The clothing giant has recalled a children's stockings model with Lego motifs, after a customer complained that the pattern may be read as "Allah" in Arabic, possibly insulting Muslims, the Swedish economic daily Dagens Industri reported.
The seemingly innocent socks show a Lego figure drilling in the ground. Turned upside down, however, the residue around the jackhammer could be "read" as "Allah," a customer pointed out in a Facebook video.
Following the criticism, H&M chose to withdraw the controversial model not to denigrate Muslims' feelings.
"The print on the sock represents a Lego figure, and it's merely a coincidence that it may be interpreted as a sign for something else. However, because customers have responded, we have chosen to remove the socks altogether, H&M press officer Petra Buchinger told Dagens Industri.
Only weeks have passed since a similar scandal engulfed the Swedish clothing giant after letting a black boy model pose in a sweater reading "coolest monkey in the jungle." This fashion faux pas led to a public outcry, with a torrent of accusations of racism streaming in from across the globe, culminating in riots in South Africa.
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On Swedish social media, the company was mocked for being overcautious.
"H&M… Probably the world's most gutless company. A SINGLE ‘tinfoil hat' thought a sock held upside down looked like the Arabic spelling of Allah,' user Ludwig Sundberg tweeted.
"Everything looks like Arabic symbols, some strokes and a little dashes," user Carina Råhlin wrote.
Another user wondered whether Muslims were going to define what socks people should wear, introducing the concept of "halal-socks."
This is far from the first time the Swedish fashion house has got itself in trouble.
In 2012, the Swedish Cancer Foundation slammed H&M's bikini advertisement, citing models that were "extremely sunburnt." Critics argued that such ads unwittingly contributed to more people dying of skin cancer.
In 2013, H&M landed in hot water for "propagating anorexia," as critics around the globe argued its models were severely malnourished.
In 2014, customers were upset by a tank top with a skull and a star resembling that of the Jewish Star of David, accusing the company of both anti-Semitism and Satanism.
In 2017 an H&M striped pajamas-like outfit drew suggestive parallels with the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz.