Controversies
The company has sold a number of
controversial products, some of which have drawn strong criticism.
In
2003 the company released a
Monopoly parody called
Ghettopoly. The game was criticised as offensively racist by a local chapter of the
NAACP[5] and black clergy
[6] among others.
[edit] Products alleged to be anti-Christian
On
March 14,
2004, Jesus Dress Up sparked controversy when a Philadelphia man, known only as "Gerry", voiced his outrage after seeing the magnets at an Urban Outfitters store in the
King of Prussia mall.
[7] He wrote a letter of complaint to the chain and brought his story to his local NBC affiliate
WCAU-TV when he received their response: Urban Outfitters stated that the magnet was not being sold to offend anyone, but to reflect a diversity of opinion among its customer base. The story was broadcast on NBC in Philadelphia, then MSNBC’s
Scarborough Country,
[8] on which it received coverage alongside the premiere of
The Passion of the Christ. Urban Outfitters received more than 250,000 complaints, due mostly to organizational efforts from activism group websites sponsored by the
American Family Association.
[9] Following the controversy on March 17, Urban Outfitters cancelled its remaining orders with the artist and publicly stated that they would no longer order the magnets to carry on their shelves but would sell their remaining stock.
[10]
[edit] Products alleged to be anti-Jewish or anti-Israel
A t-shirt released in 2003 with the phrase "Everyone Loves a
Jewish Girl" surrounded by
dollar signs was condemned,
[11] though the
Anti-Defamation League welcomed the decision to discontinue the shirts, saying that they hoped "that this experience, combined with another recent controversy surrounding an Urban Outfitters product that reinforced stereotypes, has served to sensitize the company to the sensibilities of its customer base and all ethnic groups."
[12] The ADL later condemned them for other incidents of insensitivity.
[13]
In 2007, complaints by Jewish groups over their sales of
keffiyehs (which had been marketed as "antiwar" scarves)
[14] led them to cease carrying that item.
[15] Urban Outfitters issued a statement “Due to the sensitive nature of this item, we will no longer offer it for sale. We apologize if we offended anyone, this was by no means our intention.”
[16]
In May 2008, after concern in the Jewish community, Urban Outfitters discontinued a T-shirt that featured a Palestinian child holding an
AK-47 over the word "Victimized." According to a company representative, "[W]e do not buy items to provoke controversy or to intentionally offend. We have pulled this item in all of our locations and will no longer be selling it online either."
[17]
[edit] Products alleged to be pro-violence
In 2006, the retailer was criticized
[18] for offering sparkly handgun-shaped Christmas ornaments in its hometown of Philadelphia, a city that had seen over 1,700 shootings and over 300 gun-related murders for the year.
[19] On November 15, 2007, the company announced that after the murder of officer
Charles Cassidy, the gun-shaped ornament would no longer be sold.
[20]
If you're somehow famous/well-known, there'll always be someone who'll ask you to put your name on something to make $$$$$. 
