Transgender designer Erik Carnell has seen demand for his products jump after Target removed his LGBTQ brand’s items from its website and stores following customer backlash, including threats of violence toward employees.
The items were part of Target’s annual Pride Collection which includes more than 2,000 products across a range of categories such as apparel and home furnishings.
Carnell’s line of products Abprallen was removed from Target’s website and stores as a result of the backlash, while other products in the Pride Collection remain under view, Target said.
Target previously stocked three Abprallen products: a sweater with the phrase “cure transphobia not trans people,” a “too queer for here” tote bag, and a “we belong everywhere” fanny pack, according to news reports.
Shoppers have since flocked to Abprallen on the online marketplace Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY), inundating the London-based designer with new orders.
“Thank you all for the unprecedented number of orders!” Carnell wrote on Abprallen’s Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) storefront.
“Your support during this extremely difficult time means more than I can express. I am putting my shop on holiday mode and not accepting new orders until I catch up on the ones I currently have.”
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