Insightful waffle about all things vintage

In the early 1980s, the American mass-market suffered a huge “identity crisis” (Klein, 2000). ‘Household’ brands found that the customer loyalty they had built up since the 50s, suddenly dissipated during the 1981-1982 recession. According to Klein, analysts found that the only goods to ‘hold steady’ during the recession, were “beer, soft drinks, fast food and sneakers – not to mention chewing gum and Barbie dolls” (No Logo, 2000), products  associated with young people.

Even in times of economic downturn it seemed, teenagers and college students were still armed with pocket money and were spending freely. For major brands, the obvious solution was to change tactics and concentrate their advertising power on this previously ignored demographic. However, as Klein says, “it was not going to be sufficient for companies simply to market their same products to a younger demographic; they needed to fashion brand identities that resonated with this new culture” (No Logo, 2000). Advertisers did this by ingratiating themselves with young people, discovering what they considered ‘cool’ and then attempting to mold new brand identities around this.

At that time, the coolest new trend amongst young people, was Hip-Hop. As Hal Espen confirms in an article for the New York Times, “Rap didn’t merely offer a useful line of demarcation for kids eager to set themselves apart from their parents. It was the expression of a genuine, undiluted, unmediated subculture; it really did come from the streets” (1999). The look included brightly coloured tracksuits, leather bomber jackets, caps and trainers and a strong penchant for brands like Kangol, Adidas and Reebok. Like The Teddy Boys before them, Hip-Hop kids were re-appropriating elements from otherwise incongruous sources to create their own look.

Nike, for example, a straightforward sportswear label at the time, unwittingly found a rising popularity amongst the Hip-Hop tribe. Nike carefully altered its brand identity to resonate with this group, and gain more ‘cool’ credentials. As I’ve mentioned, an important Hip-Hop characteristic was a loyalty and overt display of particular brand labels, signifying the wearers’ accomplished wealth and taste. Thus, the Nike ‘swoosh’ logo began to appear on all garments and trainers, becoming a staple Hip-Hop emblem. In 1988, Nike employed the advertising company Wieden+Kennedy to create the now infamous slogan, “Just Do It” (www.wk.com). Like the logo, this mantra was emblazoned across t-shirts as another visual signifier of the brand. Klein quotes Nike designer Aaron Cooper, who witnessed the power of branding at this time, “having kids tell you Nike is the number one thing in their lives – number two is their girlfriend” (No Logo, 2000).

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