Gigi Hadid has issued an apology following the furore over her latest magazine shoot with Vogue Italia, which attracted accusations of racial insensitivity following the unusually dark tan she appeared to be sporting, which many called ‘blackface’.

The 23 year old supermodel faced a huge backlash earlier this week when the front cover of Vogue Italia’s May edition – following a photoshoot with Steven Klein – was shown in a sneak preview on Instagram. She explained that she was heavily bronzed with make-up on the day of the shoot, but nonetheless apologised to those who found the image offensive.

“The bronzing and photo-shop is a style that S. Klein has done for many years and I believe was what was expected from the shoot (to show me in a different way creatively),” she wrote in a post on Twitter and in an Instagram story on Thursday night (May 3rd).

Gigi HadidGigi Hadid has apologised over the Vogue Italia photoshoot fiasco

“BUT, although I understand what Vogue Italia’s intentions were, it was not executed correctly, and the concerns that have been brought up are valid.”

More: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik go their separate ways after two-year romance

She maintained that she didn’t have any say over the creative control of the photoshoot, both on the day and in post-production.

“Please know that things would have been different if my control of my situation was different,” she continued. “Regardless, I want to apologise because my intention is never to diminish those concerns or take opportunities away from anyone else, and I hope this can be an example to other magazines and teams in the future.”

“There are real issues regarding representation in fashion - it’s our responsibility to acknowledge those issues and communicate through them to work towards a more diverse industry.”

More: What is going on with that Bella and Gigi Hadid magazine photoshoot?