Fashion chain Topshop has attracted criticism on social media websites after a spelling mistake was spotted on a t-shirt design. The t-shirt, which bore the Shakespearean quote, “Romeo Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo?”, had the playwright’s name incorrectly printed as “Shakespere” below the quote, instantly attracting less than desirable Twitter comments from shoppers.
The t-shirt, produced by designers Tee and Cake, appears to have escaped the notice of proof-readers, going on sale in stores and on the Topshop website where the mistake was picked up on by customers. Although several spellings of Shakespeare’s name were in use during his lifetime, it appears unlikely that the design was anything other than an unfortunate typo.
Spelling mistakes have become popular topics for discussion and ridicule on social media sites like Twitter, and many high-profile companies have fallen foul of eagle-eyed readers who delight in raising awareness of slips that should have been spotted at the proof-reading stage. It’s not uncommon for an error to be discussed on Twitter, picking up momentum and eventually being exposed in the mainstream press.
Website owners are increasingly choosing to outsource content to companies specialising in producing written materials to help avoid this kind of negative publicity. It has often been claimed that any publicity is good for business, but with the Topshop gaffe being labelled a “fashion fail” across social media sites and blogs, undermining the company’s image, it’s likely that the chain would have preferred to avoid this particular source of attention.
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