H&M said to be considering SA as potential clothing supplier
H&M is looking at SA as a potential supplier, with executives from the world’s second-largest clothing retailer visiting some of the country’s main cities this week. The government helped to broker the H&M visit as part of efforts to boost the textile sector, which has been hit hard by Chinese clothing imports that led to factory closures and thousands of job losses. H&M faced protests in SA in January over an advert that featured a black child wearing a sweatshirt with the slogan "coolest monkey in the jungle". H&M apologised for the advert and removed it from its marketing. "Following their apology … we have proposed that they atone very practically by sourcing goods from SA," Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said in a speech on May 10. H&M spokeswoman in SA Amelia-May Woudstra said company executives would visit Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, but that the assessment, which would consider partnerships with local suppliers, was still in its early stages. "We have st...
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