random fashion thoughts

[Fuuma]

[guardimp]

I'm quite confused. What is Michael trying to sell you or have you invest money in?

[Faust]

Jesus Christ. Go read some books, seriously. Or go to fucking college.

[Mail-Moth]

[Found it I guess. Where do you find stuff like that ?]

Thanks for still being around, Fuuma.

[casem]

^Nothing like a philosophical debate to bring a Frenchman out of hiding.

You should throw your 2cents in M-M, unless Fuuma has already said what you would.

I realize the answers to my questions are yes (nice example AKA). A forgotten avant-gardist is most likely regarded as a fringe or crazy, while one who is eventually adopted by the mainstream is a prescient genius.

[Tegro]

I'm more of a lurker, but when I was reading Fuuma's comments I couldn't help thinking of some of the later conclusions of the Frankfurt School: late-stage capitalism/mass culture is so pervasive at this point that our protests against it can only occur in theoretical spaces (StyleZeitgeist?). There's a certain dark humor to it all..

[Nickefuge]

go to fucking college.

Is this where they teach fucking?

[Fuuma]

I'm more of a lurker, but when I was reading Fuuma's comments I couldn't help thinking of some of the later conclusions of the Frankfurt School: late-stage capitalism/mass culture is so pervasive at this point that our protests against it can only occur in theoretical spaces (StyleZeitgeist?). There's a certain dark humor to it all..

Indeed. Zizek once said it was easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. He got that right.

[Defender]

How many of any one item do fashion designers usually produce?

For example, any of the tops shown in Rick's Sphinx collection...how many of each are made in each size?

How many of each pair of shoes are produced in each size?

What about the more rare brands like BBS? How many of those bright red/orange leather jackets actually get made in each size?

How rare is it to be an owner of a designer piece of clothing?

[eleves]

How many of any one item do fashion designers usually produce?

For example, any of the tops shown in Rick's Sphinx collection...how many of each are made in each size?

How many of each pair of shoes are produced in each size?

What about the more rare brands like BBS? How many of those bright red/orange leather jackets actually get made in each size?

How rare is it to be an owner of a designer piece of clothing?

Easily going to vary on who they sell to and how large their volume is. If it's not stated, I don't think anyone could answer that unless they worked with/for a specific designer and even so could still be hard to answer. I'm pretty sure that unless it's stated, any basic Rick Owens piece is produced in vast amounts to cater to his growing consumer base. A lot of bigger brands definitely have the capabilities to produce more if an item is selling out, and this is done a lot compared to any smaller "artisanal" brand. BBS is a lot bigger than it was a few years ago, so even if they could cater to making more of each piece, I'd still assume that the amounts of expensive leather items produced especially in colors like red are very small, and the company might still be small enough where you could go into the shop and ask someone there!

[zamb]

I won a brand and my company produces collections for two others and these questions are really pointless

I dont even know how many units i produce every season as there are tons of variables that goes into these things.

Also, there are concepts such as PULL manufacturing and PUSH manufacturing that plays a role in these decisions outside of store buys, estimated sales volumes, fabric availability seasonal demands (more clothes sell in The fall than Spring)

its just no way to reasonably answer these questions without a length explanation of all the factors which i care not to get into now............

[ES3K]

I won a brand (...)

Congratulations!

[Defender]

The reason I brought up the potential volume of product for these brands is that I noticed the RO HF video only has about 3,500 views on youtube, and the Sphinx show only has about 100,000 if you look at all the different versions.

That seems incredibly low for the "most popular" niche brand designer's social media offerings.

That got me thinking that maybe a shirt like this would only have a handful produced:



I know there are many factors that go into more "wearable" pieces, but I was just surprised by how low the views were on things that RO has promoted so extensively on tumblr, instagram, and etc. like that RO HF video, and it made me think that maybe the production is lower than I imagined if the audience is potentially that small.

[xeraphim]

the strength of a brand's social media presence has nothing to do with its production volumes.

[Nomadic Planet]

but how is this "new economy" so different from the "old" one, so that it can lead to an entire set of new values and lifestyle principles? what is this new economy in your view? when did it start?

Again, the simple act of purchasing does not equal consumerism. Let's agree on what consumerism is if we want to pursue this further.

Sorry to jump in this discussion 5 days later but I just had the chance to read this today and found it pretty interesting.

Of course, the simple act of purchasing does not equal consumerism.

What is interesting to note is in fact the way we consume has changed, the social meaning of consumption has changed / is changing.
I'm not bringing anything new to the table when I say we have entered a "postmodern" (I don't have other words to qualify this, even though I'm aware "post modernity" is not trendy in the sociological or philosophical milieux anymore) social configuration where we no longer have the collective narratives of transcendance (religion, communist utopia, etc) as references and each individual is under a heavy pressure to define and give meaning to his existence on his/her very own solitude.

Social / existential meaning is increasingly becoming the most valuable immaterial element of value in our "postmodern" societies. It was first given by institutions, and now we have to deal with it, invent it at our individual level. We have to fill the void of existence on our own, everyday, at every moment.

That is also why it is so important for brands to embody sets of values, because brands play a social role of structuring social meaning around us. Brands embody values we adhere to or reject, up to a personal - philosophical - (spiritual?) level.

but beyond this basic sociology and marketing 101 introduction, what is interesting is that internet has exponentially expanded this phenomenon by super-connecting us to information and references. We increasingly live in a world of references ("hyper-reality" anyone?) and this kind of stimulates new forms of compulsory consumption of whatever is the interest of the moment.

I really believe postmodern societies of leisure are creating a new way of interaction with culture and consumption and generating new forms of "obsessive" consumption that work by temporary phases. We obsess over something for a while then we move on to the next thing of interest.
This is our new form of consumerism in the XXI century.
Netflix and watching TV shows on the internet is a good exemple of this new social phenomena called "binge watching". Compulsively consuming something or obsessing over something is becoming normal, even cool (probably also coming from the legitimation of geek culture).

having personal interests and cultivating personal passions / hobbies / leisure activities is increasingly a social norm, and the increasingly connected society seems to push us towards "geeking" about everything in an obsessive way.
I'm not emitting any kind of moral judgement at the moment, not implying this is good or bad, or what we had before was better (This might also be only a temporary stage of social evolution, as it's new and we are only learning how to deal with it).

SZ brands are objects of high density of meaning due to their rarity / exclusivity / price / artisanal dimension / artistic dimension, and hence generate a lot of desirability. I can easily understand why someone would fall into an obsession with one particular designer / collection / piece. I know I have. People in SZ are "geeks of fashion" if I may. And many of us here have also probably fallen more than once into an unreasonable or even irresponsible purchase. I know I have.

I'm not saying SZ is responsible for generating consumerism, but it certainly falls in this context where consumption has changed and it is a fertile territory to participate into this new mechanisms because it is all about desirability, rarity, preciosity, all attributes of high density of meaning in a world where meaning is the most valuable thing.

It would be interesting to read members who manage to participate without consuming , or also to correlate forum participation with periods of time with disposable income for designers clothes.

Being this of general interest, it is also a new personal question for me, as I'm entering a moment in my life where I can't really spend on these clothes anymore, and I wonder how is my relation to this forum and these "SZ world" going to be, how will I deal with the desire for new clothes etc.