Urban Outfitters continues to profit from controversy

London - Better known as the American fashion retailer for "bohemian, hipster, ironically humorous, kitschy, retro and vintage" loving fashion youth, Urban Outfitters is no stranger to controversy. The retail company, which also owns fashion labels Free People and Anthropologie, presents itself as an "innovative specialty retail company" which connects with its customers on an emotional level. However over the past years, the retailer has frequently made news headlines for promoting products which portray backward-minded stereotypes of minority or ethnic cultures, copying designs from independent designers or referencing event such as the Holocaust or the Kent State shooting of 1970.