Urban Outfitters Sells a Really Bad Shirt

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 10:55AM

I hate urban as much as the next person. But Freshjive is actually a brand of clothing and not an Urban design. They just carry the Freshjive label. Blame the label that designed it as well as Urban for promoting the Freshjive label

posted by PJH

May 22, 2008 11:05AM

Urban Outfitters is trite dribble. I cannot stand all of their stupid clothes. And of course they thought this was ok to let onto their shelves. The powers that be were probably too busy at a hookah bar or an indie rock show.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 11:06AM

... sickening and infuriating...
Capitalizing upon this situation never ceases to really gross me out. I find myself numb to lots of things, whether by inundation of the press or my own indifference, but this is one issue that always strikes a major chord with me. I know many people from that region, Palestinian and Israeli Jews, and it's simply not a black and white situation... and making a tshirt about it? UGH.
Alright. I'll step down from my soapbox.
I'm sure I've offended enough people now.
*jessiebelle*

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 11:15AM

I didn't even know who fresh jive was until this was posted.....I guess they are achieving their goal.

posted by bastylefilegirl

May 22, 2008 11:28AM

I think the shirt may have been in bad taste for Urban Outfitters, but in the USA people/companies have the right to Freedom of Speech. Just like Fashionista has the right to be overtly offensive and call people "Palestinian territories" . I know a young "Arab" man with a gun is frightening, but most of us don't live in the Palestine/Isreal and can't really clearly trust our media or government to give us the entire truth stop name calling like George Bush and making people out to be evil. The word terrroist holds a lot of weight and shouldn't be thrown around like it's nothing.

Shame on you Fashionista.

posted by Natalie Hormilla

May 22, 2008 11:38AM

hi basylefilegirl, i think you may have mistaken the word "territories" for "terrorist" - i was just explaining that there was a map of the palestinian territories on the shirt, as in their lands. i did not use the word "terrorist" anywhere in the post at all. the two words are unrelated, though i guess they share a lot of the same letters.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 11:40AM

Thank you bastylefilegirl, I whole heartedly agree. Im getting a distinct Republican vibe from the fashionista office. Next time you want to blog about something political do some research, and educate one another in your office on the topic alongside forever 21's shock horror end of the world copy of a shoe.

posted by syako

May 22, 2008 11:45AM

you guys are blowing this way out of proportion. A republican vibe? really? Because they report on controversial items in the fashion world?

And all in all, there is freedom of speech, but there's also a free market, so when people get outraged and threaten to stop shopping at U.O. or with Freshjive, if a company is smart they will listen to their consumer's demands - if they want to remain profitable.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 11:49AM

Why can't we all just get along:
Republicans, Democrats, Palestinian, Israelis, White Lycra wearing / never be caught dead in white lycra....we are all children of god.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 11:49AM

this shirt is just another in a long line of retail products designed to make money off of conflict and violence. to the guest above me, and bastylefilegirl theres a reason this site is called "FASHIONista".
obviously in your quest to be politically correct you forgot terms like "exploitation of minors" and "child soldiers". but then freedom of speech is so much more important...

posted by Softel

May 22, 2008 12:02PM

I totally agree with syako. Freedom of speech and freedom to shop wherever we choose. I think this says more about UO's negligence/inattentiveness to content and maybe who their attempting to target?! (pseudo politically aware hipsters making statements they don't entirely understand?!) I don't really know...

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 12:17PM

as someone who is politically aware and has even travelled to israel, i don't find this shirt remotely offensive or outrageous. it's just ugly.

posted by syako

May 22, 2008 12:22PM

it IS ugly, that I think we can all agree on ;)

posted by Holly

May 22, 2008 12:27PM

I've never gotten a political vibe from any Fashionista post including this one.
I think Natalie was just reporting on a contoversial item of clothing. It's called fashion news.
I'm sure that the powers that be at both UO and FreshJive are chucking this in the 'really bad idea' file.
Of course they'll apologize but you'll never hear what they thought was funny or ironic about it because that would really show the consumer what poor taste they really have,as if the shirt didn't do that enough.

posted by Softel

May 22, 2008 12:28PM

yay for common ground!
Ugly for sure.

posted by urple

May 22, 2008 12:44PM

I think that the owner of Freshjive makes a good point on his website when he says that "if you think it is in poor taste, don't buy it. My business deals in the graphic arts and I believe that one of the highest purposes of art is to spark discussion by challenging people to think in new ways about serious issues." He definitely has sparked lots of discussion about this issue and has raised the awareness of what these images mean. It evens makes me want to learn the story behind this issue. Maybe that was his purpose.... And like others said above, we do have freedom of speech, and that comes from both sides of the tables, as seen by this discussion.
But, I can see why this could be upsetting since it is a sensitive subject... What are everyone else's thoughts? What about that Yasir Arafat shirt on their website too? It kind of trivializes the issue and makes it comic- when it isn't...

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 1:03PM

I don't think the shirt is at all trying to be funny. There may be some irony in it, though, in that usually the people with guns are the ones who victimize others... guns usually mean power. But in this case, it is children with guns, and they themselves are the victims in this situation. I don't think the shirt is in great taste, but at the same time I don't think it's any reason for outrage. (also, did you see that the kid is wearing a kaffiyeh scarf?)

This isn't at all anti-Israeli, unless you think that no one can be both sympathetic for Palestinians and also support the existence of Israel. The company has another t-shirt with the star of David, that says Peace. They all seem to be pretty political.

posted by syako

May 22, 2008 1:06PM

Personally, I think as an artist he (freshjive) has a point. But as a national retailer whose target demo is young women and men who are generally unattached or unaware to the Palestinian/Isreali conflict, Urban Outfitters should have considered the criticism and backlash before putting it on the shelves. I know they normally carry the line, but just as you don't buy every piece from every line, you should think about these things before just setting up shop.

I saw that U.O. actually stopped selling keffiyehs for fear of not wanting to look like they supported terrorism, if they were worried about that so much back then, you'd think they would have thought this one through. (that keffiyeh statement is from wikipedia)

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 1:25PM

That comment by bastylefilegirl is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. If you don't know the difference between territories and terrorists then you really should avoid talking about politics, or most intellectual subjects for that matter, ever again.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 1:30PM

i have to say i am disappointed in the blanket dismissal and rejection of freshjive's perspective and expression. i think the t-shirt is provactive but should not be censored which is effectively what UO has done by yanking it. i respect freshjive's statement. what happened to giving a voice to all?

posted by BlairWaldorfsHeadband

May 22, 2008 1:48PM

I think this shirt is giving voice to a certain "see-child-soldiers-wear-these-scarves-they-are-so-over" perspective. I wonder how many upper middle class white kids still don't know how much they've supported the PLO this year...

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 1:50PM

Why is a t-shirt such a big deal? If no one tried to push the envelope and be a little controversial (even if it goes too far), nothing would progress. I thought "fashionistas" would realize this. And why does everyone hate UO? Honestly, it's one of my favorite stores. Don't stereotype people based on where they shop.

Palestinians, like Israelis, are victims of violence. Let's not forget who violated the Geneva Convention in the first place - Israel. The point of the shirt is to point out that there are no innocent parties in the dispute. There's a lot of blind support for Israel in the US, and many are ready and willing to paint Palestinians in a negative light. In this case, the role is reversed, the viewer feels sorry for the Palestinian child soldier.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 1:55PM

To Softel:
(pseudo politically aware hipsters making statements they don't entirely understand?!)

i love this line!So true.

And freshjive called the t-shirt art?It's really ugly. Like sth done by an amateur. Threadless t-shirts are better than this.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 1:55PM

It's not so much a question of free speech, it's what appears to be blatant market capitalism based upon someone else's bad fortune.
That's where my main issue is founded. Mister Freshjive is just like other folks in the world, trying to make a buck. I have a hard time passing this off as mere artistic expression... he IS trying to make money by presenting a controversial subject that just so happens to involve a life and death situation.
Do I think debate and discussion should be stimulated in this country? Absolutely. Should it be sparked because some 'artist' chose to capitalize upon the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Hell no.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 2:07PM

"To Softel:
(pseudo politically aware hipsters making statements they don't entirely understand?!)

i love this line!So true."

The stupid doesn't seem to stop does it?

Stop being a twat.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 2:26PM

to guest at 1:58...
I'm not entirely sure of you're aware, but until approximately the date of the Balfour Declaration, there was no sense of nation amongst the Palestinian peoples. They were tribes that incidentally really didn't get along. I don't mean to imply that this validates any situation, but wait, there's more. Throughout the next few decades, many offers for partition were made to the Palestinians. I just don't like the misrepresentation that is given by most people. I'm not saying you don't know this, but I feel like most Americans (and people of other nationalities) just aren't being given the whole story.

posted by hipstersdontlie

May 22, 2008 2:39PM

At the end of the day, children are still being drafted into war. All of the yelling about the shirt won't change that.

posted by syako

May 22, 2008 2:48PM

guest at 226, my husband and I were just discussing this a few nights ago, it's almost impossible to get a complete story without a huge bias from one side or the other. if you know of a source that has a fairly unbiased assessment of the history I'd love to know about it

(sorry, I know that's not about fashion, but if I could private message on here, I would have, but alas we cannot).

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 3:06PM

Hey Syako... I face the same issue. I'm an international relations major with a minor in history, and I really think it's pretty complicated to find an unbiased account, just from my experience in looking for one. I've just had to do what you've likely done and taken the history and sociology from both sides and deduced what I can only attest to being my educated guess at things.
I truly wish there was a way to learn about the area that wasn't filled with vitriol...

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 3:11PM

i agree about the person who doesn't know the difference between territories and terrorists. did you actually read the text?

i'm all for getting outraged over ridiculous things, but at least READ CLEARLY. you just look like a moron.

posted by bastylefilegirl

May 22, 2008 3:11PM

My bad!

posted by urple

May 22, 2008 3:58PM

I agree with Syako and others about it being hard to really understand the current and past information that is going on in those places, also including the Middle East. I wish I was well informed about these issues and could find somewhere that provided that comprehensive information from an unbiased standpoint.

Continuing with the discussion of the Freshjive owner, even if he is trying to ultimately make money off of his t-shirts and they are controversial, I appreciate his candid-ness on his website (even if he does tell some "to go fuck yourself") and the way he responded by being open about the situation. I'm not defending him or his designs, but I'm just saying that its refreshing to see a company be genuinely passionate about the designs and their feedback.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 4:14PM

if marc jacobs made this Fashionista would be calling it brilliant.

posted by guest

May 22, 2008 4:35PM

zing!

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 12:40AM

it's a picture of a child solider with the word "victimized" underneath indicating that the child soldier is a victim of such issues.

honestly i don't think the designer is trying to be bias or funny or ironic at all. the details as to where the kid's comeing from is just an example of this issue today so people realize that it's an issue of today(not everyone knows about news overseas).

ps. calling out the designer as a sham for trying to capitalize on a child solder is WACK!! designers are artists and they do this out of passion. i really doubt that anyone who is solely concerned about money would do graphic design (even though the shirt is butt ugly).

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 11:06AM

"calling out the designer as a sham for trying to capitalize on a child solder is WACK!! designers are artists and they do this out of passion. i really doubt that anyone who is solely concerned about money would do graphic design (even though the shirt is butt ugly)."

I'm the one who said he was looking to make money on this. And sure, while artists-designers-whatevers are working from inspiration, you know they're also going for shock factor with things like this. Is Mister Freshjive doing something USEFUL with the proceeds from this shirt? I really seriously doubt that. So yes, he is CAPITALIZING on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, whether or not you realize that in your idealistic mindset.

posted by mckeb753

May 23, 2008 11:29AM

who said they were trying to be funny or ironic?

if its the designer's opinion that the palestinian people have been victimized by israeli policies, then they have the right to express that. if you don't like that point of view, then don't buy the shirt.

i don't see why freshjive should be expected to apologize or explain themselves. this shirt is no more offensive than che guevara shirts, which i think have been much more widely abused by unknowing college frat boys.

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 1:22PM

firstly, the comment that if marc jacobs had made this fashionista would love it made me laugh out loud so hard.

secondly. its just a tee shirt guys. its not like you actually care/know anything about politics so stop trying to act like you know anything other than fashion.

i like urban outfitters. why are fashionista attempting to brainwash us into hating certain co's. i mean a couple of comments are fine but everywhere i see its 'forver 21' or 'urban outfitters'.
yawm. we dont have forever 21 in the uk and im bored of reading about it all the time.

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 2:13PM

yeah, if you need a reason to hate urban outfitters, then check out this story about the company's founder and largest shareholder:

http://www.towleroad.com/2008/05/urban-outfitter.html

"Buying [their] clothes is like giving cash to George Bush"

Adds a whole other twist to this story, dontcha think?

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 2:27PM

After reading the response from Freshjive, I'm amused that people jumped to the conclusion that the shirt is anti-semitic in any way. So a person is a Jew hater for stating that Palestinians are victims?
I'm also amused by this quote : "Clearly, they have Islamists and Jihad lovers on their buying staff". when will people learn to call Islamists by the correct name - Muslims.

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 6:00PM

An Islamist isn't necessarily the same thing as a Muslim

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 6:06PM

Is guest 2.27 trying to imply that all Muslims are Islamists or does he/she not know the difference?

posted by guest

May 23, 2008 6:25PM

I'm so buying this shirt now. Thanks for the heads up. Free Palestine.

posted by guest

May 24, 2008 11:44AM

I read the write up on the website and its just a bunch of BS by a guy who has no clue what he is talking about and trying to be edgy.

It's up to the vendors to make sure they aren't selling potentially offensive material and UO dropped the ball.

But considering the fact the UO is owned by a Christian conservative and sell Keffiyeh scarves, they really aren't concerned for their Jewish customers anyway.

posted by guest

May 26, 2008 5:01PM

I read the Fashionista entry and scratched my head for a good 5 minutes trying to figure out how in the world this shirt is offensive....and I still don't see it. I'm disappointed to see Fashionista call this a "really bad shirt" by UO. It seems that you have just jumped onto the bandwagon on this one -- which is disappointing since I'm 99% with every other call Fashionista ever makes.

It would be great if people took this as an opportunity to educate themselves about this conflict -- instead of spoon-fed, knee-jerk, senseless reactions decrying everything that depicts Palestinians as anti-Israeli and horribly offensive.

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 10:47AM

I am not sure where else on earth you can get kicked out of your home over and over again, your rights taken away, and your neighbors/friends/family members killed, and upset people by being called a victim.

The situation over there sucks. But EVERYone over there is a person. Not just the Israelis.

Free Palestine.

posted by guest

May 30, 2008 4:07PM

how lame fashionista. what is the problem about this shirt? it is true. it depicts reality, kid with gun, what is going on. this shirt makes a lot of sense, and yeah, thanks for the heads up, i would like to buy it.

posted by guest

Jun 19, 2008 9:20PM

blah blah blah -- urban outfitters is shit you can find in vintage stores & local boutiques.

as for the shirt itself -- don't hate the company. they ain't done NOTHING but print a shirt that may be controversial but NOT to promote hate. y'all bitches take shit TOO PERSONALLY. whatever happened to freedom of speech, or creative ideas!?

y'all hipsters/organic-lovers take shit too seriously. and if you take THIS comment too seriously, then maybe you should stop judging -- like what you've done with Fresh Jive.