The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Nike Inc. temporarily closed South African stores after the husband of an employee was caught in a racism row over a video he posted while on vacation.
The sportswear giant’s decision comes eight months after Hennes & Mauritz AB shuttered outlets in the country following protests against an online ad that featured a black child modeling a hoodie with the text “coolest monkey in the jungle.” Race remains a highly sensitive issue in South Africa more than two decades after the end of apartheid.
The sportswear giant took precaution after H&M stores were trashed in a similar incident.
Two Nike shops in a mall in Johannesburg’s Sandton financial district closed Tuesday and remain shut. While the company didn’t comment on the move, it released a statement saying the firm “opposes discrimination and has a long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion and respect.”
In the online video that went viral this week, a white man expressed his appreciation for the beach he was visiting by commenting that there weren’t any black people to be seen — using a highly offensive racial slur. He was promptly fired from the food producer that is owned by his family, Eyewitness News reported, adding that his wife works for Nike.
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Nike has stores in 11 locations in South Africa, according to the company’s website.
By John Bowker and Roxanne Henderson, with assistance from Janice Kew; editors: Anthony Palazzo, Antony Sguazzin and Gordon Bell.
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