This French Clothing Company Called Its Collection "Last N****s In Paris"

"I am friends with Kanye," explained A.P.C.'s founder Jean Touitou. UPDATE: A.P.C. says they did not intend to "cause offense."

French clothing company A.P.C. recently showed its latest collection during Paris Fashion Week.

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A.P.C. is known for its selvage denim and recent collaboration with Kanye West.

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Here's West with A.P.C. founder Jean Touitou. Touitou was apparently heavily influenced by his time with West, because he named part of A.P.C.'s latest collection "Last N****s in Paris."

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During one point in the presentation, Touitou held up a sign with the name, and said, "I call this one look 'Last N****as in Paris.' Why? Because it's the sweet spot when the hood — the 'hood — meets Bertolucci's movie Last Tango in Paris."

These are the looks Touitou dubbed "Last N****s in Paris."

Courtesy APC

Courtesy APC

He also invoked "the ghetto."

Courtesy APC

Courtesy APC

"The Timberland here is a very strong ghetto signifier. In the ghetto, it is all the Timberlands, all the big chain. Not at the same time — never; it's bad taste. So we designed Timberlands with Timberland…"

Reached after the presentation by Style.com, Touitou said that Kanye West was totally cool with the name.

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"I made looks which are a crossover of those two references: The Timberland shoes and the sweat pants are iconic of hip-hop, and the camel hair color coat, worn with nothing under it, is iconic of that precise movie," he said.

"I am friends with Kanye. ... As a matter of fact, when I came up with this idea, I wrote to him, with the picture of the look and the name I was giving to it, and he wrote back immediately saying something like, 'I love this vibe.'"

As you might imagine, many aren't buying Touitou's "friends with Kanye" excuse.

john r stanton @dcbigjohn

"i'm friends with kanye" is the greatest "i'm not racist, i have black friends" ever, tbh http://t.co/MV8CeOifuz

03:11 PM - 27 Jan 2015

Ikiré Jones @IkireJones

Kanye is about to have your favorite jean designer lumped up if he ever sets foot in the States: http://t.co/jEvLAD79k0

07:24 PM - 26 Jan 2015

johnnan @johnnan11

A.P.C.'s Jean Touitou Loves the Word N***a So Much, He Said It a Jillion Times During His Men's ... http://t.co/Vb16UteB3n

12:22 AM - 27 Jan 2015

Emails sent to both A.P.C. and Kanye West for comment were not immediately returned.

Jan. 27, 2015, at 18:18 PM

A representative from A.P.C.'s press department told BuzzFeed Life, "During the A.P.C. presentation in Paris Jean Touitou made a reference to two moments in recent popular culture. One being the song "Niggas in Paris" by Kanye West and Jay Z and the second being the Bernardo Bertolucci film "Last Tango in Paris." The connection was used to describe a look for the collection and was in no way intended to cause offense."

Feb. 03, 2015, at 14:16 PM

Timberland has decided to end its collaboration with A.P.C. The company released the following statement on January 28:

"Yesterday we became aware of the offensive remarks made by Jean Touitou during his A.P.C. Fall Menswear show in Paris. We have chosen to immediately terminate our involvement with the A.P.C. brand, including the footwear collaboration we had planned for this fall.

Simply stated, this kind of language and approach is in complete contrast with our values. Timberland seeks to collaborate with designers and brands who are at the forefront of lifestyle trends; equally important, they must also share our values. We will not tolerate offensive language or racial slurs of any kind being associated with the Timberland brand."