Going commercial

As the indie trend sweeps from popular music to the cinema, two
corporations are turning indie rock into indie chic.

American Apparel, the rapidly growing clothes retailer that
opened its Westwood location this past summer, sells its T-shirts
wholesale to independent bands. These groups, ranging from the Rx
Bandits to Sub Pop Records mainstays such as The Constantines and
Iron and Wine, then print their own logos.

For the past three years, many independent bands’ T-shirts
have been printed solely on the American Apparel brand. These
shirts are usually sold at a band’s merchandise booths at
concerts, as well as through the groups’ Web sites.

Much has been made of American Apparel’s
“sweatshop-free” mantra, which appeals to bands looking
for an affordable but socially conscious retailer. Bands can sell
their shirts for $10 to $20 each, which is less than designer
labels.

“Record labels and bands have approached us, for the most
part, rather than us seeking them out,” said Mathew Swenson,
who is in charge of global fashion media and product placement at
American Apparel. “Our shirts have a slimmer fit than most
T-shirts, which appeals to the younger, especially hipster
customer. Bands also tend to approach us because of our political
and cultural ideas. A lot of bands’ ideas are about the
music, and we’re about (being) sweatshop-free, so
there’s a common idea ““ because together, we’re
against the man. Supporting a company like us is like supporting
the bands’ ideal as well.”

The success of American Apparel ““ which has seen sales
jump to $250 million last year from about $128 million in 2004 and
$80 million in 2003 ““ can partly be credited to its appeal to
a younger generation that has bought into the indie aesthetic
showcased in music, film and television shows such as “The
O.C.” and “One Tree Hill.”

The company has advertised heavily on the influential Pitchfork
Media, an online publication primarily focused on independent
music.

Starting next season, American Apparel will launch a
half-cotton, half-polyester T-shirt brand, which gives the product
what Swenson calls a “classic vintage band T-shirt”
feel after a few washings.

In addition, one of their latest projects is to launch a Webcast
radio station, with selections picked by the company’s
executives and people who work in the store. The station will play
in the store as well as online. “It’s our little
subculture,” Swenson said.

The success of American Apparel follows the similar success of
another fashion retailer in Westwood, Urban Outfitters, as part of
a larger trend of companies tapping into the indie market.

From iPod mixers and cases to music and media books and
magazines, Urban Outfitters sells a lifestyle that goes beyond
clothes. The fashion selection features music-oriented T-shirts
priced from $20 to $40. Some examples are the multicolored Ramones,
old-school MTV and vintage-style Whisky a Go-Go T-shirts, as well
as printed slogan shirts like “Music is my business”
and “Hang the DJ.”

Third-year American literature and culture student Jane S. Kim,
who frequents Melrose Avenue and thrift stores for her clothing,
said she resents the selling of an indie-music package deal to the
masses.

“I feel like Urban isn’t selling clothes,” she
said. “They’re selling a subculture that consists of
music, books, martini glasses and furniture. It’s pop-culture
bank land.”

Urban Outfitters is among the many clothing retailers with an
in-store soundtrack, offering a sampler of music it has compiled,
in conjunction with promotional music companies, and is available
for purchase in the store and at the Pitchfork Media-associated
online music store Insound.

Like American Apparel, the company has supported youth-relevant
political causes: A past compilation, collaborated with Filter
Magazine, was sold for hurricane relief. Artists featured on the
current sampler include Bloc Party, Devendra Banhart, Doves and
M.I.A.

“People pick up the Urban sampler and say, “˜Oh, this
is indie music. Let’s dress this way, let’s listen to
this music,'” Kim said. “It makes everything so
accessible that it ruins everything, to the point where it’s
not authentic and not sincere. Going there starts to mean,
“˜Oh, let’s expand my indie quotient
today.'”

Some students disagree. “They try to use the music to give
you the feel that you’re in a retro store that’s in a
hip and new age. It makes you feel almost cool shopping there
because they have cool bands that play there,” said
musicology graduate student Jackie Bezek. “They give you ways
so that you don’t have to be innovative about your own style.
They come up with your own creative style for you, and sometimes
that’s helpful.”

The company’s approach, as with American Apparel, has
proven to be a hit with customers: Urban Outfitters currently rakes
in over $1 billion in sales annually, and shows no signs of slowing
down, with several investment banks forecasting long-term growth of
at least 20 percent.

While a commercialization of a lifestyle may present an affront
to fans eager to stake a claim on the independent music and culture
they’ve invested themselves in, for both bands and consumers
alike the two stores are creating their own successful niche.

For an exploration into the rise of indie culture to
mainstream music and film, read today’s A&E
insert.

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