Urban Outfitters' Faux Blood-Soaked Sweatshirt Is Infuriating | HuffPost

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Urban Outfitters' Blood-Soaked Shirt Is Very Offensive

The Huffington Post Canada

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Urban Outfitters just can't stop producing offensive clothes.

The retailer has recently come under fire—yet again—for selling a "vintage" Kent State University sweatshirt featuring red spatters that resemble blood stains.

Some pointed out that the shirt appeared to be a reference to the 1970 shootings at the school, in which four students were killed and nine injured by Ohio National Guardsmen during a Vietnam War protest.

People were quick to jump on Twitter to air their outrage (as they should):

After a barrage of attention, the sweatshirt in question sold out online.

The retailer also took to Twitter to apologize for "any offence" the sweatshirt caused.

Their statement in full:

"Urban Outfitters sincerely apologizes for any offense our Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt may have caused. 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 one-of-a-kind item was purchased as part of our sun-faded vintage collection. 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 also issued a statement:

"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 their publicity and profit. This item is beyond poor taste and trivializes a loss of life that still hurts the Kent State community today.
We invite the leaders of this company as well as anyone who invested in this item to tour our May 4 Visitors Center, which opened two year ago, to gain perspective on what happened 44 years ago and apply its meaning to the future."

This isn't the first (and probably not the last) time the company has been mired in controversy. From their "Navajo" clothing to their "Depression" shirts, the retailer has no shortage of offensive products.

Also on HuffPost

Outrageous Urban Outfitters Scandals

Irish Drunk Scoop(01 of13)

In March 2012, Urban Outfitters began selling St. Patrick's Day-themed clothing that included shirts with derogatory statements about Irish people, such as: "Irish I Was Drunk." These shirts received negative reactions from Irish-Americans and were pulled. (Urban Outfitters)

Eat Less(02 of13)

In June 2010, Urban Outfitters released this t-shirt with this description: "Eat less or more or however much you'd like in this seriously soft knit tee cut long and topped with a v-neck." They should have printed that whole description instead of just "eat less" which seems to promote an unhealthy lifestyle and body image. (Urban Outfitters)

Catalog Photo Condemned(03 of13)

Urban Outfitters received heat from anti-gay groups for this photo in their April 2012 catalogue depicting two female models kissing. A group known as One Million Moms wrote on their website: "On page two of this catalog is a picture of two women kissing in a face holding embrace!...The content is offensive and inappropriate for a teen who is the company's target customer." (Urban Outfitters)

'Obama/Black' Option(04 of13)

In April 2010, Urban Outfitters pulled a t-shirt from their online store with a color option of 'Obama/Black.' The store had produced Obama-themed shirts but none of them with this color description. In response, the store released this statement: "The burnout pattern on this shirt is comprised of two colors - one is an internally developed color we called "Obama Blue" and the other is "Black." Unfortunately our website database truncate this combination to read "Obama/Black." We should have caught the error, and apologize for offending anyone." (Urban Outfitters)

'Tranny' Greeting Card(05 of13)

In March 2012, Urban Outfitters came under fire for a greeting card that was deemed transphobic by LGBT advocates. (Urban Outfitters)

Kiss Me Tee(06 of13)

Another derogatory t-shirt against Irish and Irish-Americans saying: "Kiss me. I'm Drunk, or Irish, or whatever." (Urban Outfitters)

Irish Yoga Trucker Hat(07 of13)

Surprisingly, the offensive St. Patrick's Day-themed items have not been pulled from Urban Outfitters' shelves, even when this trucker cap outraged Irish and Irish-American people. (Urban Outfitters)

Jewish Star T-Shirt(08 of13)

In April 2012, Urban Outfitters angered the Jewish community by selling a $100 shirt that critics said mimicked the design of star patches Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust. (Urban Outfitters)

I Heart Destination Necklaces(09 of13)

In May 2011, an independent jewelry designer accused Urban Outfitters of stealing her designs. She wrote on her blog: "I understand that they are a business, but it's not cool to completely rip off an independent designer's work." Urban pulled the collection. (I Make Shiny Things)

I Support Same Sex Marriage T-Shirts-(10 of13)

Amidst the dealings of Proposition 8 in 2008, Urban Outfitters began selling shirts that said, "I Support Same-Sex Marriage." The shirts were pulled a week later. (Courtesy photo)

Hailey Clauson T-Shirt(11 of13)

Model Hailey Clauson posed for photographer Jason Lee Parry when she was just 15-years old. Parry released this photo of Clausen to Urban Outfitters, which he had agreed not to release when the young model's agency complained about the salacious nature of the "crotch shot" pose. The photo became a t-shirt and Clauson sued Urban Outfitters and Parry for damaging her reputation. (Courtesy photo)

Ghettopoly(12 of13)

In 2003, Urban Outfitters began selling a Monopoly knockoff called Ghettopoly, complete with "Hustle" bonus cards and "Smitty's XXX Peep Show." The game angered the African-American community and Rev. Glenn Wilson of Philadelphia called for a boycott, saying, "There's no way that game could be taken in any way other than that this man had racist intent in marketing it." (Courtesy photo)

Vote For Vodka & USA Drinking Team T-Shirts(13 of13)

Although Urban Outfitter's biggest demographic is 18-24 year-olds, the company is selling shirts that encourage underage drinking. Jan Withers, national president of Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) says, "Kids shouldn't be wearing these t-shirts...Marketing [alcohol-related products] to teens is not in any way acceptable." (Urban Outfitters)

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