Miniso apologizes for Spanish qipao faux pas
Miniso, a domestic retailer of budget household and consumer goods, apologized on Tuesday for mistaking dolls wearing Chinese qipao for Japanese geishas in a July post on the brand's official Spanish Instagram account (@miniso.spain).
In the apology letter, Miniso officials said they have ordered the Spanish agency operating the company's Instagram account to delete the post and are no longer partnering with the agency.
Miniso's Spanish Instagram account mistakes qipao for a geisha costume in a July post.
In the July 25 post, the launch of a keychain blind-box product featuring Disney princesses wearing qipao, or cheongsam, was announced. However, it mistakens qipao as a geisha costume in the caption.
The product sells for 49 yuan (US$7.25) on Miniso's Tmall store.
In response to doubts raised by Instagram users, the official account refused to confirm or deny the mistake, replying only with emojis.
In response to netizens' doubts, the official account simply replies with emojis.
According to the brand's official website, Miniso, in pursuit of "extreme cost-effectiveness," currently has more than 5,000 stores in 100 countries or regions around the world.
Founded by Chinese entrepreneur Ye Guofu in 2013, Guangzhou-based Miniso listed on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2020 and relisted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's main board on July 13.
Miniso's (NYSE: MNSO) share price shed 6 percent Tuesday, closing at US$6.27, and had fallen more than 7 percent by noon Wednesday at the Hong Kong stock exchange.
