Two years ago, Beyoncé blessed the world with Ivy Park, her athletic streetwear brand.
To do so, she joined forces with Arcadia Group, the retail company responsible for Topshop and Topman.
Recently, Arcadia Group chairman, Sir Philip Green, has been accused of committing racial abuse and sexual harassment against employees.
Green has denied the allegations, maintaining that any statements made were simply “banter” and “there was never any intent to be offensive.”
Since the announcement of the accusations against Green, Beyoncé has cut all ties with Arcadia Group, buying out the company, and Sir Philip Green, to acquire 100% of Ivy Park.
This has been confirmed by an Arcadia Group spokesperson, and according to a statement from Ivy Park, “After discussions of almost a year, Parkwood has acquired 100% of the Ivy Park brand. Topshop/Arcadia will fulfil the existing orders.”
It’s not surprising that Beyoncé has chosen to cut ties with Green in the wake of these allegations, given her past expressions of her social and political beliefs.
Though she’s notoriously inaccessible, choosing only to share select aspects of her life with the world, Beyoncé’s stances are displayed through her actions.
She included a feminist manifesto by Chimamanda Ngzoi Adichie in her song “Flawless” and performed a politically charged Black Panther Party-inspired set at the 2016 Super Bowl and a tribute to Blackness during her set as Coachella’s first-ever Black female headliner.
In a rare interview given to Elle Magazine in 2016, coincidentally the same year Ivy Park was launched, Beyoncé loosely discussed the idea of balancing various forms of inequality, stating:
“Working to make […] inequalities go away is being a feminist, but more importantly, it makes me a humanist. I don’t like or embrace any label. I don’t want calling myself a feminist to make it feel like that’s my one priority, over racism or sexism or anything else.”
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!