WHY BRANDS SUCK.

9 November 2008

Actually it’s a question: Why do certain brands suck?
Of course, some brands suck because they don’t have the right assets to achieve greatness. It could be bad management, bad marketing, or just bad luck. But that’s not what I’m taking about here. I’m talking brands that are dope in other regions, but suck here in America. I feel like then, there’s no excuse! Here are 3 prime examples of this, but there are many more, across all industries.

Carhartt

Carhartt is America’s workwear brand of choice. Carpenters, lumberjacks and construction workers rely on this brand for durability and function. But go overseas to Europe and Asia, and you’ll find Carhartt exists as a cool, simple high quality streetwear lifestyle brand. I always make sure to stop in their many stores and pick up some dope basics when I’m abroad. For the past 5 years, I’ve always tried to get this brand over here, but I hear Carhartt US doesn’t allow it. (Rumors swirl though that a Carhartt Streetwear store will be opening soon stateside.)

Levi’s

Levi’s as everyone knows is intrinsically, a great American brand. Coke, GM, Xerox etc. and Levi’s are the “Great American Brands”. But it’s no secret that in recent years, Levi’s has struggled against the influx of indie denim brands (Rogan, Earnest Sewn, True Religion) and foreign brands (Evisu, G-Star, Diesel). They’ve made many attempts at injecting excitement back in the brand but nothing has really stuck. Meanwhile, over in Japan, young people are lining up around the block for the Levi’s Fenom Collection as well as the FLU Collection. But Levi’s USA won’t allow it to be sold here in America!

Burlington

Burlington is best known for it’s “Coat Factory” retail concept which is essentially the Costco of the jacket world. Their stores are just a sea of mediocre jackets for bargain prices. Head over to Europe and you’ll see Burlington is an incredible menswear collection that rivals the best in America. So why isn’t it here?

This is what boggles my mind. People are doing some dope shit with your brand. People you probably have to pay in some way, shape or form. Why not allow them to bring some elements back here to home? Are you afraid it will take over the wackness you’re propagating here? I really can’t explain it. Sometimes, I know brands launch trial capsule programs in certain regions to test out something new and different…before launching it global. But to my knowledge, this isn’t the case with these 3 brands. These 3 labels I described above are fully operating separate divisions that have gone on for years and years. It’s just weird to me. If someone I were paying to do Staple in another country was doing some incredible, out of the box stuff. I would want to share that for everyone to experience.