A fashion brand is facing criticism after debuting school shooting themed hoodies during New York Fashion Week.
The New York-based clothing line, Bstroy, unveiled sweatshirts featuring the names of schools that have had devastating shootings, including Columbine, Sandy Hook Elementary, Virginia Tech and Marjory Stoneman Douglas, reports CBS News. Each sweatshirt also featured distressed detailing meant to resemble bullet holes.
One of the sweatshirts in the line had bullet holes and featured “Columbine” across the front. Image: Instagram @bstroy.us
While some praised the hoodies for drawing the public’s attention to the issue of gun violence and school shootings, others, like family members of those who died in the shooting, accused the company of profiting from tragedy.
“Under what scenario could somebody think this was a good idea?” Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in shooting in Parkland, tweeted. “This has me so upset. If any of my followers know anybody involved with this clothing line, please ask them to stop it immediately.”
Those who survived mass shootings shared their dissatisfaction with the hoodies as well.
“I lived through this … to make money off of something pathetic like this is disgusting,” wrote Angelina Lazo, a survivor of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas. “You don’t even know how it is to live every day with reminders everywhere you go.. there’s so much trauma with not only myself but with thousands of other people who have experienced gun violence… this is disgusting.”
The designer of the brand, Brick Owens, shared a post on Instagram to explain his reasoning behind the collection.
“Sometimes life can be painfully ironic,” Owens wrote. “Like the irony of dying violently in a place you consider to be a safe, controlled environment, like school. We are reminded all the time of life’s fragility, shortness, and unpredictability yet we are also reminded of its infinite potential.”
This is not the first time a brand has used school shooting as a part of its fashion line. In 2014, Urban Outfitters sold “vintage” blood-stained Kent State sweatshirts, referencing the 1970 shooting at the college that left four students dead. The company ultimately apologized and pulled the piece from its inventory.
