I had a friend end a friendship over this. Brands can be very personal - again, it's the whole meaning thing. Isn't it funny how today a brand like Carhartt, a working class, blue collar, practical brand of work clothes can mean authenticity to one consumer, let's say an oil rig worker in Alaska, and a completely differenet thing to a skater punk in Berlin? Smart brands know this, and even smarter brands are able to exploit it, or maximize it. I think it's fascinating how far some brands can stretch, but not surprising in a world where identity is more easily defined by the brands one chooses, than by originality.
Still the wholesome brand of the working class, construction workers in the US now have to share thier 'non-brand' attitude with fashionable youth who are adopting thier garb, but with a different statement to make. Should anyone be angry?
A Flickr Photo of the Alaska State fair's crusty Carhartt contest
A Carhart retail store in Berlin, Germany, catering to a street/punk/skater culture, where the brand allows customization across all of its retail stores.
2 comments:
Blogger mike said...
Just to be clear, the friendship ended because you are an intellectually, emotionally and physically repulsive human being.
That vacation, and your behavior simply reinforced my suspicion that you are not only despicable, but incapable of creating anything, much less an interpersonal relationship. The only standpoint from which you are even remotely interesting is a psychological one; and your obsession with one-upping me is oh so telling, in your book and in this blog. Apparently you're blind to how pathetic this makes you look to your handful of followers and the few unfortunate souls who bought your book.
Am I angry about your criticism of my fashion? No. In fact I find it flattering that pansy-ass poseurs like you and your other mediocre graphic-designer friends want to look like you might actually be able to create something by wearing work clothes.
Face it, the fact that I rejected your romantic advances is the reason you berated me so much in the first place and you just can't let that go. I guess your self-professed brilliant mind just couldn't understand how someone like me could possible have rejected someone so wonderful as you.
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