17011: H&M TTFN BFABW WTF.

 

Adweek reported H&M broke up with Buy From A Black Woman—and paid the price in the form of an $83K check to settle outstanding debts. Sounds like a Diary of a Mad Black Woman spinoff.

 

H&M Pays DEI Nonprofit $83K Debt After Abrupt End To Partnership

 

The partnership between the retailer and Buy From a Black Woman ended last week after a breach of contract

 

By Cydney Lee

 

H&M has finally paid non-profit Buy From A Black Woman (BFABW) the $83,000 it owed the organization nearly a month past its due date, ADWEEK has learned.

 

After the partnership between H&M and the nonprofit organization had recently ended due to what BFABW claimed was a breach of contract, founder Nikki Porcher received an overnighted check from the retailer on March 14 for $83,333.33, per a video obtained by ADWEEK. 

 

The money was originally due by Feb. 17, according to Porcher and an email sent to H&M from BFABW’s legal team, for a holiday market event that occurred at the end of last year.

 

H&M confirmed to ADWEEK that “all sums owed to Buy From A Black Woman have been paid in full, and no sums remain outstanding.”

 

“H&M took immediate steps to rectify the situation,” the brand said in a statement.

 

A partnership gone sour

 

BFABW, which provides resources and guidance to Black women entrepreneurs, first partnered with H&M in 2021. Over the years, the two collaborated to produce events and activations in H&M stores nationwide.

 

Porcher said the first two years of the partnership were seamless. But in 2023, it transitioned from the sustainability team to the brand’s inclusivity and diversity team, and Porcher said she was left out of meetings and decisions about the partnership.

 

The big turning point, Porcher said, happened when an International Women’s Day (IWD) event scheduled for March 2 was canceled. She was under the impression that the IWD event would be replaced by a new denim fashion activation later that month, according to an email thread seen by ADWEEK.

 

Porcher argued in the email thread that the IWD event had been a key part of BFABW’s partnership with H&M, and was outlined in the contract. 

 

H&M said in a statement: “H&M presented this event as an opportunity to further promote and amplify the partnership and we deny that this was a requirement, change of plans, or a breach of contract in any way.”

 

H&M said that BFABW stopped communicating with H&M, “including requests for an open dialogue to ensure we were supporting the organization in a way that continued to support their vision.”

 

Porcher sought legal counsel after learning about the change in plans around the IWD event, and found that H&M the retailer owed $83,000 by Feb. 17. 

 

Porcher declined to sign a termination agreement drawn up by H&M, where she claims the brand offered her $100,000 to “quietly walk away” while continuing to use the BFABW name and programs.

 

The agreement, obtained by ADWEEK, states that Porcher would be prohibited from defaming H&M publicly and that the brand can only use BFABW’s name and logo in its 2024 Inclusion and Diversity Report.

 

H&M and BFABW both agreed to end the partnership on March 12.