The Secret Life of Anthropologie
Image from Anthropologie
I will be the first to admit that I truly love Anthropologie’s sense of Old World sophistication—from its bright hand-embroidered napkins and burnished vintage-inspired drawer pulls to its wispy, lace-edged blouses and billowy Mediterranean skirts. Not that I could ever afford anything there or find anything worth affording, even before I fell into the steady gait of a life lived in voluntary simplicity. My husband could regale you with tales, however, of a time when he used to have to hoist my limp, quietly sobbing form from the store and drag me down West Broadway, sighing as I occasionally punctuated the air with gasps of “so … pretty…”
I even like Anthropologie’s boho kid sister, Urban Outfitters, and, on more than one occasion, have briefly entertained the notion of spray-painting all my furniture white and psychedelic pink, and then hanging a kicky little chandelier above my postmodern tableau. (Don’t worry, I don’t subscribe to Country Living for nothing.)
So it’s a pity that, despite the fact I never actually shop at either of the stores (preferring instead to soak up the eye candy vicariously), I’ll have to actively girlcott the two places. (Besides using sweatshops in Turkey, India, or Sri Lanka, Urban Outfitters has also been accused of “borrowing heavily” from indie designers.)
Manhattan User’s Guide points out, in its Oct. 4 e-mail, that both stores are owned by Richard Hayne, who according to the Star Tribune, “contributed more than $13,000 to Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., most recently noted for comments comparing homosexuality to bestiality.”
The writer continues to say:
This incongruity represents a common, troubling phenomenon in retail. It seems that it’s getting harder and harder to shop our values with each passing year.
Never doubt that we vote for the kind of future we want with our dollars, which is why it’s more important than ever to support green and fair-trade businesses. Visit ResponsibleShopper.org to educate yourself about the real values some of our biggest brands represent, and ask yourself whether they’re yours, too.
Nonnahs said,
October 4, 2006 at 11:56 am
Thanks for sharing- this is good to know. Terribly depressing, but good to know.
azgoddess said,
October 4, 2006 at 12:12 pm
thanks so much for the link to responsible shopper. org — wonderful site!!
felicia sullivan said,
October 4, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Omigod, this is horrifying. I have loved Anthro for years, but found, as of late, that their clothes don’t suit my newly-minted budget mentality. Even more heartbreaking to hear that the owner supports a close-minded bigot.
Thanks for the tip, as always!
Cheers, Felicia
Felicia C. Sullivan » Blog Archive » agent interview: matthew carnicelli… said,
October 4, 2006 at 12:33 pm
[…] unrelated, yet again: just when you thought it was safe to swipe that debit card, jasmin smartly posts about the ills that plague urban outfitters and anthropologie and the rat fink owner who supports a close-minded bigot. you vote with your dollar and i couldn’t agree more. also, via jasmin, i discovered girlcott. Tag Me:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
Heidi said,
October 4, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Gah, it’s not like I didn’t know something like this was lurking behind all the goodness. I wonder if Bono and his wife, who make the Edun line of jeans that I see occasionally on the Anthropologie site, know about this. Ironically, I’m knitting a sweater from the recent Vogue Knitting that is a blatant rip off of a sweater seen on their site last winter. Huh.
Stephy said,
October 4, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Thanks for the reminder. There was a similar article a few years ago in the Washington City Paper, but I had forgotten about it. Not that I do much shopping at Anthropologie or UO, but, Rick Santorum?! Ugh, no way.
In addition, I’ve always been a bit put off by how Urban Outfitters give their merchandise a DIY look. I mean, if you want something that looks DIY, DIY! Or at least buy it from an individual who did, not a corporation.
Mollie said,
October 4, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Oh no. You really know how to ruin a girls day. Ignorance was bliss. I too love, I guess I can now say loved, anthropolgie. I would occassionally splurge on sale items, but for the most part i just loved to look around and let it spur on my own creativity. I now join you in your girlcott.
-Mollie
Summer said,
October 4, 2006 at 7:34 pm
Despicable. I never shop there anyway, but I do go in to look at the interior design. The decorator is a gosh darn genius.
jill danyelle said,
October 5, 2006 at 11:56 pm
yes, a reader tipped me off to this after I wrote about their Renewal Couture, bummer right. BUT, on a brighter note Anthropologie does carry a couple of organic cotton dresses by Edun that are kinds cute.
Guess who’s evil? « The Cake Walk said,
October 7, 2006 at 2:03 pm
[…] Why? Why? Why? […]
One/Change » Blog Archive » Anthropologie said,
October 9, 2006 at 3:47 am
[…] Jasmin over at Worsted Witch, who also shares my love for what she describes as “Anthroplogie’s sense of Old World sophistication”, broke the news to me a couple of days ago in a post. It is incredibly disturbing that Antropologie uses sweatshops. The use of sweatshops, at all, is incredibly disturbing. […]
alex said,
October 13, 2006 at 6:14 pm
I’m sorry, but I just don’t think this is true. I’ve worked with Anthropologie from the inside out (from seasonal gigs to writing about them). There’s two gay guys that created and still run the company and I can assure you, they’re anything but Republican.
Also, the company does A LOT for charity that goes unnoticed. Whereas a lot of companies make big deals about their donations and programs, Anthropologie does not. They give clothes they do not sell to shelters all over the US. The run charities around holiday times where X percent of sales go to various charities.
Are they perfect? No. But you know they try and do SOME things unlike say, Walmart and the like. I know you have issues with Starbucks but at the same time, you hardly ever hear their employees complain about the company because it does so much for those who work there. Nike, same thing plus they’ve totally stepped up their factories and how things are made.
Not every company is a Whole Foods or totally eco-fabulous but there’s change happening. So I wouldn’t shoot down Anthropologie and boycott it because of an article that I’m not sure is entirely accurate.
And I own no stock or have no financial interest in the store.
Jasmin said,
October 13, 2006 at 6:38 pm
Reposted from e-mail:
===
See for yourself.
And speaking of Starbucks, have you not heard of the Starbucks Workers’ Union?
===
If that link doesn’t work, here’s a screenshot of the page I took a few minutes ago.
All those names are Republican, by the way.
I have too much to say regarding the rest of her (rather uninformed) points but going into them in detail would devour this blog. In fact, it already has.
jing said,
January 5, 2007 at 2:38 am
not only socially questionnable, but a complete and utter rip-off; I just never knew how much so until recently - they’re selling an erica weiner necklace for $128 when it can be purchased directly from the designer for $65.
that kind of blatant inflation is ridiculous and insulting.
The Worsted Witch » Free People Vanity Stool said,
August 14, 2007 at 7:18 am
[…] Free People, sister company to Anthropologie, has a wonderfully eclectic eye. How stupendous, for instance, is this vanity stool? Homespun yarns are whipped around its legs, while its seat is cushioned and covered with fabric cut from a vintage quilt. […]