The Weeknd pulls out of H&M collaboration

Despite more recent efforts to diversity their creative portfolio, like their iconic “Close the Loop” commercial which featured a diverse cast of models, H&M still has a very spotty history when it comes to socially conscious clothing—remember when they sold headdresses a few years ago as part of their “festival wear”—or advertisements for that matter.

After images from their online website surfaced featuring a young black model wearing a sweatshirt that read “The coolest monkey in the jungle,” the response was widespread and immediate.

The Swedish clothing brand responded to the backlash. Here’s what they told the Daily Mail:

“This image has now been removed from all H&M channels and we apologise to anyone this may have offended.”

The Weekend, who released his own line with H&M in the Spring of 201,  tweeted out his comments about the misstep and announce that he’ll no longer be working with the fast-fashion retailer.

Other artists took to Instagram to discuss the larger systemic issues at hand and call for a need to hold retailers fully accountable for their creative decisions.

Here’s to hoping 2018 won’t be the year of broken records. H&M. Do better.