Topten Kids, a South Korean children’s clothing brand, said Thursday it will recall all of its girls’ sweatshirt sets following criticism over sexually suggestive English designs printed on the garments.
The “Cha Yoon Art Fleece Setup,” a pink sweatshirt set, was released in collaboration with a local artist and features an illustration of a rabbit peeking out from a sock alongside the phrase “Come inside me.”
Criticism soon poured in that the sexual connotations of the expression made it inappropriate for children's clothing.
As criticism poured in, the company issued an official apology, saying, “We deeply apologize to our customers for the inappropriate wording printed on some of our recent products.”
“Although the product was created in collaboration with an external artist, we take full responsibility for failing to properly review the wording’s appropriateness."
The company will offer full refunds to customers regardless of when they made their purchases.
The collaborating artist, Lee Cha-yoon, who designed the clothing, also apologized on Instagram the same day, saying "I failed to realize that the phrase could be perceived as inappropriate. I should have exercised greater caution, especially because the product was intended for children."
"I reflected on the influence a creator’s work can have. I will approach future projects with greater care to ensure my messages are always positive," she added.
Topten Kids, the children’s line of Shinsung Tongsang’s SPA brand Topten, is widely recognized among parents for offering affordable yet fashionable clothing.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
