*This post is a response to a classmate’s blog: https://blogs.ubc.ca/charmianho/

Within a year, Urban Outfitters has managed to put themselves in the spotlight twice by selling clothing that are deemed offensive. In January 2014, the company released a t-shirt that had the word ‘Depression’ written all over it. By glamorizing a mental illness, a message was received by many people that depression ought to be seen in a good light, but it isn’t supposed to be! The t-shirt was initially sold at $59.99 and it was reduced to $9.99 after it became controversial. However, this was not the first time the company’s products has caused controversy, and it definitely was not the last time either.

Recently, in September 2014, Urban Outfitters released another controversial product – the Kent State University sweater. This sweater represents a shooting incident in 1970 at the Kent State University. In this blog post, Charmian elaborated on the “unwise decision for Urban Outfitter’s to have marketed this product, [and she finds] it hard to believe that such a coincidence could occur on an article of clothing, especially if this was not their first offence.“

I agree with Charmian because the company should have learned from their many mistakes by now, and coincidence should not be used as an excuse for making these offensive clothing. They need to get rid of their “distasteful marketing strategies” of selling controversial and then issuing an apology afterwards. Not only does the company’s apology seem ingenuous, they also don’t feel the need to change their business model either. In my opinion, I feel that they need to re-evaluate characteristics of their value propositions, such as their design, risk reduction, and brand/status or they may risk becoming a disreputable brand.