Louis Vuitton Pulls Production Of Michael Jackson-Specific Pieces In Fall Collection

French fashion house Louis Vuitton made headlines last year for ushering in a new era of inclusivity when they appointed Virgil Abloh as artistic director of its menswear line — the luxury label’s first African-American creative head. But Abloh’s fall-winter 2019 collection (shown in January in Paris) was an homage to Michael Jackson, whose sexual abuse allegations have resurfaced due to the January release of the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland — inspiring negative reactions that the company addressed Thursday in a statement. The fashion show featured a runway mimicking the New York sidewalk seen in Jackson’s “Billie Jean” video as well as pieces that were designed to evoke his likeness and signature style (from military buttons to shirts dusted with crystals), flag prints that nodded to his 1985 charitable “We Are the World” single and prints featuring Jackson’s scarecrow plus other characters from the 1978 film The Wiz. Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.