Swimwear brand Cupshe has fired an employee after a talent manager shared an email allegedly showing the brand would not collaborate with Black creators. Niasia Boykin, a talent manager at The Brownstone Collective, posted the email to Threads on June 4 after she pitched the brand on behalf of several creators she represents.
The incident comes as theGrio has reported on brands facing scrutiny over racial discrimination following Lululemon’s founder making comments about not wanting certain customers, and theGrio has also covered the impact of major retailers pulling DEI commitments on Black creators and brand founders. According to People, the email from the brand representative read: “We would not collab with black people this campaign.”
View on Threads
“This is racial discrimination,” Boykin wrote on Threads. “It is illegal. And it happens in influencer marketing more than anyone wants to admit, usually just more quietly than this. Saving my receipts.”
Cupshe confirmed in a statement to People that the employee had been terminated. “The employee responsible was four days into her employment when this occurred, and was immediately terminated,” the statement read. “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.”
Boykin said she and the employee had exchanged several messages and shared campaign briefs before the Cupshe racial discrimination email arrived. Hours after her original post, she shared a follow-up email she received from the brand apologizing and confirming the employee’s dismissal — but the email was left unsigned. “Smh what kind of apology is this with no name attached?” Boykin wrote in response.
Cupshe’s full statement said the company is “conducting a thorough internal review” and is “committed to strengthening our hiring, training, and oversight processes to help ensure this does not happen again.”
