H&M slammed for racism over ‘coolest monkey in the jungle’ hoodie

Clothing giant H&M has been slammed for racism after featuring a photo of a young black boy wearing a “coolest monkey in the jungle’ hoodie.

The hoodie, available at the store’s United Kingdom page as a “printed hooded top,” was noticed Sunday by social media users who shared their outrage widely.

H&M, based in Sweden, had not commented publicly as of Monday morning on what many said was an insensitive association between the young model and a hateful slur against black people.

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Models for Diversity, a British-based organization advocating for more inclusion in the fashion industry, was one of many groups questioning how the photo made it through marketing teams and out into the world.

“@hm And then H&M UK got the bright idea to feature a black boy model with 'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle' hoodie on its website. How on earth can this be? SHAME ON YOU !” it posted online.

“Have you lost your damned minds?!?!?!” New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow asked.

The picture of the boy was taken off of the website and replaced with a generic photo of the green apparel.

Two other hoodies offered alongside the sweatshirt featured white models, including one labeled a jungle “survival expert.”