models. Maybe if models will get fired for getting caught doing coke, maybe they won't do it so much. And I assure you, I could not care less about the health of the models. I just don't like the unhealthy body image they portray. I mean, look, obviously it takes some kind of substance like coke or not eating or diet pills or whatever to look the way they do. And yet everyone wants to look like people in entertainment. So why not have some negatvie outcome for those behaviors? Maybe (and I'm being hopeful) it's the start of something more healthy for girls and women to aspire to.
I think I'm just more pessimistic than you are. I think people who have the means and the reasons to do coke are going to do it regardless. Even with the possibilty of getting caught, I still think the benefits outweigh the losses. It'll keep them thin and personable, both of which are super important. And Kate Moss getting caught was kind of a freak accident. Plus I think that once you start doing coke, if you have the means to keep doing it, you're going to. It's just that sort of thing.
yeah, i think you and lorelai are saying the same thing. i agree that they had to drop her to save face, because those pictures are out in the media now, and people would probably complain. i don't think it's surprising to anyone that models do coke--i would think that it's more the rule than the exception. it's the fact that she got caught, so H&M can't be seen as conding her behavior.
laken1 wrote:
I'm kind of on the side of good luck finding a model that doesn't do coke. Not that I'm ok with that, but isn't it just kind of a known fact? Good for them for taking a stand, but until designers stop hiring size 0 or skinnier models, what do they expect? I know that there are people that small that don't do drugs, but I think the fact that this is the standard for a model is that tiny, all of them will strive to be that & coke is an easy way to starve yourself!
i think H&M has a corporate image to protect and if that means they have to drop an admitted drug-user from an ad campaign, well, then that's the cost of doing business. the alternative would be to keep her on and risk being labeled as an enabler or worse, encourager of drug use.
as for the every model does coke premise, i don't really see how that's relevant. it's like complaining that everyone speeds when you get a speeding ticket. i've never heard of anyone getting out of a speeding ticket on that basis.
maybe all models do coke. maybe they don't. but today the only model that got caught was kate.
I think this is completely ridiculous. Coke use is so rampant in that industry and they're acting like they're all shocked that she does it. If they were really serious about it they'd be drug testing their models, but then no one could show the clothes. I guess I just don't really care about Kate's drug habits and I think it's pretty hypocritical.
I also disagree. Yeah it probably was well known that she was on drugs to the people in the industry but most of H&Ms customers are not in the industry. Also, its one thing to hear about what goes on with these models but its another to have her plastered on the front of a magazine doing it. Most of H&Ms customers are teenagers and to have her continue to represent them would be telling them its ok to do drugs. I believe they did the right thing. Sometimes even celebrities have to take responsibility for what they do and deal with the consequences.
i agree its to save face. It doesn't shock anyone (maybe some people, but not many)- it would be different if the same pics with Jessica Simpson were posted. Haha, the outcry, the disbelief! So i agree with decision to pull her for saving face. Doubt it will hurt her career, she still has like 5 billion fall campaigns, and she's still very fashionable and beautiful. I think it would be a bigger deal if she had more of a "role-model" type career and was more of a household name like a sports figure or A-lister.
I know this is horrible, but I actually feel bad for her. She wasn't doing anything everyone else doesn't do, she just had bad luck.
i actually had a whole long response typed out saying kind of the same thing, but then i deleted it. anyway i have a rather unconventional view of drugs (that's been formed by a number of things, and not necessarily use). and i kind of think the whole thing is bs. not that i disagree with h&m's decision to drop her b/c i think that's motivated more by business than by an actual moral pov, but i digress. in sum i think society kind of makes these arbitrary distinctions about drugs that have no basis whatsoever (outside of a moral one), and i think she just got caught with the short end of the stick. i'm sure she'll check herself into rehad (whatever good that'll do) and things will go back to normal.
I understand why H&M dropped her, although I think it's stupid that they have to, but I feel like it was unneccessary for Burberry and Chanel to do the same. I guess I kind of feel like Kate's drug habits are her business, and shouldn't affect her career in this way. Although I do think it makes sense that coke is illegal, I don't get why the public has to police her. Although the article did say she did 5 lines in 40 min. Wow! And also when the Mirror asked her dad to comment he said, "It doesn't surprise me." Hahaha.