Urban Outfitters controversy

By Lauren Matheny, Web Editor

Urban Outfitters has once again found itself in the center of a media firestorm, this time for the marketing of a shirt that is being branded “tasteless,” “lacking in judgement,” and “ultimately disrespectful.”

The shirt is marketed on the Urban Outfitters website as a “Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt,” and bears the logo of the Ohio university. The sweatshirt is red, and bears paint splatter that resembles blood spatter

Some claim that the shirt is a tasteless reference to the Kent State Massacre, which occurred on May 4, 1970. The National Guard opened fire on unarmed college students who were protesting the Vietnam War, killing four and wounding nine.

The sweatshirt sold for $129 on the Urban Outfitters website, but is currently listed as “sold out.”

After major public outcry, Urban Outfitters issued a statement on their Twitter, where they said that “It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and we are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such.”

The company went on to explain the shirt, saying, “there is no blood on this shirt nor has this item been altered in any way. The red stains are discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray. Again, we deeply regret that this item was perceived negatively and we have removed it immediately from our website to avoid further upset.”

Kent State released a response to the sweatshirt on their website, stating that “May 4, 1970, was a watershed moment for the country and especially the Kent State family. We lost four students that day while nine others were wounded and countless others were changed forever.We take great offense to a company using our pain for the publicity and profit.”

This is not the first Urban Outfitters product to raise public ire in recent months. In July, actress Sophia Bush made her displeasure with the company public, responding to a shirt sold on the website which said “Eat Less.”

In an open letter to the company, Bush said that the shirt was “pro-anorexia,” and that she would no longer support the store.

“You should issue a public apology, and make a hefty donation to a women’s organization that supports those stricken with eating disorders. I am sickened that anyone, on any board, in your gigantic company would have voted ‘yes’ on such a thing,” Bush said later in the letter.

Urban Outfitters has often described its target customers as “rebellious.” In a 2012 report to Analyst Day, Sue Otto, an executive director at Urban Outfitters, described their customers as coming “from traditional homes and advantage, but this offers them the the benefit of rebellion.”

Later in the interview, Otto stated, “Although they deem themselves worldly, they believe the way they see things personally is the correct way and everyone else feels exactly the same way.”

Otto later apologized for these comments and stated the were taken out of context.

Forbes stated in July 2014 that Urban Outfitters was one of the top American retailers, along with Forever 21, Modcloth, and Anthropologie.