There’s no rule that fashion can’t offend, but some shit is just gross. Case in point: the “Samsara” collection by upstart streetwear label, Bstroy, which prominently featured collegiate-style hoodies adorned with bullet holes and the names of “famous” school shooting locations.
As detailed (with appropriate disdain) by Fashionista, the hoodies were debuted during NYFW, when the brand presented the offending garments which feature block letters reading “Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Stoneman Douglas and Columbine on them.” Unsurprisingly, online reactions were both swift and negative. Although, I can’t help but wonder if that was precisely the desired outcome, as we’re all now writing about a brand we didn’t know existed a week ago.
In case you’re wondering if the designers, Brick Owens and Duey Catorze (presumably not their legal names), had a good explanation, they don’t. The show notes actually somehow make things worse: “Sometimes life can be painfully ironic. Like the irony of dying violently in a place you consider to be a safe, controlled environment, like school,” they read. “We are reminded all the time of life’s fragility, shortness, and unpredictability yet we are also reminded of its infinite potential.”
What the fuck. (Also, this somehow isn’t the first time Columbine has been used for Fancy Streetwear™. Enfants Riches Deprimes did it too, and got rightfully dragged.)
As the story said, “fashion is political and can be used to bring major issues to everyone’s attention, but we’re not exactly sure if these distressed hoodies are exemplary of that.” That makes two.
In a best-case scenario, the profits from these would go to Moms Demand Action or Everytown for Gun Safety, but there isn’t any indication that’s going to be the case. Instead, some of the most horrific tragedies of our time will be used to market hoodies that “could potentially cost up to $210.”
Again, what the fuck.
You can read more about it at Fashionista.
