Indonesia’s 347: Cultural Commentary or Borrowed Design?

“You are what you eat” is one of the main principles behind UNKL 347, Indonesia’s independent clothing pioneer. But “eating” in its case refers to the Warholian consumption of pop culture. In keeping with its of-the-moment ethos, 347 has seen three variations of its name over the years since the brand emerged in 1996, with each name change reflecting its revamped identity.

The brand started out as 347 boardrider, a reflection of the founders’ roots in made-to-order fashion inspired by their love for surfing and skateboarding. It then evolved into 347/EAT, in recognition of the influence that international pop culture was having on the brand. And now, in its most recent iteration, they go by UNKL 347, the brand having established itself over the years as a well-known influencer in its own right in Indonesia (”After ten years, friends called us uncle”).

With UNKL 347 quickly outgrowing its small label roots, so is debate about the brand’s right to continue to “eat” into other intellectual property. 347’s recent designs have appropriated imagery and logos from Nike, Xerox, popular song lyrics and even from Andy Warhol himself (the legendary appropriator). 347’s defense is that they are simply engaging in commentary and that it is far more noble (though illegal) to show your influences outright than hide them in a blur of pastiche. Inside Indonesia covered this in a discussion with Dendy, a 347 founder:

‘We’ve been cut ’n’ paste from the beginning, and now is the era of cut ’n’ paste,’ Dendy [said]. ‘We readily admit it,’ he says. ‘In fact, we make it obvious so that people know.’ One of 347’s designs, for instance, features an almost exact copy of the album cover for ‘Goo’ by the New York art punk band Sonic Youth. A young, modish couple in bowl cuts and sunglasses smoke cigarettes while they lounge in each other’s arms. Beside the image, the original handwritten words ‘I stole my sister’s boyfriend’ have been replaced with ‘I stole my Sonic Youth.’

This kind of borrowing is actually quite a common practice for small, independent clothing labels all over the world; but as 347 grows in reach and profitability, many are starting to wonder where to draw the line. Certainly 347 is more than just a copycat; the brand has produced a considerable amount of original work and has been a catalyst in the development of local underground events. In 2002, it put on the first largescale outdoor rave in Indonesia called Distance and started Ripple, an influential publication which has since sparked several spin-offs. Besides, it’s reasonable to believe that - in a country where blatant product piracy is rampant - customers are buying the “Nike” and “Xerox” shirts more because of what’s next to those icons: 347’s own bowl logo and the word “EAT” which 347 has filled with so much connotation.

But if you’re already contributing so much culture on your own, why bother to continue borrowing from others? Is it simply a lazy design shortcut?