Store-On-Tour Video

Store-On-Tour

Brand Extension

Urban Outfitters, Inc. has already branched out into the world of accessories, home furnishings, bridal wear, and even gardening and landscaping. Urban Outfitters stores carry everything from clothing and accessories to bedding and other decorative home furnishings. An interesting brand extension for Urban would be to have clothing and accessories for pets!

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The 1990's meet 2012! Donate vintage clothes from the 1990's to participating Urban Outfitter's stores to be part of Urban Renewals Spring 2012 line and receive 20% off all purchases over $100.

Spring 2012

No photos are available yet from Urban Outfitters Spring 2012 catalogue. Below are a few trend photos that I think might inspire some of the upcoming looks for Urban's Spring 2012 line.

Fall 2011 Catalogue Photos

Urban Outfitter's Fall 2011 Catalogue

Urban Outfitters has always been spotted for its wonderful, vintage-inspired theme, which has been preserved for this fall too. For the cold season, the beloved fashion house brings super trendy pieces and accessories with casual urban chic flair with a little bit of retro twist. Containing lots of attitude, the designers of Urban Outfitters don’t fail to keep the youthful and modernism flair of the collection. This results into a cavalcade of voguish ensembles, letting you mix and match until you find the matchy style for you that will make heads turn.
As this fall it’s much appreciated to go for colorful prints, as well as monochromatic looks, the label tried to combine these two in its latest collection, mixing bold prints with monochromatic pieces, or opting for color blocks that just astound. This way it will certainly appeal to a larger group of fashionistas, letting them feel good and confident in the pieces, quite close to their heart.

 

Spring 2011 Catalogue Photos

Urban's Spring 2011 Catalogue

Sheer, chiffon tank tops are lightweight and easy to wear. Lucky for you fashionistas out there, Urban Outfitters is providing us with plenty of options when it comes to these flowing garments. Loose-fitting silk tees and camisoles are also on the Urban Outfitters menu this spring. The innovative and unique prints that adorn these must-have pieces offer some mod-inspired styles, as well as vintage floral patterns. Looking for something to play up your luscious legs? Urban Outfitters is staying true to form this Spring with sexy Rompers and must-have Hot Shorts. Girly chiffon sundresses are also a hit among the Spring line. Don’t forget about skirts and trousers (spring necessities) that are available by this trendy clothing line. You will have plenty to choose from when it comes to letting your limbs hang out and soak up the sun.

Works Cited

1. http://www.urbn.com/
2. http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/index.jsp
3. http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/10/urban_outfitters_in_trouble_fo.html
4. http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/trolling-for-a-legal-battle-urban-outfitters-sued-for-copyright-infringement_b6193
5. http://fashionentlaw.com/fashion-law/spread-eagle-underage-teen-model-photo-lands-urban-outfitters-photographer-jason-lee-parry-in-28million-trouble/
6. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzI3NzR8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1
7. http://google.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=6584579-1605-10024&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=6549&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcompanyid%253d6549%2526amp%253bformtypeId%253d298
8. http://www.wiretapmag.org/stories/23867/
9.http://www.shopterrain.com/
10. http://www.bhldn.com/the-shop_gowns/

Future Plans

In 2010, Urban Outfitters announced that they would be launching their own brand of wedding dresses! This is music to engaged hipster's ears! The bridal business is called BHLDN and branded under the Anthropologie name. The brand offers gowns, undergarments, shoes, and various accessories. Urban has seen a lot of success with online sales and hopes the future of BHLDN is bright. The gowns range anywhere from $600-$6,000. 

More Sustainability

In my past two posts I have talked about Urban Renewal and Terrain which are two brands by Urban Outfitters that work toward a more Eco-friendly and sustainable environment. These are both fantastic steps in an ever changing society looking to "go-green". I think another step Urban could take would be to use more environmentally friendly fabrics to make their clothing. Examples of these fabrics would be: organic cotton, hemp rayon, and bamboo.

Urban's Green Thumb - Terrain

Urban Outfitters has a home and garden store. Who knew?

The URBN website says this about Terrain:

"Founded in 2008, Terrain transforms the local garden center into a celebration of nature. Our flagship location in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania was inspired by the idea of merging house and garden to create an experience for the senses, catering to our customer with a curated assortment of plants for all seasons, as well as inspired items for the home and garden. Situated in a luxurious indoor-outdoor environment, our on-site nursery is flanked by a cafe and garden terrace, providing the ideal environment to host events and

workshops."

Some photos from the website:

The Terrain nursery at Styer's in Pennsylvania

                                                                                 

Reds & Yellows Tulip Mix

  

      

The Beekman Heirloom Cookbook

Going Green!

Urban Renewal is a brand created by Urban Outfitters that consists of vintage pieces that have been reworked to create new fashions. The Urban Outfitters website says this about Urban Renewal, "The collection is made up of totally one-of-a-kind pieces -- each are handcrafted in Philadelphia from vintage, deadstock, and surplus materials sourced from rag mills around the world."

Working Conditions

I've been searching online to try to find out if Urban Outfitters is affiliated with negative or positive working conditions. Sadly, everything I've found is negative, starting with a very vague Code of Conduct and Ethics created by the company. There are also tons of bloggers who allude to the working conditions and mention "child labor" and "sweatshops". I shop at Urban Outfitters frequently, and never wanted to research this topic for fear of finding out the worst. I've been sticking with the "what you don't know can't hurt you" mentality, as awful as that sounds. But what makes Urban Outfitter's any worse than any other clothing company? Not much. I found an article from WireTap magazine that says, "According to a report by Behind the Label, about 80 percent of workers who make clothes for United States retailers work in conditions that violate labor laws set forth by OSHA. That's over two million people, mostly women and young people under 18." The statistics about child labor are sick, but most of the people in the United States can't afford to stop shopping where they shop because of moral issues. Most affordable clothing is manufactured in other countries with different laws and values. If we all boycotted every retailer who submits to unethical labor, we probably wouldn't have many options left for clothing. This is all simply my opinion. I do think it is a horrible thing and people should become more educated about the situation. In my management class we learned about something called "proximity of effect", which is the social, psychological, or physical distance of a decision maker to those effected by his or her decisions. I think this pertains to the issue at hand because we do not feel directly related to the laborers. Because we don't relate to them or their way of life, we are less likely to take a stand or stop buying clothes because of the way they are treated. Things definitely need to change, but retailers and customers need to be on the same page.


UO Code of Conduct
Securities and Exchange Comission and UO
WireTap Magazine

Urban & Legal Troubles

Urban Outfitters is no stranger to legal troubles. Posted below are links to some stories involving Urban Outfitters and legal issues.


Navajo "no-no"
Copyright Infringement
Underage Model