Urban Outfitters, Right-Wing Cash Cow

Recycled news, but the frequent Urban Outfitters shoppers among you might be interested to know where a lot of your fashionably spent money goes: directly into the pockets of the far-right-wing establishment:

"...Shopping in Urban makes you feel like you are somewhere radically Left-wing, an antidote to the corporate blandness of The Gap. But Hayne is a stanch conservative who donates money to Republican politicians, not least Rick Santorum, a now failed Senator whose views on homosexuality are both bizarre and old-fashioned.

Hayne doesn't give many interviews precisely because he's afraid that college slackers who get to know him will suddenly realise that buying his clothes is like giving cash to George Bush. Once described as projecting a "Dick Cheney-esque aura of no-nonsense grayflannel gravitas", Hayne must be the only retailer whose expansion plans depend on no one finding out who he really is.

Despite the strife in the sector, Urban just beat Wall Street profit expectations yet again. So far, the illusion is holding up perfectly."

Just saying, even if you don't aspire to be a conscious consumer/haven't taken any standard social theory classes, it's hard to miss the cynicism/ingenious irony of taking money from progressive liberals to give to social conservatives. Although this is the place that used to sell Ghettopoly, "Voting is for Old People" t-shirts, and kaffiyehs, so calculated cynicism shouldn't be that surprising.

Links:
- ThisIsMoney: Square Who Got Hip to Urban Chic
- Philadelphia Weekly: Clothes Make the Man

How to feel like James Bond

Greg Trelski is the A&E editor of the Campus Lantern, a student publication at Eastern Connecticut State University. He also knows something most people don't (thanks for the tip, Greg!):

Underground Shopping in Boston:

"Speaking with the person behind the counter is the most important step in the process of accessing Bodega. “Yo man, I’m here for the goods.” Expect for the person to pretend like they have no clue what you’re referencing, and just respond with something like, “Quit bullshittin’ me man.” With a push of a button, the Snapple machine you thought would steal your dollar turns out to be the doorway to the coolest shopping experience in The Northeast."
More here.