Recycled news, but the frequent Urban Outfitters shoppers among you might be interested to know where a lot of your fashionably spent money goes: directly into the pockets of the far-right-wing establishment:
“…Shopping in Urban makes you feel like you are somewhere radically Left-wing, an antidote to the corporate blandness of The Gap. But Hayne is a stanch conservative who donates money to Republican politicians, not least Rick Santorum, a now failed Senator whose views on homosexuality are both bizarre and old-fashioned.
Hayne doesn’t give many interviews precisely because he’s afraid that college slackers who get to know him will suddenly realise that buying his clothes is like giving cash to George Bush. Once described as projecting a “Dick Cheney-esque aura of no-nonsense grayflannel gravitas”, Hayne must be the only retailer whose expansion plans depend on no one finding out who he really is.
Despite the strife in the sector, Urban just beat Wall Street profit expectations yet again. So far, the illusion is holding up perfectly.”
Just saying, even if you don’t aspire to be a conscious consumer/haven’t taken any standard social theory classes, it’s hard to miss the cynicism/ingenious irony of taking money from progressive liberals to give to social conservatives. Although this is the place that used to sell Ghettopoly, “Voting is for Old People” t-shirts, and kaffiyehs, so calculated cynicism shouldn’t be that surprising.
Links:
– ThisIsMoney: Square Who Got Hip to Urban Chic
– Philadelphia Weekly: Clothes Make the Man
there’s more!: http://fashionista.com/2008/05/urban_outfitters_makes_a_reall_1.php
there’s more!: http://fashionista.com/2008/05/urban_outfitters_makes_a_reall_1.php
3:39:Because every other clothing store that caters to a niche market makes shitty clothes because they really understand your precious subculture. Because we all know you shop at a major clothing retailer there are because you really are hip, progressive and aloof. God forbid somebody else fronts as hard as you.
3:39:
Because every other clothing store that caters to a niche market makes shitty clothes because they really understand your precious subculture. Because we all know you shop at a major clothing retailer there are because you really are hip, progressive and aloof. God forbid somebody else fronts as hard as you.
ok, well if they “just want to make money” by masquerading as hip, progressive, and aloof, that is really disingenuous. fuck Urban, they try way too hard anyway.
ok, well if they “just want to make money” by masquerading as hip, progressive, and aloof, that is really disingenuous. fuck Urban, they try way too hard anyway.
Why would it be EXPECTED that the owner is of a “similar pursuasion”? Maybe they just want to make money.
Why would it be EXPECTED that the owner is of a “similar pursuasion”? Maybe they just want to make money.
2:14abstraction: you’re doing it wrong. If a store’s primary clientelle consists of hipsters, progressives, and other groups that tend towards the left politically, it would be EXPECTED that the owner/whoever is running the business are of a similar pursuasion.
2:14
abstraction: you’re doing it wrong.
If a store’s primary clientelle consists of hipsters, progressives, and other groups that tend towards the left politically, it would be EXPECTED that the owner/whoever is running the business are of a similar pursuasion.
Hey 10:53, shop wherever you want. Clearly I touched a nerve, I just thought it was worth mentioning which popular clothing retailers actually support evolution-denying, gay-baiting politicians while marketing to hip young kids. And yeah wow, I totally didn’t get the sarcasm in your post until you explained it at the end! Thanks!Decide for yourself whether or not you want to feel guilty about shopping at Urban Outfitters or any other business that turns out to have motives/practices you might be uncomfortable with. I’m not so presumptuous as to tell you what you can or can’t do, but yeah, I think it’s interesting and unexpected that the head of a brand marketing itself as progressive/ironic/whatever financially supports inane social and educational policies.
Hey 10:53, shop wherever you want. Clearly I touched a nerve, I just thought it was worth mentioning which popular clothing retailers actually support evolution-denying, gay-baiting politicians while marketing to hip young kids.
And yeah wow, I totally didn’t get the sarcasm in your post until you explained it at the end! Thanks!
Decide for yourself whether or not you want to feel guilty about shopping at Urban Outfitters or any other business that turns out to have motives/practices you might be uncomfortable with. I’m not so presumptuous as to tell you what you can or can’t do, but yeah, I think it’s interesting and unexpected that the head of a brand marketing itself as progressive/ironic/whatever financially supports inane social and educational policies.
“‘this is an unexpected fact’ kind of thing”Really?So you believe if a store sells products you enjoy then the owner must share your political beliefs?
“‘this is an unexpected fact’ kind of thing”
Really?
So you believe if a store sells products you enjoy then the owner must share your political beliefs?
10:53, two things, first of all, bad posts hurt no one. it’s self correcting if the blog truly becomes bad, people stop reading it. commenting to your dislike of the whole topic is just not contributing to the discussion. second thing, if you’re going to leave a sarcastic snarky comment, at least trust your readers to understand your sarcasm. if you truly think its unclear, thats because it’s poorly written. good day.
10:53, two things, first of all, bad posts hurt no one. it’s self correcting if the blog truly becomes bad, people stop reading it. commenting to your dislike of the whole topic is just not contributing to the discussion. second thing, if you’re going to leave a sarcastic snarky comment, at least trust your readers to understand your sarcasm. if you truly think its unclear, thats because it’s poorly written. good day.
I don’t think the point of this post was really to tell everyone they’re not allowed to shop at Urban Outfitters. It seems like more a “this is an unexpected fact” kind of thing.
I don’t think the point of this post was really to tell everyone they’re not allowed to shop at Urban Outfitters. It seems like more a “this is an unexpected fact” kind of thing.
i appreciate the post as well. perhaps we could follow this up eventually with a post about a clothing company that is socially conscious / not supporting hyper-conservatives ??
i appreciate the post as well. perhaps we could follow this up eventually with a post about a clothing company that is socially conscious / not supporting hyper-conservatives ??
thanks, that’s something i didn’t know–i appreciate sharing information!
thanks, that’s something i didn’t know–i appreciate sharing information!
Oh, thanks. Can you make this a recurring feature? Call it “Places You’re Not Allowed to Shop” or something? I bet the list will be long!PS This post is idiotic.
Oh, thanks. Can you make this a recurring feature? Call it “Places You’re Not Allowed to Shop” or something? I bet the list will be long!
PS This post is idiotic.
And their clothes fall apart quickly — they look like garbage AND they are garbage
And their clothes fall apart quickly — they look like garbage AND they are garbage
Go Urban Outfitters!
Go Urban Outfitters!