The black vest with the name “Bazin gillet” is manufactured by the brand Glorious gangsta and has been sold via the clothing giant Zalando.
The garment has clear similarities with a bulletproof vest, which has been noticed by Ekot’s reporter Helena Gissén, who on X shared a picture of the ad.
“The clothing giant Zalando sells fake bulletproof vests from the “Glorious gangsta” collection. Also available in XS. However, it does not say that you will probably die if you are shot in it. Shouldn’t that be clear,” she writes in the post.
“Senseless”, answers the Member of Parliament Annika Strandhäll – and many share their opinion.
Now Zalando backs down after the storm of criticism and removes the product from its range, as it goes against the company’s brand guidelines.
“We understand the responsibility that comes with creating a platform that reaches a large audience, and we deeply regret any oversight that led to the inclusion of this product in our collection,” writes Anne Vibe, communications manager at Zalando, in an email to TV4 Nyheterna.
The company must now investigate what has happened to ensure that it does not happen in the future.
Read Zalando’s full response
“We take such matters very seriously and are determined to deal with them promptly. We understand the responsibility that comes with creating a platform that reaches a large audience, and we deeply regret any oversight that led to the inclusion of this product in our collection. We would like to express our sincere apologies for any distress or offense this may have caused.
We have removed the offending product from our platform because it violates Zalando’s product, content and brand guidelines, which state that “we will not tolerate any messages that glorify violence in products, content or brands sold through Zalando platforms. “
You can be sure that we will conduct a thorough investigation. We are reviewing our internal processes to ensure that similar oversights are avoided in the future. Our goal is to create a fashion platform that promotes inclusion, diversity and positive values, and we acknowledge that we did not meet those standards in this case.”
“Identity building”
Civil investigator Luay “Lolo” Mohageb has long raised the problem of gangster romance among Sweden’s youth. Mohageb believes that gangster rap is a large part of the problem, but also that fashion trends play a role.
– It is identity building and a way for young people to show that they belong to a certain culture or group. It is in line with the times, especially in Sweden, that this type of clothing is becoming current, he says.
The civil investigator thinks it is serious when large players like Zalando contribute to romanticizing crime.
– You cannot look at this as an isolated event, but you should see it in a wider context. It is an extremely serious problem that young people identify themselves as gangsters and this becomes another tool for them to do so, says Luay Mohageb.
Several actors
The Glorious gangsta brand is far from alone in the market. According to Mohageb, Hoodrich is one of the most popular brands among Swedish youth right now. The name is an American term referring to a young, often African-American man, who lives in the ghetto and has become rich through crime.
The Hoodrich range also includes vests and other garments that flirt with gang crime.
The civil investigator believes that clothing sites, such as Zalando, strongly contribute to the problem and that they exploit gangster culture. It is up to civil society to stand up against this, he says.
– You should not try to exploit every market. We live in a capitalist society and where you notice that there is a demand, for example gangster culture, you take advantage of it, as long as the social price does not become too great. We need to react and as soon as we do they back off.
Risk of being shot
Dressing up as a Glorious gangsta as a youth, or imitating criminals in other ways, can also mean that you make yourself a target in the raging gang wars.
In group chats obtained by the police, directives have been sent out to shoot anyone in the rival gangs’ territory, as long as they are dressed in a certain way.
– You get directives to fuck whoever it is as long as it’s a young guy with, for example, a Haglöfs jacket or a Gucci cap. It means a real risk to be dressed like that, says Luay Mohageb.