Actually you can get a good quality t-shirt that is much better then a lot of other crap. I have four t-shirts from some now dead company. I got them 10-12 years ago and they haven’t shrunk, faded or anything. I wear these things for everything from work to riding my motorcycle. The only thing that has happened is that one of the seams on one are has popped so there’s a hole but it’s on the underside. I wish I could buy more of them, and as you can see I have no idea who they are.
I appreciate good graphic design. If a company decides to put an interesting image on the front of one of their t-shirts, then I’ll buy, it because i like to associate myself with good design.
If I wear a shirt that has “Chicago Bulls,” or “Metallica,” or “I’m going Nucking Futs” you are giving anyone whoe sees your shirt a message (“I’m a Bulls fan”, “I’m a Metallica fan” and “I think that this old line is cool and witty”, respectively).
Often, clothing companies use their company name as part of the design on the shirt. This is useful, because it essentially means nothing. Wearing a shirt with “Paul Frank is your friend” written on it means nothing. You are not telling anyone anything, other than that you’re the sort of person that wears Paul Frank shirts.
If you wish to look deeper though, it could be argued that this message does mean something. We all have a concept of our own self-identity, and the choices we make help to re-inforce our identity.
Hence, if you are the sort of person who cares about their clothing, they will choose (consciously or uncosciously) to buy certain clothing based on (among other things) their self-identity. We have already seen examples of it in this thread. even sven and OldBroad either remove labels from the clothes they buy or do not buy clothes with labels, which reinforces their identity as a person who does not need “some corporate label to demonstrate my worth, coolness or self esteem.”
Other people, (like myself) who maintain some level of brand loyalty choose to buy certain clothing based on (among other things) their self-identity. If they feel that the clothing of a particular company has qualities or associated images that they see in themselves, in buying such clothing they are reinforcing self-identity.
And the paradox of dressing like everyone else to display your individuality is tacitly acknowledged, i feel, by those who purchase label clothing. For instance, this was used in an advertising campaign by Lee Jeans last year - their slogan was Stand Out, Fit In.
gex squared beat me to it. I, too, appreciate a nice graphic design. I have some designer t-shirts that I wear because I really like the design. I dig the A/X of Armani Exchange. I like what Donna Karen has done with some of her DKNY t-shirts. One of my favorite tank tops is a Banana Republic one with a graphic design that looks like a 19-th century western ad with a bucking bronco. I like the font font Paul Smith uses so I bought a few t-shirts.
The designer t-shirts I buy also a better quality than ones from, say, Walmart. I’ve had some for years and they still look great.
I think this is a little over the top. Merely wearing an adidas t-shirt hardly constitutes allegiance to adidas and conformity.
I certainly don’t go out of my way to buy stuff with big logos but I do have some stuff with logos (generally stuff I wear to play sports.) I haven’t sworn allegiance to any companies and I think for myself.
Actually, I was struck by those people who take pains to remove logos. It seems like making a point to remove logos indicates that you feel your clothing says a lot about you. I’ll buy what’s cheap and comfortable and not worry about the logo. But it seems some posters want to make the statement about their individuality by removing a swoosh.
::shrug:: That’s just what I see at school and such, though I was exaggerating a bit. My younger sister acts a lot like that. No one will seriously throw her out of her group, but she certainly doesn’t want to stick out because of her clothes. Were her friends to care about labels, as opposed to the general type of clothing, she’d be insisting on them. All not to stick out.
I too have problems with that sometimes, though not to the extreme others do.
Donna Karen’s worst nightmare: DKNJ
I too snip off the leather patch/label on jeans and I even go so far as to take off the little red tab on the back pocket as well.
Tshirts are usually without labels unless for some charity, or a free gift from some company handing them out (although I only wear those in the backyard doing the lawn or whatever.)
I also wonder why people leave “Bubba John’s Ford Toyota of Dumbville” on the back of their cars! Who cares where you bought it? Peel the damn sticker off.