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Clothing and society
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Clothing and society
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Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger, it's a household name now. The patriotic red, white, and blue flag is as well known as the McDonald's arches. Chances are you probably own at least one of his products, jeans, sunglasses, shirts, suits, wallets, underwear, and the list goes on. People of all races, sex, and ethnic background wear his clothing and seem to have no problem paying substantially more money just to have the "Tommy" logo plastered on it. Those who wear Hilfiger are proud of the image it creates for them, they tend to be instilled with a sense of all the things Hilfiger stands for regardless of any controversy that may surround him..
Hilfiger took his first step into the fashion world in 1969. Driving his 1959 Volkswagen, he traveled to New York City with his $150 life savings and bought as many of the trendy "bell- bottom" jeans as he could. He then returned to his small town of Elmira, New York and sold them at a huge profit since the jeans were unavailable there and the demand was high. These profits led to the opening of his first store called "People's Place," with 9 more stores soon to follow. (History Of TH) In 1985, Tommy Hilfiger established himself in department stores across the U.S. At first sales were modest, it was a new brand to most, no one else was wearing it, why should people buy it? Making himself easily accessible to consumers and frequently visiting stores and talking with shoppers, he implemented peoples suggestions into his clothing line. Slowly, his line started to become more popular. Teenagers became his driving force at first, but as his company grew, he started to widen his consumer group.
The first thing to consider is how Tommy markets his clothing. Traveling the...
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..."As a man of American culture, I hope to continue to investigate how it works, how ideas and images can be put together, taken apart, and reassembled." (Hilfiger, p193)
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Assoicated Press. "Designer Hilfiger disputes Net rumors of racism."
USA Today 28 February, 1999: News4
Berns, Walter. "On Patriotism"
Public Interest 127 (Spring 1997) p19-30
Hilfiger, Tommy All American
New York: MadHouse Productions, 1997
"History Of Tommy Hilfiger" 101799
http://members.tripod.com/~netmage/history.html 61597
Jordan, Anthony. "The Soul of Americanism"
American Legion 144 (1998) p8
Jost, Kenneth "Patriotism in America"
CQ Researcher 25 June 1999: 545-567
Mouffe, Chantal "For Love of Country: An essay on Patriotism and Nationalism"
Ethnic and Racial Studies, Jan 1997: 214-216
"American Cultural History - The Twentieth Century." Lone Star College-Kingwood Library Home Page. Web. 07 May 2010. .
Abercrombie and Fitch was initially started in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie. An outdoorsman himself, Abercrombie wanted to create a clothing line that was suitable for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping and hunting. Ezra Fitch, a lover of the Abercrombie clothing line, decided to become a partner in the company, this making what we know today as Abercrombie & Fitch. This partnership began in 1900 and subsequently ended in 1907 when David Abercrombie resigned from the company due to personal differences. The company proved to be a success and had much interest in expanding their company in order to draw in more business. The first major executive decision came shortly after Abercrombie’s resignation. The A&F catalogue was a cross between a clothing magazine and a guide to the outdoors. It gave information and advice to campers, hunters and fishers and also simultaneously provided a wardrobe for these activities. This catalogue increased both sales and notoriety. It brought Abercrombie and Fitch to people all around the world. Unfortunately, success was not everlasting. The company endured very tough financial times during the early 1960’s and 70’s and eventually declared bankruptcy in 1977. In 1988, success came again when The Limited Inc. bought Abercrombie and Fitch. Abercrombie is now a 223.0 million dollar corporation.
Since the 1970’s Urban Outfitters INC. has produced a wide selection of clothing brands for the younger generation. Urban Outfitters INC. includes Free People, BHLDN, Anthropologie, Terrain and Urban Outfitters. The beginning of Urban Outfitters INC. started out in Philadelphia for college students, their fun loving affordable clothing appealed to students who were living under a college budget. It’s known for its “hipster” and “free thinking” clothing that would appeal to the younger generation. However in present day it seems as if the original purpose of Urban Outfitters INC. has been lost. The prices of clothing at Urban Outfitters and at their sister stores has increased drastically to where college students can barely afford it. Throughout the recent years Urban Outfitters INC. has found itself in multiple issues that effects the sales of their stores. For instance being reprimanded for their designs, being sued for stolen designs and having a president who supports anti-gay polictians. Considering all the negative aspects to Urban Outfitters and the loss of their traditional purpose Americans should not support Urban Outfitters Inc.
While America was just in its infancy during the late eighteenth century and into the nineteenth century, expanding and competing for its own national identity, there were ideals of manhood competing for dominance amidst the chaos. A couple of notions of masculinity were brought to the New World straight from Europe; the idea that men were to work hard for success and value family, while others maintained wealth and landownership as the characteristics of a man. However, the eminence of industrialization soon made these notions obsolete. Without these longstanding notions, American men were left in a crisis without an identity. It is within this framework that specific paintings serve as material expressions and vehicles for gendering beliefs and constructs.
Today Tommy Hilfiger labels grace everyone from President Bill Clinton to rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and that wide range of clientele accounts for the company selling $756.9 million dollars' worth of merchandise each year. Last year, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation (TOM) was one of the top apparel firms traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
...escribes Jeffries business savvy skills saying; “If history is any indication, Jeffries won’t let anyone — “girlcotting” high school feminists, humourless Asians, angry shareholders, thong-hating parents, lawsuit-happy minorities, nosy journalists, copycat competitors or uptight moralists — get in his way.” Another important issue that was addressed in the Business Report article is the fact that A&F only carries larger sizes in the men’s clothing because athletes are expected to buy A&F clothes however in the women’s clothing lines sizes are smaller and do not carry to larger sized females. “He doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people,” Lewis said. “He doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the ‘cool kids.’”
...central rather than peripheral in the forging of a more liberating and intelligent visual culture in the United States" (p. 37).
Art is something that can be viewed and interpreted by a million different people in a million unique ways. Symbolism, color, texture, and size can all change the way it is viewed by others. However, certain distinct qualities have to be met for it to be actually considered “art.” The piece, American Icons, by Robin Murray, is a piece of art for many reasons, it has symbolism found throughout it, and many intriguing techniques are used with it.
In “The man behind Abercrombie and Fitch.” An interview conducted by Benoit Denizet-Lewis displays a glimpse into the life of Mike Jeffries and his views of his company only hiring “good-looking” people and targeting “good-looking” people to wear his clothes. This has been done in order to force his audience to recognize that the issue of acceptance one’s peers and exclusion of a community mentioned by Mike Jeffries, is a result of cultural perceptions and individual self-image. Denizet-Lewis skillfully shows that while Jeffries remarks of not wanting the “not-so-popular” kids to shop in his stores, it poses a question to consumers asking what change in our attitudes will come or if there will be any change at all. Thus comes the issue of how consumers today have a shift in the reasoning behind why one buys clothing and the motivating factors that influence one to buy certain clothing. Denizet-Lewis also demonstrates the different messages that controversial advertisements and statements affect different groups of people and how what they project is really what people desire, though deemed by many people as unacceptable or inappropriate. The author also examines how in the news media, the image has become more important than the message and how images have taken precedent over actual issues and character. As a result of this, various communities have formed by the construct of selling to “beautiful people” and how popular appeal has become an extension of a person.
this requires much loss and pain. The strive of the American culture for the attainment of such social luxuries is of great courage, will-power, faith and pride. During a time when the first World War had ended and the country was in a state of isolation, there were people within its borders that had an undying belief in what this country stood for. Though often overlooked and underappreciated in their time, artists had an advantage of using the suffering of the country and its industrial growth as a concentration for their bodies of work.
Ralph Lauren is American's leading designer in the classic tradition, who has stayed true to his own point of view, despite the seasonal vagaries of fashion. Mr. Lauren has always believed that fashion is function of lifestyle. He believes that clothed should be natural, comfortable and elegant, for the way people live today. His clothes have timeless grace and become more personal and special age.
According to the documentary series Craft in America (2009), “the American craft tradition didn’t just appear one day, fully-formed and mature.” Over hundreds of years of history, craft techniques and materials have emerged because of social, political, economic, and technological factors. Master craftspeople have educated apprentices for generations in skills that have been passed down through domestic associations on handicraft goods made in home-based industries. However, industrial globalization, urbanization, and immigration at the end of the nineteenth century brought uncertainty to many regions of the United States, causing many community members to look back to an imagined past. An invention of creative style and conventional comradeship (Anderson, 1983, 7), this “imagined past” was an idea of nostalgia playing a major role in the lives of arts and craftspeople after the Great Depression. In response to arts and craftspeople searching for a more predictable and normal lifestyle, they sought refuge in a lifestyle of familiarity, reaching back to a time when life held less economic and emotional turmoil.
Polo Ralph Lauren not only owned retail stores, but also under other retailers such as Nordstrom, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Belk, Saks Fifth Avenue, and various other retailers. The unique selling proposition of Ralph Lauren brands go about defining themselves as not like the others, is to develop a positioning that’s intended for a narrower target to make them unique. Most luxury brands fall into this fashion unique style categories. Ralph Lauren Company wants potential customers to know all the ways that they are better than others, and as a result their advertising focuses on product benefits. The result is to grab the attention of their customers. The emotional appeal of this brand is to increase your self esteem and leaves you feeling high class and
Claude Levi-Strauss was originally from Brussels and died at the age of 100 in Paris, France. He published many works including Tristes Tropiques which was first published in 1955. I am using the Penguin publication from 1992.
Another type of clothing I tend to see everywhere is clothing with logos on them. There are so many of them that I can’t remember most of them. Why does everyone where this clothing, and why do stores want you to wear this clothing? The only reason why students wear this clothing is probably because they like it, but stores really want you to wear their clothing as well so that the logos can them to advertise their stores. My mother told me at one point when she was a child that stores used to give away these shirts as an attempt to do this as well, and that is where the original idea came from.