Retail giant Urban Outfitters has come under fire for selling a Kent State sweatshirt adorned with faux bloodstains, bringing back memories from the 1970 shootings on the university's campus. During the infamous incident, a National Guard soldier killed four students who were participating in a peaceful anti-war protest, and online users are outraged at the company for marketing the "one of a kind" sweater, which retailed for a whopping $129.
Once the story was picked up by Buzzfeed, the garment was quickly snatched up by a buyer and put on eBay with a starting bid of $550. Half of the proceeds for the sale of the shirt are going to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Urban issued an apology online amid the controversy, writing, "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."
Check out reactions from Twitter users in the above slide.
Source: NY Mag
