A clothing company is getting lambasted after creating hoodies inspired by school shootings. The hoodies, which are emblazoned with the logos of Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook and Marjory Stoneman Douglas, are covered in rips that resemble bullet holes. Again – there are “bullet holes” in the hoodies.
The offending clothing company is Bstroy, and it was founded by Brick Owens and Duey Catorze. Last week, Bstroy featured its mass shooting hoodies in a New York City fashion show. And after posting photos on Instagram, Owens and Catorze are getting an earful.
“Elementary school kids died – what is wrong with y’all,” wrote one Instagram user.
“There are more productive ways of opening discourse than blatantly profiting off the deaths of 6-year-old children,” wrote another.
There are even comments from people who claim to have survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting.
“My dead classmates dying should not be a fu&*ing fashion statement.”
“I lived through this. To make money off of something pathetic like this is disgusting.”
To be clear, the hoodies aren’t for sale. But in response to all the outrage, Owens and Catorze are thinking about putting them on the market. That’s right. After seeing how many people have been hurt by their creation, they plan to profit from it. (Way to represent the best of humanity, boys.)
“At Bstroy, we have always used our platform to shed light and begin conversations on overlooked issues from reality,” said Catorze in a conversation with Insider. “We wanted to make a comment on gun violence and the type of gun violence that needs preventative attention and what its origins are, while also empowering the survivors of tragedy through storytelling in clothes.”
Catorze told Insider that his critics “want to release hateful energy.”
Let’s pick that apart for a sec. The guy who created hoodies based on school shootings and riddled with “bullet holes” says that he’s “empowering the survivors of tragedy.” How these hoodies can be seen as anything other than an affront to survivors and the families of school shooting victims is beyond me.
But if you are offended, Catorze thinks you’re just full of hateful energy. Ironic when you consider that the hoodies themselves appear to have been borne from hateful energy.
It Gets Better
Catorze shared an Instagram screenshot with Insider that apparently shows an argument he had with another Instagram user. The user wrote, “Super wack is it supposed to be cool to wear the location of a school shooting on ur distressed hoodie.”
In response, Catorze wrote, “Despite your attempt to minimize me into whatever assumptions you’ve made, knowing nothing about me or the intentions of my art, I still love you as a human and wish the best for you.”
Catorze told Insider that the hoodies are meant to “explore societal issues” and the “dated ideas that still shape the assumptions we make about each other.” I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I think when I see a hoodie that says “Sandy Hook” and looks like it’s been torn apart by an AR-15.
To find out more about Bstroy, visit their official website and Instagram page.
Bstroy School Shooting Hoodies — Sources
Bstroy — official website
Bstroy — Instagram page
Insider