On any given day, the average people-watcher in Hollister can
spot at least a dozen passersby sporting the Hollister Clothing
Company logo shirt in a plethora of colors and designs.
On any given day, the average people-watcher in Hollister can spot at least a dozen passersby sporting the Hollister Clothing Company logo shirt in a plethora of colors and designs.
“I’m representing my town,” Hollister Resident Jen Porter said, decked out in a pink and white Hollister shirt.
What Porter and other Hollister Co. T-shirt owners might not know is they’re not representing the San Benito town known for Harley Davidsons and cows. The brand actually was inspired by Hollister Ranch, a cattle ranch with a nice beach just north of Santa Barbara., according to Jennifer Nilsson-Weiskott, spokesperson for Hollister Co in a written statement.
“Hollister Co. takes inspiration from the sun-drenched spirit of California,” she said. “The clothing reflects the West Coast attitude and the sexy Pacific vibe of life near the beach.”
Although the city of Hollister is roughly 45 minutes from the beach and surrounded by lettuce fields, Hollister Ranch does sit on the coast. But according to Hollister Ranch Realty Owner Jeff Kruthers, 98 percent of the land is devoted to cattle ranching, not sexy sunbathing.
“The beach is closed unless you live here and there isn’t a lot of young kids around,” he said. “The teenagers that do live here usually leave and go hang out at the beaches in Santa Barbara.”
Weiskott said Hollister Co. represents a lifestyle and is “never far from a good time,” but Kruthers said the Hollister beach is calm and most of the people who live at the ranch are older and settled.
“It’s just a lame attempt at marketing and advertising,” he said. “I’d be curious to find out what kind of draw they thought this place would have.”
No matter how lame Kruthers thinks the marketing scheme is, it’s working for the clothing company. The first Hollister Co. store, with headquarters in New York and part of the Ambercrombie and Fitch family, was opened in July of 2000. There are 175 stores nationwide and 250 more will be opened by the end of 2005. For $17.50, any shopper can purchase a “Hollister” logo shirt, but Weiskott said a particular group of kids tend to wear them.
“Hollister kids are the coolest kids in every high school,” she said. “Beautiful, carefree and undeniably popular. They are admired and adored by their peers, the epitome of California cool.”
San Benito High School Student Alli Denby, an avowed Hollister lover, agrees with Weiskott. The 15-year-old owns more than 10 Hollister shirts and said it is the popular kids who wear them.
“Their clothes are really cute and I think a lot of people see the cool kids wearing the shirts so they go out and buy them,” she said.
Regardless of if it’s the “cool” thing to wear or not, Porter said she feels like a cheerleader for her town when she wears her logo shirt.
“You see kids wearing their school sweatshirts and people wearing shirts from different events and this is just another way to represent something, our town,” she said.
