Monday, May 16, 2011

The Goods

 Back in the day..., I would drool over anything which had a Michael Cromer Munchen (Munich) label on it.
In fact, I still have a few pieces left.
I liked the brand because it still had the snob appeal of Louis Vuitton without seeming as though I was trying too hard.
 But then these track suits started popping up on the block.
MCM began to be known as "Money Cash Money" or "More Cash Money".
The brand became devalued because knock-offs were more common than the real thing.
Now even Kanye is attempting to bring the brand back (Now known as Modern Creation Munich).
This ruined the brand for me for the second time.
Maybe I should just shop at Sears or JC Penny for luggage and save my money instead.

4 comments:

DF said...

Yeah I remember those and the Rooster ones I think they were Sergio Tachini.

When you are unoriginal you go vintage. When you have a chance walk through Frisco and you'll think you are back in the 60's. Kanye is the same way but for the generation he is speaking to they think it's new.

brohammas said...

When I saw people imitating the 80's look... people wearing things I hated then, let alone now... I knew we are just a world of lemmings.

amanda said...

I recently read an article on protection of brands and how the French brands enlist their customs to search incoming visitors for fakes. I have never been a brand wearer so couldn't see what the fuss was but I can see from this post how upsetting it must be for brand wearers to see the hoi polloi wearing rip offs :-))

uglyblackjohn said...

@ FreeMan - Le Coc Sportif (the rooster) and Sergio and K-Swiss were tennis brands before they became hood wear.
I remember getting into LCS and K-Swiss because they were the brands I'd see at swim meets and tennis matches
Everyone was wearing Cons and Nikes so I thought I'd be different by wearing these brands when in reality I was just trying to be like another group of people.

@ brohammas - What? What's wrong with big hair, Jherri Curl shags (or mullets for white dudes), shoulder pads, bright colors and MTV?

@ Which is why Le Coste left the American market for a few years. The value of their brand became diluted because anyone could afford it.
The French are smart to do what they do because fashion is one of their leading industries. They have to protect the (perceived) value of their brands.
It would be like you doing what you do for a living for free and for everyone.
What you do would become so common that people would see no value in paying for it.
You protect yourself as a brand.

I've been getting clothes made by people with no names for decades. Just pick up the fabric you want, get measured, pick a pattern and make alterations and you have a true original. Some people do this for me on the cheap if I make sure to mention to everyone else where I got it.