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US retailer faces American wrath over upside down flag T-shirt

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By John Glenday, Reporter

May 26, 2015 | 1 min read

Californian retail clothing brand PacSun is facing the wrath of its own shoppers following the display of a disrespectful mannequin sporting a T-shirt with an upside down stars and stripes motif.

The inverted treatment of the American flag was not well received with many upset customers venting their fury on the store's Twitter feed, angered that the display coincided with Memorial Day – a time when Americans come together to honour deceased soldiers.

Amongst those to voice their displeasure was Joni Stant who commented: “The upside-down flag shirt is completely inappropriate & disrespectful. Your company is a perfect example of many things going wrong in America today."

Another, Fawn Mac, wrote: "As a Veteran I find your flag T-shirt disgusting as well as you Memorial Day sale....I don't fall into the commercialization of Memorial Day."

Designed in collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky it is unclear whether the piece was purposefully intended as a political statement or a mere graphic design. Display of an upside down flag has traditionally been used to signal ‘extreme danger to life or property’.

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