After we posted the following “Juan at WalMart” uniform that @ULatinos had shared after one of its members saw it at an Urban Outfitters in Queens, NY, we reached out to Urban Outfitters for comment and clarification.
Here is the email we received tonight from an Urban Outfitters spokesperson. (NOTE: we cleaned up the links provided. In addition, after getting an official email response with the spokesperson’s name and agency she worked for, she requested that we remove her name. We have edited this post to reflect that request):
Thank you for reaching out. The shirt you are referring to is part of our Urban Renewal collection, which is comprised of one-of-a-kind garments that are vintage–not newly created clothing. The shirt is part of a larger collection of vintage mechanic shirts we came across in our travels. Each shirt is one-of-a-kind with a unique name and shop patch combination. Please find below the direct link to another shirt that includes the name ‘Al’ on the name tag:
The goal of Urban Renewal is to offer our customers unique, modern designs. You can visit the following link for further information on Urban Renewal or to view the entire collection: Urban Renewal
We completely respect our customers, and understand that the informed purchase decisions they make will ultimately determine the success or failure of any products we offer. Should you have any questions or would like further information on Urban Outfitters and/or the Urban Renewal brand, please feel free to reach out to me directly…
Thanks,
Shelby
We don’t know how to respond to this, so we will let Gollum speak for us instead.
[…] UPDATE, January 2, 2013: The retail strategy team for Urban Outfitters responded to us tonight. […]
Linking the name Juan with a company known for it’s low-paid job doesn’t seem to pass the smell test. I don’t think they are lying about the idea for the shirt. There are connotations about a person working at Wal Mart and there are deeper connotations and images when you link a Latino name to the worker. The shirt has a much different appeal to it with the name “Juan” than it would with “John” or “Johnny.” On the other hand, Juan is a “mainstream” name with over 500,000 people in the US sharing it.
I need to get myself one of these shirts. I am going to be walking from Beijing to London this year, self producing a documentary and writing a book about my life on the road. I could do with some more vintage clothing. 🙂
– Michael Lee Johnson
http://www.michaelleejohnson.com
[…] By Latino Rebels […]
I don’t think Walmart, a big company like that would do such things to hurt their reputation!! Obviously, what they did is sheer genius!! I think it is just a coincidence that the name “Juan” is there. Juan is actually quite a popular name you know.
[…] which made headlines in 2011; its “Juan at Walmart” t-shirt controversy first reported by Latino Rebels, which angered the Latino community; and accusations that the company stole local designers’ […]
Excellent post.
Excellent post.
[…] controversy follows Urban Outfitters’ sale of a “Juan at WalMart” shirt earlier this year notes Latino Rebels; in 2012, the Navajo Nation sued Urban Outfitters for use of […]
[…] controversy follows Urban Outfitters’ sale of a “Juan at WalMart” shirt earlier this year notes Latino Rebels; in 2012, the Navajo Nation sued Urban Outfitters for use […]
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