arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

In the web addresses below is demonstrated an institutional web page which involves the investigation and analysis of the today's "trendy fashion".
Investigators of this research team (consisted of about 30 persons, mostly students directed by university professors) "go with the flow of the trends, participate deep into it, detect, describe and analyze"

The fields of investigation are commercial markets, that have been, or they are still developing. Youth culture, fashion etc

Until now nothing exciting to notice, except that one of the markets investigated is also the so called anti-globalisation movement!
It seems that the activity of the last years has impressed the trend analysts by its mass character, giving them a clue to consider this portion as a growing market. Thus, they have realized investigations on the movement's tendencies and preferences in a way that companies interested on entering in the supposed market can exploit the data by buying them! All the information is presented to whom is may interested and that stands usually for companies of clothing, advertising enterprises etc. In this way these can plan their next steps of the market designing and promotion.

In a few words the entire above mean:
Organized speculative institutions are having an eye on the movement by pseudo-participating in the act, so can isolate the characteristics that can be a source of profit! That is, they observe what kind of music do they listen to, what kind of clothes they fit in and generally what kind of life-style the movement purposes and all these, after being carefully sociologically analyzed, can be sold to companies interested.

Conclusion?
All the above consist a strong element which reveals the real function of the today's commercial society of the spectacle and maybe gives reasons for raising question about the character of the very same so-called "Anti-globalization movement". Maybe too much attention given to the spectacular side. Too much T-shirts, too much "cool" character display? Maybe. Next time you will buy a T-shirt that expresses radical feelings, thing it twice. Somebody has already analyzed you and gives you what you want. You only have to pay for it…

Check out the sites:
- http://www.signs-of-! the-time.nl/ and
- http://www.signs-of-the-time.nl/coolsummer/1.html

 Dementia http://www.geocities.com/deladementia/

Of course this process is well underway, from the bestseller No Logo and other books like noreena hertz's (though at least these have some substance) to the selling of punky t-shirts with @narchy A in london by high street fashion shops along with black or green combat trousers. Fashion 'RIOT' spreads in teen girl magazines, and catwalk models sporting gasmasks and bandanas.

We have seen too examples like Box Fresh - a flash small boutique style shop in Covent Garden, london, use uderground styles to promote their goods, by spraypainting their logos on the streets with bits of text and other images stolen from the zapatista struggle. They were also selling 'Zapatista Gift Packs' with a mask and CD of music and a red can of spray paint!! I kid you not! In this case activists challenged the shop, leafleted outside, tried to engage the staff in discussions about politics etc etc Some progress was made when the management agreed to stop using the text and logos of the zapatistas as graffitti advertising their goods, agreed to donate money from the sale of the 'gift boxes' to a support group, and installed an internet point in the shop displaying zapatista websites.

Then of course remember the other things seen this year, like the GAP shop window display with images of kids protesting 'for a better world' in GAP clothes, and large stickers on the window looking like cracks in the glass and spraypainted slogans. This approach of course backfired as many of the shopfront windows really did get smashed - but it perfectly illustrates the vampiric tactics of modern marketing.

Similar tactics have been used by NIKE - with fake demonstrations outside their stores as well as NANDOS chicken (who last year had their fake demonstrators chased out of camden market by real people) - many others have used fake subvertising on their own billboards.

Increasingly sophisticated approaches have seen the creation of front websites and fake community organisations, illegal 'underground' feel flyposting by corporates and a whole host of other 'viral' marketing tactics (in the extreme these tactics are also of course being persued by the World Bank).

So make your own t shirts, recyle their greed and our love into your own brand. Unlock the process from their hands and promote DIY * DO IT YOURSELF

---------------

For note these lovely people at signs of the time have worked among others for:

Audi, Europe.
General Motors, Europe.
Several Dutch governmental Ministries.
Levi's, Europe.
Foot Locker, Europe.
Marie Claire.
Nestlé.
Unilever, Europe.
Procter & Gamble.
Pepsi Cola.
Tiger Electronics.
Sony, Europe.
Ericcson, Europe.
RABO Bank.
RAI Holland.
Hill & Knowlton, Europe.
Lee Wrangler

---------------

The website also has a bit on graffiti:

What will be the new and different faces of
the new toughness in Europe, this Summer?

Graffiti is back. Once again it's coming from New York.
It comes with a new fascination attached to it:
Wanted by the Feds.
Hated by Giuliani.
Abandoned by their families.
Adored by the kids.

And it reaches Europe in a more playful mood:

Steal! Spray! Fight! Party! And with a touch of pastiche.
[picture]

It's Fight Club. It's in Snatch. It's in Raf Simon's collection of military inspired belts, buckets and bomber jackets. It's the shaved heads of Europe's most popular football players. It's Madonna's latest What it feels like for a girl clip.

Together it's Glamoroma enriched with a more than a touch of criminality. Played and playful criminality.
We know, from Signs of the Time's masculinity studies, that it will not go away. Though it will show us many different faces.