Jack and Jill: An Apparel Antagonist

Chances are you haven’t heard of Jack and Jill apparel and quite frankly I wish I had never heard of said clothing line myself. This self proclaimed outfitter of the Black bourgeoisie has seriously had me disgusted with the world for the past few days. One customer writes, “’my friends and I wanted to wear clothes that were reflective of our heritage and told our stories… Upper-class Caucasians have Ralph Lauren, the British have Burberry, and the French have Lacoste, but African Americans do not have a luxury brand to call their own.’ While I am fully supportive of clothing which commemorates a cultural history and past, I am rather confused as to how J+J is accomplishing this. The brand, which obviously gets its name from the Jack & Jill Association (the equally pompous, yet more socially conscious Black philanthropy (A la National Charity League)) is truly a disgrace to not only the African American community but also anyone who has received any form of education, which the poorly presented website claims to be a cornerstone of the Black “elite” the brand caters to.

I realize I am most likely overreacting right now, but I feel obligated to share some direct quotes as well as a page from their catalog just to show you why I am so disgusted right now…

Clothing For Wealthy Kids From Wealthy Families (The brands tagline)

The clothing expresses the rich heritage, prestigious education and success which mainstream America may associate with only Anglo-Saxon Americans. (Woah there George Fitzhugh!)

The brand acts as a liaison between the African American elite and the rest of world letting people know that this culture embraces many things that are common within in Anglo-Saxon culture such as attending the best preparatory schools, the right colleges, and membership in the right social organizations and at the right country clubs.

Our Lifestyle: his + her ferrari’s, house in the hills, jack + jill (Wait, the ‘ferrari’s’ possessing who? J+J a liaison representing a culture which embraces such high standards in education… and proper grammar usage)

It is just the overall tone and presentation that comes off as elitist, condescending and in my opinion, achieves the exact opposite the brand sets out to do. Earlier I quoted one customer who cited several high end brands and their cultural resonances; however, none of these brands are as exclusive and polarizing as J+J. While the likes of Burberry and Lacoste do in fact cater to a high-end clientele, a quick look at their respective websites contrasts in professionalism and establishing a “culture” (Lacoste and tennis for example).

www.jackandjillinternational.com, www.flickr.com/photos/jacknjill/

Here is my message to J+J…

—

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Corey Rateau and I happened to recently come across jackandjillinternational.com, the online portal for Jack and Jill Apparel. I write to say that I am very troubled by what I have found on your website and I would appreciate some more insight into the brand and its message. While in concept having a clothing label that represents and commemorates the rich cultural history of the African American people is wonderful, your online presentation has failed to capture the essence of J+J being such a brand. Your website came across as nothing short of being elitist, unprofessional and condescending. As a young African American male and someone who takes his education very seriously, I believe you have fundamentally failed to represent your clientele, your brand and the greater African American community in a positive or productive manner. While your website reads, “[J+J] overthrows the stereotypes of African American culture that have been engrained in society’s mind by MTV and other media outlets,” I am still unsure how J+J as a brand accomplishes this. The images your website portrays are ultimately congruous with that of MTV and other media outlets which degrade African American culture as being materialistic and superficial, stereotypes which are both readily found on your website. While I will admit your attempts to redirect common perception are not entirely fruitless, I believe your intentions have been seriously compromised through your alienation of many of the issues and qualities that are integral to African American culture as a whole. As a result J+J is doing nothing more than perpetuating such points of concern.

Overall, I take insult that you are attempting to act as a cultural liaison of sorts for a demographic which I belong to. All of the so called “African American elite” J+J has set out to represent, people who value “attending the best preparatory schools, the right colleges, and membership in the right social organizations and at the right country clubs,” should be concerned by the manner in which you are presenting them. From the countless grammatical mistakes on the website, to the overall contradictory message the brand presents, I believe J+J reflects poorly on some of our community’s best individuals.

I encourage your response and I look forward to any comments you may have.

Best,

Corey Rateau

Mansions. Yachts. Sports Cars. Back to School?

Disgusting.