Quick Take
A viral image on Facebook falsely attributes racist comments to the fashion designer Michael Kors. The quotes were fabricated by a now-defunct satirical website in 2015, but have been circulating as if true ever since.
Full Story
An old falsehood attributing racist remarks to a well-known fashion designer is circulating on Facebook once again.
Users are sharing an image posted in 2017 that falsely claims Michael Kors once said, “I’m tired of pretending I like blacks.” It goes on to erroneously report that Kors also said, “[t]hese people have made a mockery of my product, brand and life,” and that he suggested Black women should not use his purses.
The false claim is now being shared in the context of an energized Black Lives Matter movement, and the caption with the viral image calls for a “Boycott!!!”
But the image is actually a screenshot of a 2015 story from a self-described satirical website, nahadaily.com. The website is no longer live, but an archived version of the story is available online.
A disclaimer at the bottom of the page says, “NahaDaily is a daily satirical news source. Meaning complete fiction.”
The made-up story has continued to circulate and be passed off as real in the years since, despite being debunked by fact-checkers at Snopes in 2015 and PolitiFact in 2019.
In early June, the Michael Kors brand issued a statement following the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis.
“We continue to express our deep sadness over the unjust and tragic death of George Floyd and countless victims that have come before him. The systemic discrimination that has led us to this point is deplorable and untenable. Our heartfelt sympathies are with the families and communities that are grieving,” the statement said in part. “Our company does not condone racism, discrimination or violence of any kind. We stand in solidarity with the Black community to work towards ending racial prejudice and injustice.”
Among actions the company said it would take, it said: “Michael Kors, together with our parent company Capri Holdings, is donating to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice.” It also said Kors himself would be making a “personal donation to support this organization.”
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.
Sources
Buchanan, Larry, et. al. “Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History.” New York Times. 3 Jul 2020.
Michael Kors (@MichaelKors). “We continue to express our deep sadness over the unjust and tragic death of George Floyd and countless victims that have come before him. The systemic discrimination that has led us to this point is deplorable and untenable. Our heartfelt sympathies are with the families and communities that are grieving…” Facebook. 9 Jun 2020.
“MICHAEL KORS CEO: ‘I’M TIRED OF PRETENDING I LIKE BLACKS.’” Nahadaily.com. 6 Jan 2015.
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