Recently, MAC announced the launch of a new MAC Rodarte collection, in collaboration with Mexican designer Rodarte, initially called MAC Juarez.

At first, this seemed as a very interesting idea, a collection that mixed Mexican features with MAC’s great popularity in terms of make-up and beauty. Few of us, the common consumers, knew (I include myself in this category) what Juarez is.

Juarez, actually Ciudad Juarez is the largest city in Northern Mexico, at the US border, near El Paso, Texas. The city has the highest population growth in North America, the criminal activity also increased, reaching the highest level in the world. Some experts called it the most unsafe place in the world. What is really the creepiest thing about it is the fact that the city is well known for the series of women corpses found in the nearby desert, starting from 2003. The police investigations revealed that they were kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed. Their number is unknown, I’ve read that there were over 50 corpses found there, starting from 2003. The real number of victims is guarded by the officials. The El Paso Times spoke about nearly 340 victims, from 1993. Police found suspects, but some believe the corrupt system might involve some police officials in the brutal killings, suspecting a huge cover-up. The city’s fast and continuous development is caused by the anarchic industrialisation, which led to the exploitation of women that work in factories for minimal wages, in extremely poor conditions, in late night shifts. That situation forced them to walk alone, unprotected and exposed.

What is MAC rodarte?

The MAC rodarte collection consists in make-up items with pretty “suggestive” names like: a lipstick called Ghost Town, eyeshadows named Bordertown and Sleepwalker, a nail polish named Factory, a beauty powder called Softly Drifting  and so on. The models wearing the products look actually like ghosts, pale and cadaveric. The most disturbing item is Bordertown eyeshadow (black with blood red and blue veining, looking like fresh blood pouring).

The reactions followed, creating a huge controversy in the beauty industry and beauty blogosphere. MAC’s and Rodarte’s official statements were to strongly condemn violence against women, claiming that they were inspired by the lunar atmosphere around the city, the landscape and the desert; the collection was intended to be a celebration of people that live here and that their intention was not to offend their fans or anybody. They also announced that they will donate 100,000$ to a non-profit organisation to help women in need and improve the life of women in Ciudad Juarez. Apparently they changed the name of the collection in MAC Rodarte.

My opinion about MAC Rodarte

Looking at those items I started wondering what was in those MAC marketing executives’ minds and also Rodarte when they conceived this collection. I just can’t understand. The pictures, names and also the combination of colours are so completely suggestive. I see no Mexican features there, nor traditional or modern. It looks more like a these products were inspired from a sick, depressive, death obsessed mind. I could give a romantic, gothic twist to it, but that is all…if the products and the collection were named differently, the story would be so different. Apparently they realized that and they are changing names. It is sad that multi billion dollar companies are able to raise profit over human suffering, exploitation, violence and massacre. Following this idea we can expect a future collection inspired by the World Wars victims, with products named Holocaust or Hiroshima Bomb. I’ve studied marketing in college, and I can say that anyone that ever read a basic marketing book can recognize this as a huge MARKETING ERROR. There were others in marketing history, but none as disturbing as this.

MAC is a trend setter company, very well known for its edgy approach…but this seems to be too much.

There is a good thing though in this entire situation, if I might say so. MAC actually contributed to the awareness in the public’s eye about the situation in that Mexican region. But that could have been done in a completely different manner.

The 100,000$ is a very small figure compared to the huge MAC incomes and profits. To me, it is actually ridiculous. In terms of loses, I don’t think MAC will suffer that much of a financial loss: the names of the products and maybe packaging will be changed and re-promoted in future collections. Their image, will suffer a lot though. I actually hope so…

That Bordertown eyeshadow will haunt me for a long time.
Can anyone think about wearing anything from MAC Rodarte collection…?

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