Moschino Capsule Collection Draws Protests From Addiction Activists
Update: On Thursday, Nordstrom released a statement saying it would no longer carry Moschino’s Capsule Collection.
People are not happy with fashion brand Moschino’s latest collection dubbed the “capsule collection.” Currently sold online at Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, the collection, addiction activists say, glamorizes opioid use and prescription drug abuse.
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., with opioids responsible for more than 40 percent of overdose-related deaths. While the Capsule Collection does not directly reference opioids or prescription painkillers, protesters say the designs and the collection’s “Just Say Moschino” slogan blatantly promote drug use.
Moschino’s collection features bags, shirts, dresses, backpacks and other accessories either emblazoned with pills or modeled after pill bottles and blister packs. Moschino is known for creating designs based off everyday products. Other collections have featured items including a purse that looks like a stop sign and perfume modeled after window cleaner. Products from the Capsule Collection range from a $175 umbrella to a $1,095 crossbody bag modeled after a blister pack.
On Saturday, a petition was launched on Change.org asking Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Moschino buyers to stop purchasing items from the collection. “Do you have any idea of the message your company is sending to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one due to a drug overdose?” Randy Anderson, who launched the petition, wrote. “I work as an alcohol and drug counselor in Minneapolis, MN and I can tell you firsthand the havoc addiction has on the individual, the family, the community, the healthcare system and the country.”
So far, more than 1,000 people have signed Anderson’s petition. “I raise money to purchase naloxone, the reversal medication for opioid overdoses, and then distribute rescue kits of it to those at highest risk of overdose. Your willingness to profit off this epidemic that’s killing thousands astounds me, and I will not shop at Nordstrom’s until these items are removed from your stores,” Laurie Fugitt, RN and cofounder of Georgia Overdose Prevention, said, commenting on the petition.
“I lost my son to this insidious disease and don’t want anyone else to go through the pain of losing their child,” another petition supporter wrote. Moschino and its buyers have yet to respond to the petition of the controversy.
The Mighty reached out to Moschino for comment and has yet to hear back.
h/t STAT
Jordan Davidson is The Mighty's Managing Editor. Follow her on twitter @JA_Davids or email her at jordan@themighty.com.
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