Wearing Crisp

15th May, 2012

So it’s a fictional brand on a TV show but if we had to assess Crisp as a brand, what do we think of it? Here is a quick critique of the fashion label which is the centre piece of How To Make It In America…

As a brand, Crisp is very edgy and very New York. The fit of the clothing is very much along the lines of the trans-Atlantic slightly loose fit. Talking of ‘loose fit’, be sure to catch the episode where they have their sample jeans produced!

Crisp fits into the urban category but the clothes are probably more likely to be wearable to an everyday club depending on how the garments are worn. One of the closet real life equivalents of the brand is probably LRG, who make ‘urban’ clothes for a wearer who probably wants to grow up a bit. Crisp is brand that is happy to throw in the little details which make their items stand out.

Crisp, How To Make It In America

Along side the obvious urban inspirations, Crisp occasionally take inspiration from a very grungy direction. Yet their look-books and product launches seem to be aiming at the high end section of the high street. It feels slightly contradictory but sometimes the greatest creative output can come from the most diverse sources.

Crisp favour the high visual impact of big graphics and logo often emblazoned across their clothing. The truth of this is that it can occasionally feel slightly lazy and for a new brand, you probably expect slightly more creativity from the graphics on their attire. However, one of their key garment pieces does start to exhibit the creativity that allows them to get on the track to ‘making it’.

Crisp, How To Make It In America

Ben Epstein wears a t-shirt (above) he created in episode 5 of series 1 which then becomes the piece of attire that gets Crisp one of their first major distribution deals. It’s a relatively clever piece of imagery that uses the subway doors and New York Skyline to give a nod to the slightly aggressive and ‘no nonsense’ feeling of New York.

In some cases, the brand Crisp and How To Make  It In America does seem to bend the realities of what a new label has to achieve to gain success. But at the same, it is also possible to over analyse a fictional clothing brand! If Crisp was real, would you buy their clothing? If you look hard enough, you may even find the above Crisp t-shirt to buy online!

+ BACK