4 days ago
Celeb-loved designer sweater company enrages customer after denying Israel request
A customer is speaking out after designer sweater brand Lingua Franca denied her request to make a custom sweater that read, 'Proud Zionist.'
The brand, which sells cashmere sweaters with various slogans embroidered on them, is a fan-favorite loved by celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Martha Stewart, Reese Witherspoon and even Oprah Winfrey.
Some of their slogans are quite cheeky, reading, 'Immediately no,' or 'Professional bookworm.'
Others, however, have deeper meanings to them, such as 'I didn't vote for him,' in reference to President Trump, and 'Exhausted American.'
Before the 2024 election, Katie Holmes even wore a sweater by the brand that endorsed Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz.
Of course, one of the main appeals of the brand is their customization services. On the website, you can order custom pieces with your own slogan sewn on in whichever color you like.
But in a new interview with The Free Press, Alison Himel, 60, from Toronto, revealed that her custom request had been denied and canceled by the brand.
A few months ago, her order for a sweater that read, 'Proud Zionist' was never delivered.
According to the outlet, when she inquired with the company about the order, she was met with a myriad of excuses, including that the color she had ordered was out of stock.
She didn't think much of it, until she received a promotional email from the brand on July 4, written by Lingua Franca CEO Rachelle Hruska MacPherson.
The email encouraged customers to shop from the 'resistance' curation on the site, and read, in part: 'Today, my family and I are in Spain, watching from afar as the people currently in power at home lie, cheat, and strip away the very rights that make us proud to be American.'
And, according to Himel, after receiving the promotional email, she then received another email from customer service.
'After careful internal discussions, and given the current political climate in the Middle East, we've made the difficult decision not to produce sweaters that directly reference this ongoing conflict,' the email from customer service said.
'We aim to remain a neutral, inclusive space for all customers, and we sincerely apologize for any disappointment this may cause.'
Himel began to go back-and-forth with the company, as seen by screenshots in The Free Press, and expressed her 'hurt and disappointment.'
'Your "neutrality" regarding this is far from neutral - you've chosen a point of view - which is to say that it's not okay to love Israel,' Himel wrote in one email.
In more messages, Himel also pointed out how some of their other slogans on sweaters seemed to be taking a stand, like one that reads, 'We stand with Ukraine.'
However, in the end, Lingua Franca didn't budge, and stuck firm to the fact that they would be staying 'neutral.'
The company's president, Kate Hudson, wrote Himel to explain that they faced threats after they produced a sweater after the Oct. 7 attacks that had the word 'peace' on it written in Hebrew, English and Arabic.
Lingua Franca shared with Daily Mail the information they provided to the Free Press in a message from founder Rachelle Hruska MacPherson.
Lingua Franca distinguished the situation from the past, when they have 'weighed in' on countless decisive issues and received 'negative blowback,' including an 'abundance of hate mail.'
'Immediately following the October 7 Hamas attacks, LF began receiving custom orders from people on all sides of the conflict,' the message read.
'Though LF expected to receive pushback for some of the orders we fulfilled, we were shaken by threats of violence against both LF and me and my family personally,' Hudson continued.
'So, with a heavy heart, I made the unilateral decision for LF to temporarily refrain from authoring sweaters or fulfilling custom orders connected to the region. This was not a decision I made lightly, but one I felt compelled to make in the interest of safety for the LF team and my family.'
But even after that, Himel still seemed unsure.
'I don't think our correspondence made them question anything. And from the responses, I don't think they asked themselves whether or not I had a point,' Himel explained to The Free Press.
'There was nothing in the conversation that made me feel that they were going to internalize it beyond "We have a policy. We're not touching the Middle East."'
After the outlet spoke to Himel, they tried to place orders for their own custom sweaters - ones that read 'Anti-Zionist' and 'Free Palestine.'
They were both denied.
