I can't quite put my finger on it -- and I've got some long ass fingers, whoop, whoop! -- but just about everything about American Apparel rubs me the wrong way. I'll admit the whole thing was brilliantly concocted and perfectly executed: they've completely tapped into the contemporary hipster/urban aesthetic, and I think they've actually begun contributing to its direction. And while I find the CEO really creepy (and not in just some knee-jerk, 'you're treading on my values'-way), I think he's playing his cards superbly: ad campaign, PR plan, branding, key messages, company positioning, expansion strategy, etc.
All that notwithstanding, the whole thing is too proactive/in my face.
First off, fuck LA.
Second off, maybe it's my proximity to this whole world, but I find it unsettling to feel so marketed to. I really can't hate, because again, it's all been very well orchestrated...but it's relatively akin to the feeling I get when I see politicians on Sunday morning talk shows. I'm in awe of their command of the practice -- and that's precisely what freaks me out.
Third, this shit is spreading like wild fire and instead of looking distinct, it's becoming the new quasi-hipster dress code. Man, the interconnectedness of things (now) is a trip. Like when seersucker hit in May. It went from the pages of GQ and Stuff to the shoulder blades of every aviator glasses wearing dork in a matter of 15 days. American Apparel has been around since '97, but the velocity with which it's hitting critical mass (true, I live in this bubble called New York) is off-putting.
Anyway, this whole discussion is probably too 'inside baseball', but it's on my mind, so I'm sharing.
Oh, also, BUY A COPY OF MY NEW MIXTAPE.
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