Beijing – After consumer complaints about printed clothing that included racial violence references and suggesting phrases such as “let me touch you” and “let’s go to hell”, a Chinese fashion label pulled its children’s clothing line.
JNBY’s designs were widely shared on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. Users expressed outrage at the design and criticized it for not being suitable for young impressionables.
One photo featured an item that had the English words “The whole area is full of Indians.” One cartoon showed a boy being shot with multiple bows. Another had the words “I will take this gun and smash them to pieces.” One social media commenter asked, “What is JNBY trying express with such prints?” “I liked their adult clothing but I didn’t expect their children to wear such sinister clothes!”
JNBY apologized on Thursday for receiving complaints about products that had “inappropriate patterns.” The brand released a statement via Weibo stating that it had removed all related products from its shelves and revoked any publicity material. It also set up an internal investigation team.
JNBY, a well-known designer label, was founded in 1994 in Hangzhou. It later stated that it has also opened channels for refunds and apologized to customers. For the most recent financial year, it reported net profits of 624 million Yuan (96.6 Million Dollars).
Many users did not find JNBY’s apology to be a surprise. One user argued that “this is not a problem that can easily be solved by an apology.” One parent claimed that their older relatives didn’t understand English and had purchased the clothing for their child. The shocked parent wrote, “As such, a large company, JNBY. Who checks your material?”
