This picture was in the Boots Christmas Catalogue.. Ignoring the annoying 'trend expert' nonsense, and not even daring think what the hell 'rockstar edge' means: I was struck by the brand-name - 'Religion'...
What is the thinking behind the use of this word here? I feel vaguely mystified...
Possibly, they saw the name 'Religion' as a kind of step forward from Cult - ie, Cult Clothing? Maybe aiming for a similar statement, but needing a definitive name. Interesting choice definitely!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the word 'religion' is being used purely as a name for a bran, with no thinking behind it at all - it's meaning is probably entirely irrelevant. No different I suppose from 'Animal'? Unless of course Boots are attempting (poorly) to derive some sort of Gothic look from Religion/Church/priestly garments? I must admit I find this highly unlikely.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is intended to imply that the products are special; with reference to the 'sacred' nature of religion?
ReplyDeletePerhaps to compete with the Philosophy beauty products range? (I would quite like the Philosophy Ginger Bread Man shampoo and showergel for Xmas, available at John Lewis).
ReplyDeleteI suppose it ties in with the attempted 'rockstar edge'. Religion has been used and abused in rock music for years, giving it an 'edge' by breaking the taboos of what you can and can't say about it. Even if you just think of names of bands you have Bad Religion, Black Sabbath, God Forbid, Judas Priest, Godsmack, The Jesus & Mary Chain etc. not to mention the plethora of satanic metal out there. Also, the rockstar image still makes us think of sex, drugs and rock n'roll, so even if the musician/band doesn't reference religion, if they partake in promiscuous sex for example, then from a religious point of view they may still be considered to be living a life of sin.
ReplyDeleteWell, with that request, Roy, I think I had better add that my original post was NOT a request for any items from the Religion range. Not sure I want a 'rockstar edge'....
ReplyDeleted.
Hi, it's just a brand name, mainly for clothes. I've seen it around for a while. The oddest thing, to me, is that some of the products are being sold at/through Boots, which seems a weird marketing move. Boots is hardly hip or edgy, which is how brand Religion wants to be seen. Boots won't be selling the clothes, I guess, just stuff like headphones gift sets. Maybe Religion headphones are ultra cool, hip and edgy all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteDave, maybe you should think again about having Religion gear on your wishlist: you never know, perhaps you could squeeze into their trousers: See range of garments here > http://www.asos.com/Men/A-To-Z-Of-Brands/Religion/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=1607&r=2#parentID=-1&pge=0&pgeSize=20&sort=-1
And Roy, too, after scrubbing up with Ginger Bread Man toiletries. Religion and Philosophy at the same time. I just hope all these products are produced ethically ...
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ReplyDeleteInstead of invoking metaphysical promises I think brandnames should be subversive. I would prefer to buy items with brandnames such as ‘snot’, ‘belch’ and ‘puke’, rather than ‘religion’ and ‘philosophy’. A brand name like ‘puke’ is probably more on a par (of value) with the object that is being bought anyhow.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been trying to squeeze ‘religion’ through the mill of fashioning anagrams (like French Connection and ‘fcuk’ or Vimto and ‘vomit’ – which was probably a mistake, not a choice). I can only come up with ‘eli groin’, concluding that the brandname ‘Religion’ was probably not chosen for subliminal reasons.