Scoute. | issue nine

[lowrey]

interview: Michel Berandi
interview: Obscur / Richard Söderberg
Number (N)ine retrospective
Paris FW reviews + showroom coverage
+++

http://scoute.org

[Casius]

YAAAAY!
Always look forward to these.

[nf one]

the berandi piece is fantastic, rarely do you get to see someone convey so articulately all of the things that are poured into what they are and what they do.

[zamb]

really looking forward to this,
thanks mike!

[Diss]

wondered when issue 9 would pop up. great stuff Mike. I particularly enjoyed reading the Obscur interview.

On a small note i noticed the title for the "The Road" page is "Maurizio Amadei".

[034936]

i actually didn't really like the way Berandi convyeyed himself. especially that last comment. Cant really put my finger on exactly what it is... seemed a little arrogant. Some of what he said just came across as white noise to be honest.

[ironman]

great work again scoute crew! despite having seen and read the newest collections here on SZ, i read your reviews anyway, and really liked them :)

what i want to comment on is the Obscur interview:

i liked his answers to some of the questions, like How would you describe your relationship with clothing? ("even just wearing certain garments can sometimes cause a rush of adrenaline. This is very special to me") and his answer to How would you describe the aesthetic of Obscur?. while i do feel that his work does feel rather minimalist and refined, i found it powerfully lame for him to have and quote a manifesto :|

he also failed to answer How did you end up making garments? properly, and is too stubborn to see that criticism from his customers will help his label evolve and flourish (plus, i think he meant to call himself arrogant instead of ignorant)

now before i stop nit-picking, i have one last quarrel. while i tried to understand his answer to How do you feel about exclusivity in terms of your label?, i find myself confused as to why he simply does not care where he sells his stuff. it's either he is unsure of his own aesthetic and wishes to see how people will wear it, or he has no aesthetic in mind and just wants to see his business grow. i find that hard to believe, considering the clothes are designed and cut for a certain crowd..

in any case, regardless of all my critique, i still look forward to seeing his new collection; hopefully the prices are still reasonable :1

keep up the good work scoute!

[lowrey]

I think the answer to both the exclusivity and criticism issues is that what he really cares about is designing and creating garments, not where they are sold or whether or not someone else likes them. whether thats good for business is one thing, but his priority seems to rather be on doing what he loves to do and not caring about the public opinion. I can't say that I'd agree about this being arrogant, if he were to design for someone else I'd see the point, but its his label and hes not trying to push it to anyone.

[Casius]

That's the way I took it as well (referring to Mike's post above). Also, he's only 23, so I think his line is going to mature as he does. I know I would be the same way, me being close to his age.

I really enjoyed the Berandi piece though! He seems like quite an interesting guy.

[christianef]

I Agree too. i've met Richard a few times and i know the Romeo Showroom was a big break for him and things worked out well, which time will tell, and that he's very appreciative of the response Obscur is getting currently. not arrogant at all. friends of his are members on this forum too and can tell you he's more than open to criticism from his peers.

having met him and read of few of the interviews he's done online its too bad the brand is new and interviews are typically limited to light 'so tell us about obscur.' stuff...he's a really funny guy and has a very charming attitude towards design and the business and mostly just in general. i wish you got to see that more.


and he always looks great in pictures

[sshum88]

Nice insights. Your articles are always an interesting read.

[lowrey]

stuff looks great! Expected better pics of Grandma+ showroom
damn that secretive son of a gun

yea he is quite secretive about what he wants featured, and I prefer to respect his wishes

as for Poell, press to him is what it is, hes not super keen on it, especially online. but maybe someday...

[Fuuma]

yay! good issue. Congrats to Dave for the interview.

[Johnny]

it's not an interview....

ps liked Mr Rabkin's review column.

[Fuuma]

I just read it, maybe I'll read one the McCarthy's novels one day (doubt it), sounds interesting though...