Abercrombie settles discrimination suit: $40Mill

[Honeykiss1974]

Abercrombie pulls 'racist' Asian theme T-shirts


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) --Clothing maker Abercrombie & Fitch said on Thursday it was pulling a new line of Asian-themed T-shirts after Asian-American groups complained they were a blatant example of racist stereotyping.

The shirts, which retail for $25, hit the shelves this week and carry caricatures of slant-eyed Asians in conical hats along with such slogans as "WONG BROTHERS LAUNDRY SERVICE: TWO WONGS CAN MAKE IT WHITE" and "WOK-N-BOWL -- CHINESE FOOD AND BOWLING."

"It is not and never has been our intention to offend anyone," Abercrombie spokesman Hampton Carney said.

"These graphic T-shirts were designed with the sole purpose of adding humor and levity to our fashion line. Since some customers have been offended by their content, we are pulling these shirts from our stores," he added.

'It is just like the 1800s'
Asian-American groups in California reacted with anger this week after the shirts appeared in local Abercrombie stores, with local activists saying their cartoonish representation of Asian figures carried a racist message.

"This is really blatant. It is just like the 1800s," said the Rev. Norman Fong, program director at San Francisco's Chinatown Community Development Center.

"The company has been totally insensitive, and people are pretty upset."

Carney said the popular youth clothing maker had believed the shirts might appeal to Asian-American consumers, and was surprised by the hostile reception they received.

"The thought was that everyone would love them, especially the Asian community. We thought they were cheeky, irreverent and funny and everyone would love them. But that has not been the case."

Carney was unable to estimate how many shirts would be recalled from Abercrombie's roughly 500 stores nationwide, although he said a number of stores had not yet taken delivery of the items.

Abercrombie & Fitch, based in New Albany, Ohio, has been the target of consumer complaint before. In 1998 Mothers against Drunk Driving protested a two-page advertising spread entitled "Drinking 101" that contained recipes for alcoholic drinks, while other parents have complained that the youth-oriented company frequently features overtly sexy photos in its advertising layouts.

Abercrombie stock closed up 1.65 percent at $33.30 in New York on Thursday. The company was again the subject of controversy in 2000, playing a central role in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's "Reg FD," or regulation fair disclosure. (full story).

It cooperated with the SEC, after investors sued the retailer over claims it warned a Lazard Freres analyst of disappointing earnings days before the investing public.

Copyright 2002 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.