UO Bloodstained "vintage" Kent State sweatshirt

[sugarglider]

Has this been posted yet?

www.businessinsider.com/kent-state-blasts-urban-outfitters-2014-9

Kent State Blasts Urban Outfitters Over Offensive Sweatshirt
HAYLEY PETERSON SEP. 15, 2014, 10:33 AM
Urban Outfitters is facing a public backlash for selling a "Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt" that is spattered with red stains resembling blood.

The $129 sweatshirt caused an uproar on Twitter late Sunday and Kent State University responded early Monday.

"We take great offense to a company using our pain for their publicity and profit" the university said, Cleveland.com reports. "This item is beyond poor taste and trivializes a loss of life that still hurts the Kent State community today."

The sweatshirt is reminiscent of the "Kent State Massacre" in May 1970, when four unarmed college students were killed by the Ohio National Guard during a Vietnam War protest.

"May 4, 1970, was a watershed moment for the country and especially the Kent State family," the university's statement continues. "We lost four students that day while nine others were wounded and countless others were changed forever. 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 years ago, to gain perspective on what happened 44 years ago and apply its meaning to the future."

Urban Outfitters apologized on social media.

"Urban Outfitters sincerely apologizes for any offense our Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt may have caused," the company said. "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."

[downtoearth]

So it wasn't meant to be a joke to begin with?

It doesn't look like a "sun faded" shirt so much with the dark round splatter stains just above the T in STATE, does it?

[mcfelix]

I don't know if I saw this on here or fb yesterday but it's terrible. Come on Urban Outfitters. What genius thought this was at all acceptable attire?

[bimbi284]

Who pays $129 for a ratty old sweatshirt?
And yeah, it definitely looks as though it was intentionally dyed that way.
It's not like UO is known for class, but this is in poor taste, for sure.

[ECB]

I'm still waiting to hear that this was some kind of prank. I just can't believe a company would do this seriously.

[sugarglider]

Sept 16, 2014 6:21:23 GMT -5 pennypenny said:

Yeah the fuck right UO. If it wasn't ment that way then why did they pick that school over all the others. And why red over all possible colors.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

Exactly.

I could see the choice of Kent State to the extent that Kent State has a really strong fashion program--I could see someone in product development wanting a shout-out to her alma mater. BUT, the logic ends there. Kent State's colors are blue & gold and have been since 1910. The only other college shirts I could find on UO's website were UT, in a faded orange--and no corresponding orange splatter--and Penn State, white with a navy blue lion.

I believe this was intentional. Which is sickening.

[sugarglider]

Okay. According to NY Daily News it was a one-of-a-kind legit vintage piece, so it's the buyer, not product development who screwed up. I'm still confused as to how this sweatshirt came to be in the first place.

[FloFTW]

Sept 16, 2014 7:56:13 GMT -5 sugarglider said:

Okay. According to NY Daily News it was a one-of-a-kind legit vintage piece, so it's the buyer, not product development who screwed up. I'm still confused as to how this sweatshirt came to be in the first place.

I don't think so. The seal on that shirt is the seal of Ohio, not Kent State.

[FloFTW]

This is Kent's seal.

[summer]

All samples need approval before they ship.  No one, NO ONE (!) looked at this and said, "you know, I don't know...??"


gawker.com/urban-outfitters-sells-vintage-blood-spattered-kent-s-1634786441

Update, 10:21 a.m.: Urban Outfitters has issued the following statement, via their Twitter account:



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.