A tale of two brands: American Apparel and dELiA*s.

Retail's a fickle thing. You're at the mercy of trends, and changing tastes. Fashion brands come and go. For every adidas, and Gap, there's a store filing for bankruptcy.

American Apparel have their own set of problems: global declining sales, an ousted CEO with a bad reputation who has launched 20 law suits against his own company...and they're on the brink of bankruptcy. American Apparel's new CEO Paula Schneider has struggled to turn around the once ubiquitous brand. Perhaps all the years of pervy advertising didn't help.

So it's interesting that another once omnipresent brand who filed for bankruptcy is poised to make a comeback. I'm talking about 90's girl's clothing brand Delia's. Sorry- dELiA*s. The brand found some investors, including Steve Russo who founded FAB NY and Artisan House, and after a summer of instagram posts, has now launched as an online store.

When I've mentioned this to my female coworkers, the Millennials recall Buzzfeed posts, which in my mind is still brand recognition. The Gen Xers on the other hand get positively nostalgic. "I remember those catalogs," is usually what comes out of their mouth first. Followed by a nostalgic trip down memory lane that includes midriff t-shirts, baggy raver pants, Riot grrls impossibly long denim skirts, Liz Phair and more. Just like music, branding has an amazing ability to conjure up a particular place and time in our lives, especially if we experienced the brand within the first 18 years of our existence. It's in our DNA. It puts us right back there.

I'm no clairvoyant, but I think between the two brands, dELiA*s might have a better chance of making a come back than American Apparel, if for no other reason than American Apparel has to reinvent itself. American Apparel is the older sister who moved from Tulsa to L.A., partied a lot, developed a coke problem, and after years of making hardcore, borderline illegal porn, now wants to be a Serious Actress.™ On the other hand, little sister dELiA*s, stayed in Tulsa, grew up wholesome, has a respectable career-- and maybe even a family. That last part is key, because it's quite possible that some Gen X'ers have kids that are could soon be approaching pre-teen years. Sorry. Didn't mean to make you feel old. But you know-- it has been 20 years since high school for some of you.

Anyway. Let's say you're reading this and neither brand means much to you. Look at the above adverts. What does their brand "stand for?" What do these brands make you think?
At least to me, American Apparel feels like the brand you'd rather not remember what you were doing when you wore it-- if you can even remember what you were doing. Whereas dELiA*s is the innocent brand. The one women will remember from when their youth and gladly share those memories rather than shudder at the thought.

Which brand has more longevity in the long run? Only time will tell. But If there was a strong affiliation with the brand in the 90's, that is still remembered today, then it could happen again. dELIa*s didn't even change their studly-capped logo. As far as I can tell, the only reinvention dELIa*s did (beyond ditching the midriff shirts and other 90's fashion relics) was taking their fondly remembered catalog online. And god bless 'em, they called it a zine.

The dream of the 90's is alive and well. Let's hope it survives.