What started out as a good ol’ quickie in a fitting room has now turned into an accidental marketing campaign Uniqlo could only dream of. Since the video of a couple having sex in one of its stores went viral last week, shoppers from across China have been visiting the shop, taking selfies outside and even buying T-shirts with screen grabs of the couple thrusting against a mirror.
The couple in the vid, Tianxu and Yutian, explained they were going to be separated for a while and wanted a way to stay close. So their idea for staying connected… shagging in the fitting room and filming it mirror-selfie style. But unfortunately their plan went tits-up when the one-min-long clip was leaked onto WeChat AKA China’s version of Facebook last Tuesday night. Within 24 hours it had surfaced onto Weibo, a blogging platform, and a sex legend was born (kinda).
Once the vid had become the third most popular post on the site the students from Beijing Union University, admitted they were the shaggers in the clip and deleted their social media accounts promptly afterwards. But before deleting, Tianxu commented, ‘I don't know whether it was the virus on my phone or my laptop. The video was recorded because my girlfriend and I had to spend some time apart. I hope everyone can give us some private space, let this go and don’t pressurise my girlfriend and I.’
Since last Wednesday the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), otherwise known as China’s web regulator condemned WeChat and Weibo, the country’s two biggest social media sites, for allowing explicit content to be circulated. Following the video being viewed a gazillion times, the Beijing police have now intervened, taking down majority of the clip’s copies and launching an investigation into what exactly happened. So far five people have been arrested. The couple in question are still under investigation.
This follows rumours that Uniqlo filmed and released the video online as part of a marketing stunt. But as the clip has breached and violated the core social values of CAC, (if found guilty) Uniqlo could face a fine between 200,000 and 1 million yuan (£21,000 and £103,000) and lose its licence to trade in China. Ouch! So to keep the rumours at bay the brand released a statement denying all involvement. A spokesperson for the Japanese company stated, ‘As a responsible international brand, Uniqlo is dedicated to providing consumers with safe, comfortable and quality shopping experiences and locations. We would like to remind all customers to abide by society’s moral standard and properly and appropriately use our fitting rooms.’
They may be protesting too much – fans (fans? Is that the right word?) have been spotted taking selfies outside the store, which has quickly gained cult status. Basically, the whole thing has spiraled out of all control…
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.