Martin and Osa Who?

Since we're thinking about nature at the mall this week, I thought I'd share my experience with the new "Martin and Osa" clothing store to be found at high-end malls like the Westfield in SF.  My first encounter with this store was the giant billboard approaching the Bay Bridge, and at the time, I was completely puzzled by what the billboard was advertising.  It showed a young, well-dressed heterosexual couple and the words "Martin and Osa."  Were these Martin and Osa themselves?  The names themselves made me think of Martin and Osa Johnson, friends of Carl Akeley and the American Natural History Museum and some of the first "wildlife filmmakers," if we can call safari films and expedition films and travelogues wildlife film.

I was at the Westfield mall on Saturday and my friend and I went into the store to ask if the store was named after the Johnsons, and lo and behold, it was!  This began to make an eerie kind of sense, as the store was marketing clothing that is chic but rugged, something someone might wear in the Outback or on safari if one wanted to impress the animals with a sense of style.  The store featured a large-screen projection of natural scenes, e.g. crashing waves on a rocky seashore, travel books, and various bric-a-brac that called to the urban traveler.

So think about the historical Martin and Osa (check out their museum here).

Then think about the new store and what it's selling to you, the consumer.