Timberland cancels its A.P.C. shoe collection after unwary Frenchman uses the word n*****r

He was too clever for his own good. A.P.C. is a French ready-to-wear brand, founded in 1987 by the Tunisian-Jewish born designer Jean Touitou. Timberland LLC is an American manufacturer and retailer of outdoors wear with a focus on footwear. Timberland says that it is a proponent of corporate social responsibility so they are super righteous.

Timberland has terminated its relationship with A.P.C. after founder Jean Touitou used 'offensive remarks' to introduce the brand's fall 2015 menswear show in Paris this week.

While holding up a sign that read, 'Last Ni##@$ IN PARIS,' Mr Touitou explained that A.P.C's collaboration with Timberland is 'a very strong ghetto signifier.'

Yesterday Timberland chose to 'immediately terminate' its involvement A.P.C., including the footwear collaboration it had planned for this fall.

According to A.P.C., Mr Touitou didn't mean to offend.  In a statement sent to BuzzFeed, the brand stated: 'During the A.P.C. presentation in Paris Jean Touitou made a reference to two moments in recent popular culture.

'One being the song Niggas in Paris by Kanye West and Jay Z and the second being the Bernardo Bertolucci film Last Tango in Paris. The connection was used to describe a look for the collection and was in no way intended to cause offense.'

Later, Style.com asked Mr Touitou to clarify what he meant.

He explained via Email: 'I made looks which are a cross-over of those two references: the Timberland shoes and the sweat pants are iconic of hip-hop, and the camel hair color coat, worn with nothing under it, is iconic of that precise movie.

'I am friends with Kanye [West, who recorded Ni**as in Paris with Jay Z], and he and I presented a joint collection at the same place, one year ago, and that this thing is only a homage to our friendship.'

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