H&M shops trashed and closed over 'racist hoodie'

Bea Mitchell
Updated
Photo credit: H&M
Photo credit: H&M

From Digital Spy

H&M stores in South Africa have been temporarily closed due to unrest, after the retailer was hit with accusations of racism following a recent ad campaign.

The advert in question featured a black child wearing a sweatshirt with the slogan "coolest monkey in the jungle" emblazoned on it.

According to The Local, protesters trashed H&M shops, pulled down mannequins and wrecked displays. Police had to use rubber bullets to clear the crowds outside a branch in Boksburg, SA.

In a statement, H&M said: "What matters most to us is the safety of our employees and customers. We have temporarily closed our stores in South Africa.

"None of our staff or customers have been injured. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will open the stores as soon as the situation is safe again."

The protests were organised by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – a radical militant group started by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) President Julius Malema in 2013.

A spokesperson for H&M previously apologised for the image and reiterated its commitment to "diversity and inclusion" in all that it does.

In an updated statement, H&M said: "We understand that many people are upset about the image. We, who work at H&M, can only agree.

Over the past months I was genuinely excited about launching my upcoming line and collaboration with @HM... Unfortunately, after seeing the disturbing image yesterday, my excitement over our global campaign quickly evaporated, and I've decided at this time our partnership needs to end. Whether an oblivious oversight or not, it's truly sad and disturbing that in 2018, something so racially and culturally insensitive could pass by the eyes of so many (stylist, photographer, creative and marketing teams) and be deemed acceptable. I can't allow for my name and brand to be associated with a company that could let this happen. I hope that this situation will serve as the wake up call that H&M and other companies need to get on track and become racially and culturally aware, as well as more diverse at every level.

A post shared by G-Eazy (@g_eazy) on Jan 9, 2018 at 3:12pm PST

"We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print. Therefore, we have not only removed the image from our channels, but also the garment from our product offering globally."

The Weeknd and rapper G-Eazy have both since cut ties with H&M, with The Weeknd saying he's "embarrassed" by the photo, and G-Eazy labelling it "racially and culturally insensitive".

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