Olympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been dropped from the French fashion house Thierry Mugler's fragrance advertisements following his arrest on charges of murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Mugler made the announcement Feb. 20
Mugler has decided to withdraw its campaigns of the fragrance "A*MEN" that is fronted by Pistorius and also deleted all references to the athlete from its website.
"Out of respect and compassion for the families implicated in this tragedy, Thierry Mugler Perfumes has taken the decision to withdraw all its campaigns with Oscar Pistorius," said Groupe Clarins, owner of Mugler Perfumes in a statement, according to The Daily Beast.
The Olympian has been the face of the fragrance since spring 2011 at an estimated deal of about $3 million though Mugler never disclosed the exact amount.
Pistorius fronted the print as well as the television ads of A*MEN, which showed his carbon-fibre prosthetic running legs.
Just a few days ago, the media had been assured that the double amputee Olympian's endorsement deals were safe and hadn't been cancelled due to the murder charges but Pistorius seems to be losing them one by one.
Before Mugler, eyewear brand Oakley too severed all ties with the sprinter. "In light of the recent allegations, Oakley is suspending its contract with Oscar Pistorius, effective immediately," the brand said in a statement, reports NBC Sports. Pistorius had been associated with the brand since 2009.
Following suit, both Nike as well as British Telecom have dropped the sprinter due to the murder allegations.
Pistorius was scheduled to appear in Nike's campaign in Australia in March but the deal has been cancelled and the brand apparently has no plans "to use him in future campaigns."
And it's not just fashion brands that are not keen on dissociating themselves from the sprinter. Pistorius is the brand ambassador of British Telecom but the company too might distance itself from him. "Given the ongoing situation we have nothing further to say at this time," the telecom company said in a statement, according to Guardian.
