M&S apologises for ‘racist’ Bra names and claims ‘We have more to learn’

The British company Marks & Spencer, that was founded in 1884, has decided to apologise after a customer condemned them for naming its darker-coloured bras differently to its lighter-coloured bras.

One customer Kusi Kimani was shopping in one of its shops when she noticed how the lighter coloured bras were all names after sweets and desserts whereas the dark-coloured bra was named “tobacco”.

Ms Kimani said “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”.

Ms Kimani describes the branding as “hurtful” and feels it is “an example of how bias is ingrained into society and only helps fuel racism”. In addition to this she said : “If a young girl who is already uncomfortable with the colour of her skin [sees it] she will be feeling even more alienated,” she explained. 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 spokesperson for M&S responded with 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 colour names have been taken from a design colour palette used across the industry, but we agree with Kusi. We are changing the name of the bra colour and are writing to Kusi to confirm that and let her know that we’re sorry for not moving faster”.

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