More like Man Plunders Globe. How dare they?! How dare Anthropologie and the Sundance Channel (I thought Robert Redford was supposed to be some sort of eco-guy??) produce and air such filthy excess. In the midst of an economic crisis no less. It's arrogant consumerism disguised as thoughtful re-use. White neocolonialism (is that redundant?) is alive and well. Yeah, he has some good ideas for utilizing found objects, but so do I and so do you. Unfortunately the exploitive nature of the show outweighs any of the positive notes.
There's a scene where the "star" of the show, Keith Johnson walks through the streets of Jodhpur and points to wooden transport carts that people are using to deliver goods around town, "Can we get those?" he says to his Indian agent. And with a sweeping wave of his hand declares, "Let's get twenty of those." Isn't that cute the way they use those primitive carts to do back-breaking work all day. Let's make those into a coffee table that we can rest our tired Gucci soles on after a hard day's shopping. Get those to Anthropologie stat!
I'm hoping that they are reading their reviews. It appears that they are as following my earlier post wherein I pointed out that they used the wrong name for one of "their" artists, Leslie Oschmann, a correction was made on the show's web site. If anyone out there has contact with Robert Redford please feel free to share this with him. Cheers.
Well said!
I totally agree.
His shop really turns me off.
Every retailer has sources, but this kind of blatant rip off the natives and sell it to the suckers back in the states should not be exposed for your customers to see.
And of course it shouldn't be happening in the first place.
Mr. Johnson is a bit of a clueless dweeb, something we might have suspected, but now it's confirmed for all to see on a cheesy TV show.
I suggest we boycott shopping at Anthro this Christmas season, and beyond.
Shop Etsy and your local art markets instead. We really are smart enough to find our own cute stuff, and pay the artist a fair price too.
xo xo
Posted by: Visual Vamp | November 07, 2009 at 10:26 AM
This is akin to people on Antiques Roadshow who say "I bought this from a little old lady! She didn't suspect a thing about its true worth! She died because she couldn't afford health care so she doesn't know I used the money I made to cruise to the Bahamas! Sucka!!" LOL
Posted by: Catherine dee Auvil | November 07, 2009 at 04:56 PM
I'm so glad to hear that you ladies agree. I never know if I'm going to offend someone out there.
Posted by: Sylvie | November 08, 2009 at 12:10 PM
This doesn't surprise me about anything having to do with Anthropologie at all. From what I've heard, the Anthro/Urban Outfitters empire is headed by a reactionary homophobe who markets products to lefties then donates a percentage of the profits to conservative causes.
But Sundance, well. I would have expected better.
Posted by: Jane Ray 1940 (chez shoes) | November 09, 2009 at 09:22 AM
It's like the Whole Foods scam. Tell people that you're a people's health food store and they'll believe it (scroll down to article: http://www.counterpunch.org/sharon05082009.html This kind of marketing scheme runs throughout these days, from retail to politics. It's the old Emperor's New Clothes approach.
Posted by: Sylvie | November 09, 2009 at 10:35 AM
thanks for saying this...I often think I am the only person on the planet that thinks the way you do about this whole subject....Yes, we are smart enough to find our own things, and support finders who find ethically, and artists who should be paid fairly for their work and great ideas, as Vintage Vamp and others have said here.
Posted by: tressie | November 09, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Yay! We have enough members now to form a club, heh. Everyone go check out Tressie's wonderful web site.
Posted by: Sylvie | November 10, 2009 at 01:20 PM
wow. im appalled on one hand and then not so surprised on the other. i too would have expected more from sundance. but had a good friend who worked her way up through Anthro and finally quit do to unfair , unholy working conditions. she had a display wall fall on top of her due to lack proper securing and could never get workers comp (among other incidences). they seem to have a policy of "take advantage of the little guy" in order to move up and make hordes of money. i don't shop there anymore and say yes to boycotting this holiday!
Posted by: Heather | November 11, 2009 at 05:15 AM
Merci Heather. Like Visual Vamp says, boycott this holiday "and beyond."
What a story about your friend. These "hip" shops are corporations just like GE, DuPont, and Exxon. Just because they peddle a "soft" product doesn't change their nasty ethics.
Posted by: Sylvie | November 11, 2009 at 10:03 AM
I had no idea. Here in the UK people are queueing to get in their doors. I was desperate to visit myself. Here in the UK we have not seen this programme maybe we should.
Posted by: Di Overton | November 17, 2009 at 06:19 AM
it's just so sad & unfortunate, and yet continues to be the corporate way...thanks for blogging about it. hopefully people will think twice when buying their commercialized products, no matter how hip & cute & in-demand they are.
Posted by: Katherine | November 18, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Dear Di, I suppose once you know that a place is a corporate chain the jig is up.
Dear Katherine, words of wisdom. Thanks for visiting.
Posted by: Sylvie | November 18, 2009 at 02:50 PM