H&M names diversity leader after 'racism' misstep

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 18, 2018

Navigating consumer sensitivities can be a minefield for brands and retailers these days and having fallen foul of racism accusations, Swedish retail giant H&M has now appointed a global head of diversity for the chain.

The move follows a storm around its kids’ hoodie that carried the words “coolest monkey in the jungle” and was deemed to be racist when photographed on a black youngster.

Currently global manager for employee relations Annie Wu, who has worked for the firm for a number of years, is to take on the role of global leader for diversity and inclusiveness.

The company said that its "commitment to addressing diversity and inclusiveness is genuine, therefore we have appointed a global leader, in this area, to drive our work forward."

The image of the young boy wearing the hoodie had appeared online and, despite a fast removal by the firm and an apology, it created a major storm on social media. A number of celebrities lined up to criticise it and it also led to H&M stores in South Africa being trashed by a protest group at the weekend. 

The furore also saw US-based rappers The Weeknd and G-Eazy cancelling product deals with H&M.

The parents of the boy in the ad had defended it and said that the motivation of the firm was not racist. Defenders of the firm said that H&M had clearly made a mistake rather than deliberately putting the child in that hoodie because of his ethnicity, but added that it clearly needed to be more sensitive to both current and historical attitudes to race.

Gap had earlier faced similar issues when it released a childrenswear marketing shot in the US showing a white girl leaning on the head of a black girl. Again, while Gap apologised, showing someone from a population group that has faced widespread discrimination being leant on was deemed to be insensitive at best.

The rise of social media and the fact that retailers now pump out huge volumes of imagery that are seen globally make diversity and sensitivity awareness a crucial issue for brands looking to avoid hugely damaging PR missteps.

At a time when the fashion industry is also in the spotlight over claims of sexual harassment, any brand that mishandles issues around race, gender, sexuality, disability and age runs the risk of the same reaction that H&M has just faced.