“It’s a truism of business-book thinking that a company’s brand is its ‘most important asset,’ more valuable than technology or patents or manufacturing prowess. But brands have never been more fragile.” The New Yorker’s James Surowiecki on The Twilight of the Brands.

+ Consumerist: Flirting with other brands makes you more devoted to your favorite companies.

+ NY Mag: Why Abercrombie is losing its shirt.

+ Buzzfeed: “Over the last five years, the financial story at American Apparel has been less than rosy. The retailer has been hit by almost everything that can go wrong for a corporation — an immigration raid in 2009; the resignation of its auditor in 2010; embarrassing lawsuits from former employees, shareholders, even Woody Allen; and a transition to a distribution center that was so disastrous that fixing it required Charney to live there for months.” Checking in the latest at American Apparel.