:: fashion police make arrest ::

can a single color be considered a brand?

what if that single color is used on a single article of clothing? say, an orange dress - with absolutely no typical brand markings like a logo, slogan, name or color combination.

according to the international federation of association football (FIFA), the answer is yes. 36 girls showed up at a match wearing orange mini-dresses and were kicked out based on the claim that their attire was a case of ambush marketing. (two of the women have been arrested for their involvement in the illegal campaign.)

had i seen this group of women in their not-so-flattering dresses, i might have thought "beer" or "liquor," as they do closely resemble beer/liquor girls here who wear inexpensive, revealing clothing to promote alcohol at various clubs/events. but it would have been highly unlikely that i would link the group to a particular sort of beer (bavaria) without them having been detained, ejected (and/or) arrested and the media having picked up the story.

goal.com
stylelist
ny times blog - the lede
reuters

all in all, i gotta give the company an A for effort - or really just for the luck involved in having its attractive minions getting busted and actually making this news. but an F for ethics for attempting something like this (a 2nd time).