In this picture taken on July 15, 2015, people gather in front of a Uniqlo clothes store in Beijing. Chinese Communist authorities have said the distribution of a sex tape purportedly shot in a fitting room in one of Beijing’s trendiest shopping malls is “against socialist core values”, after the footage went viral. AFP
BEIJING—Sex may sell, but clothing retailer Uniqlo is finding the adage a bit uncomfortable after a Beijing store was said to be the setting of a steamy online video.
Online searches for the Japanese clothing brand soared this week after the viral spread of the video apparently showing a young couple having sex in the fitting room of the Chinese capital’s flagship store.
But the video also caught the attention of police and China’s highest web regulator who are investigating whether it was a vulgar marketing gimmick.
Uniqlo has denied any involvement in the video.
The Cyberspace Administration of China on Wednesday also chastised the country’s two main Internet companies for allowing the video to go viral, and by Thursday it was difficult to find online.