Topshop has apologised after an in-store Penguin Books display promoting a book about feminism was taken down within minutes of being set up.
The high street retailer said the removal does not reflect their view on feminism, adding it would donate £25,000 to Girl Up, a UN charity which the display was supporting.
A statement on Twitter from the fashion brand read: “Yesterday we made the decision from a production and creative standpoint to retract the Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and Other Lies) pop-up from one of our stores.
“We are sorry - this in no way reflects our stance on feminism and we will be making a donation of £25,000 to Girl Up. We continue to fully support the sentiment of the book, Scarlett Curtis, feminism and equality.”
The apology follows a series of tweets by publisher Penguin Books UK which said “there was still some work to do” after they discovered the stand was removed.
The publisher said it had agreed to set up the pop-up inside the flagship store in central London.
The tweets from Penguin read: “Today sees the release of #FeministsDontWearPink (And Other Lies), a collection of writing from a group of amazing women on what feminism means to them. To celebrate this timely book, we had agreed to host a pop-up with Topshop, with products supporting the UN charity Girl Up.
“For anyone hoping to visit the pop-up, after a huge amount of work on this ground-breaking partnership we assembled our stand this morning and were raring to go – however, just twenty minutes later it had been dismantled by Topshop.
“We’re working on finding another place to host our pop-up and the amazing products that support Girl Up. In the meantime, thank you for your support. This book aims to prove that the word ‘feminist’ is accessible to everyone. Today’s events suggest there is still some work to do.”
The book, released this week, is a collection of 52 essays curated by journalist and blogger Scarlett Curtis.
The move was met with backlash on Twitter, with user Grace Campbell writing: “Im so sick of brands profiting from feminism when it’s convenient for them to make money but not when it’s making real change”.
Comedian Deborah Frances-White called the dismantling “disgusting and outrageous”.