I've long enjoyed being an Anthropologie customer. This week, I stumbled upon a shirt that happens to be in poor taste for resembling a Holocaust prisoner uniform.  But whether intentional or not, what that inspired me to write this petition is my alarming discovery of what I unearth behind "The Shirt" - the story of Urban Outfitters (parent company) long line of controversial retail choices.

Urban Outfitters products have been the subject of multiple controversies, particularly concerning religious, ethical, and ethnic issues. They have been criticized by NAACP, the LGBT community, the Navajo Nation and even local Brooklyn artists who claim they stole people's work and designs. Incredibly, they have also been condemned in the past for selling Holocaust resembling merchandise. Here's a 2015 Time.com article highlighting the Anti-Defamation League condemnation over an anti-gay Holocaust resembling product. After public outrage, an apology was issued and the offensive product was taken off the shelves.

To anyone who knows the history of the Holocaust, this kind of imagery should be off-limits. The victims of the Holocaust are some of the most tragically treated people to ever be documented in human history and their suffering is only 70 years old. The world is not ready to start wearing products that resemble their gas chamber uniforms and hopefully never will.

This is not the first time we have seen the retail clothing company making this same offensive mistake. The fact that this keeps with happening with Urban Outfitters and its brand after past apologies shows that there is a serious need for education about the Holocaust and the history of anti-Semitism.

It's important that influential and trend-setting organizations like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie provide leadership and are not only sensitive to history and culture of the countries they operate in, but also to their global audience. These corporations have the budget to monitor such behaviors but are clearly choosing not to.

This type of behavior is nothing like what Urban Outfitters retail lifestyle brand Anthropologie is advertising to us. The boutique promotes; "When it comes to our products, it's the stories behind them that inspire us. You'll find them woven into the details of our designs". 

Please sign my petition and tell Urban Outfitters and its brands to show compassionate respect for Holocaust victims, their families and all humans who have been exposed to hate crimes and acts of genocide. 

June 27th, 2015