This week, Urban Outfitters was forced to pull a jacket that was plagiarized from rapper Yung Lean’s fashion label, Sad Boys Entertainment. “We were made aware that a jacket belonging to Sad Boys was being sold on our website and immediately pulled the product,” the clothing store reported to Buzzfeed News. Sad Boys Entertainment spoke out against Urban Outfitters on their Facebook page, saying, “the discussion of big corporations feeding off small independent creators and their work is too vast and depressing to conduct here, so let’s settle with this - yoshi city belongs to us and our true fans.”
Stealing the intellectual property of an independent artist is a major offense, and it is actually not the first time they've plagiarized: the store has infamously stolen designs from small Etsy stores. If you want to talk about all the times that Urban Outfitters has done something shady, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the hipster clothing store has managed to offend a wide range of groups with their products and actions over the years. Here are some of the worst things that Urban Outfitters has ever done.
1. Their t-shirt that encouraged anorexia.
In the Summer of 2010, Urban Outfitters released a t-shirt that read “Eat Less”. When the t-shirt was released, it faced backlash and was promptly removed from stores. However, it was still available online. Urban Outfitters crafted the official description of the t-shirt to reveal that the garment was totally not intended to promote eating disorders: "Eat less or more or however much you'd like in this seriously soft knit tee cut long and topped with a v-neck.” Thanks for not judging our eating habits, Urban Outfitters, but you are selling a t-shirt that is literally advising us to "eat less".
2. Shampoo for "suicidal hair".
Apparently, the store didn't learn too much from their poorly received attempts at making jokes at the expense of those struggling with mental illness. The product: Peachy Head Peach Shampoo for Suicidal Hair, manufactured by Anatomicals. The description: “I never knew my once beautiful hair would actually commit suicide by tossing itself off dramatic white cliffs to the rocks below. Now look at me, completely bald. Before it's too late, bring your locks back from a state of complete depression with this conditioning peach shampoo.” Unfortunately this attempt at humor was not received well either, leaving many outraged. Not surprisingly, the store chose to pull the product from their stores immediately.
3. The tapestry that was "eerily reminiscent" of Holocaust attire.
In 2015, Urban Outfitters was urged by the Anti-Defamation League to remove a tapestry in their store that resembled the “prisoner gray and white stripes and pink triangles that gay male prisoners were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps”. This was not the first time that the ADL has condemned the clothing store’s insensitive choice of product. In 2012, they penned a “strongly worded letter” regarding a t-shirt in the store with a yellow star of David that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Europe.
4. The "vintage" bloodstained Kent State Sweatshirt.
Urban Outfitters demonstrated their bad taste again in 2014, when they released a “vintage” Kent State sweatshirt with what appeared to be faux-bloodstains. On May 4th, 1970, four Kent State students were killed, and nine injured in a massacre to protest the Vietnam war. Again, the store faced a flood of Twitter backlash and chose to pull the item.
5. The "Obama/Black" option for t-shirts.
Jezebel editor Anna North was perusing Urban Outfitters’ online catalog when she noticed that a shirt for sale was available in a variety of colors. The two options were “white/charcoal” and “Obama/black”. Not only was this an obviously insensitive call, it disrespected the leader of the free world.
Unfortunately, this is not an exhaustive list of Urban Outfitters controversies. Over the years, the store has also managed to insult Native Americans, prescription drug addicts, Mexicans and the gay community (to name a few). Despite all of this, the store is doing better than they ever have, reaching record sales of over $1 billion in 2015. Clearly, with this particular store, cute products come at a cost. The next time you need to find an ironic t-shirt or some thick rimmed glasses, I urge you to think about the reputation of Urban Outfitters, and maybe hit up Etsy instead to give independent store-owners the revenue they deserve.
