The most controversial merchandise of 6 major retailers

Trying too hard to be "edgy" is often a losing proposition

Victoria's Secret headdress
(Image credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Remember Urban Outfitters' pill bottle-shaped flask and "Navajo hipster panty?" We wish we didn't. And yet somehow, despite all the bureaucracy required to take a retail item from conception to shelves, retailers still manage to green light offensive items, inciting widespread backlash and leaving PR departments scrambling to issue apologies.

Here are some of the most memorable headline-making incidents that have left apparel companies in hot water over the years:

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Karina Martinez-Carter is an assistant editor at Map Happy and a freelance journalist based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her work has appeared with BBC Capital, BBC Travel, Thrillist and Quartz, among other publications.