Cupshe Fires Employee After Viral Email Banning Black People
Swimwear Brand Cupshe Fires Employee After Email Banning Black People For A Campaign Goes Viral
Niasia Boykin, founder and lead talent manager of The Brownstone Collective, an influencer management company, has come forward with serious allegations against swimwear brand Cupshe. On June 4, Boykin shared a screenshot on Threads of an email she allegedly received from a brand representative. In the message, the representative claimed that the brand wouldn’t be working with Black people for an upcoming campaign.
“We would not collab with black people this campaign,” the email allegedly read.
Niasia Boykin called the Cupshe rep’s response an act of “racial discrimination.”
Niasia Boykin said she was stunned that the response came from a company email address and described it as a blatant example of “racial discrimination” that should not be tolerated within the influencer marketing industry.
“I run a talent agency. I pitched them on behalf of my creators. This was their response,” she wrote in the caption. “This is racial discrimination. It is illegal. And it happens in influencer marketing more than anyone wants to admit, usually just more quietly than this. Saving my receipts.”
In a follow-up post, Boykin explained that she had been communicating with the brand representative through several messages to determine whether one of her clients would be a good fit for the campaign.
“Briefs were shared, and when I recommended talent, that last email came through,” she said.
As the post gained traction, some users questioned whether the email was authentic. Boykin responded by insisting that the message was genuine.
“For anyone who wants to know if it’s fake, I understand. I had to re-read three times to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me,” she penned.
The company has since apologized and terminated the employee responsible for the email.
The following day, June 5, Boykin posted another update on Threads, sharing what appeared to be an apology email from Cupshe. In the message, a company representative allegedly expressed shock over the incident and stated that the employee responsible had been terminated.
“We are shocked and devastated to see this email,” the spokesperson allegedly wrote. “The message you received is not reflective of Cupshe, our values, or the way we partner with our creators. We cherish our relationships with our creators and we sincerely apologize for the experience and any harm or frustration it may have caused. As a result, the employee responsible is no longer with the company.”
The email further stated that the company had “taken immediate action” internally and was reviewing “processes” to make sure company standards were being “upheld moving forward.” According to the screenshot Boykin shared, the apology was sent from a shared company email address and was not signed by an individual representative.
Boykin criticized the response, writing:
“I made sure to leave the email address visible this time, of course since they apologized anonymously from a shared email. 🤬 Smh what kind of apology is this with no name attached?”
She also added:
“And for the record, I did not email a soul from their team (not even Sophie). I let Threads and LinkedIn do the talking!”
Cupshe has since released a statement to PEOPLE. They said they were “disturbed” by the email and explained that the employee responsible for the shocking message was “four days into her employment” when the incident occurred. The brand also confirmed that the individual had been terminated “immediately.”
The statement added, ”The comments made do not in any way reflect Cupshe’s practices, or the way we engage with creators and partners both internally and externally. We deeply regret the harm and disappointment this incident has caused. As a company works with a diverse cohort of creators, we are disheartened by this incident and how it has misrepresented us. We are conducting a thorough internal review and are committed to strengthening our hiring, training, and oversight processes to help ensure this does not happen again, and that every Cupshe team member aligns with our core values and priorities.”
DON’T MISS:
Saweetie Calls Out An X Troll For Making Colorist Remarks At Her Expense
