Clothing retailer H&M, headed to Durham, in hot water over ‘monkey’ hoodie

An international clothing retailer with plans for a new Durham store has come under fire for an online advertisement.

H&M has faced massive criticism on social media for an advertisement featured on its website showing a young, African-American boy wearing a green sweatshirt with the words “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle.”

The word monkey has a history as a racial slur.

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow asked the retail chain via Twitter, if it had lost its mind.

An H&M store has been scheduled to open in The Streets at Southpoint. The new H&M has been planned to move into the mall space currently occupied by the Gap.

Responding to a request for further information regarding the new H&M store location, Streets at Southpoint spokeswoman Marissa Ellenby wrote via email, “We’re working on your request and hope to be in touch soon.”

H&M publicly apologized for the image.

This is a developing story. Check back for the latest news.

This story was originally published January 8, 2018 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Clothing retailer H&M, headed to Durham, in hot water over ‘monkey’ hoodie."