Urban Outfitters is in the news again this week after their "Wood Wood Kellog Tee" was attacked by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Philly. The shirt has a star-like symbol on the pocket, as shown above from the company's website. The ADL has stated that the design copies the Star of David patches that the Jewish people were forced to wear by the Nazis during the holocaust.
In a message to the Chairman, President, and CEO of Urban Outfitters, the ADL Regional Director, Barry Morrison, stated, "We find this use of symbolism to be extremely distasteful and offensive, and are outraged that your company would make this product available to your customers."
Urban Outfitters have long been a topic of fashion controversy.
Here's a quick rundown on some of the people they've offended over the years:
- Conservatives - A picture in a previous catalog which featured their Kaleidoscope Dress Collection depicted two women kissing.
- People of African Decent - Their BDG Burnout Henley tee offered the color option of "Obama / Black."
- Irish People - With a variety of verbal tees such as "Irish I Were Drunk," and "Kiss Me, I'm Drunk, Or Irish, Or Whatever," and an "Irish Yoga" trucker hat which depicted the outline of a person doing the "yoga" move of being down on all fours and vomiting.
- People with eating disorders - With a women's tee which read, "Eat Less."
- Transgendered people - With their "Tranny" greeting card.
Their books, cards, and other accessories have also been known to border on the offensive-to-someone-somewhere side of things. With this latest controversy, the main question is…
What it Really a Star of David?
WoodWood, creators of the tee, responded, "The graphic is not the Star of David, and I can assure you that this is in no way a reference to Judaism, Nazism or the Holocaust."
We will probably never know with 100% clarity what the intent was of the original design. Regardless, the "Wood Wood Kellog Tee" is available on the Urban Outfitters website for $100, and it's current incarnation is star and patch free.