H&M apologises for monkey hoodie advertisement
The clothing brand withdrew an ad featuring a black child model wearing a hoodie reading "coolest monkey in the jungle" after it triggered racism accusations.
Swedish H&M said in an emailed statement it fully understood and agreed with The Weeknd's reaction to the image.
Fashion group H&M apologised on Tuesday for an advertisement featuring a black child modelling a sweatshirt with the slogan "coolest monkey in the jungle" and said it had removed it from all its marketing.
The ad was widely criticised for being racist, including by Canadian pop star The Weeknd, who has a clothing line in H&M, the world's second-largest clothing group, on two collections in 2017.
He said he would not do so again after seeing the advertisement.
We’d like to put on record our position in relation to the controversial image of our hoodie. Our position is simple - we’ve got this wrong and we’re deeply sorry. https://t.co/M9j5Fh2WxR
— H&M (@hm) January 9, 2018
woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore... pic.twitter.com/P3023iYzAb
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) January 8, 2018
In a statement, H&M said, "We completely understand and agree with his reaction to the image."
The word "monkey" has long been used by some as a racial slur.
Swedish H&M said in an emailed statement it fully understood and agreed with The Weeknd's reaction to the image.
— H&M (@hm) January 9, 2018
Other celebrities criticising the advertisement via social media included US rap star Diddy and basketball star LeBron James.
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