The textile or apparel industry is associated with the design and production of clothing and the distribution of it. In 2002 apparel manufacturing covered for $400 billion in global exports, which is six percent of the world trade, eight percent of world trade in manufactured goods. Early in the 21st century the leading importing and exporting countries were very developed ones. Online sales havebecome increasingly high over the years, in 2010 $165. 4 billion was spent in online apparel sales. The growth rate in 2010 of online sales was 22. 2%. This graph represents this information and shows the rapid growth.
Urban Outfitters was founded by Richard Hayne, Scott Belair, and Gabriel Tham-Morrobel in 1970. They originated as “The Free People’s Store” with a concentration on funky household items and clothing. The company was renamed in 1976. In March 2001, the company reclassified shipping and handling revenue into net sales. Richard Hayne is the CEO of Urban Outfitters. He co-founded Urban Outfitters with his ex-wife. His net worth is $1. 8 billion, making him the 262 richest person in the United States of America. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1969 with a degree in anthropology.
He has been criticized for supporting and funding republican politicians. Hayne is 68 years old. Scott Belair is the co-founder of Urban Outfitters. He met Richard Hayne at Lehigh University when they were roommates. Scott also attended the University of Pennsylvania business school. One night when Belair and Hayne met for beer they came up with the idea of an inexpensive, quirky clothing store geared toward college students (Urban Outfitters. ) Urban Outfitters is an American clothing company, which is multinational and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It mainly consists of men’s and women’s apparel, footwear, eauty, accessories, active wear, and housewares.
The style for many of these products would be considered bohemian, hipster, retro, vintage, or humorous. Urban Outfitters is the parent company and manages five different brands: Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, BHLDN, and itself (Urban Outfitters. ) These brands are in over four hundred retail locations in the world. It sells its products to specialty stores and department stores, if not they are sold directly to customers through websites and other means. As of January 2015, 238 stores are under operation: 179 in the USA, 16 in Canada, and 43 in Europe.
It is a publicly owned company, chaired by Robert Hayne. He has the greatest amount of shares in the company (27. 85 million shares. ) It is also held by many large investors, for example, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Maverick Capital Ltd, Vanguard Group, and Capital Guardian Trust Company. Their target age group is men and women from 18 to 28. Urban Outfitters received the 2007 Global Award for Excellence from the Urban Land Institute. Urban Outfitters is the parent company of many brands including: Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters has been described as hipster, kitschy, bohemian, and retro style.
It carries some quirky or funny merchandise for example, graphic tees with an ironic saying. They tailor to hipster culture and fashion, which involves incorporated influences from other decades. Some of the brands they sell include: Kimchi Blue, BDG, Pins & Needles, Sparkle & Fade, Silence + Noise, Coincidence & Chance, Deena & Ozzy, Ecote and Staring at Stars. Urban Outfitters says that their ability to connect to customers was the reason for their success. They seek to create a different shopping experience for the young audience. In 2011, Urban Outfitters began to sell Polaroid cameras, this fits with the retro style.
Their mission is “To build a strong emotional bond with customers and build lifestyle environments that appeal and offer correct fashion products on a timely basis. Our customers are the inspiration for everything the company does. ” They also say that they, “Stock our stores with what we love, calling on our customer’s interest in contemporary art, music and fashion. From men’s & women’s apparel and accessories to items for the apartment, we offer a lifestyle-specific shopping experience, both online and in our stores as well as through our catalog. ” Another one of the brands that Urban Outfitters is the parent of is: Free People.
Free People is an American bohemian store that sells clothing, accessories intimates, and swimwear. Clothing is distributed globally through the website, boutiques, department stores, and the retail locations in: the United States of America, Canada, and Japan. It was started in 1984 after the success of Urban Outfitters. In 2001, they decided it was time for Free People to become a place where young women could find contemporary brands that would fit their unique style. In 2002, the first boutique was opened in New Jersey. It was decorated to inspire their customers. Currently there are over 81 boutiques in the USA and two in Canada.
Free People started a blog in 2006, showing the culture and lifestyle they promote. It is updated daily and the posts are split into eight different categories: fashion, music, beauty, food, DIY, decor, inspiration, and FP ever after. Each of these allow customers to learn more about the brand. They say that their brand “Provides an inspiring shopping experience for the carefree, confident and curious young woman who appreciates our distinctive assortment of apparel, accessories and houseware! ” The third brand is Anthropologie. Anthropologie celebrates style, art, culture, design, and discovery.
They own and operate 200 worldwide stores. They offer an assortment of women’s clothing, accessories, home furniture, decor, and gifts. The first store opened in 1992. The first European store was released October 2009 in London. Recently, in September 2015, they opened a boutique in the famous Parisian department store, Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville. The brand now operates over 200 stores in the USA, Canada, and Europe. They been known for having imaginative store decor and they even host events throughout the year. Their website gets over 10million visits monthly and their social medias reach more than 4 million people daily.
They describe their products as “An expression of our customer’s appreciation for artfulness and good design. Anthropologie is an escape from the everyday. ” BHLDN is the fourth brand and it sells women’s wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, bridal accessories, and wedding decor. It is the sister brand to Anthropologie. The website was launched on Valentine’s Day 2011 and the first store opened in Houston in August. Terrain is the last brand and it sells garden and backyard supplies, such as outdoor furniture and plants. The idea behind it is to transform your garden into a celebration of nature and something magical.
Urban Outfitters has companied with Faircloth & Supply, which provides uniforms, supplies, and scholarships to Nepalese girls. Dahl created a seven piece collection of oversized clothing sold for prices ranging from $159 to $300. However, despite this Urban Outfitters has had many controversies, including the following. • In 2003 they released a parody version of Monopoly called Ghettopoly, which was criticized and accused of being racist. · In 2006 they offered hand gun Christmas ornaments in Philadelphia only, that year the city had over 1,700 shootings. In May 2008, they had to remove a disrespectful shirt that showed a Palestinian girl holding a gun that said victimized. • In 2010 they were ridiculed for making a shirt that read ‘eat less’ on the stomach. It was considered insensitive to people struggling with eating disorders ad was removed.
• In 2011, an etsy designer claimed that Urban Outfitters had stolen one of her jewelry designs. They claimed I was a very popular design. • Irish-Americans threatened to boycott the company when they released a shirt depicting Irish-Americans as lazy drunkards. Urban Outfitters was condemned for selling a shirt with a six pointed star on it that resembled the star holocaust victims were forced to wear by Nazis. They had to get rid of the shirt. • In February 2014, they released a shirt that read depression in different sizes all over the shirt. This design was found to be insensitive. • In September 2014, there was a Kent State sweatshirt released. There was what appeared to be gun shots and blood spatter on it, said to be indicating the shootings that took place in 1970, though they said that wasn’t the intention..
Most recently in February 2015, a product featured grey and white stripes and a pink triangle. This is a similar pattern to that on clothing gay men were forced to wear during the holocaust by Nazis. . In 2003 they made a shirt that red ‘everyone loves a Jewish girl and was surrounded by dollar signs. Although they have had many controversies, Urban Outfitters has many loyal fans that will continue to shop from them and their other brands because of their laid back appealing style.
