Chinese social media users have threatened to boycott Swiss watchmaker Swatch after an ad showed a model pulling the corner of his eyes.
The image prompted uproar amid accusations it resembled the racist ‘slanted eye’ gesture used to mock Asians.
Swatch has since apologised and taken down the advert online.
The company said in a post on Instagram and Chinese social media channel Weibo that it had ‘taken note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model’.
‘We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused,’ they added.
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The watchmaker’s response has failed to quieten anger in China around the picture.
One Weibo poster, who has more than 1 million followers, accused Swatch of ‘racism against Chinese’.
Another wrote: ‘They make money from us and still dare to discriminate against Chinese people. We would be spineless if we don’t boycott it out of China.’
Swatch, whose brands also include Blancpain, Longines, and Tissot, rakes in around 27% of its revenue from China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
However the company has seen falling sales in China due to the country’s economic slowdown.
The group blamed an 11.2% drop in net sales for the first six months of the year on poor demand in China.
Other luxury brands have also faced accusations of racism from their adverts.
French company Dior sparked outrage after an advert showed a model pulling the corner of her eye.
The picture, posted on Instagram in 2023, was quickly taken down after criticism by Chinese social media users.
Dolce & Gabbana also faced calls for a boycott in 2018 after it posted a video showing a Chinese model clumsily eating Italian food with chopsticks.
The fashion house cancelled its Shanghai show after the backlash.
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