The Weeknd is the latest celebrity to sever ties with fashion company H&M over claims of racism.
Twitter erupted in anger on Monday after H&M posted an image from an ad showing a black kid wearing a hoodie with the words “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle Gym.” Folks started calling out the fashion brand for the racist gesture and The Weeknd, who has been doing business with the outlet for over a year now, quickly condemned the brand in a scathing tweet saying he will immediately stop doing business with them.
“Woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. I’m deeply offended and will not be working with H&M anymore,” he wrote on Twitter along with posting the questionable image. The R&B singer, born Abel Tesfaye, started working with H&M last year by promoting gears from the fashion brand before he started collaborating on different pieces through his own XO brand. Sources close to the singer has indicated that he will continue to release new lines from his XO brand without a retailer behind it or through possible new partnership.
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
The Weeknd also currently has a partnership with Puma and his gears have been selling out fast. As for H&M, the company has since released a statement apologizing for the ad while vowing to get to the bottom of what really happened. “We sincerely apologize for offending people with this image of a printed hooded top,” H&M said in a statement (via USA Today). “The image has been removed from all online channels and the product will not be for sale in the United States.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.”
Since the news went viral, the company has been getting hammered by celebrities and fans alike who are showing no mercy on social media.
