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Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

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  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)




    http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/973782.html

    Labels For More




    NEW
    YORK - American men are tired. Their image, sloppy apes in ill-fitting
    jeans, white sneakers and baseball hats, has weighed on them for too
    long. "The ugly Americans" - a term of endearment bestowed on them by
    the Europeans - has become unbearable. After all, that scathing epithet
    describes not only their behavior, but also their sartorial (one
    hesitates to use such a lofty word in connection with denim shirts)
    fiascoes. Forever optimistic and already conditioned to spending money
    on such basic needs like big flat-screen TVs and chrome exhaust pipes,
    American men are striking back.


    In 1999, my heart was broken when Barneys, a premier New York
    department store, dropped such niche designers as Ann Demeulemeester
    and Raf Simons, sticking with the much safer (read: better selling)
    Gucci and Prada. Charivari, a chain of cutting-edge menswear boutiques
    that sold the likes of Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto, has folded
    altogether. Yet, less than 10 years later, menswear is back.


    The United States accounts for 20 percent of the global luxury
    market, and menswear is no longer an exception. Despite the
    astronomical prices charged for high fashion, Barneys menswear business
    is thriving. Ann Demeulemeester and Raf Simons are back on their racks.
    Avant-garde designers like Junya Watanabe and Hussein Chalayan have
    launched menswear lines. And, under the auspices of Hedi Slimane, Dior
    Homme has become the fashion success story of the decade. A cursory
    look at DNR, a premier men's fashion news source, reveals stories of
    rising profits in menswear, from high street behemoths like H&M to
    classic luxury shrines like Brioni. Department stores are scrambling to
    accommodate the growing demand: this January, Bloomingdales unveiled an
    additional 6,500 square feet devoted to contemporary men's fashion at
    their flagship New York store on 59th Street, bringing its total
    menswear space to 90,000 square feet.


    Similar
    expansion is evident in the fashion media. American newsstands are now
    overflowing with men's magazines. The days of heavy-handed GQ dominance
    are over. From the matronly Vogue to the avant-garde 10, every women's
    fashion magazine is launching a men's counterpart, and these
    publications actually cover fashion, not beer and pretzels! (Even Men's
    Health has begun inserting fashion editorials. Clearly, being stylish
    is healthy.)


    Of course, transitions in tastes happen slowly and awkwardly. As
    with any enterprise, there is a learning curve that one must master. So
    it is with fashion (hence, the success of such bad shows like Queer Eye
    for the Straight Guy). Economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen, who
    seemed to possess inexhaustible antagonism to anything related to
    beauty, noted that establishment of taste is a gradual process, which
    "undergoes a refinement when a sufficiently large wealthy class has
    developed, who have the leisure for acquiring skill in interpreting the
    subtler signs of expenditure. 'Loud' dress becomes offensive to people
    of taste, as evincing an undue desire to reach and impress the
    untrained sensibilities of the vulgar."


    So, where are these "people of taste" in America? Why, in New York
    City, of course! The creative circles of New York are manifold. Artists
    and gallery owners, architects and literary agents, musicians and
    producers constantly seek fashion that manifests their way of life.
    Given the amount of wealth concentrated in the city, their numbers and
    their demand constantly grow.


    Seeing an opportunity, Karlo Steel, a San Francisco expat, moved to
    New York to launch a small men's boutique, Atelier, in 2002. It started
    out quietly, but soon became a destination for the fashion cognoscenti
    of New York and beyond. Later this year, the store will move to a space
    three times its current size.


    I read about Atelier before it opened. I would have easily passed
    over the small magazine blurb, but my eye caught familiar designer
    names: Raf Simons and Dirk Schonberger. My heart skipped a beat; their
    clothes were nowhere to be found in New York. The magazine did not
    provide Atelier's address, only the neighborhood: SoHo. I searched for
    the store in vain, until one day I went to the Housing Works Used Book
    Cafe. The cafe is in a tiny street on the outskirts of SoHo, next to a
    homeless shelter. This block is one of the last vestiges of the
    pre-gentrification era, before SoHo was neutered by cheap mass-market
    stores like H&M and luxury mass-market stores like Louis Vuitton.
    As I was walking out, I caught a glimpse of an unassuming shop window,
    framing two mannequins. One glance at the clothes, and I immediately
    knew this was Atelier.


    The boutique itself is small; its four long racks hold about 200
    pieces. The walls are painted off-white and covered with mirrors,
    placed well above eye level. In the middle of the store, there are two
    display tables. At the far end, a desk, two display cases with jewelry,
    vintage fashion books, bags and knitwear. The footwear, mostly boots
    and shoes, stands on the floor. This study in monochrome is a product
    of Fernando Santangelo, the interior designer behind the Chateau
    Marmont hotel in Los Angeles (he is currently working on Atelier's new
    location). The lighting in the store is dim, and there is always a
    soundtrack of post-punk and electro-pop playing in the background.


    Atelier's staff wear what they sell, and not because they have to.
    There is continuity between their lives and their work. Jo-Jo favors
    Rick Owens and Carol Christian Poell. James is usually in Carpe Diem.
    Satoru effortlessly mixes Raf Simons with Yohji Yamamoto. Karlo likes
    to wear Ann Demeulemeester; her clothes sit well on his tall, slim
    frame. Black is the reigning hue, and the emphasis is on texture and
    cut rather than on color and ornament. In turn, this attracts a
    monochrome-clad clientele ranging from young artists, to actors, to
    rock stars.


    'The suit is dead'



    Karlo Steel, a New Orleans native, is serious, soft spoken, and
    contemplative. Only his dark eyes, set behind horn-rimmed glasses, and
    an occasional chuckle give away his emotions. And yet his passion
    shines through his impassive demeanor. He wears his fashion heart on
    his sleeve. As he unfolds a long gray coat by Austrian designer Carol
    Christian Poell, he talks about it in his quiet voice. Of course, the
    explanation must start from afar; Steel is not satisfied with merely
    describing the garment.


    "First of all, let me give some background information. Tailoring
    for men is slowly dissolving from our lives. The suit is dead. Today,
    men wear suits only when they have to. Compare that to 1948, when every
    man wore a suit every day. One of the few people who are infusing a
    sense of modernity into traditional tailoring is Carol. I am not
    necessarily talking about designing something new, but breathing a new
    life into a corpse. He is taking traditional, conservative tailoring
    and bringing it up to date. There is an element of experimentation that
    goes into his work. Not all of it is successful, but that's the price
    you pay. This is the intersection of what was, and what will be. This
    is why Carol is important to us - he is the anchor of what we do at
    Atelier."


    And this is all before Steel even says anything about the coat, the
    streamlined cut with narrow shoulders and high armholes, the exquisite
    gray wool, the seams sealed with heat- and water-resistant tape, and
    the lack of lining that proudly exposes the coat's construction. Maybe
    this is one of the reasons why the store does so well.


    Would you say that there is higher awareness about fashion among men in America today compared to 10 years ago?



    Steel: "Probably. At least it seems like it on the surface. One
    glance at a newsstand can tell you that. There are many more men's
    fashion magazines today - obviously they reflect an interest. But one
    has to be careful about drawing conclusions. The population has grown,
    and so has interest in specific things. I was once asked whether men
    are dressing up more, and I don't know how to answer that. Answering
    'yes' would be a flippant response, because I operate in a codified,
    preaching-to-the-converted environment. The interest has grown, but
    maybe not enough; when I walk on Broadway, I don't see it. There are
    trendies, but they were always there. Maybe there are just more of
    them."


    The Internet allows for concentration and ease of reach by the
    media. Maybe an interest in fashion has grown through that? The men's
    market is becoming what the women's market has always been.



    "Yes, men's fashion has certainly become more of a collective
    conscience phenomenon. However, there is a difference in talking about
    fashion and consuming fashion. I am interested in the consumer. We are
    only busy when the cash register rings. Sometimes no one walks in the
    store, but we send merchandise to a client in Chicago or Los Angeles.
    The questions don't count, cash does. After all, it is a business."


    Describe your clientele. What do they do?



    "Creative professionals. People who do not have to wear a suit to
    work. A large percentage of our clientele works in fashion. We also get
    artists, actors and pop stars."


    You are moving to a much bigger space after being only five years in business. What contributed to your expansion?



    "I am lucky to be able to afford the luxury of being in New York.
    We couldn't do this in any other city in America. Because we are in New
    York, we can be as specific as possible. Our expansion is mostly due to
    more people discovering our store. We are pretty low-key. For the first
    two years we were called A, which you cannot Google or find in a
    phonebook."


    Why did you decide to open a store?



    "Constantin von Haeften (the co-owner) asked me. I was doing some
    styling work in San Francisco at the time, and he wanted to open a
    boutique. I was resistant to the idea at first. I did not think I would
    be any good at it, and it took some convincing on Constantin's part.
    One of the things I kept in the back of my mind when putting the store
    together was that a store like that was missing in New York. I was
    surprised that it wasn't already there in a city of this magnitude."


    So was I, actually. I remember department stores dropping many avant-garde designers.



    "There wasn't anything wrong with the designers, the problem was
    the stores. A lot of these clothes are very subtle and they require a
    more informed eye. It's hard to compete with the flashy offerings on
    the next rack. A lot of these clothes need to be explained, otherwise
    the details are easily missed, and the clothes are easily dismissed
    because of the high price."


    Your store has a particular aesthetic that can be described as dark
    or gothic. This aesthetic does not seem to come from merely a desire to
    satisfy a niche, but from something personal. Is this true?



    "What I do is deeply personal. I am lucky that a lot of people
    connect with it. I am really attracted to cities. When I think of
    cities, I see concrete and graphite, gray, black and white. I never
    picture myself in a bucolic countryside. I am not against these
    environments, but whenever I picture myself, it's urban - there are
    certain vibrations, textures and feelings that come with that, and that
    is expressed through the brands I am attracted to. I do not see myself
    particularly as gothic, although there is a lot of black and distressed
    clothing in the store. I am kind of romantic, but in a sense that
    things do not always end well, not in a pastoral sense."


    Some designers you carry, Ann Demeulemeester, Number (N)ine, Rick
    Owens, are often accused of doing the same thing. However, it seems
    that what they do comes from the inside and that anything else would be
    inauthentic.



    "This is true with some designers we carry. Yet there are others,
    particularly from Japan, who tend to imitate. It's a cultural thing, an
    idea that imitation is the highest form of flattery. In the avant-garde
    fashion realm, there is a torch being passed down. In the 1980s the
    Japanese, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garcons, began it, their clothes
    were a novelty; black, asymmetric and deconstructed. They influenced
    the Belgians, such as Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela, who came
    in the '90s. Now, the torch is being passed back to the young Japanese
    designers, who are looking up to the Belgians. For example, if I see
    Number (N)ine, I think Ann Demeulemeester. The influence is there, and
    he wouldn't deny it, but he does it in his own way. The cognoscenti can
    read the references, but there are differences when you put the
    garments side by side. Andy Warhol once said that you are allowed to
    copy as long as you change two things. Sometimes you have to start
    somewhere, and through imitation you can come to your own ideas."


    These designers represent two generations. One came in the late
    '90s, and the other fairly recently. They appeal to younger clients.
    And then you have Yohji Yamamoto, an important designer, but from an
    older generation. Was the decision to carry him a gamble?



    "Yes. We were offered to carry Yamamoto; an opportunity I could not
    pass up. It was an emotional decision on my part. Growing up in the
    late '70s, I went searching for what I wanted to wear in my life. I
    knew I wasn't getting it from GQ or Vogue. It wasn't reflecting the
    kind of music I listened to, the kind of movies I watched. Then I came
    across new magazines like Face, Blitz, and I.D., English magazines.
    They were more about style rather than fashion; they were not about
    what you were wearing, but how you were wearing it, and how the clothes
    were connected with other cultural phenomena.


    "The two names that stuck out were Comme des Garcons and Yohji
    Yamamoto. Yohji is someone who I've always held dearly to my heart. I
    appreciate his influence and integrity. When we were offered the
    collection, I knew that Yohji was in some areas out of sync with what
    we do, but he also started it all. It's not easy, but I can see how it
    is causing some people to reconsider Yohji. Of course, I always try to
    buy what works with the shop. You do not necessarily have to subscribe
    to the designer's point of view."


    There is also the other side of the shop: Carpe Diem, Carol
    Christian Poell and Label Under Construction. These are not "designers"
    in the traditional sense; they consider themselves artisans. What
    attracted you to them?



    "It was something I felt drawn to. I can appreciate their point of
    view and connect with their aesthetic. It's hard to talk about all of
    them together, because they are all different."


    What unites them is the handmade approach of a craftsman. Does that play a big part in this attraction?



    "Yes, and that is something I am aiming to explore further. In the
    world of instant access and obvious commercial desires, it is nice to
    find something that does not keep those things at the forefront. The
    garment is at the forefront, and I respect that. Having designers that
    show off the standard semi-annual fashion week schedule is inconvenient
    for me as a buyer, and I wouldn't do it for something that wasn't
    worthwhile."


    Talking about $5,000 leather jackets and avoiding commercialism is
    problematic. People look at price tags, but not necessarily at the
    garments.



    "We live in a culture where people know the price of everything,
    but the value of nothing. I suppose it's a sign of the times, because
    everything is popular and instant. It is refreshing to find these
    designers in such a climate. I do not want to compare what they do with
    art, but there are parallels. Art by its very nature is anti- populist.
    And yes, it is very expensive. I wish it weren't, but we also have a
    weak currency, and a lot of these designers come out of Europe,
    especially Italy. It is an interesting topic in itself. Italy is very
    'Italian' in regard to fashion. There are some very big names in Italy
    that push a certain flashy, gaudy aesthetic, with a small underground
    school working against that. For every culture there is a
    counter-culture. If you grew up on a diet of shiny gold, you might want
    some dull leather."


    Where do you see yourself in this business in the future?



    "I am hoping that things will continue the way they are, but just a
    little bit bigger. I would be happy to continue what I do, and that's
    the most important thing in my life."


    Eugene Rabkin teaches critical writing at Parsons the New School for Design in New York City.



    The Hebrew version has two slide shows in the article.


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

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine
  • mortalveneer
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2008
    • 993

    #2
    Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

    It is great to see Atelier getting recognition, although I fear for what it will do to the availability of the choicest items...
    I am not who you think I am

    Comment

    • Casius
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2006
      • 4772

      #3
      Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)



      Is this why you made that thread about celebs in avant garde shit?



      BTW- Thank you Faust! Good read.

      "because the young are whores. dealers come to carol to get the rock"

      Comment

      • what_counts
        Senior Member
        • Mar 2008
        • 170

        #4
        Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

        thank you faust, karlo sounds quite interesting it'll be intersting to talk to him when i go to nyc this summer

        Comment

        • awlouie
          Senior Member
          • Sep 2007
          • 302

          #5
          Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

          Faust...great interviewandarticle on Karlo's insight and views on fashion. I really enjoyed reading it...Congradulations to Atelier! [75]
          "Fashions fade, style is eternal." —Yves Saint Laurent

          "Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successfull personality and duplicate it."
          -Bruce Lee

          Comment

          • philip nod
            Senior Member
            • Aug 2007
            • 5903

            #6
            Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)+ website update.

            nice article. speaking of Atelier. i guess i was wrong as usual. they have updated their website. time for the orgy to begin.
            One wonders where it will end, when everything has become gay.

            Comment

            • what_counts
              Senior Member
              • Mar 2008
              • 170

              #7
              Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)+ website update.



              drooool =p



              i kno this isn't the right thread but the new ann and rick stuff looks incredible

              Comment

              • Avantster
                ¤¤¤
                • Sep 2006
                • 1983

                #8
                Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)



                Fantastic interview and thanks so much for posting, Faust. How long ago was this, if you don't mind?



                Reading this makes me want to make a trip up to NY just to visit A...

                let us raise a toast to ancient cotton, rotten voile, gloomy silk, slick carf, decayed goat, inflamed ram, sooty nelton, stifling silk, lazy sheep, bone-dry broad & skinny baffalo.

                Comment

                • Faust
                  kitsch killer
                  • Sep 2006
                  • 37852

                  #9
                  Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

                  You are welcome, everyone. The article just came out this week in English, so the interview must've been not long ago.
                  Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                  StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                  Comment

                  • Fuuma
                    Senior Member
                    • Sep 2006
                    • 4050

                    #10
                    Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

                    Do you guys agree with the author about the renewed presence of Raf Simons and other challenging labels at big department stores like Barneys? Is it possible that on the contrary it just signals that those labels have now grown to be the token avant-garde labels of the fashion establishment and can be contrasted with young and innovative designers that are just emerging and are now being denied a place on the shelves of Barneys and their ilk? Would the author see his personal experience of discovering those labels and following them on their way to recognition as a sign of change while it is just in the natural fashion order of a growing brand that attains popularity?
                    Selling CCP, Harnden, Raf, Rick etc.
                    http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums...me-other-stuff

                    Comment

                    • bakla
                      Senior Member
                      • Oct 2006
                      • 902

                      #11
                      Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

                      "For every culture there is a
                      counter-culture. If you grew up on a diet of shiny gold, you might want
                      some dull leather."

                      I love this quote. It describes my eventual fatigue with the things I find appealing today, with designers I am obsessed with now, who may not appeal as much to me tomorrow.

                      Great interview, faust.

                      Comment

                      • laika
                        moderator
                        • Sep 2006
                        • 3787

                        #12
                        Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

                        [quote user="bakla"]

                        It describes my eventual fatigue with the things I find appealing today, with designers I am obsessed with now, who may not appeal as much to me tomorrow.


                        [/quote]


                        I love this quote and also (belatedly) your post in the RO thread about why and how you follow fashion. Very refreshing to hear your point of view. And I absolutely identify, although perhaps not to the same extent as you. It would be great to have a whole thread on this topic.
                        Last edited by laika; 10-31-2009, 06:29 AM.
                        ...I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.

                        Comment

                        • laika
                          moderator
                          • Sep 2006
                          • 3787

                          #13
                          Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)



                          [quote user="Fuuma"] Is it possible that on the contrary it just signals that those labels have now grown to be the token avant-garde labels of the fashion establishment and can be contrasted with young and innovative designers that are just emerging and are now being denied a place on the shelves of Barneys and their ilk? Would the author see his personal experience of discovering those labels and following them on their way to recognition as a sign of change while it is just in the natural fashion order of a growing brand that attains popularity?
                          [/quote]



                          I say yes to both of your questions (?). Great points. I do think it could be argued that there is a renewed interest in men's fashion in NYC that goes beyond the smaller fashion cycle of brands achieving popularity. However, I don't think that's what the author is addressing. I read the article as a personal homage to Atelier and the Atelier aesthetic, rather than as an assessment of actual change in American attitudes toward men's fashion.



                          I'm not sure how else to explain the presence of Jude Law in the accompanying slideshow....[:^)][86]

                          ...I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.

                          Comment

                          • Faust
                            kitsch killer
                            • Sep 2006
                            • 37852

                            #14
                            Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)



                            [quote user="Fuuma"]Do you guys agree with the author about the renewed presence of Raf Simons and other challenging labels at big department stores like Barneys? Is it possible that on the contrary it just signals that those labels have now grown to be the token avant-garde labels of the fashion establishment and can be contrasted with young and innovative designers that are just emerging and are now being denied a place on the shelves of Barneys and their ilk?Would the author see his personal experience of discovering those labels and following them on their way to recognition as a sign of change while it is just in the natural fashion order of a growing brand that attains popularity?
                            [/quote]



                            Possibly maybe, as Bjork would say. The fact that they are back on Barneys racks may simply mean that they've achieve enough popularity to have a good enough sell-through. However, that sell-through purportedly results from more people being interested in these brands which no matter how popular they get are still overwhelmingly overshadowed by "the flashier offerings on the next rack" of brands like Gucci and Burberry (replacing Prada here due to its 2nd floor location :-)).

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

                            StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                            Comment

                            • laika
                              moderator
                              • Sep 2006
                              • 3787

                              #15
                              Re: Atelier Article and Interview with K.S. in Haaretz (Israel)

                              Faust, I also think it's significant that the choice is no longer simply between Ann Dem and the Gucci. Also on that floor are Lanvin, Thom Browne, Band of Outsiders, Rick Owens, Marni, etc. All of which can be seen as alternatives to more commercially driven fashion. I also think--and perhaps Fuuma was implying this--that designers like Ann and, to a lesser extent, Raf, are not perceived as "avant-garde," the way that they once were. (Certainly not among the fashion-conscious set, anyway.) Even if it's not flashy, their work is no longer unfamiliar. It has become rather domesticated, and that might be why it's selling so successfully.
                              ...I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.

                              Comment

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