Urban Outfitters sells some “vintage” clothes as well as new. Used clothes. Mostly shirts from college teams, schools, or amusingly named organizations. Cobleskill Football – $129. Iowa State University – $129. Providence College Hockey Camp – $149. Texas Int’l Airlines – $139. They’re overpriced, possibly condescending, and save you the trouble of going to a thrift store. They also have some highly distressed jeans/overalls. $650 for a “Vintage French Repaired Overall.” (So distressed it’s practically in crisis, but someone has snatched it up.)

Were you not cautioned about the edgy?

Also – too late to buy this, or even find it on their site – a Kent State University sweatshirt. Unlike the others it’s unevenly stained and mottled with red. Unlike the others, it has half a dozen round dark red spots and holes over where a person’s heart might be.

I mentioned the Kent State University logo, didn’t I? Kent State, where in 1970 13 students were shot, four them killed, when Ohio National Guard troops opened fire? That Kent State.

People thought that offering an apparent Kent State massacre victim’s garment was horrible and in the worst of taste. They said so. Kent State officials were upset too. Dean Kahler, who was paralyzed in the 1970 shootings, said “Urban Outfitters continues to perpetuate a low standard of ethics.” Urban Outfitter took down the picture, and issued this apology:

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.

Bah. What part of that do I believe? I do believe that’s not real blood, and that this is not a death garment. I believe they wish they hadn’t put it up.

Photo by John Paul Filo.

But I am skeptical that the markings are “natural discoloration” and “natural wear and fray.” I own some fairly grotty old garments and none of them have developed bullet holes.

I don’t think Urban Outfitters altered the shirt to create the markings. That’s too much effort for a $129 item. Probably someone other than Urban Outfitters thought it would be hilarious to mock up a death sweat shirt. Maybe they realized their mistake, and released the shirt into the sea of used clothing out there. Urban Outfitters fished it out.

Did they offer it unknowingly? Unlikely, given that the other vintage” shirts offered for sale don’t have that kind of staining/spotting/fray. I think it was their “intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State.”

Urban Outfitters says that didn’t happen, and the evil is all in the eye of the beholder. I call that despicable blame-shifting.

But remember, they “are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such.”

Corporate day of mourning! Print up some shirts!