Designer Kenneth Cole offended many when he used the situation in Egypt to promote his new spring collection.
Kenneth Cole may have thought he was being funny when he tweeted the following message yesterday:
“Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo”
This tweet resulted in a backlash against Cole, with one blogger saying “it further stereotypes about idiotic, self-centered, consumerist Americas” and telling Cole to “file the social media intern.”
Not only did Twitter followers re-tweet his message in disgust, they promoted the message with the hashtag #boycottKennethCole. Someone even created a fake Kenneth Cole account, @KennethColePR (similar to @BPGlobalPR), with the profile description:
“Kenneth Cole is all about making sure you look good…no matter what’s happening” and posting inappropriate tweets such as:
Jeffrey Dahmer would have eaten up our spring collection!
Hey, Zsa Zsa – you can still wear one new KC pump!
Did a Jihadist blow up ur luggage while u were traveling in India? Head over to my store and Mumbai a whole new wardrobe!
In an attempt to save face, Cole quickly took to Facebook to issue an apology, saying:
“I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate. Kenneth Cole, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer.”
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