Over the past week, H&M have been copping backlash after sharing an advertisement featuring a young black model in a hoodie emblazoned with the slogan “coolest monkey in the jungle.” As Complex point out, many are calling it racially insensitive at best, and racist at worst.
A bunch of artists have taken to social media to hit back at H&M for their cringey ‘Coolest Monkey in the Jungle’ hoodie by creating rad artworks.
Aside from the public outcry, several celebrities have spoken out against the fashion label, including P Diddy, LeBron James, and The Weekend, who Tweeted that he’d no longer be working with the company (he released a collaboration with H&M back in 2017).
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
A bunch of artists have also taken to social media to voice their disapproval by reimagining the ad in rad ways. The reworked designs all replace the original slogan with less, err, racially insensitive lines, such as “amazing black boy”, “coolest king in the world”, “king of the jungle”, and “coolest king”.
H&M have since issued an apology via Pitchfork, and have said plans have been put in place to pull the hoodie from shelves.
Take a look at the artworks below via Complex.
