Hudson's Bay to pull 'Nothing Tastes As Good As Skinny Feels' shirt

TORONTO - The Hudson's Bay Co. is pulling a T-shirt from its stores after a backlash unfolded on social media tied to an eyebrow-raising message on the garment.

The T-shirt bears an infamous quote by British supermodel Kate Moss that says, "Nothing Tastes As Good As Skinny Feels."

The quote is shown inside a mockup of a nutrition label with the calorie count listed as zero.

After igniting some criticism online, Hudson's Bay (TSX:HBC) tweeted from its official account that the T-shirt was being removed from stores and online immediately.

The retailer confirmed the move to pull the garment in an official statement to The Canadian Press on Tuesday.

"We always take into consideration what our customers want and need in our offerings and constantly evaluate the products we provide," a portion of the statement read.

"We truly value our relationship with our customers and take their concerns seriously and we recognize that many took offence to the item. In this particular instance, while we respect the designer's art, due to the overwhelming response and the sensitivity of the matter, we made the decision to promptly remove the T-shirts from our stores and from thebay.com."

The Canadian-born designer of the T-shirt issued his own statement on Tuesday in wake of the controversy.

Christopher Lee Sauve said allegations that the shirt is celebrating the severity of eating disorders "is just not the case."

Sauve said that as an artist, he got his start mocking the fashion industry. While he said it's an industry he's long followed and admired, it's also one that "begs to be mocked."

"Fashion is created to be either celebrated, adored, or hated and deplored. Quite like the industry itself," the New York-based Sauve said. "The particular T-shirt in question showcases an infamous quote by supermodel Kate Moss as a nutrition label. Like all of my designs, it's a glorified warning, an ode to the farcicality of the fashion industry and the obsessives that surround it.

"Most if not all of my designs showcase some type of statement pointing out the absurdity of fashion, and this one item is no exception," he added. "I fully understand and comprehend the severity of an eating disorder and I do not condone celebrating such pain. My sincerest apologies to anyone that I have offended with my designs. I believe wholeheartedly in my work, however, and I can't apologize for that."