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Fashion retailer Shein removes swastika necklace from website

The company was blasted on social media for selling a $2.50 swastika necklace.
/ Source: TODAY

Women's fashion company Shein removed a listing for a swastika pendant necklace on Thursday after screenshots of the offensive piece of jewelry were shared on social media.

The gold pendant had been for sale on the fast-fashion retailer's website for $2.50 until it was removed. The listing advertised the Nazi symbol of hate as a "metal pendant necklace."

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TODAY Style, however in a statement to the New York Post, the company said the necklace wasn't depicting a Nazi symbol, but rather a “Buddhist swastika which has symbolized spirituality and good fortune.”

“For the record, Shein was not selling a Nazi swastika pendant, the necklace is a Buddhist swastika which has symbolized spirituality and good fortune for more than a thousand years," the statement said. "The Nazi swastika has a different design, it is pointed clockwise and tilted at an angle. However, because we understand the two symbols can be confused and one is highly offensive, we have removed the product from our site.”

Shein removed a $2.50 necklace from its store on Thursday.
Shein removed a $2.50 necklace from its store on Thursday.shein

Plenty of people were quick to call out the company and demand the listing be removed.

"Delete this now. This is not ok," wrote one Twitter user.

"As a Jewish American woman, I was appalled to see this symbol of hate being sold as fashion," someone else added.

Shein is known for offering trendy styles at a low price point, but it's not the first time the company has run into trouble for offensive listings.

Earlier this week, the company apologized on its social media channels after people expressed their outrage about the company selling rugs that resembled the mats Muslims use to pray.

"We're sorry!" the company wrote on Instagram. "To our community — we made a serious mistake recently by selling prayer mats as decorative rugs on our site. We understand this is a highly offensive oversight and are truly sorry."

Shein removed the items for sale on its website and said it assembled a product review committee of diverse employees to ensure this doesn't happen again.

"As a global brand, we vow to do a much better job in educating ourselves on different cultures, religions, and traditions to ensure our diverse community is respected and honored," Shein wrote in its apology. "We offer our sincerest apology to all whom we have hurt and offended, and hope we can earn your forgiveness."