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It's just a big misunderstanding. That's how New Zealand designer Kate Sylvester has responded to Australian accusations that her fashion show in Sydney yesterday has disrespected the memories and activities of ex-servicemen and women who served in various wars, as well as recent ANZAC Day commemorations.
This morning the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the fashion show, part of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week and Kate Sylvester's first runway show there in three years, had "incensed" the Returned and Services League, who had apparently described it as "appalling and sickening".
National secretary of the RSL in Australia, Derek Robson, told the newspaper that such things as young models, both male and female, wearing military medals on their left side, which normally means they've seen active service, "demeans the whole purpose of the commemoration of Anzac Day".
"To do this so close to a day which commands such respect and dignity for all those ex-servicemen who committed their lives to others is disgraceful," Robson said.
"I am appalled on behalf of those who have committed so much. To do something so flippant and dismissive is unfathomable."
However Simon Lock, the organiser of the fashion event, was certain that no disrespect was intended.
He told the Sydney Morning Herald: "I can assure you that the designer would be devastated if people said there was a lack of respect."
And the designer herself, who stocks in over 50 stores all around Australia including the Myer department stores, is upset.
In a statement issued this morning Sylvester says: "There was no intention of showing disrespect for returned servicemen, for whom I have the deepest amount of respect. I sincerely apologise to anyone I may have unwittingly offended."
In the statement Sylvester also said her show wasn't any kind of comment on a military theme.
Alongside the contentious medals there were also crowns, tiaras and sashes in disarray and an earlier press release told that the summer clothing collection was all about contemptuous familiarity with "the trappings of wealth and tradition" and actually began with her personal collection of coronation cups.
Sylvester added that all of those items - including the medals - were replicas, many of which were produced especially for the runway show.
Additionally, Sylvester says the irony of the whole misunderstanding is that "while I was in Sydney over the weekend preparing for the show my partner took our three young boys to the dawn parade in Auckland so they could start to learn about the great things these brave men did for our country".
It's not the first time in recent weeks that the RSL has complained about entities disrespecting ANZAC Day.
Last month the Daily Telegraph in Australia pointed out that the Government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which was running a commercial balloon festival, Balloon Fiesta Australia, in Canberra should not be launching hot air balloons emblazoned with commercial slogans on Anzac Day.
The balloons would offend "the decency of the Australian sense of commemoration," Robson told the Daily Telegraph at the time.
