Canadian R&B star The Weeknd says he’s cutting ties with H&M after being “deeply offended” by an ad for the retailer showing a black child in a hoodie bearing the phrase “Coolest monkey in the jungle.”
The Toronto performer noted online he was “shocked” by the ad, which prompted him to end his partnership with the multinational company.
The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, previously teamed up with the Swedish fast-fashion retailer to release special edition menswear collections.
Originally from H&M’s U.K. website, the image earned social media condemnation late Sunday and on Monday; criticized as being everything from tone-deaf to shockingly ignorant to racist. Some called for a boycott of the retailer.
H&M apologized for the advertisement on Monday. As of early Monday afternoon, the hoodie remained available for sale on the retailer’s U.K. website.
“This image has now been removed from all H&M channels and we apologise to anyone this may have offended,” an H&M spokesperson said.
