Off the soap box

I went to one of the better-known markets in Kowloon today. Plenty of knock-off this and that -- Diesel, Louis Vuitton, more Diesel, Von Dutch, still more Diesel, Paul Frank, again more Diesel, Billabong, moremoremore Diesel. I eschew labels, so the whole Diesel thing absolutely baffles me -- what does wearing an overpriced t-shirt splattered with a boring logo prove, except that you're paying too much for your clothes?

Now don't get me wrong: I like nice clothing. But I dress for comfort, for how the clothes feel and look on me, for how the look of my clothes speak for themselves instead of having a sought-after label speak for them. If I want to stand out, I'll wear bright colours or a funny phrase t-shirt (my fave: "Genius when drunk"). I clothe myself for a quarter of what A-List fags spend with an eye on my wallet, and I'm proud of that.

Anyone who knows me, who really knows me will know, however, that I'm a sucker for The Republic. The difference with being a Republic devotee than with being a wanna-be clone is that: (a) Republic clothes don't show their labels; (b) I buy Republic clothing for the fit, quality, and feel. Having said that, however, I have a confession to make: I've been disappointed with The Republic that last two times I've visited Vancouver. I fear my obsession preference for The Republic may be done. I know that's a big revelation, and you read it here first, folks!!

In Bali and Thailand, I could have purchased more Diesel imitation merchandise than I could ever wear in a calendar year. Instead, I prefer to be recognized for my character and integrity instead of for "who I'm wearing." In Singapore, I bought a new watch, but made sure it was a knock-off of a brand that I'm not familiar with, simply because I didn't want to be one of those people who buys a insert expensive brand name here knock-off in hopes of fooling other equally shallow people with the amount of money I can spend on a watch.

Similarly, today I wanted to buy a new courier bag at the market, and saw about 30 different styles of bags that I would have considered. Of course, I had to immediately discount 20 of those styles simply because of their blatant Diesel logo. In the end, I settled on a modest little bag, a brand that I've never heard of (a fact that I really like). Trust me, the picture of the bag on the website doesn't do it justice -- it's really cute (but masculine, of course!). And it was cheap. And it isn't Diesel. And I can still have principles.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm all about shallow. I'm just not into the label worship thing. I prefer instead to limit my shallowness to looks, and to finding that special guy who looks like this. I'd even like him if he wore an imitation Diesel speedo.

OK, now that I've gotten the label-bashing off my chest, I'll get off my soap box.