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Paris Hilton, one the most prominent Von Dutch wearers during the label’s heyday is asked one question in the Hulu miniseries The Curse of Von DutchShe asked if she would ever wear their pieces again. “Probably as a joke,” she replies.
The label will take you back to the early 2000s, when high fashion was busy scavenging every Juicy sweatsuit, UGG boot and going-out shirt. Von Dutch, the trucker hats that Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, and Gwen Stefani have worn, actually dates back to Kenneth Howard, a midcentury hot rod artist who was known for his bizarre and gruesome artwork. “Von Dutch” was one of his nicknames.
Andrew Renzi’s documentary reveals how this fashion origin story is interwoven with true crime. House of Gucci Kitson. The Kitson label’s talking heads, many of whom appear to have a SoCal-specific brain disease, tell a tale about intra-brand rivalry that includes gun-waving. There was murder, a lot of wrangling about who “owns” Von Dutch, as well as suitcases full of cash and a lot of gun-waving. It’s also an interesting parable about the ever-changing re-appropriation fashion brands and how style can move quickly from being an outsider statement into mainstream to joke and back to mainstream. (In recent years, Emma Chamberlain, Megan Thee Stallion, and Addison Rae have been seen wearing Von Dutch in a move that may, or may not, be adorned with irony. The series fits in with the growing trend of fashion-tainment. When a luxury brand like Balmain starts to venture into territory like a scripted TV show, more mass entrants will likely follow. Von Dutch has a lot of stories to share.
Even its origins are questionable. The Americana-heavy, car culture-inspired brand is claimed to have been created by three people: Ed Boswell and Mike Cassel. Bobby Vaughn claims that they “created it” based on Howard’s iconography. Vaughan sold Pamela Anderson to Von Dutch by the 2000’s while he was on the set of Anderson’s show. V.I.P., A coup that saw Tommy Lee dressed for his wedding Cribs episode. The styles were adopted by Tracey mills, a marketer who referred to Kanye West as a friend and Halle Berry was a friend. US Weekly. They were proletarian cosplay for celebrities, casually dressed and perfect for paparazzi dodging (or courting). The brand’s hallmark was gifting. Famous people could go to the store and take whatever they wanted. The brand’s customer base went beyond the boundaries of genre: rock stars, pop stars, and hip hop artists all wore its logos, along with newer celebutantes. Many of them spoke of their attraction to the brand’s authenticity and rocker edge. Hilton tells the filmmaker that Von Dutch “was free, it was playful, it was cute, it was iconic.” She and Nicole Richie stopped at the store and emerged with “50 shopping bags” before going to Arkansas to film The Simple LifeThe pieces made up a large portion of the ensembles on the show.
Midway through the series, self-proclaimed “king of fashion” Christian Audigier enters the picture and sends the celebrity-chasing into overdrive. That tabloid exposure got the word out to a public who snapped up its ribbed tank tops and ultra low-rise jeans (“I like these because they don’t really have, like, a waistband,” says one shopper, shown in a news clip.) Audigier, however, went overboard and used the logo to brand energy drinks and dog clothes. Von Dutch became the second-most-counterfeited brand in the world, but also one of the most diluted.
Arguments over ownership and authenticity only heated up. Some of the original hot rod fans adopted the nickname “Von Douche” as it became more common. Cassel considered it “celebrity, name-dropping, cheap style” that “doesn’t last, doesn’t stick.” As with many surf, skate, and motorcycle brands, the spirit of the original subculture felt like it was being leached out. While the documentary doesn’t dive into race too deeply, it’s difficult for viewers to not notice that many of those associated with the brand’s early success were people of colour, while those who took control, reaping the rewards, and the dollars, were white.
A backlash against the brand erupted after Howard, the artist behind Von Dutch, died in 2004. However, the Y2K fashion bubble burst at that point and the stock was already on its way to collapse. Now, it seems to be embarking on its fourth life, aimed at an audience that may or may not know its complex history—proof that in fashion, the story is never really over.
Source: elle
