We really just kind of put the shirt out there this week. It’s not necessarily profit at all. I wanted to bring some awareness to the issue. I felt it would be a good way to expose the store, to get our name out there.Young Nation Apparel owner Karriem Muhammad • Discussing his choice to sell a $35 hoodie with the phrase ”Please Don’t Shoot Me I Only Have Skittles And A Drink!!!” on it — a clear reference to the Trayvon Martin case. Muhammad and others are selling apparel referencing the case, some in Sanford, Fla., where the shooting took place. But selling such products is not necessarily an idea with ulterior motives. “People can start to wear their feelings and emotions. It makes sense, even if there’s a profit motive,” noted Donna Hoffman, a marketing professor at the University of California-Riverside. “There’s a legitimate interest in sharing the pain, and these products do that.” Even so, Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, filed for trademarks for products referencing her son, a move intended to block the exploitation of her son’s name. What do you guys think? Are such products exploitative?
» But they’re expanding in China: Why the change, you ask? It’s all a part of the “natural pruning” process for the company, which is streamlining its supply chain. High quality global journalism requires investment. “I’ll be the first to say that our stores have not been executing with the consistency that they need to execute at in order to deliver the kind of brand experience that we are committed to delivering,” said the company’s North American president, Arthur Peck. The company plans to cut back on some of the poorly-performing stores, open up a few more outlet stores, and boost its presence in Asia. No word on a new logo.
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
