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Vetements, formerly of Margiela

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  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    Vetements, formerly of Margiela

    Well, let's give these guys their own thread and wish them luck.

    VETEMENTS Fashion Brand Official Website & Shop - Discover latest collection by Guram Gvasalia


    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine
  • PurpleJesuss
    Senior Member
    • May 2014
    • 188

    #2
    I was quite enamored with their f/w 14 debut collection. Even though s/s 15 wasn't as strong imo, i enjoyed the cut out jeans, raw hems and strongly exaggerated oversize jackets and coats. To me, there is a certain elegance that stems from the excessive fabric that drapes beyond the contours of the body. The lighters are a nice humoristic touch too.

    Comment

    • underdog
      Senior Member
      • Aug 2009
      • 174

      #3
      They have a wonderful touch of keeping things timeless yet progressive. Very much hoping they venture into menswear (and hoping they don't take MM's cue and wait 10 years to do so...)

      Comment

      • mainstayer0
        Member
        • Sep 2015
        • 41

        #4
        Originally posted by KodakII View Post
        mainstayer0, are you sure? Honestly asking. This, in part, looks like a continuation of what Alexander Wang was doing. The opening jackets look like a Thierry Mugler experiment, which I can somewhat appreciate.

        All of it looks very cumbersome and heavy. I can't say I was expecting much, so I'm not really let down. Maybe it's time to close the RTW side and focus on private clients.
        Positive. I think this collection is going to resonate in a big way. Wang never did anything for me, too heavy-handed. These clothes and Demna's designs at Vetements immediately strike me as rebellious, tongue-in-cheek, and keyed in to the experience of youth who have grown up in the Internet age.

        What others may see as bandwagonning on the 90's trend and shameless over-branding in an attempt to cater to Instagram promotion, I view as an intentional portrayal of the multi-faceted interests of today's youth, something that simultaneously appeals to the generational trends it is trying to represent, kind of like how artwork by Richard Prince and Jeff Koons is commodified like the advertisements it tries to lampoon.

        People who have grown up on the Internet thrive on nostalgia, have had access to a practically infinite bank of images from every decade of the 20th century to internalize the style of. Take a site like tumblr, where so many Western girls get their aesthetic education and which enables the proliferation and thereby homogenization of trends across the United States.

        Subcultures are all blended now, whatever was goth or grunge or punk is branded with the umbrella term "edgy" and brought to you by Taylor Swift on the cover of Nylon magazine. I think Vetements recognizes this implicitly, and makes clothes that capture the spirit of the times by incorporating elements from all across the spectrum, from streetwear to skateboarding to throwbacks to workwear. It's done in such a way that it will seem cool to your average girl on instagram, while simultaneously making a commentary on her tastes and the current state of fashion as a whole.

        The guy is obviously self-aware, I don't know how you don't see that there is a statement being made by creating a hoodie with the literal dictionary definition of hoodie written on it, or making logos a central focus of the clothes when it's common knowledge that the practice is looked down upon by "true" fashionistas precisely because luxury brands are becoming so accessible in the modern age.

        One of the side effects of the accessibility and homogenization of styles and trends among people is that the appearance of innovation and creativity is actually more rare and prized than ever, which is why I think that young people (who are already very open-minded, due to their unfettered exposure to information) will be willing to take risks with some of the silhouettes shown in this Balenciaga show. Women don't just want to be conventionally pretty anymore. Everyone wants to be unique and different, especially in this climate of nombrilisme.

        These looks are a unique interpretation of modern youth style, which is an itself an amalgamation of various 20th century styles, so it will appeal to the youth while at the same time retaining the appearance of being unique. The irony of course is, that these days many young people think that "unique" or "alternative" or "hipster" is just an appearance you can slip on, or emulate from a tumblr picture. So in providing that intentionally, I think Demna is emulating the culture to reveal it for what it is, rather than in order to pander for success as so many of you seem to think.

        It's a bonus that he manages to do so in a way that is genuinely cool and interesting visually. For a supposedly "avant" forum you guys sure are having a hard time wrapping your heads around a boxy blazer. I think if you put aside your instinctive hate of popular things for a minute, you'd realize that not only are these clothes dope but actually they're a little bit more well thought out than you give them credit for.
        Last edited by mainstayer0; 03-07-2016, 01:56 PM.

        Comment

        • voltbird
          Senior Member
          • Feb 2014
          • 103

          #5
          I have remarked previously (though elsewhere) on my distaste for Demna, a kneejerk reaction to his repackaging of millennial nostalgia and selling it at a premium to the lucky few who, say, populate the Brooklyn waterfront these days.

          And maybe that's my own hangup, even if the structure and subversion has been done before, and better, by others long before. (I doubt I even need to mention them.) But this is a different kind of indignation. Now I am inclined to sit and think on my own, purely emotional, standards. Because nostalgic reinvention is not something that necessarily provokes my ire; on the contrary, Gucci has been doing the same since Alessandro Michele took the helm and it's fucking delightful. I never expected to love it as much as I do! And yet I grind my teeth when someone says "Vetements" in earshot. What makes one joyful and the other disingenuous? I believe mainstayer0 is circling the answer somewhere in here, and what has earned his respect is the exact same thing that puts me on edge.

          Comment

          • mainstayer0
            Member
            • Sep 2015
            • 41

            #6
            Originally posted by voltbird View Post
            I have remarked previously (though elsewhere) on my distaste for Demna, a kneejerk reaction to his repackaging of millennial nostalgia and selling it at a premium to the lucky few who, say, populate the Brooklyn waterfront these days.

            And maybe that's my own hangup, even if the structure and subversion has been done before, and better, by others long before. (I doubt I even need to mention them.) But this is a different kind of indignation. Now I am inclined to sit and think on my own, purely emotional, standards. Because nostalgic reinvention is not something that necessarily provokes my ire; on the contrary, Gucci has been doing the same since Alessandro Michele took the helm and it's fucking delightful. I never expected to love it as much as I do! And yet I grind my teeth when someone says "Vetements" in earshot. What makes one joyful and the other disingenuous? I believe mainstayer0 is circling the answer somewhere in here, and what has earned his respect is the exact same thing that puts me on edge.
            I grew up in New York City. I have the same gut hatred for all things Brooklyn waterfront. I think most streetwear is tryhard and lame. I think the reason I can make peace with Vetements, even despite the hype surrounding it, is that I think it comes from a genuine attempt to perceive whats going on right now, and I don't see it as an example of the trends which irk me (high waisted light wash jeans, thrasher hoodies etc.), but rather an honest depiction of them, which allows me to forget the associations I have with the people who rep them and evaluate them on a purely aesthetic basis, which appeals to me most of the time.
            Last edited by mainstayer0; 03-07-2016, 04:31 PM.

            Comment

            • Nickefuge
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2014
              • 860

              #7
              Originally posted by Faust View Post
              The last refuge of someone who has no real retort to offer.
              Can't wait to see you in modified secretary gear.
              Have you read his explanation?
              Thank you mainstayer0 for your refreshing follow-up to a post I immediately rated "dumb". While I thought the collection was boring I can see where you’re coming from, especially since I grew up in the 90s as well.
              "The only rule is don't be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in."
              -Paris Hilton

              Comment

              • Faust
                kitsch killer
                • Sep 2006
                • 37852

                #8
                Originally posted by Nickefuge View Post
                Have you read his explanation?
                Thank you mainstayer0 for your refreshing follow-up to a post I immediately rated "dumb". While I thought the collection was boring I can see where you’re coming from, especially since I grew up in the 90s as well.
                Yeah, I did. It was all about Vetements and not Balenciaga. Also, his(hers?) presumption that we somehow don't "get" Vetements is ridiculous. Personally, I get it. And I think there are some good ideas. But they are completely lost in the hype and the fashion hipster consumer that gobbles it up just because it's cool.
                Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                Comment

                • Nickefuge
                  Senior Member
                  • Nov 2014
                  • 860

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Faust View Post
                  Yeah, I did. It was all about Vetements and not Balenciaga. Also, his(hers?) presumption that we somehow don't "get" Vetements is ridiculous. Personally, I get it. And I think there are some good ideas. But they are completely lost in the hype and the fashion hipster consumer that gobbles it up just because it's cool.
                  Alright, no offense.
                  Speaking of "lost in the hype" – do you think we'd perceive and judge Vêtements and Balenciaga differently if it wasn't for the hype? Do you think Gvasalia would design differently? Is he trying to appeal to the hipster consumer crowd?
                  "The only rule is don't be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in."
                  -Paris Hilton

                  Comment

                  • Law
                    Senior Member
                    • Dec 2013
                    • 513

                    #10
                    Originally posted by mainstayer0 View Post
                    Man y'all are just a bunch of haters. I predict this will be enormously successful and Demna stays on at Balenciaga until he leaves of his own accord. He is making clothes that younger people are going to respond to. He's the only major designer who is making clothes for this generation, and I suppose that's why the appeal is lost on most of you.

                    The reason the 90's are popular right now is because the people who were born in the 90's are coming of age right now. These looks aren't only rehashing 90's style, they are reinterpreting what kids are actually wearing out here today. Balenci bout to take Saint Laurent's crown as the de facto hype youth brand. Except, unlike Saint Laurent, these clothes are innovative, self-aware, and a little ironic.
                    1) Even more ironic is that these "younger" people won't be able to afford Balenciaga prices.

                    2) Innovative?

                    innovative
                    ˈɪnəvətɪv/
                    adjective
                    adjective: innovative

                    (of a product, idea, etc.) featuring new methods; advanced and original.
                    "innovative designs"

                    (of a person) introducing new ideas; original and creative in thinking.

                    "ORLY?"

                    Last edited by Law; 03-07-2016, 08:33 PM.

                    Comment

                    • mainstayer0
                      Member
                      • Sep 2015
                      • 41

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Faust View Post
                      Yeah, I did. It was all about Vetements and not Balenciaga. Also, his(hers?) presumption that we somehow don't "get" Vetements is ridiculous. Personally, I get it. And I think there are some good ideas. But they are completely lost in the hype and the fashion hipster consumer that gobbles it up just because it's cool.
                      I'm glad to hear that, I thought that the general consensus hear was to write off the brand completely. My personal feeling is that it's untainted by the hype because it's aware of it, and doesn't feel to me like it's trying to court it for the sake of being popular but because the hype is inherent to the concept. But this also extends to Balenciaga, the main difference here being the prospective audience, and the expectations that entails.

                      It's hard to say definitively after one show, but I would imagine that Balenciaga is a way to execute some of the same ideas that are contained within Vetements, only with enhanced relevance to the high fashion and upper class world. I don't know how much of the ideas I perceive are consciously executed on the part of designer, but I get the sense that he has a specific audience in mind, and the clothes are meant to have a specific function for and influence on them, to capture and shape the trends of today.

                      Comment

                      • david s
                        Senior Member
                        • Jul 2010
                        • 492

                        #12
                        @mainstayer0 : don't think the idea is to write off the brand, if anything I think it's generated a lot of interesting conversation. And definitely agree with you on one point, there is more thought put into than what Hedi puts on the runway.

                        Still can't find a place in my heart to embrace it & will still stand by my original gut reaction of ugly, though the more I look at it, definitely is playing with that jolie laide dichotomy. Should be interesting to see what comes in the next iteration
                        It's absolutely Hedious!
                        shy poser

                        Comment

                        • Faust
                          kitsch killer
                          • Sep 2006
                          • 37852

                          #13
                          Originally posted by mainstayer0 View Post
                          I'm glad to hear that, I thought that the general consensus hear was to write off the brand completely. My personal feeling is that it's untainted by the hype because it's aware of it, and doesn't feel to me like it's trying to court it for the sake of being popular but because the hype is inherent to the concept. But this also extends to Balenciaga, the main difference here being the prospective audience, and the expectations that entails.

                          It's hard to say definitively after one show, but I would imagine that Balenciaga is a way to execute some of the same ideas that are contained within Vetements, only with enhanced relevance to the high fashion and upper class world. I don't know how much of the ideas I perceive are consciously executed on the part of designer, but I get the sense that he has a specific audience in mind, and the clothes are meant to have a specific function for and influence on them, to capture and shape the trends of today.
                          If you'd have read deeper into the Vetements-related posts on SZ you would see that I liked the first three seasons, the garments themselves and the ideas. I was offered to interview the collective in the first season, which we covered, but I don't do email interviews. But the label is quickly deteriorating, not in the least because of its fashion hipster appeal. It's beginning to look like a classic pump-and-dump - buyers were already complaining in the showroom about deteriorating quality and insane prices. I am not buying into the new emperor's dress. Gvasalia is a classic case of too much too son (see: Gareth Pugh).
                          Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                          StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                          Comment

                          • Faust
                            kitsch killer
                            • Sep 2006
                            • 37852

                            #14
                            Resurrecting this thread, because a lot has happened since. Moved some recent posts here.
                            Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                            StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                            Comment

                            • Faust
                              kitsch killer
                              • Sep 2006
                              • 37852

                              #15
                              More articles that touch on Vetements that I have recently written:

                              Gucci, Vetements, and Hype



                              The Rise of Instagrammable Fashion

                              Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                              StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                              Comment

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