Shanghaiist: American Apparel coming to Shanghai

T

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:50:29 +0800

huh, I was pretty sure hypercolor was a mid 80s thing - from 5th grade through 8th grade, but wikipedia says late 1980s through early 90s. learn something new everyday.

Dan Washburn

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:31:16 +0800

When I was home last month, my mom was wearing my old early-90s HyperColor shirt around the house ... and the colors still changed.

T

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:22:30 +0800

So I was in Beijing this weekend, and there are not 1, not 2 but 3 American Apparel stores already open there. How did Beijing get ahead in the Fashion Game?! (Yeah, yeah I know the Olympics) The stores are pretty big, but not a huge selection. The split between women's and men's apparel is more like 60/30 (10% accessories) than the 50/50 split in the States. Need more hoodies and t-shirts in my opinion, but I still ended up dropping about 1500RMB. And they have HYPERCOLOR shirts! Time to relive my junior high school days.

Andy Best

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:51:24 +0800

Oh, I don't really mind hipsters myself ... I think a satircal 'hipsters diary' would be funny. Maybe that's for someone else's blog. If nanheyangrouchuan wrote it, it could be the next China Bounder scandal. Grandpa Hipster? Sounds like a satirical blog right there, Dan. ;)

T

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:55:00 +0800

nah, like most people, I'd rather actually sit on the sidelines and comment rather than actually expose myself by writing on Shanghaiist. Thanks though. Hating hipsters takes effort. I'm more of a "they annoy me, but I'm not really in a hating mood" thing. Maybe you could convince nanheyangrouchuan they're behind the new Chinese aircraft carrier.

Dan Washburn

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:03:03 +0800

That doesn't sound like a good idea, Andy. Wouldn't a large percentage of Shanghaiist readers (and contributors) fall under the "hipster" category? And why is that a bad thing? I myself am a proud "grandpa hipster."

Andy Best

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:45:31 +0800

So T ... Want to get Shanghaiist on the Hipster hating bandwagon. I have an idea. You can start a feature. You don't need to 'out' people so to speak. Take photos at clubs you go to and write them up (the nights in general not just the photos) in a satire style. I've been to clubs in Shanghai - they are goldmines of material for such a feature. Write on up and send it to Kenneth. It could even be a satire of a hipsters diary ... If T doesn't want this assignment, who's gonna step up?

T

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:11:39 +0800

that's pretty much it.

Andy Best

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:40:46 +0800

*in this specific case, black meaning - Black American, urban, flashy, baggy clothes, loud hip hop, etc. etc. So it's a combination of an original racist term, the above stereotype and the concept of having to act a certain way depending on your skin colour. Guess I won't be using it then.

T

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:47:32 +0800

Andy_Best - Wigga (or Wigger) is a often derogetory way to refer to "white guys" (and they're 99% guys) who "act black*" *in this specific case, black meaning - Black American, urban, flashy, baggy clothes, loud hip hop, etc. etc. It's a portmanteau of "white" and [offensive word, that refers to blacks, normally black americans]

WatchBagDVD

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:42:59 +0800

From the newly unblocked Wikipedia! Wigga.

Andy Best

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:26:46 +0800

Hiptsters have been around as long as pop-culture 'scenes' ... the first scenesters plagued the UK in the swinging 60's for sure. Historical references to hipsters, anyone? I often worry that I'm a hipster but have two fall backs: 1) I never wear skinny pants of any type. 2) I'm from Liverpool UK and tend to mainly wear loose fitting track suits and training clothes on all occaisions (Liverpool thing) Finally ..Wigga?

James Creegan

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:59:33 +0800

I'm going to wear horn-rimmed jeans and skinny glasses. Switch it up like Kriss-Kross.

WatchBagDVD

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:21:19 +0800

I guess poseurs came first, and sort of transmogrified into hipsters some time around the time punk broke, which could either be like 1980 or so or could be 1995 or so, depending on way too many factors to figure out here. It is all recurring, isn't it. Like the first instance of skinny jeans is mentioned in Genesis and the Bhagavad Gita somewhere. I have another pop-culture question, though. Is a Chinese Wigga properly called a Chigga?

T

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:28:29 +0800

Proto-hipsters are okay, since they were creating a scene, not joining one post-Zeitgeist. It's all very-Meta - but I wanted to get Shanghaiist on the hipster-hating bandwagon of the other -ists. Wait, does this mean I'm also joining a movement? It's all a bit too PoMo for me. But I'm pretty sure skinny jeans' most recent incarnation wasn't until at least this century.

WatchBagDVD

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:17:18 +0800

Well, okay, maybe those were the days of proto-hipsters and proto-hating on proto-hipsters. Things weren't quite as ironic then, maybe. But it was before 2002, for sure.

T

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:06:32 +0800

WBDVD - more of a 2002-2004 thing, I'd say. In 95 we were still listening to grunge and wearing flannel.

WatchBagDVD

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:59:33 +0800

gratuitous hating on hipsters is so 1995.

jenming

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:39:44 +0800

UH OH, T.... I avoid starbucks... I try to get outside as much as possible... I even wear skinny jeans sometimes! I might be a hipster! I don't have horn-rim glasses yet, though... but if I do get some, I'll be sure to use the frames to gouge my own eyes out.

shopgirl

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:41:28 +0800

that's weird, I actually posted the tip up on the contributors page.... but thanks to the people who recognized it :)

vladivostok

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:51:24 +0800

There is an overlap between the readership of Shopgirl and Shanghaiist? *mock horror*

Micah Sittig

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:22:45 +0800

On the other hand you guys were scooped by Shopgirl by 3 weeks Yup, so big ups to Siyan for the tip! If she had posted it to our Contribute page I'm sure we would have noticed sooner.

Chinkerfly

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:22:33 +0800

They're paying more than minimum wage US dollars? O_o ...struggling with math in head... $6/hour x 40 hrs = $240/week = $960/month x steadily falling exchange rate ~ 6720RMB Anywhere in China besides Shanghai or Beijing and that would be a fortune. It's already more than I'm making -_-

T

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:59:13 +0800

this life of yours in Shanghai where you encounter no hipsters 1. Stay away from non-Corporate coffee shops. Only Starbucks for me! 2. Spend your days at work. It's much tougher to run into scenesters when you're spending all day in a cube. And not in tattoo parlor or shopping for faux-vintage clothing on Xinle Lu. 3. Speaking of which, avoid stores which stock unisex skinny jeans. 4. Luckily we don't have a burgeoning live indie rock scene in Shanghai - although it's growing. But don't help it to grow! Because pretty soon we'll be inundated with ironic t-shirts and thick black glasses wearing hipsters - specially imported from Los Angeles.

jenming

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:50:28 +0800

But having them here, does this mean we'll have to deal with Shanghai hipsters soon? I wish to know more about you and this life of yours in Shanghai where you encounter no hipsters. What Utopian bliss! Teach me your ways, please.

James Creegan

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:36:41 +0800

and this despite the fact they told me there would be no space available for retail in 1933 when I visited there in February.

T

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:35:23 +0800

I love American Apparel. In fact, I'm wearing an American Apparel t-shirt right now. But having them here, does this mean we'll have to deal with Shanghai hipsters soon? On the other hand you guys were scooped by Shopgirl by 3 weeks http://www.siyansshanghai.com/2008/03/american-apparell-opening-in-shanghai.html

santochino

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:20:48 +0800

The primary color underwear is taking over the 1933 project in Hongkou. AA is the anchor tenant.