.@UrbanOutfitters is at it again. http://t.co/M2apyyxiUY pic.twitter.com/zOmsVOPhXn
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 10, 2015
The retailer was shilling a bluish gray and white striped tapestry with a single pink triangle, much like Holocaust garb. The Anti-Defamation League has called out the company for this egregious misstep. “Whether intentional or not, this gray and white striped pattern and pink triangle combination is deeply offensive and should not be mainstreamed into popular culture,” Holocaust survivor and ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman wrote in a letter to Urban Outfitters, before urging the retailer to get rid of the tapestry altogether. It seems Urban Outfitters has listened because the item doesn’t appear to be available for purchase on its website.
Urban Outfitters has a storied tradition of peddling offensive wares. In 2012, the retailer found itself in a pickle for selling a T-shirt that was believed to allude to Holocaust imagery, as the breast pocket of the shirt featured what some thought looked like a Star of David appliqué. Other questionable products have included a seemingly blood-splattered Kent State University sweatshirt, a T-shirt in “Obama” black and an assortment of Navajo-inspired fashion pieces. Zara recently came under fire for similar reasons, selling a striped children’s shirt with a sheriff’s star that, again, looked a lot like a Holocaust prisoner’s outfit.
