Forever 21 has a vast collection of holiday apparel, but many shoppers were disappointed when they spotted a Black Panther-themed sweater worn by a white model this holiday season.
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The top had the phrase “Wakanda Forever” embroidered across the front. The expression became popular after the release of the highly successful film “Black Panther,” which featured a nearly all-black cast of characters.
When the fashion brand tweeted out an image of the sweater worn by the male model, several responded with disapproval. Many thought the clothing should have been worn by a black person, especially since the movie celebrated people of color.
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On the other hand, some didn’t think it was a big deal. A few didn’t have an issue with a white model donning the “Wakanda Forever” gear and said the merchandise was not exclusive to black people.
Amid the backlash, Forever 21 removed the tweet and issued an apology.
"Forever 21 takes feedback on our products and marketing extremely seriously," the company told HuffPost in a statement. "We celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities and apologize if the photo in question was offensive in any way."
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