H&M has appointed a diversity manager after dealing with the fallout from using a black child to advertise a hoodie with the slogan “coolest monkey in the jungle.”
H&M announced that it appointed company insider Annie Wu as “Global Leader for Diversity and Inclusiveness” for H&M group.
“The recent incident was entirely unintentional, but it demonstrates so clearly how big our responsibility is as a global brand,” H&M said in a message posted to its social media accounts. “Our commitment to addressing diversity and inclusiveness is genuine, therefore we have appointed a global leader, in this area, to drive our work forward.”
H&M would not explain to CNNMoney what her new job responsibilities will be. Wu will also continue in her job as the company’s global manager for employee relations, according to a company spokeswoman.
Wu’s appointment occurs just days after the company was chastised on social media for its ad in an online British catalog featuring a black child wearing a hoodie with the slogan “coolest monkey in the jungle.”
H&M took down the ad and no longer sells the hoodie, which it says it “recycled.” The company apologized for the incident on January 9: “We have got this wrong and we are deeply sorry.”
A few days later, on January 13, H&M closed its stores in South Africa after protesters swarmed locations there. Two musicians – Gerald Gillum, known as G-Eazy, and Abel Tesfaye, known as The Weeknd, cut their business ties with H&M.
