The Wall Street Journal unveiled a new weekend lifestyle section today called Off Duty and the lead story was something about a heritage trend. Have any of you heard about this newfangled heritage phenomenon? Apparently all of these companies are giving the big luxury brands something to think about by just going back to their archives and re-releasing a bunch of dusty old stuff. Hmm, this seems like something I should explore further.
In all seriousness, Off Duty looks promising and is yet another signal (the Greater New York section being the first) of the Journal’s battle to overtake The Gray Lady. I’m just happy to see more good things happening in the print world. Especially since I subscribe to both papers. Off Duty is in this weekend’s edition, on newsstands today. [Update: the story is online]
Hopefully you don’t read the editorials in the WSJ. Gag.
More Like “The RL Effect “if you ask me….!
Come on Michael. I literally just got home. Now i have to go back out in search of this.
nope, the ACL effect
TOO BAD THAT THE WHOLE “PREP” SHTICK STARTED QUITE AWHILE AGO WITH “THOM BROWNE” MOVING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD~ THE ANTITHESIS TO THE HEDI SLIMANE/DIOR HOMME EFFECT OF EARLY 2000’S~
AT THIS RATE ITS A BLOODY “BORE”… MOVE ON TO THE NEXT BIG THING~ AFTERALL, THIS IS AMERICA~ AND ITS ALWAYS ABOUT MOVING ON TO THE NEXT BIG THING~ LOVE ACL!… TIME FOR MY BILLY KIRKS AND MARK MCNAIRY’S TO FIND A NEW GROOVE~ PS… MOST OF MM WORK LOOKS LIKE TRICKERS ANYWAYS AT THIS POINT! BUY THE REAL DEAL!… BEASTS!..LOL~
I HEART CAPS LOCK.
One imagines the WSJ audience is possibly wider than 20-40 year old people who read fashion blogs which post the same things over and over in a kind of sartorial reach-around… If you’d like to see fewer square toed shoes in the world, this kind of mainstream stuff is your only hope.
This is my favorite blog.
“sartorial reach-around”
A+
…and last year (2009) Bill Cunningham in the New York Times said there was a “new trend” of young men dressing up jeans with sports jackets, ties and cardigans.
I lately have noticed a lot of young people involved in something called “texting”.
As slate.com put it, “yet another foray in Murdoch’s declared war on the New York Times.” I love battles.
I noticed they put James Dean as the icon for Levi’s. Didn’t he mostly wear Lee?
The whole section is a decent read. Going to New Orleans in
December and there’s an article on that. I like the layout and the content.
Liked the WSJ pre Murdoch, a newspaper for grownups…now it looks USA Today.
L.L. Bean…what a joke…a metrosexual hybrid between J. Crew & Abercrombie Fitch. Need to tie coal oil rags around these guy’s ankles to keep the pissants from carrying their candyass off. Bring back Willis & Geiger.
I had Heritage on vinyl.
awesome read. i love your blog!
I don’t understand how they can say Minnetonka Moccasins (founded ~1940) spawned brands like Yuketen when Yuketen was founded by Yuki Matsuda while at Quoddy (founded in the early 1900’s).
Anyone else find this strange?
agreed. completely fascinated by the heritage brand trend.
We had this discussion at dinner several nights a go. I argued that “heritage” as we know it has grown stale, boring, and overdone. When both Target and Walmart are planning heritage inspired brands its time to move on.
However, what defines “heritage”? Is the term uniquely American? Our shirts are handmade by a family in Italy. I would think that they are quite proud of their heritage. Likewise, a small family mill in Cumbria supplies wool for coats. I would argue that they have heritage in spades. For the most part their is a deep heritage up and down the Row.
Could the heritage term not evolve to encompass small run producers of any type, no matter the location? Or is it forever associated with a mythical lost America of lumberjacks, steelworkers, and wranglers? It seems that I am forever in meetings about reviving an old brand and taking it overseas. Most times there is little in common between the heritage name and the current product being pushed. Tenuous threads at best….
I like that “heritage” has opened peoples eyes to workmanship, an expected quality, and a small shop mentality. If this is what we are left with after the marketing hacks have moved on to the next big thing, is it such a poor legacy?
Can’t wait till the Minnesotan newspapers write up this stuff.
Why does this blog attract so many nitpicking whiney ass bitches??? I mean I think some of you guys wait around all day for a new post so you can shit on something. Get a fucking hobby…
Hey Ethan. Go suck a dick!
That’ll do pig. That’ll do.
DJ… expected comment from someone with the name DJ. Did the whiney ass bitch comment strike a personal nerve? Bitch.
any chance anyone can scan the article for us europeans??
Here’s the story online: http://on.wsj.com/dC3na1
Oh no – it’s all over. It’s gone mainstream and we’re all doomed. However, do I see a new direction in the black ballistic nylon backpack post? Maybe SWAT team stealth ninja chic is the new folksy authenticity…
Great article Michael, thanks for the post. Good design is good design…period. There is no shame in an updated look from the past – Beetle, Mini Copper, early iMac, etc. or “heritage” clothing. What is usually missing is the authenticity of the brand – and that can mean a thousand different things…
c======B
Thanks Michael.
Nice chart tho.
The weekend layout was a bit amateurish. Good content. Though I do find the USA Today, I mean WSJ, getting a bit bland. Once upon a time every article had a financial edge. Now I find articles that are not about business and barely seem newsworthy.
L-O-V-I-N-G this. Just spotted kudos on another blog read too.
I couldn’t help but give a nod to your post, on mine blog.
Aaah, a wool sweater and some mud on your boots.
at least its not called the michael williams effect
The photos are awful and don’t capture the essence of what they are trying to say. The “new heritage” is about bringing back clothes (and items) with real quality. Who cares about what hipsters in NY and runway models like? I am just so glad that I can more easily find a pair of pants and sweaters that will last longer than a season.