Clothing and accessories brand Kenneth Cole posted the tweet above just this morning and the backlash has already begun across the Internet, including the hashtag #KennethColetweets, which is getting some clever contributions at the brand’s expense and a fake @KennethColePR account. Oh man.

This follow up tweet was posted an hour ago:

Perhaps Kenneth Cole would like to refer to the crisis comms basics posted here.

Update: Kenneth Cole has issued an apology on his Facebook page.

On the company’s page, he writes:

I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.

Kenneth Cole, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer

Response on the Facebook page (and continued nonstop tweets), however, show it will take more than an apology to reverse this PR catastrophe. A popular tweet from @Nerdlocker as well as tweets and retweets from others note that we’re watching a brand reputation get destroyed in real-time. Unbelievable.