| Anyone who has been involved in the clothing | | | | latest trend. |
| business knows that if something seems to good to | | | | It's hard to spot when something like this is |
| be true, it probably is. But even so, the FDNY | | | | happening. Most of the time, it's hard to create |
| sweatshirts trend gives some people pause: it's taking | | | | merchandise that is launched by a traumatic event -- |
| a universally loved and acclaimed brand, and turning it | | | | it feels too much like exploitation. FDNY sweatshirts |
| into a product that anyone can sell. It's hard to | | | | get around this by being an existing product that was |
| imagine what would happen if other brands did this -- | | | | effectively relaunched when people radically |
| if anyone could label their dyed sugar water | | | | reconsidered how they thought of the FDNY, and |
| "Coca-Cola" without repercussions -- but the FDNY | | | | decided to share their feelings through clothing. They |
| sweatshirts business has been remarkably free of | | | | weren't exploiting tragedy; they were reminding |
| any of the problems one would expect. Why is this, | | | | people that the brand name signified bravery and |
| and what should we do about it? | | | | courage, not just another job. |
| The first thing to keep in mind is that although every | | | | It's even harder to launch a trend like this. You'd have |
| time feels unique, FDNY-branded sweatshirts aren't | | | | to spot the opportunity to turn a significant event, or |
| the only product that takes a well-loved brand and | | | | a major change in perception, into a product. FDNY |
| commercializes it. Many holidays work this way, of | | | | sweatshirts don't seem to have come from a single |
| course -- nobody owns the rights to Christmas, so, | | | | producer -- rather, many different clothing makers |
| like FDNY sweatshirts, many Christmas-related goods | | | | decided to create them, some out of a heartfelt |
| are mass produced and competitively sold. But unlike | | | | feeling that this was what people needed, others |
| these, FDNY sweatshirts took something that wasn't | | | | more directly responding to consumer demand. To |
| yet a popular brand, and made it a sustainable trend. | | | | predict this kind of thing, and take advantage of it |
| One important element of this is that the trend is | | | | without serious missteps, is a frightfully difficult |
| self-sustaining. Seeing a few people a month in FDNY | | | | undertaking. |
| sweatshirts is enough to tell you that the shirts exist, | | | | It's probably best to be cautious about a trend like |
| but seeing a few people each day tells you they're a | | | | this. FDNY sweatshirts are established now, but it |
| mainstay. As FDNY-branded sweatshirts became | | | | would be pretty difficult to create something similar |
| more popular among their original audience (people | | | | to them. Unlike many other areas of fashion, it's best |
| who were interested in displaying their fondness for | | | | to hang back and see what other people do, rather |
| the NY Fire Department through FDNY sweatshirts) | | | | than make a serious mistake. |
| to people who were trying to keep up with the | | | | |