FashBlog.com

I've become quite the stickler about this particular issue...displaying the name of a company on my clothing, shoes or other accessories. Within our culture, it's become not only something everyone does at one point or another, but something that is widely accepted as a fashion statement and a testament to one's character and net worth. So, as always, I did my homework to try and find out how this all began and why.

Placing the maker name on a product is called 'branding'...it can be done with a graphical or textual logo, consisting of a full name, picture, slogan or initials. The goal is to use the brand to market the item to a wider group of prospective buyers. This type of marketing began in the 19th century as a result of industrialization...instead of all merchandise being made within a small, local community it began shipping from a centralized warehouse outside of the community. According to the wiki on the topic, vendors would actually use a branding iron to emblaze their logo on crates and barrels as they left the factor. Hence the name. By the 1980's, brand mania had broken out as executives in the business decided that people didn't actually buy products because they liked them...they bought them because of the BRAND NAME.

Interestingly, it's in the very early 80's that I first recall branding of clothing becoming a fashion hot topic. Anyone alive back then remembers Brooke Shields in the commercials for Calvin Klein jeans. Provocative, sexy...'Nothing comes between me and my Calvins'. I was ten years old, and it was my fondest wish to have a pair of Calvin Klein jeans. They were $50. I had to babysit for quite a few nights to earn that kind of cash, and when the moment came, I could barely squeeze my big ass into a pair. But I wore them with pride, feeling very special. The other kids still made fun of me because I was a chubby nerd, but for a moment...I was a goddess. I outgrew them by the spring, and I cut them up and made them into a drawstring purse so everyone could still see the name. Other jeans came along, Jordache, Sassoon and more...but they just weren't the same.

The next brand fad I recall were Nike sneakers...Nike is the name of the Greek goddess of victory, and they added one of the most recognizable logos EVER...the 'swoosh'. I of course had to have a pair of these...okay, three pair. One standard white with red swoosh, one purple with a white swoosh...the other I cannot recall completely. Michael J Fox wore them in the Back to The Future movies...how could they NOT be cool?

After that things get blurry...we wore shirts with slogans to express ourselves, such as CHOOSE LIFE and FRANKIE SAY RELAX. But no more names for a while. Oh, wait...I forgot about the whole Izod thing. Izod Lacoste, green alligator, collared shirt. The preppy kids had them in all colors of the rainbow...I, however, wasn't a prep so I never touched them.

There were Guess jeans along the way, and acid washed Z Cavaricci jeans and Reebok sneakers (those were the only things I bought...I had become to fat for high fashion by then.) And things seemed to die down for a while.

Once I went to college I went from punk to granola, and grunge happened. I started wearing Eddie Bauer clothes, Birkenstock and Doc Marten shoes...and not much else. Not much has changed either...because at that point I began to remove my head from my butt and realize that by wearing a company name across my chest or ass didn't make me special, it made me a huge sucker and a walking billboard. Yes, folks...it's true. Paris may think its 'hawt', but really it's advertising and marketing genius on a unimaginable scale.

I blame Tommy for the recent explosion...for quite some time, all I saw were clothes with his logo, putting his name right in my face wherever I went. While I think he's a wonderful designer on some level, ENOUGH! Same thing with Aeropostale. Abercrombie & Fitch. And so on.

Now, I'm not going to throw any stones here...because when I was young, I did exactly the same thing. I'd wear anything if I thought it made me look cool, or if it made me FEEL cool. So I understand why kids do this sort of thing. What makes me a mite bit testy is the fact that fashion is marketed at our youth, preying upon their insecurities to make millions.

What about me? Well, I refuse to wear any shirt or type of clothing that promotes anyone but me...with the exception of my NY Yankees T-shirt. I love Eddie Bauer, and I've wanted one of their sweatshirts for the longest time...but there is no way in hell I'm buying something that says Eddie Bauer across the front.

There isn't a thing wrong with wearing expensive designer clothing...I enjoy seeing people looking gorgeous. What IS wrong is companies using you as free advertising...wait, let me think about that...no, it's not free. YOU are paying THEM to be used as an advertising source. That, boys and girls, ain't the way it's supposed to work. You want me to wear your company name all over town? GIVE me the shirt and I'll think about it. I rest my case.