Military-inspired clothing is nothing new in fashion—camo prints, army coats and shades of green get revisited season after season—but H&M just took the timeless look too far.
An olive green jumpsuit that's being sold on the Swedish retailer's website for $19.95 in the U.S., is drawing comparisons to the uniforms worn by women Kurdish fighters serving in the Kurdish People's Protection Units who are battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Naturally, social media was all over the issue, with some people expressing their outrage and others finding the look empowering and inspiring (or no big deal).
Since the uproar, H&M released a statement apologizing for the snafu, claiming that any similarities between their jumpsuit and the Kurdish uniforms are coincidental.
"We are truly sorry if we have offended anyone with this piece, this was of course never our intention," said Ida Ståhlnacke, H&M's global press officer. "At H&M we want to offer the latest within fashion and trends and we continuously listen to our customers requests. The last seasons we have seen an increasing demand on jumpsuits and therefore we currently offer a selection of jumpsuits in different colors and materials, such as denim blue and deep red. The jumpsuit in question is made in a light and comfortable material and is a part of a larger collection consisting of many garments in khaki green, which also is one of the trendiest colors this season."
What do you think?
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