The fashion director of Vogue Brazil, Donata Meirelles, has resigned after posting photos of her 50th birthday party seated on a throne surrounded by black women wearing white, the company’s parent company Condé Nast confirmed to TheWrap on Friday.
“Condé Nast International is aware of the hurt and dismay caused by images of the private birthday party of Donata Meirelles, Style Director of Vogue Brazil,” they said in a statement.
“Vogue Brazil is going to set up a working group of scholars and activists that will help the team to more deeply understand the history of slavery and the lasting pain it has left behind,” they added. “As a company, we have zero tolerance for racism and images evoking racism. Condé Nast International is a force for positive societal change and stands for diversity and inclusiveness.”
Donata Meirelles posted the images to her Instagram this week, but promptly deleted them after facing backlash on the platform, with many saying the photos were modeled upon the country’s colonial and slaveholding past.
“Hey @CondeNast, Donata Meirelles, the director of Vogue Brazil, had her birthday party inspired in “Brazil Slavery Colonies” and even had black models dressed as slaves to use as photo props,” asked one Twitter user. “Asking for a friend: does this align with your company’s values?”
Screenshots of the photos began to make the rounds on Twitter almost immediately.
And while comments on the photos themselves were deleted with the images, some were flagged by CNN Style.
“The photo clearly and unfortunately refers to a Brazil of autocracy and slavery, where black people were serving and white people tended to,” said one user, the network reported.