H&M pulls 'racist' advert after social media outrage
Updated : 12:05
Clothing giant H&M has come under fire after posting an advert where a young black child was shown wearing a hooded sweatshirt bearing the words: "Coolest monkey in the jungle."
Customers took the high street retailer to task on Twitter, questioning how the image had made its way to the point of publication without anyone within H&M's ranks realising its potential to offend and whether or not the group was guilty of being "casually racist".
H&M has since removed the image and apologised for any offence caused by the advert, however, the garment is still available for purchase.
"We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken," said a spokesman for the Swedish firm.
Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd), an H&M brand ambassador who ran a clothing line with the retailer, severed ties with the retailer on Tuesday morning, saying he was "shocked and embarrassed" with the company.
H&M said it understood Abel's position, with the Swedish retailer adding it would "continue the discussion" with the musician.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward and three time NBA champion Lebron James took to Instagram to share a reimagining of the image by New York artist Chris Classic that read "King of the World", complete with a crown.
The advert comes just three months after Unilever's personal care brand Dove released a "tone deaf" advert wherein a black woman removed her top to reveal a white woman underneath after using the group's body lotion. The brand also ran a marketing campaign in 2011 that showed a series of "before-and-after" photos of a woman transitioning from black to white after using its body wash.
As of 0930 GMT, H&M shares had dropped 1.91% to SEK 159.94 each.
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