Cupshe Employee Axed For Emailing That The Swimwear Brand Would ‘Not Collab With Black People’

A Black talent manager is speaking out after she says she received a racist email from a former employee at the swimwear brand

Cupshe, an online swimwear brand for women of all sizes, is facing backlash after a talent manager shared an email allegedly sent by a company representative stating that the brand would “not collab with Black people this campaign.”

Niasia Boykin, the founder of influencer management agency The Brownstone Collective, shared a screenshot of an email she received from a former Cupshe representative regarding a potential creator partnership. According to the screenshots, Boykin had pitched creators for an upcoming campaign before receiving a response explicitly stating that the company would not collaborate with Black people on that initiative.

“Cupshe told me they ‘would not collab with Black people this campaign,'” Boykin wrote in a social media post June 4 that has since received nearly 12,000 likes and 2,000 comments. “I run a talent agency. I pitched them on behalf of my creators. This was their response,” she continued. “This is racial discrimination. It is illegal. And it happens in influencer marketing more than anyone wants to admit, usually just more quietly than this.”

In a separate post later that day, Boykin shared a screenshot of an email from another Cupshe representative apologizing for the initial message.

“Hi Niasia, Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are shocked and devastated to see this email. The message you received is not reflective of Cupshe, our values, or the way we partner with our creators. We cherish our relationships with our creators and we sincerely apologize for the experience and any harm or frustration it may have caused,” the email states.

It continued, “As a result, the employee responsible is no longer with the company. We have taken immediate action internally and are reviewing our processes to ensure our standards are upheld moving forward. Again, we appreciate you bringing this to our attention. If you’d like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Boykin, however, criticized the company’s alleged response, noting that a follow-up apology email she received was unsigned. “Smh what kind of apology is this with no name attached?” she wrote, according to People.

The incident has sparked strong reactions from social media users calling for accountability and greater transparency from brands regarding how they select creators for marketing campaigns. Following the backlash, the fashion retailer confirmed to People that it was “aware of the situation” and had terminated the employee responsible for sending the email. Cupshe also emphasized that the comments did not reflect the company’s values or the way it works with creators and partners.

“Our team was disturbed to learn that these interactions took place. The employee responsible was four days into her employment when this occurred, and was immediately terminated. The comments made do not in any way reflect Cupshe’s practices, or the way we engage with creators and partners both internally and externally. We deeply regret the harm and disappointment this incident has caused,” reads the statement.

“As a company works with a diverse cohort of creators, we are disheartened by this incident and how it has misrepresented us,” the representative continues. “We are conducting a thorough internal review and are committed to strengthening our hiring, training, and oversight processes to help ensure this does not happen again, and that every Cupshe team member aligns with our core values and priorities.”