Urban Outfitters Sparks Controversy (Again) With 'Depression' T-shirt
By Chelsea Karnash
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia brand Urban Outfitters is mired in yet another controversy over its clothing.
This time, the item raising eyebrows is a t-shirt with the word "Depression" emblazoned all over it.
The shirt, which was reportedly selling for $9.99 and has since been removed from the site, had many users taking to Twitter to complain about the "message" it seemed to be sending.
"Selling fashion around depression & eating disorders?" one user tweeted. "You stay classy @UrbanOutfitters."
"Depression is not a fashion statement," another posted.
One group even initiated a petition at Change.org to get sales of the tee stopped.
And apparently, Urban Outfitters heard the outcry. On Sunday, the company announced it would be discontinuing sales of the shirt, writing, "Hey everyone, we hear you and we are taking the shirt down from the site."
Urban also explained that the shirt was actually created by a small fashion brand named Depression and said it was not their intent to make light of mental illness.
"We were trying to support a small brand, not glamorize mental illness in any way," Urban tweeted.
Recently, Urban Outfitters also came under fire for a shirt that read "Eat Less," which critics said appeared to encourage eating disorders.
