Type Private | Products Apparel, | |
Founder Namanh V. Hoang & Julianne M. Hoang Key people Namanh V. Hoang, President & Namanh V. Hoang, Vice President Website Society of the Spectacle Clothing website Headquarters Costa Mesa, California, United States Founded 2007, Santa Ana, California, United States | ||
Society of the Spectacle, LLC. is a clothing manufacturer based in Costa Mesa, California, founded in 2007 by siblings Namanh V. Hoang and Julianne M. Hoang. Its name was inspired by the book and film of the same name The Society of the Spectacle (La Société du spectacle) written by Situationist and Marxist theorist, Guy Debord. The company produces men's and women's casual wear with original designs inspired by current social and political issues.
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Artwork and social themes
Society of the Spectacle, also known as S.O.S., was founded with the intent to create an apparel brand that served as wearable artwork which would propagate social awareness by becoming a catalyst for global discussion. The company's T-shirt graphics depict natural objects that have a subtext of sociopolitical meaning.
The company's first collection included a variety of designs that tackled numerous social issues. Their "Color Me" series of designs included paint-by-numbers drawings of popular super models including Kate Moss, Gemma Ward and Natalia Vodianova, intended to reflect how race is a socially learned concept which is best reflected by how children who are not yet affected by racial socialization respond to the issues of skin color. Other designs incorporated issues such as over consumption, the interlocking directorate of media organizations, and alienation.
Fall 2008's design titled "Rat's in a cage" was an abstract depiction of the exploitation of labor in periphery countries.
Society of the Spectacle's most recent collection was less abstract and included more literal imagery influenced by current issues such as the military industrial complex, war corporatism, revolution and political agendas.
Charitable foundation
Society of the Spectacle also supports worldwide and local communities through its self-titled foundation launched in 2008. The Society of the Spectacle Foundation is intended to invest a percentage of the company's annual profits to charitable organizations related to major social themes that the company has focused on throughout each season.