Journalist and civil rights activist Shaun King, announced his plans to launch a new fashion brand on Wednesday, and offered his millions of Instagram followers the chance to buy exclusive products upon its launch next month.
King announced the brand with a Instagram post saying, “On September 8 I am launching a brand new fashion company I’ve been working on for over a year.”. “Click the LINK IN MY BIO to be notified first when our limited t-shirts and hoodies are available.”
The link takes anyone interest to a Google form that reads, “I am interested in ordering t-shirts and hoodies from Shaun King’s new fashion company – A Real One.” He also has a link to @ARealOne in his bio, which looks to be the brand’s account. There are presently no posts on it, and it just states, “Launching on September 8th.”
How did people react?
People on social media questioned King’s motivation for launching the clothing brand, questioning his authenticity about his past and earnestness about his various ventures. “Y’all Shaun King is playing in y’all face,” journalist Ernest Owens wrote on Twitter alongside a screenshot of King’s announcement.
“NOT A FASHION LINE? Last week, he needed money to move his family out — now he’s asking y’all to give him money to buy his new hoodies…” “It’s almost like he has no spine or care — he really is the Grifter Who Stole Christmas.”
Civil rights activist Shaun King, 41, is the co-founder of the Real Justice PAC and has helped raise over 3.2 million for the Black Lives Matter political action committee. In addition, he writes about civil and human rights for The Intercept. He’s also the host of the podcast The Breakdown with Shaun King and has contributed to a number of publications. He faces accusations on social media and from tabloids of shady transactions and a lack of transparency in his fundraising activities.