mssabina Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 just thought this was amusing... Even those who admire Von Dutch don't call him a nice guy. No, they use words like "bitter," "racist" and "violent." They describe someone who was jaded young and spent much of his life hiding from the world. His name was a reflection of that, the very symbol of his obstinacy, anger and distrust of the world.So is it ironic, or just cruel, that his name wound up co-opted by what Mencken called the booboisie, stitched onto hats and baby doll T-shirts worn by an army of pretty girls like Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani and Ashton Kutcher? Is Von Dutch doomed, as one admirer put it, "to be forever remembered for his name in 4-inch letters on someone's *** "?He was Von Dutch, uh-huh, that guy, that name. He was one of hot rodding's wise men, up there on a stinky, toxic, lacquer cloud with painter George Barris, the late customizer Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and artist/hot rodder Robert Williams.Starting in the 1950s, Von Dutch reinvented automotive pinstriping, turning each paint job into a painting, doing way-out takes on woodland creatures and scenes of the day -- then making up stories to explain them. He was a superb craftsman who made his own knives, guns and motorized roller skates. He's most famous for two images that, while perhaps not wholly original, have sent art aficionados and marketing whizzes to the auction blocks. One is the stylized version of the nickname he adopted for himself, Von Dutch. Some say it bears an interesting resemblance to the Norton motorcycle logo, but virtually everyone agrees on its significance. The other is the flying eyeball, which Von Dutch once said originated, sans wings, with the Macedonian and Egyptian cultures 5,000 years ago.Von Dutch created these symbols, personified them, and popularized them as emblems of the underground. Now, as the culmination of a process that began with Dutch's death at age 63 in 1992, they've been licensed by his heirs, and are being sold by Los Angeles-based Von Dutch Originals on T-shirts, $145 jeans, jackets, tank tops and $50 trucker hats. Within the next year, the company plans to diversify into eyewear and watches, aimed again at the celebrity clientele.People like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" fashion stylist Carson Kressley began wearing the stuff earlier this year -- probably around the time it began arriving free in the mail -- and the line is rapidly becoming the province of übercool teens and twentysomethings. Spears reportedly wore a Von Dutch trucker hat in lieu of a veil for her recent trip down the aisle."It's part of that whole white-trash fashion trend, with wife-beater shirts and trucker hats, which was perpetuated by celebrities like Fred Durst and Britney Spears," says fashion writer Claudia Figueroa of ApparelNews.net, who has watched the company boom during the past year. "Most girls walking down the street wearing a Von Dutch hat couldn't tell you where the logo comes from, but if you ask any automotive enthusiast, chances are they'll have some knowledge of the man behind the brand."Thanks to fashion borrowing from history -- again -- there's a huge schism between those who venerate Von Dutch and those who worship the new.A host of latter-day hot rodders, car customizers and rockabilly rebels blame Von Dutch Originals for the big sellout of someone claimed by the underground, and the craven commercialization of the man's images."The most sullied I've ever heard anybody's name," says California automotive artist Keith Weesner.Yet clothing designers, industry folk and pop culture sponges see this as just another example of a symbol being reinvented -- like when Tom Ford went to work for Gucci, or when Burberry revved up its trademark plaid a few years back.The debate is not just pop-cultural criticism, it's a battle for control of Von Dutch's valuable images. The battle is wending its way through arbitration in Los Angeles Superior Court, and could have significant consequences for Von Dutch Originals, a million-dollar clothing-industry darling of a company built on a name."If Von Dutch only knew, oh, he'd kill 'em," says Skratch, who builds and paints '50s-style hot rods and custom cars. "To know that a Russian Jew stole the name from his daughter, he'd flip. Oh yeah, full-on." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smcx04 Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 I think anyone that buys Von Dutch shows how much of a tasteless tool they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nSyNcBaBy Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 Originally posted by smcx04 I think anyone that buys Von Dutch shows how much of a tasteless tool they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mssabina Posted February 9 Author Report Share Posted February 9 i agree, which is why i posted this article... it makes people look even more ridiculous for shelling out $40 for a name they know nothing about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghhhhhost Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 its like when Jay-Z wore a Che Guevara air-brushed shirt to his unplugged MTV appearance..i think , if Che was alive, he woulda shot Jay 16 times..reloaded..and shot him again...Che stood for revolution...marxism..socialism...social upheaval..change...not capitalism..greed..exploitation...materialism...old Che is rolling around in his grave man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinsaikel Posted February 11 Report Share Posted February 11 Von dutch is such a plain clothing line. But their sweatshirts do make for a great hankerchief:) . I would wear Wilson before I would ever touch Von dutch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnywill Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 Originally posted by mssabina i agree, which is why i posted this article... it makes people look even more ridiculous for shelling out $40 for a name they know nothing about... I have a Von Dutch hat, and i like it. I also have diesel shoes but i dont know mr. Diesel, Mavi jeans but i dont know anythin about Mr. Mavi...Im not trying to start an arguement, but i buy my clothing becasue i like it. I dont care who else has my von ducth hat, i liek the way it looks. I agree alot of peeps jsut buy von dutch jsut to say they bought it, but there are a few of us who jsut liek the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mssabina Posted February 13 Author Report Share Posted February 13 no offense but i think anyone who buys clothing or a hat that blatantly advertises a brand name looks a little ridicululous... especially when that hat is identical to any other $10 one, minus the label. what do you like about your hat? it looks exactly like the trucker hats they sell at flea markets in the city, except it has VON DUTCH plastered on it and costs 4x more... why don't you save some money and go buy one of those?is it because you like the name/logo of von dutch? well, if you're going to shell out $30 extra bucks to help pay for the rights of the name, you should at least know who the hell von dutch is and why his name is making your hat cost so much... concert t-shirt's are insanely expensive but people buy them regardless because they love the band advertised on the front... at least they know why they're paying so much extra for a regular t-shirt...in this case, the name von dutch didn't even have anything to do with clotheing until someone bought the name and plastered the logo all over hats and ridiculous $900 belts. sorry, but i don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinsaikel Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 Originally posted by mssabina no offense but i think anyone who buys clothing or a hat that blatantly advertises a brand name looks a little ridicululous... especially when that hat is identical to any other $10 one, minus the label. what do you like about your hat? it looks exactly like the trucker hats they sell at flea markets in the city, except it has VON DUTCH plastered on it and costs 4x more... why don't you save some money and go buy one of those?is it because you like the name/logo of von dutch? well, if you're going to shell out $30 extra bucks to help pay for the rights of the name, you should at least know who the hell von dutch is and why his name is making your hat cost so much... concert t-shirt's are insanely expensive but people buy them regardless because they love the band advertised on the front... at least they know why they're paying so much extra for a regular t-shirt...in this case, the name von dutch didn't even have anything to do with clotheing until someone bought the name and plastered the logo all over hats and ridiculous $900 belts. sorry, but i don't get it. miss lady or thang. like....you need to check yourself and shoop to the right fast. This post makes you sound like so uncool. It's even like uncool for me to talk about this post. Everybody is wearing von dutch. Get with it. Like, I bought my dog a von dutch sweater and lemme tell ya. He is like constantly rocking the dog house every night. nawimean? so like check yourself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCR Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Originally posted by mssabina no offense but i think anyone who buys clothing or a hat that blatantly advertises a brand name looks a little ridicululous... especially when that hat is identical to any other $10 one, minus the label. what do you like about your hat? it looks exactly like the trucker hats they sell at flea markets in the city, except it has VON DUTCH plastered on it and costs 4x more... why don't you save some money and go buy one of those?is it because you like the name/logo of von dutch? well, if you're going to shell out $30 extra bucks to help pay for the rights of the name, you should at least know who the hell von dutch is and why his name is making your hat cost so much... concert t-shirt's are insanely expensive but people buy them regardless because they love the band advertised on the front... at least they know why they're paying so much extra for a regular t-shirt...in this case, the name von dutch didn't even have anything to do with clotheing until someone bought the name and plastered the logo all over hats and ridiculous $900 belts. sorry, but i don't get it. Agree with you 100%....I may actually say that this is the smartest thing ever said on the Fashion board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g420 Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 what's rediculous is how much time people spend worrying about Von Dutch & who wears it & who doesn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mssabina Posted February 14 Author Report Share Posted February 14 rediculous or ridiculous? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinsaikel Posted February 15 Report Share Posted February 15 Originally posted by mssabina rediculous or ridiculous? neither. try redonkulous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teknojunkee Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 And I think $224 is alittle expensive for tasteless, ugly, and a complete crap pair of jeans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghhhhhost Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 wtf...224$??? i always disliked this shit label...so i didnt bother lookin up prices...but 224$ for a pair of jeans with a big ass eye on it...FUUUUUUUCK THAT KID Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexxyh Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 Originally posted by ghhhhhost wtf...224$??? i always disliked this shit label...so i didnt bother lookin up prices...but 224$ for a pair of jeans with a big ass eye on it...FUUUUUUUCK THAT KID c'mon u know u bought like 5 pairs already!!j/k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinsaikel Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 Originally posted by Teknojunkee And I think $224 is alittle expensive for tasteless, ugly, and a complete crap pair of jeans. A little expensive? I'd much rather watch mark summers comb his shag rug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tired Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 i only read part of the first post but i can rightly say that von dutch sucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkangel1412 Posted February 24 Report Share Posted February 24 i own a pair of von dutch jeans just because they fit amazing. i wouldnt have bought them if they didnt fit as well as they do. they fit almost as good as my sevens. i also own 2 hats, i got them a while ago before everyone had them and i have 1 von dutch t shirt that i barely even wear anymore. i dont conciter myself a tool or a sellout, i got the jeans because they fit well and the hats and shirt i will admit cus people wore on tv, but whatever, i dont care whatpeople think as long as i i liek the clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.