Parents Of Little Boy Who Modeled 'Racist' H&M Hoodie Speak Out

The parents of the little boy in the middle of the H&M 'racist' hoodie storm have spoken out to say they did not expect such a huge backlash.

Credit: ITV/This Morning

In an interview with This Morning, Liam Mango's mum Terry and Frank, from Sweden, said the shoot was no different from any of the other shoots their five-year-old son has taken part in.

In case you missed it, H&M found themselves in the centre of a shitstorm last week after advertising the hoodie on its site, with many calling it 'racist' . The image showed little Liam modelling the hoodie, which had the words 'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle' written across the front.

After the image popped up online, Twitter went into meltdown with people calling it 'irresponsible' and 'disgusting', while celebrities including P Diddy and The Weeknd also spoke out to blast the Swedish fashion chain. Off-line, a H&M store in South Africa was trashed, with protestors smashing the windows and tearing the store apart.

Speaking earlier today, dad Frank said they hadn't seen the hoodie beforehand, adding: "You don't think to spot something like that. Until the controversy came out we didn't know there was such a hoodie."

Phil then asked Terry if she had seen the slogan prior to the shoot would it have 'rung alarm bells', to which she replied: "Not for me. I would not have seen such a controversy..."

Following the backlash, mum Terry initially wrote on social media: "Am the mum and this is one of hundreds of outfits my son has modelled.

"Stop crying wolf all the time. Unnecessary issue here... get over it."

However, speaking to ITV today, when asked if she believed that people had overreacted, she said: "It is not an overreaction when it comes to racism, everyone should react differently based on their opinions of racism," she said. "Everybody should respect other people's opinions on racism."

Adorable little Liam didn't look particularly perturbed after his photo went viral. His parents told Holly and Phil that he had no idea about the backlash, and believed he was a 'superstar'.

When asked what he enjoyed about modelling, he said: "Because I'm nice and a model." Correct on both counts, kid.

Featured Image Credit: ITV/This Morning

Topics: This Morning, Racism, UK News, ITV

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19