• UPDATE: February 12, 2019: This article was updated to reflect a statement from Katy Perry and Global Brands Group provided to INSIDER, confirming the shoes have immediately been removed from the line’s website.
  • People have accused Katy Perry’s shoes and handbags line, Katy Perry Collections, of designing two shoes that resemble blackface.
  • The line’s Rue Face Slip On Loafers and the Ora Face Block Heel Sandal are “in the process” of being pulled from stores, TMZ reported Monday.
  • Both shoes come in black and feature leather uppers embellished with identical 3D eyes, a gold triangle “nose,” and bright-red lips.
  • In a joint statement emailed to INSIDER, Perry and Global Brands Group, which the singer partnered with to launch Katy Perry Collections, said the shoes have been removed from the line’s website.
  • “I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface,” the singer and Global Brands Group, which the singer partnered with to launch Katy Perry Collections, said in their joint statement.

UPDATE: February 12, 2019: This article was updated to reflect a statement from Katy Perry and Global Brands Group provided to INSIDER, confirming the shoes have immediately been removed from the line’s website.

Two designs from Katy Perry’s fashion line that were accused of resembling blackface are “in the process” of being pulled from stores, TMZ reported Monday.

The shoes named in TMZ’s report are the Rue Face Slip On Loafers and the Ora Face Block Heel Sandal from Katy Perry Collections, a line of shoes and handbags that’s sold online and at retailers like Dillard’s and Walmart. According to the brand’s About Us page, the collection is “designed 100% by” Perry.

The loafers and heeled sandals feature leather uppers embellished with identical 3D eyes, a gold triangle “nose,” and bright-red lips. The former is available in black and light-beige, while the latter comes in black and gold.

In a joint statement emailed to INSIDER, Perry and Global Brands Group, which the singer partnered with to launch Katy Perry Collections, confirmed the shoes have immediately been removed from the line's website. At the time of writing this story, the shoes were still available on Dillard's site, though they have since been removed. Walmart did not immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment.

katy perry collection shoes blackface accusations

Foto: The Rue Face Slip On Loafers from Katy Perry Collections retails for $129.sourceDillard's

katy perry collection shoes blackface accusations 2

Foto: The Ora Face Block Heel Sandal from Katy Perry Collections also retails for $129.sourceDillard's

According to TMZ, anonymous sources "connected to" Perry said the loafers and heeled sandals are being pulled from stores after people online accused the shoes of resembling blackface.

https://twitter.com/darylthedevine/status/1087367831988117504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/ChantillyCoco/status/1095024440503660545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

In their joint statement, Perry and Global Brands Group told INSIDER that the loafers and heeled sandals were part of a collection that was released last summer in nine different colors: black, blue, gold, graphite, lead, nude, pink, red, silver.

According to their statement, the collection was "envisioned as a nod to modern art and surrealism."

"I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface," Perry and Global Brands Group continued in their statement. "Our intention was never to inflict any pain."

TMZ's report about Perry's shoes comes days after Gucci apologized for and pulled a balaclava sweater that people accused of looking like blackface. The black wool top, which reportedly retailed for $900, featured a long turtleneck that covered the bottom portion of the face with a cutout over the mouth.

Read more: Gucci has apologized after people suggested its $900 sweater looked like blackface

gucci blackface sweater accusations

Foto: Gucci apologized after people said its balaclava top resembled blackface.sourceGucci

On social media, the sweater was widely criticized for including a red outline around the mouth cutout, ostensibly to resemble lips - a design that many said evoked the racist history of blackface in the US, which dates back to the 1830s.

In the early 19th century, according to the National Museum of African-American History & Culture, white actors created caricatures of black slaves by applying burnt cork or shoe polish to their faces before performances. The use of blackface in minstrel shows, movies, and other mediums spread dehumanizing stereotypes about black people that were used to exclude them from the entertainment industry and deny them the full rights of citizenship.

On Wednesday, Gucci said it "deeply apologizes for the offense caused by" its balaclava sweater in a statement posted on Twitter. According to Gucci, the top was "immediately removed" from its website and all physical stores.

"We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond," the brand added in its statement.

Read the full joint statement from Katy Perry and Global Brands Group below:

"The Rue and The Ora were part of a collection that was released last summer in 9 different colorways (black, blue, gold, graphite, lead, nude, pink, red, silver) and envisioned as a nod to modern art and surrealism. I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface. Our intention was never to inflict any pain. We have immediately removed them from Katy Perry Collection."