Dior pulls perfume ad featuring Johnny Depp after criticism over Native American tropes

The fashion brand teased the ad as ‘an authentic journey deep into the Native American soul in a sacred, founding and secular territory’

It has since removed all references to the campaign from its social media

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US actor Johnny Depp appeared in the ad playing a guitar. Photo: AP

Published: 1:51pm, 31 Aug 2019Updated: 6:54pm, 31 Aug 2019

Dior is facing backlash for promoting its perfume line Sauvage with an advertisement featuring Native American imagery.

The fashion brand teased the ad, which stars actor Johnny Depp, on Twitter on Friday as “an authentic journey deep into the Native American soul in a sacred, founding and secular territory”. It has since deleted the tweet and all references to the campaign on social media.

An extended video promoting the US$150 fragrance shows Depp walking amid the red rocks of south-western Utah, stacking rocks to mark his path, as a Native American fancy war dancer Canku One Star, a Rosebud Sioux member, performs on cliff and a young woman, portrayed by Canadian actor of First Nations descent Tanaya Beatty, follows Depp from a distance.

Depp also whips out a guitar and plays a famous riff by Shawnee guitarist Link Wray.

Scholars and critics have responded that the campaign is racist and a clear cut case of appropriation.

I don’t know how anyone in 2019 can think a campaign like this can go down well

Crystal Echo Hawk, media watchdog

“It is so deeply offensive and racist,” said Crystal Echo Hawk, CEO of the media watchdog group IllumiNative. “I don’t know how anyone in 2019 can think a campaign like this can go down well.”

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