Herringbone is censored by standards board

SYDNEY: High-end lifestyle brand Herringbone has been accused of "offending the sensibilities of civilised people".

The accusation came during a hearing to determine whether an advertisement, published in December to promote the Sydney-based brand's handmade shirts, was racist.

The print campaign, produced by the company by its Sydney ad agency M & C Saatchi, was titled "Why you should never buy a shirt tailored by a Bulgarian". Its focal point was a photograph of a fictional French character, Henri Bouvois, who has very small hands, ideally suited for tailoring. Accompanying text noted "Handmade shirts are only as good as the hands that make them." The text below the picture suggested "Bulgarians typically have fingers like large salamis" and therefore are not known for their tailoring abilities.

The advertisement attracted several complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) - most of which slammed it as "racist, demeaning and offensive". One said it failed to see the funny side of the ad.

"Maybe this was an attempt at humour. . . [but] I don't believe any race should be demeaned in such a way. I must state that I am not Bulgarian [and] have no connection to the country. But [I] am outraged that a nation can be portrayed in such a poor way - I honestly thought such advertising was illegal in Australia. It appears I am wrong."
Another noted it "offended the sensibilities of ordinary civilised people and was in plain breach of the Advertiser Code of Ethics".

In correspondence to the ASB, Herringbone said the advertisement had been run as a one off in the Sydney Morning Herald and was part of a similarly themed series. The brand said the advertisements were so "fantastical" in nature the company did not believe the ads could be seen by "reasonable readers" as a factual depiction.

Herringbone argued it was written in a light-hearted, humour way and was not intended to cause offence.
For its part M & C Saatchi had sought legal representation for the advertisement before it had been published and was advised that it was fit for publication without risk of causing offence.

In a hearing late last month, the ASB found the references in the ad did denigrate physically characteristics of Bulgarian people.

"References to 'hands like large salamis' and no tailoring skills went beyond a light hearted poking fun in this advertisement and amounted to discrimination against people on the basis of their nationality," the ASB's report said.
The ASB noted Herringbone had recently ran an apology in a "prominent Sydney newspaper" for any upset the ad may have caused and confirmed the discontinuation of the ad.

By:Tracey McEldowney