Online retailer Revolve donates $20,000 to charity after being accused of fat-shaming

Online fashion retailer Revolve has come under fire for advertising a sweatshirt on its website that reads: “Being fat is not beautiful it’s an excuse.”

On Wednesday, the clothing company prematurely unveiled an image from a new collection which featured five sweatshirts emblazoned with vicious comments that had been sent to celebrities and models online.

However, as the image was published with no explanation of this, the context became completely lost.

After spotting the jumper, a number of people accused the brand of fat-shaming and called for the product to be immediately removed.

Plus-size model Tess Holliday tweeted: “LOLLLLL @REVOLVE y'all are a mess” alongside a screenshot of the sweatshirt.

Similarly, curve model and founder of #SelfLoveBringsBeauty Felicity Hayward called out the brand by saying: “What the hell is this?”

Another person added: “They should not exist in the world at all. Ever.”

As images of the sweatshirt began to circulate on social media, a flurry of people condemned the item including UK-based artist Florence Given who took it upon herself to message Paloma Elsesser – the model behind the quote – directly.

According to an exchange screenshotted on Instagram by Given, Elsesser has asked for her quote to be removed from the sweatshirt and revealed the real context behind the controversial launch.

She says that the collection, created by fashion brand LPA, includes five sweatshirts that feature the most “abusive and controversial comments” directed at people like Lena Dunham, Suki Waterhouse and Cara Delevingne online.

These include quotes like “Horrible Result of Modern Feminism”, "If you translated a bum onto her face, she'd have a better face” and “Too boney to be boned”. In small font under the text, the sweatshirts read, "As said to" alongside the Instagram handle of the appropriate person.

A move which was supposed to highlight the impact of cyber-bullying and raise money for charity, the collection has, it’s fair to say, completely flopped.

So much so, that Elsesser and Dunham have asked for their quotes to be removed.

“Without consulting me or any of the women involved, @revolve presented the sweatshirts on thin white women, never thinking about the fact that difference and individuality is what gets you punished on the internet, or that lack of diversity in representation is a huge part of the problem (in fact, the problem itself.),” Dunham wrote on Instagram.

“As a result, I cannot support this collaboration or lend my name to it in any way. This doesn’t take away from my love or respect for what Pia has done with LPA, but I am deeply disappointed in @revolve’s handling of a sensitive topic and a collaboration rooted in reclaiming the words of internet trolls to celebrate the beauty in diversity and bodies and experiences that aren’t the industry norm.”

Following the backlash, Revolve has since released a statement apologising to all those involved and revealed that the collection has now been pulled.

The retailer is also donating $20,000 to Girls Write Now – a charity mentoring underserved young women to find their voices through the power of writing and community.

The full statement reads: “This morning, images of a forthcoming LPA collection were prematurely released on Revolve.com. The capsule collection – originally conceived by LPA alongside Lena Dunham, Emily Ratajkowski, Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse and Paloma Elsesser – was set to debut tomorrow as a direct commentary on the modern day “normality” of cyber-bullying and the shared desire to create a community for those most affected by the epidemic.

"Proceeds were set to benefit Girls Write Now, a charity focused on mentoring underserved young women and helping them find their voices and tell their stories through writing.

“The prematurely released images featured on Revolve.com were not only included without context of the overall campaign but regrettably featured one of the pieces on a model whose size was not reflective of the piece's commentary on body positivity. We at Revolve sincerely apologise to all those involved – particularly Lena, Emily, Cara, Suki and Paloma – our loyal customers, and the community as a whole for this error.

“The collection has been pulled. We are proud to donate $20,000 to Girls Write Now in the hopes that those who need it can still benefit from what was to be a meaningful, insightful and impactful collaboration by LPA."