Words by Jesse Serwer, via Soul Culture—
Watchmaker G-Shock is the latest brand to unveil a Rastafarian-themed product in a red, gold (in this case it’s more on the yellow side) and green colorway. Such items tend to inspire conflicted reactions. On one hand, here you have another corporation exploiting something with deep cultural significance without forging any obvious connection with that community. On the other hand, no one owns a color combination and a clothing/accessories company’s job is to make and sell things that look good, which red, gold/yellow and green often does. We might have advised G-Shock to dub their new line something other than the “Rastafarian Series” but we can’t deny that, aesthetically, these look pretty good. Tell us your take on the watches in the comments.
Watch makers are selling: image/life style/cachet/fashion all by association, in this case “G-shock has found a niche market with the “Rastafarian” line, the colors and name carry cultural significance, but get over it. The Union Jack (for example) has been used to death on watches and I doubt with anything other than profit in mind. Luxury watches are big business, but really nothing more than a fashion accessory at this point…technology has made them a dinosaur. Watches are on the brink of disappearing in the main stream.