Urban Outfitters Effect 

1) When an item or product that once was or can/could be found for a nominal/low/affordable price. Is unreasonably marked up to sell it as "cool", "indie" or "hip".

2) The commercialization of a "retro", underground, or "ghetto" style, product, clothing for capital gain.

3) Things that used to be stupid, unpopular, childish, uncool, dorky, lame, underground or otherwise socially awkward that are now marketed as mainstream hipster, "cool" or indie- usually to the teenage audience (in a socially positive light).

a) paying $88 for a jacket that looks like you picked it up at the Salvation Army for $5, just so you can be cool.
i.e.
Dude 1- Check out this sick new jacket I got.
Dude 2- Cool man, yea, I was at Salvation Army last week, I was thinking about getting that one.
Dude 1- Nah man, just got back from Urban!
Dude 2- oooooo.... you know they had like that same jacket at Salvo's for like $7 bucks right?
Dude 1- But this one's from Urban Outfitters.
Dude 2- Damn son, you just got fucked by the Urban Outfitters Effect.

b) Selling the Everyone loves a... or image of Little Miss Sunshine, a Technics turntable or "90s" looking tiger on a T-Shirt for $28

Half Italian Female- Like OMFG! They're so right everyone DOES love a little Italian girl!
Male- No.

c) This Urban Outfitters Effect thins is bullshit, they expect me to shell out $28 for a shitty, warn look Lucky Charms shirt? Dude, I saw that same shirt at Wal-Mart for $5.99.

Urban Outfitters Effect by dex110 February 19, 2008