Commodify...

...your everything.

Ah, to walk the line between wearing/doing/buying cool things and not being a schmuck whose non-paid vocation is to make some rich jerks even richer by buying stuff that makes you feel like you're so different from those jerks.

I've always been a little wary of a few companies, but some stuff i'm finding out is totally out-of-the-blue-gotchasuckers!-type weird and scary. Like, while i've never worn Vans, i always thought that Vans was a benign skating company (like Adio or whatever) whose whole thing was "we make skateboard shoes and clothes for teenagers, sometimes you can buy them in the mall." More recently, lowtop Keds-looking Vans shoes seem to be the thing to wear, especially in New York. This doesn't seem skater-ey, but still, who can blame a company for branching out when a cultural fad (skating) becomes less of a big thing.

Turns out that it was never about skating. Vans is a company whose premise is manufacturing goods that fit well on people interested in bucking trends and living outside the norm. They make goods for people looking to voice their distinctiveness by purchasing stuff. Its goal is not a new one, but it's one that I've never seen so clearly articulated in a corporate charter.

From the prospectus of a new company called "Vans" in the early 90's:

"the Company has developed a strong brand image which the Company believes represents the individualistic and outdoor lifestyle of its target customer base. The VANS brand image coincides with what the Company believes is a fundamental shift in the attitudes and lifestyles of young people worldwide, characterized by the rapid growth and acceptance of alternative, outdoor sports and the desire to lead an individualistic, contemporary lifestyle.

The company's success is largely dependent on its ability to anticipate the rapidly changing fashion tastes of its customers and to provide merchandise that appeals to their preferences in a timely manner."*

Apparently it's not just a company for skating. It's a company for youthful rebels. For everyone who wants to show their solidarity with other 'individuals'. And i'm sure that this language pervades the internal corporate documents of hundreds of companies, dozens that I like...

I don't like that the approach i'm taking here is only troubling and not constructive or proactive. It's a problem I have with the book that the quote is taken from as well.

*From: Commodify Your Dissent: Salvos from The Baffler. Edited by Thomas Frank and Matt Weiland . ISBN 0-393-31673-4