DW Diaz's New Urban Infitters Line: Genocide Chic! Navajo Nation Sues Urban Outfitters. In a sequel to the drama that unfolded in the fall, the Navajo Nation has sued Urban Outfitters for trademark infringement and violations of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
Last year, the Navajo Nation sent Urban Outfitters a cease and desist letter demanding it stop promoting items in its store such as socks, underwear and plastic trinkets as "Navajo. " A public furor erupted in October when a member of the Santee Sioux nation distributed "An Open Letter to Urban Outfitters on Columbus Day. " With bloggers hurling outrage and mainstream media picking up the story, Urban Outfitters quietly pulled the controversial items from its website. The Nation's lawsuit, filed yesterday in U.S. Urban Outfitters - Unfit to Use the Navajo Name. Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Condition. Discussion » Unfit A couple of years ago, when the Tea Party was yet emerging, an acquaintance asked me if I were going to attend one of their rallies in my hometown. Heard Museum: American Indian Art and History.
Regarding Urban Outfitters and other Purveyors of "Native" Fashion. Neo-Navajo fashion: Trend or tradition? By Jaimee Rose - Sept. 25, 2011 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic And now, from the people who think they know everything about what we should be wearing, comes a new trend about which we Arizonans might know a bit more.
At Neiman Marcus, just racks away from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's latest leather offering, there's a kicky cashmere shift dress - all geometry in deep red, black and cream - that looks exactly like the Navajo blanket on display in the Heard Museum (hand-loomed in 1880, just so you know). At Forever 21 in Scottsdale, mannequins wear $8 feather necklaces while posed in positions not unlike a ceremonial dance - and the sign in the window says "Into the Wild.
" Heard Museum (heardmuseum) Urban Outfitters Pulls Navajo Name from Collection; Heard Museum Weighs In on Native-Inspired Fashion That Should Be Produced. Way to go, Urban Outfitters.
Last week, the clothing store caused a nationwide stir in Native American communities with its collection of "Navajo-inspired" items. Community members signed petitions, open letters were sent, and the Arizona-based Navajo Nation ordered a cease and desist on the word "Navajo" (to which it owns the trademark). A heated debate about the cultural insensitivity -- and legality -- of the clothing store's collection quickly followed.
Until Wednesday morning, the collection included the Navajo Print Fabric Wrapped Flask, the OBEY Wool Navajo 5-Panel Cap, and the Navajo Hipster Panty. But a search on the Urban Outfitters website for "Navajo" now returns no results. We decided to take the issue to the experts at the Heard Museum in downtown Phoenix, who were more than happy to weigh in and show a few artistic and cultural inspirations Urban Outfitters skipped out on. She shows us some of the pieces going into the newest exhibition at the gallery, including Steven J. Heard Museum. BEYOND BUCKSKIN. Navajo Should Aim Higher Than Court Victory. Fashion Law Center Legal Editorial Urban Outfitters’ controversial “Navajo Hipster Panty” In its recent lawsuit against Urban Outfitters for the unauthorized use of the Navajo Nation’s trademarks, the Navajo Nation risks winning a limited or even counter-productive victory.
The underlying issue in this case is too important (the global exploitation of the intellectual property of indigenous peoples) to be fully resolved in a courtroom. Urban Outfitters has certainly been guilty of a major public relations gaffe and it seems likely that they have committed trademark infringement and dilution as well, among other things. However, a court victory by the Navajo Nation will do little to address the broader problem, which is that corporations profitably exploit the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples but then do nothing to compensate or reward those indigenous peoples.
The basic facts are simple. When the U.S. Prof Guillermo C. Misappropriation or Chic? Hello everybody!
I just came across this radio episode that features three important perspectives on the Navajo/UO case. First up is Ben Shelly, the current president of the Navajo Nation. Then, fashion law professor Susan Scafidi weighs in (check out her site, Counterfeit Chic, where you can read her musings on cultural appropriation in fashion). Then we hear from FIT prof Guillermo Jimenez who discusses this topic from an international perspective. Misappropriation or chic? Hipster chic, or stealing? In February, the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe in the United States, with more than 300,000 members across Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, fought back. Navajo Nation Fights Urban Outfitters Over 'Disrespectful' Clothing Line. Beyond Buckskin. Media.scpr.org/audio/upload/2012/03/19/Navajo_Lawsuit_1.mp3.
Urban Outfitters is Obsessed with Navajos. Native Appropriations Takes Down Urban Outfitters. Aw snap!
N8V Appropriations (nativeapprops) Urban Outfitters pulls Navajo name from collection. Please support our site by enabling javascript to view ads.
Urban Outfitters has pulled the word "Navajo" from its website in the wake of criticism from the Native American community, The Associated Press reports. The clothing chain has removed the word from numerous product names online As recently as last week, Urban Outfitters used "Navajo" in more than 20 product names on its website. Two items in particular stirred up controversy: the "Navajo Hipster Panty" and the "Navajo Print Fabric Wrapped Flask. " Earlier this year, the Navajo Nation, which holds the "Navajo" trademark when used in relation clothing, footwear, online retail sales and textiles, sent a cease and desist letter to Urban Outfitters.
Bloggers — including Native Appropriations — called the products disrespectful. Urban Outfitters spokesman Ed Looram confirmed to the AP Wednesday that the clothing chain received a cease-and-desist letter from the Navajo tribe a week ago. An Open Letter to Urban Outfitters on Columbus Day. By Guest Contributor Sasha Houston Brown Dear Glen T.
Senk, CEO Urban Outfitters Inc. This past weekend, I had the unfortunate experience of visiting a local Urban Outfitters store in Minneapolis. It appeared as though the recording “artist” Ke$ha had violently exploded in the store, leaving behind a cheap, vulgar and culturally offensive retail collection. Plastic dreamcatchers wrapped in pleather hung next to an indistinguishable mass of artificial feather jewelry and hyper sexualized clothing featuring an abundance of suede, fringe and inauthentic tribal patterns. In all seriousness, as a Native American woman, I am deeply distressed by your company’s mass marketed collection of distasteful and racially demeaning apparel and décor.
All too often industries, sports teams and ignorant individuals legitimize racism under the guise of cultural “appreciation”. Urban Outfitters Removes 24 Products Labeled ‘Navajo’ By Dahlia Grossman-Heinze | October 27, 2011 at 6:33 pm This article is part of our campaign on Voting Rights.
Check out more reporting, research, and actions on Voting Rights → Human Rights Petition: Urban Outfitters: Remove the "Navajo" Collection from Stores! An Open Letter to Urban Outfitters on Columbus Day. Urban Outfitters, You Ain't Navajo. Oh man, what do you get when you combine Urban Outfitters with the critical minds of Jezebel, Racialicious, Native Appropriations, and Indian lawyers?!
- this little ditty below. Urban Outfitters Taken to Task for Faux ‘Navajo’ Products. Fashion retailer Urban Outfitters has landed in hot water after a scathing letter points out its (potentially illegal) fascination with all things Navajo. Earlier this week, Sasha Houston Brown of Minneapolis published an open letter to the company’s CEO as a guest contributor on the blog Racialicious. Brown posits that the frequent use of “Navajo” to describe and market Urban Outfitters’ products is offensive, and moreover, a possible violation of federal law.
“As a Native American woman, I am deeply distressed by your company’s mass marketed collection of distasteful and racially demeaning apparel and décor,” Brown writes. “I take personal offense to the blatant racism and perverted cultural appropriation your store features this season as ‘fashion.’ ” (MORE: Art: The Navajo Blanket) Urban Outfitters Under Fire for 'Navajo' Collection. <br/><a href=" US News</a> | <a href=" Business News</a> Copy An open letter by a Native American woman from Minnesota has turned up the heat on the retail chain Urban Outfitters because of a line of "Navajo" items she claims are culturally offensive. Sasha Houston Brown, 24, decided to take action after walking into an Urban Outfitters store in Minneapolis and seeing Navajo-labeled products that disturbed her. She sent her complaint to the company's CEO by email and conventional mail, saying she was offended by "plastic dreamcatchers wrapped in pleather hung next to an indistinguishable mass of artificial feather jewelry and hyper sexualized clothing featuring an abundance of suede, fringe and inauthentic tribal patterns.
" Furious Native Americans force Urban Outfitters to remove 'Navajo' description from fashion items. By Tamara Abraham Updated: 14:25 GMT, 20 October 2011 Urban Outfitters has removed the word 'Navajo' from product names on its U.S. website after it was accused of being 'disrespectful' and 'culturally offensive' to Native Americans. Until yesterday, the retailer had listed 21 different products described as 'Navajo' for sale online. The items, which include sweaters, T-shirts, dresses, socks and even a hip flask, are now described as 'printed' instead. Urban Outfitter's 'Navajo' Problem Becomes A Legal Issue. I agree on all counts. The Ke$ha thing was unnecessary and if I am wrong, please do not force the truth upon me: there are not people who saw those panties and thought, "Wow, real Navajo panties!
" "Beside the point and rather tacky"—> much like Kesha herself. Joking aside, Kesha's gotten a lot of flack for dressing up in day-glo "warpaint" and wearing feathered headdresses— presumably the author sees her influence in the fact that UO jumped on this trend. Urban Outfitters in Trouble for Selling ‘Navajo’ Underwear. Urban Outfitters Catches Heat Over ‘Navajo Hipster Panty’ And Other Bright Ideas. Urban Outfitters’ ‘Indian Chic’ Prompts Sadly Familiar Outrage. It doesn’t take more than the ubiquitous Che Guevara t-shirt to know that corporate America loves to pimp other people’s culture for profits.