The fallout from that seriously fucked up hoodie continues for H&M.
As we reported, The Weeknd decided to cut ties with the Swedish brand after the company’s ad featuring a young black model wearing a “coolest monkey in the jungle” sweatshirt went viral.
G-Eazy has now become the next celeb to take action after hearing of the controversy by ending an upcoming partnership with the brand.
Related: H&M Says They’re ‘Deeply Sorry’ For Racist Hoodie
On Tuesday, the rapper announced his decision on Instagram alongside an altered image of the original photo:
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
In response, a spokesperson for H&M shared with EW:
“We completely understand and agree with his reaction to the image. We have got this wrong and we are deeply sorry. We strongly believe that racism and bias in any shape or form, deliberate or accidental, are simply unacceptable. We completely understand the criticism and we agree with it. We have taken down the image and we have removed the garment from all stores globally. We are now investigating internally to avoid this from happening again. We will continue the discussion with G-Eazy and his team separately.”
Separately, the label issued a third apology on Tuesday, noting:
“We agree with all the criticism that this has generated ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ we have got this wrong and we agree that, even if unintentional, passive or casual racism needs to be eradicated wherever it exists. We appreciate the support of those who have seen that our product and promotion were not intended to cause offence but, as a global brand, we have a responsibility to be aware of and attuned to all racial and cultural sensitivities ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ and we have not lived up to this responsibility this time. This incident is accidental in nature, but this doesn’t mean we don’t take it extremely seriously or understand the upset and discomfort it has caused.”
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