Outraged Upstate New Yorkers Rip H&M for New ‘Upstate NYC’ Sweatshirt

For people who live in our area, no question will start an argument faster than this one: where does Upstate New York start, and where does it end?

The term Upstate New York has a fairly broad definition, to say the least. Some people believe it begins north of Westchester County, while others believe it doesn't start until you get outside of the Capital Region.

No matter what your belief on this issue is, we can all agree that "Upstate New York" will never include New York City, and that shared belief is what made this new clothing item, released by H&M, so difficult to comprehend.

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New H&M 'Upstate NYC' Sweatshirt Goes Viral, Angering Loyal Upstate NY'ers

A story from The Times Union and New York Upstate shared photos of a newly-released garment that's been stirring up controversy across Upstate New York...whatever your definition of that term may be.

The clothing item in-question is a hoodie, created by the company H&M. The sweatshirt features the word Upstate in block lettering, which seemed completely normal at first glance.

Then, when you pan down and look at the crest under the block letters, you'll notice three letters etched in the middle of it. Take a look:

Yes, you're seeing that correctly: the sweatshirt says Upstate NYC across the front of it. As mused by New York Upstate writer Samantha House, this mythical location has baffled confused H&M shoppers across the state.

Here was one funny response to the sweatshirt that we found on Twitter:

This is either a dumb geographical mistake by H&M, or a genius marketing ploy. People who live in Upstate New York are very territorial, and anyone who speaks ill of Upstate is asking for trouble. The sweatshirt has gone viral in recent days, so in hindsight, maybe this "mistake" was actually the company's plan from the beginning.

The sweatshirt is currently available for $34.99 on H&M's website. I would expect them to sell fairly quickly, with the target market being people who live in New York City who want to poke fun at their brethren up north.

The re-sale market is already preparing for these hoodies to sell-out, as one Poshmark user has already placed a "used" hoodie up for-sale...for $70.

Grab a hoodie while they're still available, so you can annoy the Upstate New Yorker in your life today!