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A popular retailer was left apologizing and recalling merchandise after one short-lived seasonal scent was dubbed the “Klandle.”

The most wonderful time of the year got off to a rocky start for Bath & Body Works after customer complaints called out a concerning likeness in the design of their “Snowed In” candle. While readily identifiable as a stylized snowflake, many couldn’t get past similarities to the Ku Klux Klan.

“At Bath & Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers, and committed to fixing any mistakes we make–even those that are unintentional like this one,” a spokesperson for the retailer told Fox Business.

Reminiscent of a paper cutout with a repeating pattern, the “unintentional” design was readily compared to the hood of a KKK member with its pointed end and two symmetrical holes for the wearer to look through.

“We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward,” continued the statement.

While the product was removed from the online website and recalled from any of the 1,850 locations across North America where it might have been shipped, a prior report on the planning for the holiday season suggested the design had cleared a number of hurdles in a lengthy process to reach the eyes of consumers.

Bank of America Securities analyst Lorraine Hutchinson told CNN in 2023, “The holiday period makes up 38% to 40% of annual sales for Bath & Body Works, so it is a very big quarter for them also because their products are highly giftable.”

“We actually never stop thinking about the holidays. We have customers who come to us for our heritage scents that have become part of their family traditions, like ‘Fresh Balsam,’ ‘Tis the Season’ or ‘Vanilla Bean Noel,’” Bath & Body Works President of Retail Julie Rosen explained to the outlet in an interview. “Just to give you a gauge, we launched 65 new fragrances this holiday. It’s usually the period when we launch the most fragrances. So you’ve got to start the process a year out.”

A number of users online who could see the design for what it was intended to be took umbrage with any backlash to the company as one individual reacted to the “reminder of how sensitive cultural symbols can be” by arguing, “It’s clearly a paper snowflake similar to what children make. What this is a reminder of is how utterly ridiculous hyper-offended people can be and how they see ‘racism’ in absolutely everything. I miss the days when fools like that were laughed at and ignored.”

To that point, the number of complaints about the suggested symbolism of the design prompted one person to comment, “Snowflakes strike again.”

Kevin Haggerty
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