Lululemon distances itself from ‘Bat Fried Rice’ T-shirt after design stirs nationalist backlash in China
- Canadian brand apologises after employee posts coronavirus-related T-shirt design to Instagram, causing outrage among Chinese internet users
- Lululemon says the ‘Bat Fried Rice’ design was not created by the company and is ‘inappropriate and inexcusable’
Lululemon Athletica, a Canadian apparel brand known for its expensive yoga wear, apologised on Tuesday after an employee posted a coronavirus-related T-shirt design online that sparked a backlash on Chinese social media for “insulting” the country.
The company, which is quickly gaining popularity in the Chinese market, issued an apology and statement distancing itself from the design after images began circulating of a long sleeve T-shirt named “Bat Fried Rice”.
The social media storm appears to have erupted after a link to the design was shared on Instagram by Trevor Fleming, the art director at the company.
The T-shirt is not a Lululemon product. We apologise that an employee was affiliated with promoting an offensive T-shirt and we take this very seriously,
The T-shirt was originally listed for sale on the website of artist Jess Sluder, who has no connection with Lululemon, for US$60.
Some Weibo users called for a boycott of the brand, whose yoga pants sell for more than US$100, because it was “insulting China” with the design, despite the Canadian company having no official affiliation.
Lululemon issued an apology on Instagram to hose down complaints that it was fanning xenophobia.