Monkification Part 2: The New Corporate Reality of Buddhism

Blogging when I should be out in the rare sunshine gardening. But the yard is still a little moist for the huge amount of landscaping I have planned so I thought I'd turn your ear with a little whimsy.

When I was a small child, very few people had corporate sponsors; usually just race car drivers. Boxers all wore “EVERLAST” boxing shorts, but I think that maybe they were the only ones that made shiny gold trunks. Quite quickly though, all professional athletes started wearing logos, the Nike “swoosh” became a ever-present symbol. Kids had it shaved in their heads, and some had it tattooed on their butts. The three stripes of Adidas, the union Jack of Reebok (now just how Reebok managed to copyright the flag of an empire is beyond me, and no points for originality either…maybe that’s why you don’t see any of the cool kids wearing Reeboks no more). The movement went from just getting the logo out there on your product, to placing the logo on things that aren’t even related to the product. The ubiquitous T-shirt becomes billboard, and little Adam is forced to spend thirty dollars on a Billabong T-shirt made by Fruit of the Loom (and how many of my classmates actually surfed??). The North Face parka made its début at Starbucks, for swilling Mocha Lattes on nippy mornings.

Now arguably designer fashions have been around for as long as fashion has, but my point is that many of these companies do not design many of the items that display their logo. But the certainly want it seen. Why not?? Children are a great marketing tool. They have a real “in your face” way of displaying their individuality. They are not clones. That kids Nike hoodie is blue, while that young girls Calvin Klein T-shirt is pink.

Wait, I said I wasn’t going to pick on fashion designers…but hold on…did Tommy Hilfiger really invent the T-shirt? And how many variations of blue denim trousers are really all that unique. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got logos on some of my clothing too. But when you do all of your shopping at Value Village, you can’t be too choosey. I also own a North Face duffel bag that I picked up at a street market in Bangkok. Looks real enough, and works just as well. I still believe in quality, and I have certain preferences. I love my Stanfeild wool sweaters. You can tell a “Stany” at twenty feet, but you have to look inside the garment to see the name. Quality footwear is a must, but no “swooshes” in my house. I have no need for $300 running shoes. I don’t run. Ever.

The part of this corporate marketing ploy that I can’t figure out is why now every garment manufacturer is now putting labels on the outside. I may be getting old, but I still know what’s cool, and the generic Wal-Mart and Zellers brands just aren’t, and never will be. This has not stopped them from advertising like they are. So nowadays, it’s getting really difficult to find clothes without labels on the outside (as a side note here, I have a bit of a sock fetish, the only clothing I buy new, and most of my socks now say things on them…my wool is “Smart” and my synthetics are “Therma-Maxxed”). It’s a bit crazy.

It is a world wide phenomenon too. This is, of course, because most of these shoes, T-shirts, and things, are manufactured in third world sweat shops by small children and old ladies. It is quite likely that the majority of people in the world just wear whatever is cheap, and lets face it, people surviving on a bowl of rice a day are not going to cough up thirty clams for a styling T-shirt. But as soon as a middle class develops: BAM!!! It’s all about the logos.

But Adidas has finally crossed into the newest frontier. Sponsoring the religious garments of our worlds holy people. Imagine the sales when the Pope addresses the crowd in a Tommy Hilfiger robe, and the market created by Nike prayer rugs. Gotta have that competitive edge when kneeling at the mosque. Wait….it will come to pass.