A fashion brand has sparked outrage after launching school shooting-inspired hoodies with bullet holes on them.
The hooded tops also have names of schools affected by shooting incidents.
Co-founded by Dieter Grams and Brick Owens, Bstroy sent models down the runway in hooded tops that read Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Stoneman Douglas, and Columbine. However, people were not happy about the move.
There were holes all over the hoodies, likely to suggest bullet holes after 32 were killed in Virginia shooting in 2007, 13 in Columbine in 1999, 17 in Florida’s Stoneman Douglas, and 27 in Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
One Instagram user commented on a photo of the design: “Profiting off of tragedy. The dudes who are gonna wearing this hoodie aren’t activists who wanna spread awareness. They’re just tryna flex. It’s all materialism, no activism.”
But some people suggested that it was a way for the company to help the memory of victims live on.
One wrote: “Don’t let them be forgotten bro.”
But another person suggested that those supporting the hoodies were hypocritical. “People who say they need this are the ones who cried about Gucci’s black face and Burberry’s noose. S**ts lame,” the internet user wrote.
The designers explained their thinking behind the new collection. Their note reads: “Sometimes life can be painfully ironic. Like the irony of dying violently in a place you considered to be a safe, controlled environment like school.
“We are reminded all the time of life’s fragility, shortness, and unpredictability yet we are also reminded of its infinite potential. It is this push and pull that creates the circular motion that is the cycle of life.
“Nirvana is the goal we hope to reach through meditation and healthy practices that counter our destructive habits. Samsara is the cycle we must transcend to reach Nirvana.”
However, their note led to more criticisms from people.
One person commented: “Children being mercilessly murdered in their classrooms isn’t a “journey of the soul”. Family members of the victims of these shootings have expressed the pain they felt over this collection. Their voices matter more than whatever pseudo-spiritual message you *thought* you were making.”
Another wrote: “This is my professional illustrating 14 year old niece who was murdered in Parkland. She aspired to be a designer like you. You are profiting off her death. Shame on you. Today I wear her designs cause she can’t. Remember her name – Gina Montalto.”
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Video Credit: Rumble