Addiction is cool!

What about addiction is cool?

'Fashion Leakage'

Interesting little piece by Deborah Ross in i newspaper 19/5/2011:


Fashion leakage explains much. Fashion leakage is why you have an excess of clothes and nothing to wear. Fashion leakage is why you are compelled to clothes-shop all the time. Fashion leakage is why no one looks very special despite all that shopping and all that spending and the devouring of all those magazines...Fashion leakage starts from the moment you pay for something. If you could see fashion leakage with the naked eye, you would see all the qualities that drew you to the item leaking from the bag as soon as it is handed over to you, and pooling on the floor in puddles. 


http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/deborah-ross-a-limegreen-polo-may-not-be-a-good-look-2285926.html

Jack Wills advertising censored

The advertising standards agency (ASA) have banned clothing brand Jack Wills' latest catalogue. One of the picture shows a topless couple kissing:

"Because we considered (one of the images) in particular to be overtly sexual in nature, we concluded that the catalogue was sufficiently provocative as to present a risk to younger teenagers"

I was a bit surprised, I don't really know what the rules are on advertising in the UK but the image doesn't look too shocking to me. The ASA said that Wills is popular with people younger than their claimed 18-22 target audience, which I think is true. I want to say it's a good thing that they've cut it, even if it's just so that there's one less advert out there commodifying people.

Link to the Guardian news article
Earlier post about Diesel 'Be Stupid' advertising

Be Stupid

I saw the words 'be stupid' covering a shop window in Glasgow. Searching it on the net comes up with the advertising campaign these images are from. The phrases are thought provoking - opposing creativity and crtique, 'stupid' and 'smart'. The 'beautiful' models appeal at a base physical level. It's great advertising.

The proposal/encouragement/instruction 'Be Stupid' seems to say, break the rules, have fun, don't think. On the Diesel website their catalogue goes into more detail. Everything from 'storming the bastille and throwing open the jail cell doors' to whistling while you work is stupid. Stupid is also 'the first guy who realized you could extract and synthesize the humble coca leaf in to a fine, white snortable powder'. So cocaine and whistling are both stupid. That high fashion cocaine culture literally filters down onto high street windows is pretty weird.

This is what the Diesel head man says of his target audience: '[young people] have changed a lot. Ten years ago they were more like sheep, everyone wore the same things, now they are more individual, more aware, they are better educated, they know reality better, ten years ago they were more naive'. It almost sounds like respect until you realise that he's implying that education amounts to young people dressing more individually, in his jeans (in the same interview he explains that he wants his company to remain smaller and more elite than Levi's).

In some of the 'Be Stupid' images they are tearing off each others' clothes, in others eating food. The association is with consumption. I think that when it says 'stupid says yes', they are not expecting their viewers to invent things or cause change. They're offering them a light hearted, semi arousing visual experience that makes them feel reckless, like doing something stupid. This is the state of mind they think will encourage people to buy their clothes.