Lululemon distances itself from ‘Bat Fried Rice’ t-shirt after racist design stirs backlash, fires art director
Popular athletic apparel retailer Lululemon has fired one of its employees for promoting a "Bat Fried Rice" t-shirt that many felt was "racist" amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The white and red long-sleeve t-shirt which was designed and put up for sale by California artist Jess Sluder went viral on social media for seemingly poking fun at the origin of the virus which has infected more than 2.5 million people worldwide.
It featured chopsticks with bat wings on the front, and a Chinese takeout box with wings on the back along with the words "No Thank You" on the box and down the sleeves. It propagated a now-popular theory that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in bats and was transmitted to humans after one of the carriers was bought and eaten from one of Wuhan's wet markets.
Sluder was selling the shirt for $60 under the name “Bat Fried Rice,”and had thanked buyers for their support and sense of humor in a now-deleted post, adding, "Where did COVID-19 come from? Nothing is certain, but we know a bat was involved." He found a supporter in Lululemon's Senior Global Art Director Trevor Fleming, who shared a link to the shirt but has since found himself without a job after his company took immediate action against him.
In a statement, the company said the message on the shirt was inappropriate and inexcusable. "We acted immediately, and the person involved is no longer an employee of Lululemon," they said, adding that the "Bat Fried Rice" t-shirt was not a Lululemon product and that they were opposed to "any discriminatory behaviors."
"We want to apologize that an employee was affiliated with promoting an offensive t-shirt,” the brand said in another comment on Tuesday morning. “We hold our values at our core and find the image and post inexcusable.” The company added that the controversial shirt was not its product.
However, the company faced severe backlash on social media, with many branding them "racist" and calling for its boycott.
"Imagine creating racist content and then trying to defend your actions by saying you weren't going to make money off of it," one user wrote. "The designer is Jess Sluder (deadringer) and the Senior Global Art Director of Lululemon, Trevor Fleming, promoted these designs on his ig bio."
"Jess Sluder also BLOCKED a woman for calling him out. So that tells you just how much he is truly sorry," they added.
"Ya that’s right Lululemon. How many more RACIST staff do you have??? You need to apologize publicly for your racist views!!!!" a second tweeted.
Another pointed out that this was not new for the company and that it's owner had a history of racist behavior. "Reminder that founder Chip Wilson once said he named his company Lululemon bc he thinks it's funny Japanese ppl supposedly can't say the letter 'L,'" they wrote.
MEA WorldWide previously reported that there had been an increase in racist attacks against Asian Americans in the country during the pandemic, with many calling the community "diseased."
In one such incident in New York City, which is the epicenter of the outbreak in the US, , a man assaulted an Asian woman wearing a face mask at a Chinatown subway station after calling her a "diseased b***h." In another similar incident later that month, a man on a Los Angeles subway, proclaimed that Chinese people are filthy, saying "every disease has ever came from China."