Dive Brief:
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U.S. veterans, soldiers, and others on Memorial Day — traditionally a time of honoring soldiers who died at war — were angered by a black-and-white T-shirt with an upside-down American flag designed for PacSun by rapper A$AP Rocky that, by many accounts, has been for sale for some time.
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There is speculation that the shirt was designed to be edgy, although several noted that an upside-down flag is known among soldiers to be a sign of distress and under regulations that is the only time the flag can be flown upside down. (Technically, any designs featuring a U.S. flag, even those deemed patriotic, run afoul of such regulations.)
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PacSun pulled the shirt on Monday, although it could still be found in some stores and online for a while after that response, which helped to fuel the social media outrage.
Dive Insight:
PacSun stated that it was pulling the A$AP Rocky shirt, but also seemed to ask consumers to consider its context.
“As a retailer grounded in youth culture, PacSun values artistic and creative expression through the brands that we sell in our stores,” read the retailer’s statement. “Out of respect for those who have put their lives on the line for our country, we have decided to stop selling the licensed flag t-shirt and are removing it from our stores and website immediately. We thank the men and women in uniform for their extraordinary service.”
The statement could be construed as suggesting that those protesting the shirt didn’t understand its youthful creativity. And it’s the kind of not-quite-apology defense that seems to doom retailers whenever they wade into these waters.