H&M pulls kids' socks because pattern resembles Arabic word for Allah

Another week, another PR disaster for H&M.

The clothing giant has had to pull a design of children's socks from it stores after shoppers pointed out that the pattern resembled the Arabic word for Allah.

The blue socks were adorned with Lego characters holding jackhammers but the resemblance to the Arabic word was too much for some customers.

The company recalled the socks and apologised for the confusion. Any resemblance was a coincidence, it said.

"At H&M we always aim to offer products that we believe our customers will appreciate," a spokesperson for the retailer told Sweden radio SVT. "The print on this sock represents a Lego figurine, any other meaning is coincidental and we apologise if this motif has offended anyone."

The recall and apology came just two weeks after the brand was accused of racism when another item in its kids' collection came to public attention.

An ad featuring a black boy wearing a green jumper reading "the coolest monkey in the jungle" angered many, including NBA star Lebron James and rapper P Diddy. It resulted in some H&M stores being smashed up across France as protests escalated.

Critics said the brand used the primate imagery to convey casual racism. Some Twitter users accused H&M of deliberately casting a black model to wear the monkey hoodie.

H&M apologised profusely and deleted the picture from all of its platforms.