The Weeknd has cut ties with clothing brand H&M following the publication of an offensive photograph.
The Canadian star has worked with the brand before, but was vocal in his condemnation of a new photograph.
The image depicted a young African-American model wearing a hoodie emblazoned with the statement: COOLEST MONKEY IN THE JUNGLE.
Sparking online condemnation, The Weeknd immediately severed his relationship with H&M.
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
Pitchfork spoke to a rep from the brand, who offered the following statement:
We understand that many people are upset about the image. We, who work at H&M, can only agree. 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. It is obvious that our routines have not been followed properly. This is without any doubt. We will thoroughly investigate why this happened to prevent this type of mistake from happening again.
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