Sunday, August 31, 2008

Hollister: Why you should buy it, buy it now

Why do surfers hate Hollister? It would be like farmers hating home-gardeners for not being hardcore enough when it comes to growing food. "Nice gardening gloves, poser. You call that a tomato?"



That just isn't real. But surfers have an inborn need to feel unique and rebellious, and if your clothes can't effectively communicate that you're a hip-fab surf divo, then there's really no point in surfing. That's what I've always said.

After Josh Hunter scored a touchdown with this topic on TransworldBusiness, and Scott Bass went for the two point conversion over at Surfer, I think this press release from ArtCo Surf (who?) really tacks on the extra point. A few choice lines:

"Another one of the unique shirts in the line features an acid wash that’s put through a specific hand-dying process to generate a retro look. So no two shirts are exactly the same."

"The ArtCo Surf collection is currently available online and through Oliver Boutique, a trendy, upscale boutique in Wilmington, NC."

Wilmington, North Carolina screams "surf cred" at the top of its lungs, and since surfers are notorious suckers for what's trendy and upscale, I'd say these guys have hit on a winner.

But all the individuality in surfing is so false and manufactured now that I predict a backlash, and Hollister is the star player. If surfers said, "I'm so legit that I don't need to wear Billabong to show how legit I am. I can wear Hollister and still be heaps legit. Legit!"

Then it'd be a race to see who could load up on the most un-surfy surf stuff and still be cool - loafers, cardigans, fedoras...oh wait a second. Dammit.

Seriously though, Hollister. Git some.

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