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Is The Splasher Really American Apparel?
By
tien mao
Published Mar 5, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
tien mao
Published Mar 5, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Is Dov Charney more than the perverted genius behind American Apparel? Imnotsayin came close to catching the Splasher in action in Williamsburg, when he found what seemed like a freshly pasted Splasher manifesto with paint splashed on it. When he closely inspected the pasted signs, Imnotsayin found that the paint was actually pre-printed on the manifesto and there's an American Apparel ad with a half-naked guy and a paint splash printed onto the poster as well. Here's his theory, which actually makes some sense:
American Apparel IS the Splasher. Their clever marketing department cooked up the original Manifesto and began posting it and splashing prominent Faile, Obey, Banksy, etc works in key AA neighborhoods - the Lower East Side and Williamsburg, knowing it would spark a controversy among hipsters and artists.
Much to American Apparel's delight, prominent NY news outlets including New York Magazine and the NY Times picked up the story. The Times has run two stories, including a huge splash (sorry) on the front of Thursday's Metro section.
Delighted by the unexpected press, American Apparel decides to cash out, hiring a local street artist to paste up the mashed-up ads, and exposing itself as the culprit.
Brilliant! Our money is on Colonel Mustard, in the conservatory, with a bucket of wheatpaste! If American Apparel really is the Splasher or just seizing on the fame of the Splasher, Gothamist thinks the paint could blow up in Charney's face. The publicity would be nice, but we're guessing that his customer base likes street art more than the general public.
We're curious what Iron Mike Tyson thinks of this whole thing. After all, he is an expert on street art. Just look at his face. Not that would be able to make sense of what he's saying:
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