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.
筆問です：なぜ特定のブランドがイマイチなのか？
もちろん、いくつかのブランドはすばらしさを極めるための要素を持ち合わせていないから。もしかしたら悪いマネージメント、悪いマーケティング、それともただ単に運が悪いだけかもしれません。でも、そういうブランドのことの話ではありません。僕が言っているのは、他の地域では凄くいいのに、アメリカではそうでないブランドの事。そういう場合は、言い訳はできませんよね！このいい例を３つ上げました。他にも色々な業界にもありますが。
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.)
Carharttはアメリカのワークウェアの最高峰。大工やきこり、工事現場で働く人たちはこのブランドの耐久性と機能性を好みます。でも、ヨーロッパやアジアに行けば、Carharttはクールでシンプルな高品質のストリートウェア・ライフスタイルブランドとして存在します。海外に行く時は必ずお店に行って、カッコイイベーシックなアイテムを買います。この5年間、このブランドをアメリカに持ってこようとしましたが、Carhartt USはそれを許さないようです。(うわさによると、アメリカにもCarhartt Streetwearのお店が開店するそうです。）
Levi’s
Levi’s as everyone knows is intrinsically, a great American brand. Coke, GM, Xerox et al 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!
Levi’sはみんなが知る、アメリカを代表するブランド。コカコーラ、GM、Xeroxなどは「アメリカが誇るブランド」です。でも、Levi’sは最近、インディーズデニムブランド（Rogan、Earnest Sewn、True Religion）や海外ブランド(Evisu、G-Star、Diesel）などに押されている事は明らかです。ブランドに活気を注入する試みを何度もしましたが、効果はイマイチでした。そんな中、日本では、若者がLevi’s Fenom CollectionやFLU Collectionのために長い列に並びます。でも、Levi’s USAはアメリカでの販売を許可しません！
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?
Burlingtonはジャケット界ではCostcoのような存在で、「コート工場」の小売コンセプトで有名。お店にいけば、イマイチなジャケットがお手ごろ価格で売られています。ヨーロッパに行けば、Burlingtonはアメリカのトップブランドと引けをとらないすばらしいメンズウェアです。なぜ、ここではそうじゃないのか？
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.
僕はこれが理解できない。ブランドでヤバイ事をやっている人がいる。たぶん、その人たちを雇っていたり、その人たちにお金を払っているでしょう。何故そういういい要素を母国に持って帰えろうとしないのか？ここで作り出しているイマイチさが乗っ取られてしまうのが怖いのか？説明がつきません。時々、世界規模で発売する前にトライアルで特定地域に新しいものを試すプログラムがあります。でも、僕が知る限り、この3つのブランドはそうではありません。この３つのブランドはまったく別のディヴィジョンを何年間も運営しています。それが僕はおかしいと思います。もし、誰かが他の国でStapleで考えもしなかったすばらしい事をしていたら、みんなで分かち合えるようにすると思います。
I have been saying this for a hot minute….But I have to disagree with you on your Levi’s point, I see a ton of people wearing these just based on value and simplicity (both indy rockers and hip hop/street wear heads). Granted I am a not a huge fan, but I do see tons of people wearing Levi’s.
Carhartt is the perfect example, I have a few dope piece I picked up in Japan. I have been asking people I know that work for carhartt (they are based near me) as to why they dont bring it over here….I have yet to get a quality answer.
I am going to have to check out burlington next time I am in europe….
AZ
Really glad someone with some influence brought this up!
I am from the UK but I lived in the States for a year, and I honestly could not believe the stark contrast in how Carhartt is portrayed. Like you said, it is sold as workwear over in the USA, but almost every streetwear store in the UK, and Europe as a whole, will stock it.
It just doesn’t make sense and I can’t imagine a logical resposne as to why they do this to the extent that you’ve outlined. If such a great job is being done overseas then why not apply it back home?
Surely the same people could figure out a way of, in Carhartts case, diversifying the brand at home and pleasing both markets?
Nice to know I’m not the only one racking my brains over this! Hopefully these companies will now who to call when they have a change of heart.
Loom
I can only comment on the Carhartt side of things. Carhartt Streetwear (an unfortunate soubriquet in my mind) is a licensee of Carhartt INC and pays a fee based on turnover to the American parent company to use their name and logo.
For quality control reasons Carhartt in Europe manufactures a lot of their product in Europe. Because of the strength of the Euro against the Dollar in the last few years it would have made selling stuff to the states very difficult even if we’d been allowed. Perhaps understandably the American parent is a bit sensitive about the distribution of streetwear in the USA affecting their workwear market…
Perhaps what I find strangest is workwear brands sleeping on the current surge of interest in heritage workwear. What about a Carhartt, Dickies or Ben Davis heritage line anyone? It’d make more sense to me than buying a modern remake (Post, EG etc…)
In Japan, you can get the freshest Levis. They have jeans with the exact template from years past like 1971, 1954, 1940, etc. The quality is crazy. The look is so slick.
Levi’s in Japan makes 7 for all rockin one humankind paper jeans look like your great uncle’s 4th cousin’s jeans.
Absolutely awesome! Just absolutely awesome that you bring this up!
Among friends and associates, I've always ranted to no end how Carhartt & Levi's (less knowledgeable of Burlington I'm afraid), that their garment is horrifically weak compared to their European/Asian counterparts.
It seems that it's an extremely odd business decision whether or not it is a royalty name situation occurring, such as Carhartt as per a previous comment, that Carhartt American wouldn't jump in on a profitable opportunity to expand their design division and open it up to a streetwear line.
Same thing for Levi's too; with such a strong heritage in North America, it would only make sense to inject a stronger program, targeting the more savvy consumer who would generally be looking at denim throughout the Indie brands.
It's definitely a mystery as to why this hasn't happened yet. Lots of money to be earned there…
That’s very interesting, especially during these economic tough times that these American made brands wouldn’t be releasing their best and reliable products here where I think people probably would embrace them more now.
I also assume maybe thats what corporations do..lol..They don’t have their ear to the streets here in America because their focused on the benefits of abroad, but that’s what Staple is for! lol..
you didn’t mention Double RL. in the philippines, it has been a successful high-end brand for over a decade. here in america, even some people in the fashion industry have never heard of it.
Absolutely great that you brought this up. I live in Toronto Canada right now and it’s probably 10 times worse than in NYC. It’s disgusting how everyone wears the same ugly Abercrombie and American Eagle crap and blend in with everyone else.
Hello, can someone give me the BURLINGTON clothing collection web site? it has benn impossible for me to find it, the only one i have burlington.com is for a company that manufacturers textile.
looking forward for your help.
thanks
paola
Pro-Keds in tokyo destroy any and all pro-keds for sale here.
I as well have pondered this same question for a few years now. As someone has already mentioned, these larger brands license out their names to be used overseas. Many of these companies have so much pride in their brand image that they do not want to share the great creativity that their counterparts are creating as they reinvent their brand overseas. I remember a few years ago interviewing at Levi’s with one of the head marketing directors and they spoke of Levis.jp as if it was a completely different brand. It was very apparent that they were not interested in knowing what they were doing and they had no reference to Flu or Fujiwara. This at a time when Levis.us was/is struggling to hold on to the youth market. What really got me was years after every small boutique was trying to ride Nike’s fame, they hopped aboard like just-another-small brand and ran the collab with Brand Jordan. Uhhh…
One of my other favorites is North Face purple label. Ever tried to call up North Face hotline and ask about this label? I assure you they will argue that it doesn’t exist.
What most concerns me is both of these brands are really struggling to reinvent themselves in the states. I cherish both of these brands that I grew up wearing, but they just don’t put out hot shit anymore… Shame on them…
One time, I was with Hiroshi Fujiwara at Bread and Butter (a major fashion tradeshow in Europe) and we wanted to check out the Levi’s booth. The guy working the booth stopped us and said we weren’t allowed in. I told the guy who HF was and what he did for Levi’s and he was like “Never heard of you or Fenom. Buzz off!” Incredible.
Good call on Carhartt! I’m a big fan of the streetwear line and being an ex-pat Aussie where even there it was easy to buy (albiet very overpriced = $180 for a thin sweatshirt), now being an honorary American, I’m having major withdrawals.
Heading to Sydney next week and i’m gonna get my fix
Although, I LOVE LEVI STRAUSS jeans (pure vintage made in the U.S.A.)…I’d objectively say approx. 80% of their product is made in China. Thus not making a stronghold to it’s origin(s). Outsourcing….well I feel that’s an entire discussion.
Carhartt-The reason they don’t bring it to the states is due to licensee agreements that the company in EU had with Carhartt.
I’ve spoken to Willem Kampert of Work in Progress which holds the EU licensee for Carhartt street wear and was told they don’t plan on bringing anything to light here in the US…..
Well Jeff I hope they really bring something into the US, I’m sick of buying stuff from the UK and getting it shipped here?
patrick@kanilife.com
The Carhartt brand in the US is super-strong! As you mentioned, almost everyone working construction wears Carhartt because the clothes are TOUGH. If they started selling the Japanese/EU stuff in North America, stylish as it may be, their reputation for hardcore workwear would take a huge hit.
Carhartt Streetwear is now available in the US at the Union store in LA. Very limited selection tho. Hope the Carhartt love gets pushed out to other stores!