So, just the other day some of us were talking about the PR Crisis of D&G in China, and someone made a pointed comment that part of what had transpired stemmed from the fact that a good number of fashion people seemed to be deathly out of touch with the rest of the world.
They seemed to have built themselves a kingdom, this person said, where they were the gods and everyone else, peasants, slaves or vermin. It was a society where no one in the kingdom could get close to the gods (as they were), and if there came by such an opportunity, it were because the gods had so permitted. In return, the peasants, slaves and vermin had to be eternally grateful for the gods' kindness and magnanimity. They were expected to be loyal, of course. But as self-proclaimed gods, there was always the fear that their position could be lost, and so, to ensure their faithfulness, they brainwashed their peasants and slaves with their brand of philosophy, their methods of thought and their "godly" wisdom, thereby building for themselves a community of worshippers who would look nowhere else for their living, dignity, and survival except to them, and them alone.
It wasn't entirely a society where once born a slave, you were a slave forever. Neither was it a society where vermin couldn't become slaves and slaves couldn't become peasants. Of course you could. The gods recognized intelligence, genius and talent. And if they so permitted, why, a slave could become a peasant, and a peasant could become an advisor! There would be that recognition, of course, and on rare occasion, the gods themselves would even give praise to a slave.
Reward and punishment came in the same form. Reward came by way of association. Punishment came by way of ostracization. Your dignity depended on whose kingdom you belonged to, your values and thoughts depended on the one-and-only philosophy that you were taught, and your self-esteem depended on which god you followed. Anyone who left the kingdom(s) would find their whole world shattered, their livelihood stripped, their dignity destroyed and their social connections in the dust.
The gods had done well, this person admitted, because to date, few from the kingdoms (there wasn't just one) had left, and fewer still had turned traitor. All those whom she met, she said, were so blinded to the opportunities and possibilities outside that nothing- not even hardcore evidence- would "get through their numbskull heads".
Out of touch?
Oh yeah, they definitely were.
They had no bloody idea what was going on in the world outside. They had no idea what others thought of them. They didn't give a shit what they were perceived as, and because it was all dignity, dignity, dignity to them, anyone who offered an alternative perspective or suggestions, anyone who didn't do the way they insisted upon, was thereby deemed to be trash, uncultured, ill-refined, and despised.
That, to her, was the crux of the entire D&G thing.
Never mind that the founders had built a reputation worldwide for being potty mouthed, hard-hitting, verbally abusive and mean.
Never mind that they were culturally insensitive to an extent where they compromised the significance of chopsticks in Chinese culture for a "tongue-in-cheek" approach.
It was a matter of them believing that they could get away with things the same way they had done with the rest of the world. It was a matter of them thinking that their personal branding would be accepted by everyone in the world, that they could say whatever they want, be recognized for such an attitude, and (still) not hurt the brand.
Maybe it had occurred to them that there would be a reaction- which, by most counts thus far, would have been a great thing for the brand- and maybe it had occurred to them that there might be some sort of fallout, but to what extent... to what extent the consequence of such a reaction would be... only they know.
We don't.
That being said, would I say that they treat themselves like gods?
Yes, and No.
Because even though the diva-queen attitude is a prevalent one in this industry, and even though I've been slighted many a time because I refuse to adapt to it with no good valid reason, in an objective way, I can see where the attitude stems from, and why it exists.
I can see why it is vital that some brands in the Luxury sector continue to make themselves appear unattainable (or luxurious).
I can see why some have to adopt the spirit of Royalty in their products and their brand message, and to strive to sustain the carefully cultivated image which they have worked so hard to create, in centuries past, and in present day.
And yes, I do understand the attached price that comes with Timelessness, Bespoke Quality, Heritage and Craftsmanship....
Except that the world of today is not the same as it used to be.
Sure, we still do appreciate the finer things in life, and we do appreciate Quality and Timelessness and Heritage, but the fact lies that many of us take a more laid back, casual, indie attitude towards life where we place Significance and Message and Cause into much of what we wear, eat and do.
No more are we only concerned with the top notch careers. These days society has become more accepting of jobs and careers- just so long as you're doing well enough, just so long that you're good at what you do, no one gives a s*** what it is you do.
If you're an engineer, be a good one. If you're a sculptor, be a good one. If you're a baker, be a good one. The world needs sculptors and bakers and engineers and scientists and doctors anyway.
This is an age where we're less concerned with excessive etiquette and behaviour. We are the people who can wear a lovely pair of heels the same way we wear a pair of bling-bling sneakers. No more are we interested in acting hoity-toity towards our friends, communities and those around us. And no more are we going to be trapped in a world where the so called norms go unchallenged.
Call us frivolous or whatever, but this is a world where we are more concerned about experience and fun and interactions and friendships and emotional attachments than trying to dumb each other down.
This is a time where we are probably less interested in the demonstration of wealth than what it is we're doing with what we've achieved. We're a people who can 'come down from the rafters', so to speak, we're a people who know what it is that we're doing, we're a bunch of souls who take things seriously, and we are more concerned with bridging gaps and building interactions than tearing them down.
Are we living in a fantasy world with such attitudes?
Maybe.
But we're balancing both sides as well as we can, we're becoming more street style and more down to earth and more entertainment-driven, we're becoming more fun and easy-going with our lives, and we're striving to make these attitudes a reality, whilst turning the excessiveness and arrogance of old into fantasy.
That being said, would I say that they treat themselves like gods?
Yes, and No.
Because even though the diva-queen attitude is a prevalent one in this industry, and even though I've been slighted many a time because I refuse to adapt to it with no good valid reason, in an objective way, I can see where the attitude stems from, and why it exists.
I can see why it is vital that some brands in the Luxury sector continue to make themselves appear unattainable (or luxurious).
I can see why some have to adopt the spirit of Royalty in their products and their brand message, and to strive to sustain the carefully cultivated image which they have worked so hard to create, in centuries past, and in present day.
And yes, I do understand the attached price that comes with Timelessness, Bespoke Quality, Heritage and Craftsmanship....
Except that the world of today is not the same as it used to be.
Sure, we still do appreciate the finer things in life, and we do appreciate Quality and Timelessness and Heritage, but the fact lies that many of us take a more laid back, casual, indie attitude towards life where we place Significance and Message and Cause into much of what we wear, eat and do.
No more are we only concerned with the top notch careers. These days society has become more accepting of jobs and careers- just so long as you're doing well enough, just so long that you're good at what you do, no one gives a s*** what it is you do.
If you're an engineer, be a good one. If you're a sculptor, be a good one. If you're a baker, be a good one. The world needs sculptors and bakers and engineers and scientists and doctors anyway.
This is an age where we're less concerned with excessive etiquette and behaviour. We are the people who can wear a lovely pair of heels the same way we wear a pair of bling-bling sneakers. No more are we interested in acting hoity-toity towards our friends, communities and those around us. And no more are we going to be trapped in a world where the so called norms go unchallenged.
Call us frivolous or whatever, but this is a world where we are more concerned about experience and fun and interactions and friendships and emotional attachments than trying to dumb each other down.
This is a time where we are probably less interested in the demonstration of wealth than what it is we're doing with what we've achieved. We're a people who can 'come down from the rafters', so to speak, we're a people who know what it is that we're doing, we're a bunch of souls who take things seriously, and we are more concerned with bridging gaps and building interactions than tearing them down.
Are we living in a fantasy world with such attitudes?
Maybe.
But we're balancing both sides as well as we can, we're becoming more street style and more down to earth and more entertainment-driven, we're becoming more fun and easy-going with our lives, and we're striving to make these attitudes a reality, whilst turning the excessiveness and arrogance of old into fantasy.