Armani says H&M Is Treating Customers As Schmucks

Giorgio Armani told WWD today that:

H&M is fantastic, but this kind of strategy is depressing because it plays with people's sense of inadequacy, treating customers as schmucks because they need the endorsement of a high-profile person to feel worthy.

He's referring, of course, to the successful H&M's successful Madonna collection.

Wow. Where to begin? First of all, whenever I have interveiwed Armani there's been an interpreter present, so I'm wondering what 'schmuck' is in Italian. Or did he suddenly break into English? Or should I say Yiddish? The word comes from shmok, meaning penis.

Of course it's pretty hard to find a schmuck in Los Angeles who is NOT wearing Armani, so powerful is the endorsement of his high-profile brand, so essential to many a schmuck's sense of worth. I mean he practically invented status dressing as we know it today.

I would be very surprised to learn that there was a designer who spent more than Armani wooing Hollywood celebrities -- witness the lavish party he threw before the Academy Awards this year. So one would have to assume that having high-profile celebrities in his clothes is:

A. Important to the worth of his brand or,
B. Important to his own self worth or, judging by the number of photos of him arm in arm with celebrities,
C. Important to both.

Doesn't he get that? Anyway, he then goes on to practically beg Ikea to do a collaboration with him for his Armani Casa line.

Ikea is exceptional, and I sometimes imagine a category of products within my Casa line that will still give emotions but are less costly.

Now what kind of schmuck would buy Armani furniture from Ikea, the anti-brand brand?

I feel bad criticizing Armani, because the label goes from strength to strength. I actually thought it was quite smart of him to throw a big bash for the Oscars this year. At a time when most other designers are pulling back on their award show efforts, he went in strong and regained much of the territory he'd lost over recent years. He even nailed the ultimate red carpet catch -- Cate Blanchett.

A genuine fashion icon, she looked great in her Armani gown and she's no schmuck.

Armani runway photo by FirstView; Blanchett photograph by Vince Bucci/Getty Images