Store Forced To Apologize After One Person Complained About Their “Racist” Bra Color

A shopper named Kusi Kimani was shopping for a new bra at Marks & Spencer. While browsing the racks, Kimani noticed one that stuck out at her. Upon closer inspection, she was appalled by what the clothing company decided to name the bras. The colors that were lighter colored were named after desserts and sweets like “cinnamon” and “fudge,” while the darker-colored bras were named “tobacco” and other crops.

Kimani found these names to be racist since the clothing company was trying to use the “lingo” of Black customers without truly understanding it. Since Kimani brought the mistake to light, the clothing company has apologized profusely and admitted that they had “more to do and more to learn” about racism and how to be better in the marketplace.

Kimani lives in East Sussex in the United Kingdom. She is a twenty-nine-year-old professional speaker. She confronted the store about their racist bra colors after she found them advertising the colors a week after the murder of George Floyd.

After he confrontation with the store became part of the national conversation, she spoke to The Mirror about why she spoke up when others would have remained silent.

“I saw it about two weeks after George Floyd’s death, and it was particularly raw to see at that time. Why not call it cocoa, caramel, or chocolate – sweet dessert items? But they used tobacco. I was shocked when I saw it. It’s hurtful to my friends and me. If a young girl who is already uncomfortable with the color of her skin (sees it), she will be feeling even more alienated.”

She added, “Each week that website is showing that racism is another week, a young girl may come across it and feel bad for the rest of her life. To see that ‘tobacco’ is for their skin tone will make them feel unwanted by society. Tobacco is referred to in society as bad, unhealthy, and highly likely to kill – ‘smoking kills’.”

A few weeks later, Marks & Spencer wrote Kimani an email on June 10, 2020.

“The names we use are taken from those on a color palette and were never designed to match to a skin tone – I would like to assure you the choice of names is absolutely not intended to carry any negative connotations. We review design trends in the market each year to ensure we are offering a fashionable palette to all our customers, and we are actively reviewing our naming convention in the light of the feedback we are receiving. We liaise with our store colleagues on a regular basis to determine which colors we need to offer our customers, and we are also working with our BAME colleague network to receive their input too.”

Then the store issued an apology:

“In June, we shared our commitments to being a truly inclusive place to shop and work and were honest that we have more to do and more to learn. As part of this, we are reviewing our ranges, supported by our BAME network, to ensure we have lingerie items that are flattering and suitable for all customers. All of our product color names have been taken from a design color palette used across the industry, but we agree with Kusi. We are changing the name of the bra color and are writing to Kusi to confirm that, and let her know that we’re sorry for not moving faster.”

Do you think the store made the right move?