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ReFit

Fake Ad: February 2021

by Jay Forstner

From the March, 2021 issue

Last month's Fake Ad for ReFit, a company that promised to recondition worn-out activewear, got us thinking. Why doesn't anyone make passive wear? Seriously, most people exercise for less than thirty minutes a day. What about the other twenty-three and a half hours? And to those who say all other clothes besides activewear are already passive wear, we have one word for you: sport coat. (Well, it turns out Apple says that's two words, but still. And don't even get us started on sweatpants.)

We received 226 entries correctly identifying the ad on page 52 of the February Observer. The ad played upon legendary Detroit Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell's catchphrase when calling a home run, "That one is loooooong gone!"

"The reference to Ernie Harwell is brilliant, but will probably have to be explained to scores of people!" wrote Linda Etter. "Ah, those were the days, especially 1968!"

And Vicki Davinich wrote," I kept asking myself how one could recondition activewear using 'a proprietary version of Lulu Lemon's revolutionary Luon material.' I can understand reconditioning furniture, or using some special fabric rinse that would restore activewear, but not replacing fabric. And who would want to repair used sweaty stretched out clothes, instead of buying new activewear? Plus that hysterical opener: 'If Ernie Harwell saw a pair of your yoga pants, would he say, 'That one is Luon gone!' I looked up birch cedar mall and it does not exist, although Birch Run Mall exists. The whole ad is funny, especially with the woman's upwardly stretched hand wrapped around the tail of the letter R, hanging down like a cat tail. Thanks for a moment of fun in this 'Luoooonng' winter."

Amy Remillard's entry was drawn as our winner. She's taking her gift certificate to Zingerman's.    

[Originally published in March, 2021.]