Fashion brand faces backlash for Ozempic tank top debuted at Berlin Fashion Week
A clubwear brand – known for its raunchy, outspoken designs – prompted widespread controversy over one clothing item it debuted during Berlin Fashion Week.
Namilia, helmed by designers Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl, stormed the runway on July 5 with its spring/summer 2025 collection, entitled “Good Girl Gone Bad.” Models marched down the catwalk in reworked vintage Ed Hardy gold, spinning streetwear for nights out and mornings after into high-end Y2K couture. Mini skirts and trucker hats, tattooed with the famed fiery artwork of the popular 2000s brand, were paired with thrashed lace and sheer tops, while spiked heels, half-cut white dresses, and shortened veils made for the perfect grunge bride.
But among the show of brattish icons carrying messages like “Fame Kills” and “Too Pretty for Rehab” on black shopping bags was a statement that didn’t sit right with some fashion enthusiasts: “I [heart] Ozempic.”
The message in support of the semaglutide injection, which is doctor prescribed as a medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, was printed on a white tank top and worn by a model with dark-lined lips and an embroidered see-through skirt that revealed their black underwear.
Though Namilia has always made a point to stitch strong cultural and political statements into its clothing as part of its mission to push conversations around gender constructs and sex-positivity, the “I [heart] Ozempic” wasn’t well-received online. Viewers questioned the intention and purpose in seemingly promoting the unofficial weight loss drug that’s become increasingly popular, and which has led to shortages for patients as a result.
“Poor taste with the shirt,” one opposer commented on the brand’s Instagram picture of the look, while another agreed: “Ironic or not, the shirt is in poor taste.”
“Your brand is incongruous, how can you be ‘empowering’ women by normalizing the use of a medicine that is scarce and that many people do need to live healthily?” a third asked.
“What is the statement here exactly? ‘Let’s promote a scarce medicine used to lose weight but that is actually for diabetes so it’s HARDER for diabetic people to get it?’” another added.
However, supporters argued the shirt’s message was part of the brand’s “meta commentary” on Hollywood’s obsessions.
“For us, fashion is a visual tool for political and cultural statements and to provoke discussion which mirror the current social landscape,” Li, Namilia brand founder, told The Independent. “The Ozempic craze for us has been played out in a double standard in pop culture.”
“On one side celebrities and their followers are willing to do anything they can to fit the still prevalent super slim body ideal in pop culture but on the other side nobody is willing to admit to abusing medication to meet the often unrealistic expectations of current beauty standards.”
“For us, the I [heart] Ozempic tank top is a piece of pop art commentary and satire commenting on this very current and controversial topic,” Li continued. “In our SS25 collection themed - Good Girl Gone Bad - we explore the effects and pressure of Fame und celebrity culture.”
