In 1938, Elizabeth Hawes wrote, "Fashion Is Spinach," which was one of the first (if not the first) books taking a critical look at American fashion and what is wrong with it. Her thesis was that America was emerging as a fashion capitol rivaling France and Italy, but that fashion was in general dismissed by Americans, because it was associated with women (a marginalized group), the Garment District with its immigrant tradespeople (a marginalized group) and that fashion was mass-produced like cars and canned spinach. Ms. Hawes was a genius.
 
Guess how far we’ve come in the past 73 years? Not very far. Fashion is still spinach. Let’s play a little game: name 10 great American designers, not brands, actual people who design. If there is a celebrity on your list cross him off. Not so easy, is it?
 
Well, it’s not just fashion–retail is spinach too. Sameness is killing the American retailer; it’s becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between brands. Does Macys look that much different from JCPenney? Does JCPenney look that much different from Target? Does Target look than much different from Walmart? It’s a red and white world, with large oversize graphics, headless white mannequins and fixturing straight out of Retail 101. Visually, it’s just one big can of soupy spinach. Granted, spinach is good for you, but a little does go a long way.
 
The economy has altered our needs and expectations more than retails might suspect. Why should I go into my local department store for a pair of shoes when I can get one at Payless? Why should I shop at Bloomingdale's for this year’s Lanvin or Jimmy Choo when I can get a knockoff at H&M or Forever 21? The store experience is virtually the same. Low-end discounters are looking just about as good as the moderate-priced monoliths.
 
Even luxury is a huge yawn. In a recent experiment, I cut out advertising from Chanel, D & G, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Gucci and several other luxury retailers. I cut out all their logos and asked students to identify the different brands–with rare exception, they looked almost identical. It’s a dark slick campaign, men with greased back hair, with pale skin and ruby red lips, all in a state of undress, and just preparing for some sort of sexual conquest. Yikes! When Chanel looks like MAC Cosmetics, I’m outta here!
 
Fashion and retail is static, and has been static for years. Good gracious. What we’re wearing today is practically what we were wearing 10 years ago, maybe 15. Remember when designers and retails did something different every season? Why do we all get so excited about technology and having the latest phone, latest app or latest iPad? Because it’s changing. If 2,000 people will line up outside Apple's door for 48 hours to get the newest iPad, maybe Apple should start designing what we wear. And maybe their designers and architects should be heading over to the local strip mall to create more magical spaces!

–Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger