French fashion house removes Pistorius adverts
French fashion house Thierry Mugler has become the latest high-profile sponsor to distance itself from Oscar Pistorius as the Paralympian fights murder charges in South Africa.
The company has announced the immediate and complete withdrawal of all products featuring Pistorius including its ’A*men Pure Shot’ fragrance, which was launched as a special edition to mark last year’s London Paralympics.
In addition, Thierry Mugler has removed all point-of-sale advertising featuring Pistorius, and deleted all references to the athlete from its website.
A Thierry Mugler spokesperson said: “Out of respect and sympathy to the families involved in this tragic case, Thierry Mugler Parfums has removed all campaigns featuring Oscar Pistorius.”
Promotional material for ’A*Men Pure Shot’ last year described it as “a bold fragrance.. embodied by the charismatic Oscar Pistorius, chosen for his unique journey and values of excellence and achievement that he symbolises and represents.”
Two other major sponsors, Oakley and Nike, also distanced themselves from the athlete this week following his charge over the shooting death of his girlfriend.
Oakley has suspended its contract with Pistorius while Nike said it has no plans to use him in future campaigns.
British Telecom, with whom Pistorius has been involved as a brand ambassador as well as an ambassador for the BT Paralympic World Cup, issued a short statement today saying: “Given the ongoing situation we have nothing further to say at this time.”
