Harry Styles And Gucci Under Fire For Ad With 'Toddler Mattress' And Pink Teddy Bear Shirt

Luxury brand Gucci and artist Harry Styles are under fire from social media for some curious aspects of the brand's HA HA HA ad campaign. The artist and Gucci started working together years ago and, in June this year, announced their partnership for the menswear clothing collection.

Balenciaga, another Kering-owned brand, recently received worldwide backlash and boycotts from customers and celebrities. Following promotional photos that showed children holding on to BDSM-dressed stuffed animals, several partners cut ties with the company, and people went as far as destroying their Balenciaga goods.

Read on to learn more.

Weeks after the Balenciaga incident erupted, Gucci and Styles may have some similar issues of their own. In a promotional post for the HA HA HA Gucci ad campaign shared on the brand's page last week, the artist was shown in a white T-shirt with an angry-looking pink teddy bear design. He also held on to what seemed like a child-sized mattress.

The shirt had a lyric from Styles' 2019 track "Watermelon Sugar" on it, "I want more berries and that summer feeling." The Kering-owned brand captioned the photos, "A performance piece starring Harry Styles and the Gucci HA HA HA collection. Discover the campaign at the link in bio."

The brand went into more detail about the piece on its website, revealing that it was the product of Styles' friendship with Alessandro Michele, a creative director. "Play is at the very heart of the collection, which uses menswear as a tool of the avant-garde," it read.

"Captured by Mark Borthwick, the series of images sees Harry Styles showcase the 'dream wardrobe' defined by the eccentric use of romantic accents, whimsical prints, vintage details, and the expressive emotionality of the individual."

Several people on social media seemed to think differently of the piece, accusing the fashion brand's ad maker of being a "creep." Others criticized Styles, saying the attire did not suit the artist at all "as a grown man."

A comment asked, "Toddler mattress and grown man - What story are they selling?"

Another wrote, "Is this an ad for kids mattresses? If not…. Why is a kids mattress included with a man in a fashion ad…… What are you trying to normalize." 

"Unless he is about to announce his expecting a baby, nothing else can justify the Mattress. don't want to hear it !!!!!!" a confused fan wrote.

Concerned fans questioned Styles, asking what was fashionable about his outfit and calling him "clueless." "But honestly. @Harry_Styles what's fashionable about anything here? Your shades? The twin-sized mattress is weird AF. What does it imply? Why's it there? A kids mattress and you're wearing a pink teddy bear… why are actors so desperately clueless," the comment read.

While talking to Vogue in June, Michele, the project's creative director, revealed that he and Styles had been friends for years before deciding to work on a collection together a year prior. He noted that the collection was aimed at the artist's multitude of millennial fans and was first unveiled at the Milan Fashion Week menswear edition.

Michele said, "We were together around a year ago when I said, 'why don't we do something.'" He explained that a majority of the design process took place via WhatsApp communication. This, according to the creative director, was because "every time we saw each other, maybe we prefer to chat about private life, you know, with a glass of wine. But fashion is always around."

Michele and Styles shot the campaign last month, and the creative director left his role not long after. Since the onset of the backlash, neither Styles nor Gucci has released comments regarding it. The luxury brand has, however, posted several photos since then.

Weeks earlier, Balenciaga was put in front of the firing squad after a controversial campaign that featured children. In one of the photos, there were poorly concealed documents from a Supreme Court case that mentioned a section of a federal child pornography law.

Following the backlash and boycott, the creative director of Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia, released a statement taking full responsibility for the photos. He wrote, "I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids, and I take my responsibility."

"It was inappropriate to have kids promote objects that had nothing to do with them," Gvasalia continued. "I need to learn from this, listen and engage with child protection organizations to know how I can contribute and help on this terrible subject."