Lisa Blue Swimsuit Bearing Image of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi Engenders International Furor at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

At Rosemount Australian Fashion Week on Friday, swimwear designer Lisa Blue sent this suit down the runway of her spring 2011-2012 show. The one-piece cutout suit features a print of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi on the front and, as soon at the photo hit the web, fashion blog Fashionising was hit with hundreds of angry comments and messages—"Largely aimed at the label and its designer Lisa Burke, they've ranged from statements of concern to mild slurs, and at the other end of the spectrum have also included curses and all out death threats," reports the site. The Telegraph reports that Indian activists have taken to burning the Australian flag in demonstrations.

The swimwear company, Lisa Blue, has since issued this apology:

We would like to offer an apology to anyone we may have offended and advise that the image of Goddess Lakshmi will not appear on any piece of Lisa Blue swimwear for the new season, with a halt put on all production of the new range and pieces shown on the runway from last week removed. This range will never be available for sale in any stockists or retail outlets anywhere in the world. We apologize to the Hindu community and take this matter very seriously.

· The swimsuit that outraged [Fashionising]
· Aussie flag burned over images of goddess [Telegraph AU]