The Weeknd has severed ties with H&M after the clothing brand produced a product advert that the singer was “deeply offended” by.
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has said that he was “shocked and embarrassed” by the image and that he would not be working with H&M again.
The advert shows a young black boy wearing a hoodie that reads: “Coolest monkey in the jungle.”
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
— Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd) January 8, 2018
Tesfaye previously worked with the major clothing brand on his XO label.
He has also performed at H&M fashion shows.
Other stars and social media users were also highly critical of the image.
US singer Questlove wrote on Instagram that he was sure that “… the apologies are a coming” but that the image proved that the H&M boardroom was lacking something.
He said:
“I’m sure the apologies are a coming. And the ads will be pulled. I’m certain there will be media fixers and whatnot and maybe a grand gesture like a donation to some charity (…)
“All this tells me about @HM is that the seats in the boardroom lack something… wanna take a guess?”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdsMfbAnfN8/
Others agreed that the product image lacked “sensitivity.”
Every company should invest in training that encompasses cultural competency and sensitivity. It is absolutely necessary. @hm pic.twitter.com/efMR0oL3jx
— The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) January 8, 2018
We are absolutely appalled by this racist advertisement attributed to @HM which strips the child in the green of basic human dignity. While we note the apology as necessary we cannot accept that it's sufficient based on the amount of damage it has caused. cc @HMsouthafrica pic.twitter.com/TqSRn164xJ
— Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) January 9, 2018
H&M has issued an apology for the image saying that it has since been removed from their online stores and that the product is no longer on sale in the US.
They said:
“We believe in diversity and inclusion in all that we do and will be reviewing all our internal policies accordingly to avoid any future issues.”
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