Australian activewear brand Suave, designed and founded by husband and wife Connor and Chloe Wright, has found itself at the center of a self-inflicted controversy that has left their small business teetering on the edge of collapse.
The brand, which markets itself around comfort, quality, and what the couple describe as “no cringe fits,” has ironically become the subject of widespread ridicule after Chloe filmed a man in a gym without his consent and posted it mockingly to her personal Instagram story.
The incident occurred while Chloe was out to dinner with her family. From the restaurant, she could see into a gym where a man was using a rowing machine with allegedly an incorrecr technique.
Rather than minding her own business, she filmed the man and captioned the clip with something along the lines of sarcastically suggesting she had been doing the rowing machine wrong, tagging someone else in it. The post spread quickly, landing on viral content pages and drawing immediate backlash.
What made the situation worse was the timing. Just weeks prior, Connor had posted a video pleading for help with the struggling brand, saying: “My active wear business is currently failing and I have no idea what to do anymore. I’ve been embarrassed to make this video for the longest time. We’ve been this close to quitting because this is hard, man.” He received an outpouring of support, advice, and even purchases from people rallying behind the brand.
When the gym video went viral, Connor rushed out a response video before Chloe had said a word. In it, he was careful to note: “I own the business. She helps out while I’m away working.”
The problem with that framing is that the Suave website itself clearly states: “Hi, I’m Connor. Hi, I’m Chloe. We own Suave Active Wear together.” The attempt to distance Chloe from the business at the most convenient moment did not go unnoticed.
Chloe’s apology, when it eventually came, was widely panned. She said: “I took a video of someone in the gym just doing their thing, and it was thoughtless and it never should have happened. I’m sorry to everyone that I offended and to the Suave community.”
The delivery was flat, clocking in at around 15 to 20 seconds and reportedly cut across five separate edits, which commenters noted felt deeply disingenuous. One person wrote that it reminded them of “a 12-year-old when forced to apologize for being a brat.”
Adding to the situation, Chloe had previously posted a video lecturing her followers about leaving rude comments online, saying: “If you’re going to go to the embarrassment of opening up TikTok, going on someone’s video, typing it out, put some thought into it.”
The contrast between that video and her own behavior in the gym post was not lost on anyone watching.
For a brand that is supposed to champion health, well-being, and community, publicly mocking someone simply trying to better themselves is about as damaging as it gets.
