#trending: Local fashion brand Beyond The Vines apologises for 'insensitive' comments on Israel-Hamas war
Left: An Instagram Story showing screenshots of comments received by retailer Beyond The Vines, posted by co-founder Daniel Chew on Nov 9, 2023. Right: Mr Chew's wife and co-founder Rebecca Ting addressing the brand's stance on the Israel-Hamas war in a product launch livestream on Nov 10, 2023.
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- Singapore fashion brand Beyond The Vines released a public apology on its Instagram page on Nov 16
- This came after it faced online backlash following a series of actions on social media that were centred on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war
- Instagram users claimed that co-founder Daniel Chew supported Israel after noticing that he followed a pro-Israel Christian account called Firm (Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries)
- Instagram Stories posted by Mr Chew and a livestream by his wife and fellow co-founder Rebecca Ting were criticised as being "tone-deaf" and "insensitive"
BY RUTH YEO
Published November 16, 2023
Updated November 16, 2023
SINGAPORE — Singapore fashion brand Beyond The Vines (BTV) has apologised after fierce backlash from social media users, following a series of actions on social media that were centred on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The statement, posted just before 10am on Thursday (Nov 16) on BTV's Instagram page, reads: "We would like to respond to recent clarifications about our stance on the ongoing tragedy unfolding in Gaza... We both acknowledge that our words and manner were insensitive and inappropriate.
"We do not condone the killings of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Our hearts weigh heavy and our thoughts and prayers are with them.
"As founders of the brand, we take full responsibility for our insensitivity and mishandling of this matter... We aspire to be a business that our community is proud of and hope to be given the opportunity to learn and get this right in the future."
The post is co-signed by husband-wife founder duo Daniel Chew and Rebecca Ting, who established BTV — well-known among Singaporean women for their Dumpling Bag series — in 2015.
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The controversy first started when netizens claimed that Mr Chew was following a pro-Israel Christian account called Firm, or Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries, on Instagram.
According to TikTok user "psstpsstea", he was also "caught liking pro-Israel posts from @firmisrael and @nccsg (New Creation Church Singapore) encouraging followers to 'pray for Israel' amidst the genocide".
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