Branded

Melody Jacob

Photo by Melody Jacob on Unsplash

FASHION

Branded

WHAT IS BRANDED CULTURE AND WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

BY BRITTANY SWEARINGEN

As many with an Instagram account already know, brand culture is the revived affinity for designers to place their symbol, title, or other recognizable stamp right on the face of their products, for all to regard with excellence and respect of the garment. For most of us who do not have the capacity to acquire such items, we totally get that if you’re going to drop a Grand-plus on the next Gucci, you’d like others to know about it. But, there are many who view this tactic as crass or showy. To “flex” signifies new, and therefore less established, money.

“Now [currently] it’s all about designers. It’s not about what you create. It’s about what you can acquire,” said notable drag queen

Dorian Corey in the 1990 film, Paris is Burning. Corey is describing the change in tide from what “balls” once were to what they’ve become - specifically, a mainstreamed appreciation for decided value.

The remark made in Paris is Burning prompted a discovery about what it truly means to “flex” a brand. A nod to classist values, undoubtedly. But, is there more to it than that?

For the first time in history, there are more Black Americans with access to higher education, a variety of careers, and yes, high fashion. So, for Dre Johnson of Blackish to represent a new, graphic, Kenzo sweater every week on ABC means much more than an element of taste. He represents all that

we as a People have overcome in numerous capacities to the point that, while Johnson loves Kenzo, there is much more context involved.

He represents the strides of André Leon Talley, Grace Jones, and Naomi Cambell, in the painstaking tooth-and-nail War of Territory in an unwelcoming industry. Johnson represents a Black man who unabashedly loves fashion and, through hard work and his lovable, yet often loathsome character, is a true inspiration for all of us with similar, material values hoping to one day be in his position. The representation that this character and many other real-life players are bringing to fashion, presents a luminous window filled with possibility to those who most often have a door slammed in their faces.

And, after all, what is fashion if not the realization of dreams?

Brittany Swearingen is a freshman at KU studying strategic communication in the Journalism School. She is pursuing a career in fashion, while working as a Team Leader at Urban Outfitters.