Donna Karan's Spring 2012 Campaign Places Focus on Haiti

Haiti has been getting a lot of attention from the fashion community of late, from Coco Rocha's supermodel-heavy "Letters to Haiti" documentary to designer Donna Karan's own philanthropic work in the country, which influenced her Spring 2012 collection. (Kim Kardashian also recently traveled to Haiti with other stars like Maria Bello and Patricia Arquette.)

The designer used model (and Victoria's Secret Angel) Victoria Lima in the advertisements, telling WWD, "I have never used her before, and I am totally in love with her ... She shows the heart and soul of Haiti." According to WWD, the label will also put out a 16-page brochure for its customers with more images and information about the campaign.

The reaction to one of the images from the campaign, however -- which features local residents behind Lima -- has not entirely been positive. The Telegraph points to comments on several sites which call the ads "insensitive." Considering the designer's charitable efforts, the negative blow-back is certainly unfortunate, though often runs with the territory when one pairs high fashion with a nation struggling with poverty.

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