Fashion retailer, Urban Outfitters is infamous for putting out clothing that could be considered offensive to some. Well they've done it again!
Last Thursday, a simple mustard yellow t-shirt appeared on the Urban Outfitters website. Designed by the Danish label Wood Wood, the shirt is embroidered with a six pointed star over the breast pocket, which seems to be quite similar to the badges the Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust.
A shirt like this would alway spark up some controversy, but this $100 shirt was coincidentaly featured on urbanoutfitters.com during the same week as Yam HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrace day. According to a post from Time, the Anti Defimation Leauge was up in arms immediatley after it was featured online. Barry Morrison, who is the regional director of the Anti-Defimation Leauge wrote in a letter to the chairman of the Urban Outfitters firm,“We find this use of symbolism to be extremely distasteful and offensive, and we are outraged that your company would make this product available to your customers.”
Although this t-shirt offended many Jewish and non-Jewish people, Urban Outfitters does not seem to be broken up over their distasteful comments. This "Holocaust" t-shirt is one of many derogetory products featured at Urban Outfitters. Anoosh Chakelian of Time, explains: "In February, the store also came under fire from Irish American spokesman Seamus Boyle president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, for selling t-shirts bearing slogans such as “Irish I was Drunk" which Boyle described as arrogance and disrespect to a whole nation."
According to Fox News, the representatives of Urban Outfitters refuse to respond to any requests for a comment. Morrison told Fox,“They have continuously crossed the line into incivility,” he added. “We have asked them in the past to meet with us so we can discuss these issues, but we have never received a reply. There is a way to be successful without offending or belittling people.”