[Facepalm] It's not so much the fact that the men's XXL shirt sported taste-free montage of a bald eagle, Old Glory and the first page of the U.S. Constitution, or that it was assembled in...wait for it...Guatamala. It's that it seemed to be the only one on the discount rack--meaning that the rest actually sold.
Not that the women's apparel section is any less depressing, albeit in different ways. But on the way out, I pointed out to Dennis something I noticed about the brand display on one rack of FILA sportswear, which featured tennis powerhouse Kim Clijsters as the the model. Ms. Clijsters had obviously seen a stylist and makeup artist prior to the photo shoot, but--almost shockingly--the small crow's feet at the corners of her eyes and the smile-grooves on either side of her mouth had not been buffed out by editing software.
Naturally, the apparel had all been assembled in developing countries, and FILA's website is guilty of the usual PhotoShopped anorexia that passes for modeling. But I was actually a little surprised at my initial, and quite favorable reaction to the brand. I like to believe it runs deeper than the brief reprieve from impossible norms. Because with imaging software so regularly and egregiously (and sometimes hilariously) warping reality, perhaps warts-and-all authenticity will become a viable market differentiator. Personally, I'm not betting on it, at least not in any mainstream sense. But the fact that it's possible--even if only for upscale or niche brands--is fodder for hope.
