The Weeknd Severs Ties with H&M After “Deeply Offensive” Product Photo

The Weeknd announced today that he is cutting ties with fashion retailer H&M after a “deeply offensive” promotional photo surfaced.

In a tweet posted Monday (below), The Weeknd wrote, “Woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore…”

The Weeknd started working with H&M in 2017, modeling in their campaigns and developing pieces for the company under his XO brand.

The controversial photo features an African-American child dressed in a hoodie that reads, “Coolest monkey in the jungle.”

H&M has since removed the image and responded to the controversy and accusations of racism in a statement. “We understand that many people are upset about the image. We, who work at H&M, can only agree,” an H&M rep told Pitchfork. “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.”

See The Weeknd’s tweet containing the offensive photo below.

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