Fashion with issues! Has been my dream for some time now, but when looking at the actual happening, it’s not so good after all.
Because people long for superficial, because people who love to shop love their own perspective on life, on the world in general, they don’t need lecturing, don’t need a moral guidance or a preacher to sell them clothes. They just need money to buy more and more and more (and, eventually, someone telling them how gorgeous they look with the new acquisitions).
Sometimes I wonder if I’m not getting to personal and too preachy myself when writing the articles like I do. You tell me!
Anyway, this posting is about Kenneth Cole’s new ad campaign. It kinda reminds me some old Benetton ads (with political celebrities or sick people that had such a negative impact on the public, they had to back all up and apologize) – it’s well intended, meaning no harm, on the contrary, trying to involve people that don’t want to be involved. People not only ad-blind but also reality-blind.
11 people were contracted for this advertising campaign. Few of them are in the pictures I chose for you (a wheel chaired 21years old Delmon Dunston, a gay family with their daughter Joanna, Nicoletta and Ruthie Tessler, a prosthetic legged gorgeous young woman Aimee Mullins, a very tattooed young woman Theo Kogan, a 25 years old US soldier injured in Afganistan Channing Moss and a brave young HIV positive Regan Hofmann)
The campaign is shot by Terry Richardson and it’s intended to celebrate the company’s 24th anniversary and announcing changes to the world – the main change would be kennethcole.com and the awearnessblog (where you would only find social issues – homelessness, poverty, the environment with guest bloggers like Joey Pants, former Sopranos actor or Michael Strahan, New York Giants Player).
What do you think? Is social involvement the new fashion? Or it’s a trend doomed to fail soon?
(via kennethcole and racked)
6 comments
I wouldn’t be surprised if social involvement is the new fashion. I’m sure the marketers are trying to find ways to cater to and to reach out to all ‘types’ of people, as portrayed in the advertisements. I don’t know how successful it would be since some people might fall for it, but others may find it offending.
Nice post, by the way. :)
Social involment can never be the new fashion. Can never be a trend. In my humble opinion. Social involment is a thing that comes straight from the heart, something you practise on a daily basis without making fuss about it or abuse it to upgrade your sale numbers. Or the profits has to go to the ones in need and a I’m afraid that’s not the case.
I don’t care how much money people spend on stuff they do not really need. That’s their business. But don’t use/abuse “social involment”.
No I’m not offended by it but I shall ignore this kind of campaigns and am very dissapointed that Kenneth Cole couldn’t come up with something new. And you’re right kpriss it does remind me on the Benetton ads too.
So let it be doomed soon as possible…….
Oh yes, I remember where Benetton put like people with full blown AIDS in their ads and people would still go and buy their boring and stupid looking clothing. I used to love that brand in the 1980’s, it was pretty colorful, but one changes thank goodness.
I’d call Cole’s add up there discriminating if not stupid.
If girls like tattoos that is their arm and no reason for a rich fart like Cole to complain. He should show us his old sagging ass and give us a chance to mock him for that one.
I would print under his ass picture ‘Is that what Gyms are for?’
And: WTF have the tattooed arms of that chick to do with the fact that in the US every 6 minutes someone is getting shut?
Maybe Mr. Super Rick Cole should use a few millions of his company and try to change this stupid and absolutely ridiculous gun law in this country — as the recent shootings just have made very obvious.
The shooter had the weapons LEGALLY purchased at a gun show.
Does anybody give a f. about that one?
No?
I thought so.
@Linda – thanks! it seems the feedback is rather negative for this campaign, anyway, let’s wait and see what comes out of it, I’ll update from time to time if things are really reaching out.
@Adriana – social involvement is forced to say, agree, but it seems that everyone in the fashion industry is trying to look more than clothes-deep. We’ll see how it turns out.
@Mark – It literally freaks me out to know that soon enough my kids will go to school and guns are at anyone’s reach. They all complain and cry out the tragedy, however, nobody seem to actually care enough to do something.
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