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’

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Lululemon is facing a backlash in China after an employee shared an ‘insulting’ coronavirus-related design online. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 6:31pm, 21 Apr 2020Updated: 11:32am, 22 Apr 2020

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”.

Pictures posted to China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo showed a design featuring a small image of chopsticks with bat wings in red on the front and a winged Chinese takeaway box with the words “No Thank You” on the back. There was no mention of China or the coronavirus pandemic on the T-shirt.

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,

Lululemon

The T-shirt was originally listed for sale on the website of artist Jess Sluder, who has no connection with Lululemon, for US$60.