I'm not a surfer. Never have been. But, considering that surfing is in many ways the "mother sport" of skateboarding, I do take a passing interest in the yesterdays and todays of the surfing world. As such, I was kinda startled and perplexed when I began seeing kids all over the place [Here in Indiana, no less… miles away from any coast] rocking all of this "Hollister: Established in 1922" gear.
Now: I've never heard of this "Hollister" company in any surf mag that I've ever read…
Well, here's why: Hollister wasn't established in 1922 at all. It was actually established in 2000 as a "spin-off brand" by it's parent company, the Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Likewise: Hollister isn't headquartered on a beach. Nor, are they even anywhere near one. The headquarters are actually just a couple of hours away from Indianapolis, in the suburb of New Albany, Ohio (just outside Columbus).
Hollister has no roots in surfing, and has nothing to do with surfing, except for the few "prop" surfboards that you'll find in their stores (some with the fins mounted backward, if you can believe that shit…!).
In addition to all of this fakery (as if this wasn't more than enough, already), we also have this little nugget that I found at Wikipedia. It's a completely fictionalized account of the "history" of the Hollister company, beginning with a detailed biography of it's fictitious "founder", John M. Hollister:
"Hollister Co.'s 'story' begins with the fictional character John M. Hollister.[9] An adventurous youth, he spent his youth practicing sports in the waters of Maine.[9] He graduated from Yale University in 1915 at the age of 21.[9] Not wanting the high-life his father established for him in Manhattan, the young man boarded a succession of steamboats, finally arriving in the Dutch East Indies by 1917.[9] There, he bought a rubber plantation from the [similarly] fictitious Gregory Van Gilder, and soon came to know and love Gilder's daughter, Meta.[9] Afterwards, Hollister sold the land, and with half of the money purchased a 50-foot schooner on which he and Meta spent two years sailing the South Pacific Ocean treasuring the diverse cultures.[9] John and Meta harboured in Los Angeles in 1919, and married in the late fall.[9] John M. Hollister, Jr. was born in 1920, and after "discovering California and himself" with his love for the South Pacific in mind John Sr. established Hollister Co. in 1922 in Laguna Beach. The company became purveyors of South Pacific treasures (hand-crafted furniture, jewelry, linens, and artifacts from all the islands).[9] The company changed after John Jr. took over the business in 1957, bringing into the inventory surf apparel and equipment… (1)
Wikipedia introduces/justifies this story, by opening it with this disclaimer:
"All of Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s spin-off brands have an elaborate pseudo-history (including RUEHL No.925 and Gilly Hicks) to give meaning and feeling to the brand image of the Hollister concept…"
The Wikipedia entry goes on to say:
"Only in fantasy is the company said to be still managed by the Hollisters.[9] Abercrombie & Fitch calls the story 'a story of passion, youth and love of the sea [carrying] the harmony of romance, beauty, adventure….'[9]"
Wikipedia explains further:
"The story is not made publicly available… but it helps tie in many elements of the brand [that] was, in reality, conceived by Abercrombie & Fitch in the 21st century. The Hollister Co. brand is marketed as being 'established in 1922', and the date is found [on] the labels and designs of the merchandise. The store is designed to simulate the feeling of being in a surf shop. Furthermore, the story of the character John Jr. being a renowned surfer is on the back of Jake cologne packaging… (1) "
This is some pretty sad shit, right here. Who would have thought that a bunch of marketing executives would go to such great [and, detailed] lengths to blatantly lie to an entire nation of teenagers, just to sell some knock-off surfwear…?
And, here's the logical follow-up question: Why would anyone in their right mind continue to buy into this bullshit, when there are so many legitimate surfwear brands out there that actually have deep roots in the history of surfing…?
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollister_Co.
