First of all I'm sorry this is so very late and will understand if you have read about this before. I did plan on getting this out sooner but got so busy!!
I'm not quite sure how much you guys may know about the Mexican town of Cuidad Juárez but in a nut shell for those who may of never heard of it, Cuidad Juárez is considered the most violent place in the world.
So why on earth is this place the inspiration for the new Mac Rodarte collection?
I have no idea why a company would romanticise a place well know for it's "las muertas de Juárez" [dead women of Juárez]. In the last year 6000 women have been the victims of murder, that figure is more than all the service men and women of the U.S military who have died in action in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict. Hitmen that are employed in their teens reap havoc over Juárez which has some of the worst figures for kidnap, rape and female homicide in the world. I mean I expect maybe a little shock value from Rodarte since they come from the fashion industry and that is what I like from fashion. Something curious that pushes boundaries, but this? This takes that 'shock value' to a tasteless new level.
Rodartes first collection inspired by the town did not pick up alot of controversy. Maybe to some the link was not too obvious and seemed in some ways respectful to those lost. I haven't yet managed to catch an article on it. What also may have made the link vague was that the inspiration for the collection was said to be not fron the town specifically but from a road trip in Mexico. What did kick up a storm about the Rodarte and MAC collaboration though, was the disrespectful shade names such as 'Juárez', 'Ghost town', 'Sleepwalker' and 'Factory'. Now how do you think the women of Cuidad Jarez would feel about this? The fact that their struggle to get to and from their jobs in the factories every day alive, to live off a mere $4 a week, only to watch the community around them fall apart at the hands of criminal, was being used for commercial gain. I for one am sickened.
Now what are MAC doing to right their wrongs? Throwing money at it, what else do big companies do best?
MAC's first statement said; ''We are listening carefully to the comments posted and are grateful to those of you who have brought your concerns to the forefront of our attention. M·A·C will give a portion of the proceeds from the M·A·C Rodarte collection to help those in need in Juarez.''
Mac first disclosed that they would send a proportion of the profits to help the victims of the crime in Juárez. When I read their first statement I still felt like they didn't care. They were vague, didn't seem overly sorry and offered a 'proportion' without mention of an actual figure.
The second statement, this time from Rodarte said ''We are committed to donating $100,000 to a non-profit organization that has a proven, successful track-record helping women in need and that can directly improve the lives of women in Juarez in a meaningful way.'' ... ''We are changing the product names in the M·A·C Rodarte collection.''
In contrast I feel that Rodarte seems to be taking this more seriously. They outlined what will happen to the offensive shade titles and how much will be donated.
Now they thing that really annoys me is, where is this money going to?
Think about it, Juárez has so many crimes everyday that go unnoticed and unsolved. The justice system over there is corrupt and the criminals hardly ever are prosecuted. So if MAC were to donate this money, where would it go? Do they seriously believe there is some sort of aid for these women? MAC has not once taken note of the petition against this collection that suggests charities where the money can be donated to [ http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/macrodarte/ ] . This would ensure the money gets donated to a responsible forum for which it can be distributed to aid the victims of crime is Juárez. But no, MAC has failed to answer where the money will be given to.
So with the disney villains collection just around the corner and the newest rumours of a wonder women collection are you thinking differently about MAC as a company? I know I am. I would love to hear what you bon bons think of this and if you are still going to buy the collection.
Love J.