In his article Rich Men in Uniform, Christopher Tennant details the looks of a handful of the world’s most powerful men. Interestingly enough, these billionaires seem to stick with the same dressed-down looks, no matter the occasion.

Apple’s Steve Jobs prefers the soccer dad classics of a mock turtleneck, Levi’s 501 jeans and white sneakers while grocery store kingpin Ron Burkle looks the part of a weekend warrior in his unchanging black Ralph Lauren polo, boot-cut jeans and classic black Chuck Taylors.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned is that when you’re a billionaire many times over, you have nothing to prove to anyone. And, you probably have bigger fish to fry than trying to decide which pair of handmade Italian loafers you should wear.

This might work. Let’s not forget that women/sex always sells. I found the ad on one of my favorite spill-the-beans web sites, Hipster Runoff. Although why the thong needs to be organic I have no idea….

A slumping economy has caught much of the apparel industry off guard and faltering under an increasingly volitile wave that can be attributed to the deflation of pricing on mainstream American labels, increased manufacturing costs and savvier consumers who are putting more thought into their purchases.

While the price of gas, utilities and groceries has skyrocketed, discretionary (non-essential) spending has been hit hard. “Fast fashion” retailers have fared okay so far in this lackluster market, but eventually, something has got to give.

Many of the staples in mainstream American apparel (Levi’s jeans, Lacoste polos) have actually decreased in price, even when adjusted for inflation due in part to the trend of moving manufacturing to countries with cheaper labor costs. But with the dollar losing steam, those rates have jumped. “As far as bottom costs go, we’re there. I think we’ve exploited all the countries on earth for people who really want to work for nothing,” said Bud Konheim, the chief executive office of Nicole Miller (NYTimes.com).

In many social circles, it is now hip to focus on individuality with regards to fashion and making thoughtful purchases. Instead of purchasing a gaudy, logo-driven article that is instantly recognizable (and quickly dated), people are leaning towards rare, more unique items. “Everything we pick up today has to pass a test,” said Candace Corlett, the president of WSL Strategic Retail, a consulting group. And, with so many options nowadays, who can blame consumers for taking their time to make a purchase? Unfortunately, the NY Times mentions that this is causing many fashion executives to feel the pressure on their bottom lines. Bud Konheim laments that “We as a business cannot afford to have a customer take a second look and ask, ‘Do I need this?’ That is the kiss of death. We’re finished, because nobody really needs anything we make as a total industry.”

Not everyone is faring badly in the tough American economy. Tom Wallace, President of trend forecasting company Label Networks lists a handful of brands including American Apparel, H&M and Uniqlo that are weathering the storm surprisingly well. This may be because of their ability to deliver consistently on-trend clothing in basic shapes at reasonable prices that are easily mixed in with what consumers already own.

To be fair, the recession isn’t hitting everyone. The International Herald Tribune says that “While American buyers are keeping an uncharacteristically low profile, with a beady eye on the miserable dollar exchange rate, other parts of the world are rejoicing in burgeoning markets and have no thought of recession.”

To cope with the lagging economy, luxury fashion houses are surviving the downturn by pushing accessories including jewelry, shoes and handbags more heavily. While shoppers might pass up high priced trendy clothing, they will still drop money on items they can use regularly.

As the U.S. recession deepens, it will be interesting to see what creative tactics brands will employ to stay relevant when consumers are more concerned with basic needs. With rock bottom prices already the norm in the nation’s collective consciousness, the sinking of many labels will be inevitable.

While many companies are simply paying lip service to environmentalism and the green movement, Patagonia has been a pioneer in green methods for years. Now they have delivered the world’s first recyclable nylon jacket, the Shelter Stone, which can be processed through their Common Threads Recycling Program.

Read more about the jacket and the technology behind it at Cool Hunting.

There is no business more maligned right now than the music business so it’s always a surprise to me to find that brands and their agencies haven’t been following the story. Where once every college students dream was to graduate and land that much-sought-after job in the mail room at Warner Bros Records, I would argue today that they are far more interested in joining Google or one of the myriad of new media start-ups rather than getting a job at, or being signed to, the now unsexy music business. In fact one of them is no doubt creating a new, new, new media company as I write.

And then along comes Macys’ American Rag brand campaign - from AdWeek under news, non-traditional - a series of documentary Webisodes will follow the lives of five young people who want to break into the music business. The series, “Ragged Road,” launches in the fall. WPP Group-owned MEC Entertainment developed the show, which will play on YouTube. Nancy Slavin, svp of marketing at Macy’s merchandising group, said this marks a first for the brand in “doing something wholly dedicated to a communications strategy on the Web.”

So Macys’ merchandising group has plunged head first into a web-only strategy. Brave. The clothing brand targets 18-24 year-old males and females and they have deduced that music is one of the passions of this demos primary targets - true, but - music is just one of the passions not the primary passion.

“There’s a lot of people who want to get into the music industry, but don’t know how to go about it. So, we said, let’s find five people who have a passion for the business and want to see what the career opportunities are and what different paths there are to get into the music industry,” said Chet Fenster, managing partner at MEC. - I believe that statement is rather insulting to kids today, it sounds like a justification for making the webisodes rather than reinforcing a need that came out of a focus group session with young people.

All five cast members will be wearing American Rag clothing. They will also be given the opportunity to shop for the brand as they travel across the country. For YouTube users interested in buying the clothes, the Macy’s site will serve as a shopping portal.

Cast members huh? I don’t understand why the agency didn’t find a cool young band that are actually working hard on the road but are struggling to make it. That would have been the truly authentic route to go. Driving a bunch of “cast members” around the country on a bus and giving them “the opportunity to shop for the brand” as they go doesn’t sound so compelling to me. A more authentic way into the music market was showcased recently by Dennys, the restaurant chain, with their Adopt-A-Band campaign where they picked up touring bands and gave them a helping hand in the way Kids like their fashion to be unique. of free meals and other opportunities. Bands and music fans are very nocturnal and always hungry at after hours so this made sense in many ways. Dressing up a “band” in American Rag outfits and giving them a bus to travel on is so fake. It doesn’t take into account the harsh reality for thousands of young touring bands in the USA (gas at $4 bucks a gallon anyone?) nor does it take into account young kids’ propensity for mashing up their fashion sense into something unique, their own style.

Well it seemed like a no-brainer, right? Wrong according to Urb Magazine’s blog.

“We didn’t do it together so it ends up being just this weird long song with sort of everybody with lots of their own personalities separate,” Santogold told Gigwise when revealing the track.

Urb says - Maybe it’s the lack of interaction between artists that keeps them from ever even talking about important issues, let alone record songs in an attempt (however vain) to make the world a better place. Or maybe it’s just that with the record industry on it’s ass, musicians have to learn to make due with the money they can earn when they can earn it, leaving less time for charity. Maybe it’s just easier to sellout when facing a ProTools file, rather than your actual peers in a recording studio.
Listen—we love Pharrell, Santogold, The Strokes AND Converse.But if Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Hall & Oats and two dozen other A-listers could get into an actual recording studio together to make “We Are the World,” couldn’t today’s rockers try just a little bit harder?