Designer Kenneth Cole has once again found himself in hot water for using a major news event to talk about clothing.
After the Senate voted against the Toomey-Manchin gun control bill Wednesday, Cole tweeted , “Regardless of your stance on #backgroundchecks #gunreform – something we definitely don’t condone #tbt ’86.” The tweet then included a picture of an old quote that read, “Regardless of the right to bear arms, we in no way condone the right to bare feet.”
Five hours after that, Cole tweeted, “Retail seems to be slowing. The #StockMarket was down again, but I hear the Gun industry is still making a killing. #Bradybuzz” In between the two posts, he wrote, “Irony is just one more service I offer.”
Even with that tweet — which may or may not have been meant as a disclaimer for the previous tweet — The tweets did not go over well with other Twitter users, with many reactions along the lines of “Not again!”
Two years ago, when massive protests erupted in Cairo in attempt to over the dictatorship, Cole took the uprising as an opportunity to plug his new spring collection .
“Millions are in an uproar in #Cairo,” he wrote. “Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online.”
No one was amused by the tweet, and there were calls to boycott the brand, as well as a fake Twitter account that had been set up to mock the designer.
Cole apologized on Facebook shortly afterward.
“I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt,” he wrote. “I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.”
The designer has yet to address these latest tweets.
Regardless of your stance on #backgroundchecks #gunreform – something we definitely don’t condone. #tbt ‘86 twitter.com/KennethCole/st…
— Kenneth Cole (@KennethCole) April 18, 2013
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