random fashion thoughts

[NOHSAD]

^ 3spooky5me

Was Fuuma the inspiration for the section of that Complex piece?

It's not ofiicially confirmed, but i'm personally 100% certain the artist used Fuuma's WAYWT picture from a while back as the outline for the "Fashion Victim" that's part of the Complex piece.

[gregor]

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34441143

maybe this deserves it's own thread, but american apparel filed for chapter 11 this morning.

[zamb]

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34441143

maybe this deserves it's own thread, but american apparel filed for chapter 11 this morning.

there are two books that are VERY important to read if you truly want to understand the (modern) fashion industry and how a company like this could possibly end up this way

1. the end of fashion by Teri Agins

2. the Designer Scam by Colin McDowell

[Faust]

I think the problem was two-fold.

A) The obvious is the overexpansion - opening stores everywhere without the logistical and capital support.
B) The founder's personality - he wanted to be the new Terri Richardson and Oliver Zahm. But, guess what - the apparel world is not the fashion publishing world. AA's primary customer is the hipster. And the female hipster holds feminist values dear (and so do their boyfriends, whether they want to or not) and Dov Charney has alienated a ton of customers by his despicable behavior towards women.

Had they opened fewer stores and pushed the fair labor practices agenda, as they should have - the company would be alive and kicking. It had the potential to be the next Uniqlo and they fucked it up royally.

[Faust]

A fantastic article on Balmain by John Colapinto for the New Yorker.
I had no doubts that Rousteing is a tart, and this only confirms it.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/12/trending

[gregor]

there are two books that are VERY important to read if you truly want to understand the (modern) fashion industry and how a company like this could possibly end up this way

1. the end of fashion by Teri Agins

2. the Designer Scam by Colin McDowell

i've actually read the end of fashion, and it's a great read, especially poignant now.

it's not that surprising though, considering that it's been a long time
coming. i'm not hugely convinced that charney's behaviour is as big an effect as that, though it is for the informed customer. it's never good publicity to be a dick, either way, though.

[vtlynch]

I think the problem was two-fold.

A) The obvious is the overexpansion - opening stores everywhere without the logistical and capital support.
B) The founder's personality - he wanted to be the new Terri Richardson and Oliver Zahm. But, guess what - the apparel world is not the fashion publishing world. AA's primary customer is the hipster. And the female hipster holds feminist values dear (and so do their boyfriends, whether they want to or not) and Dov Charney has alienated a ton of customers by his despicable behavior towards women.

Had they opened fewer stores and pushed the fair labor practices agenda, as they should have - the company would be alive and kicking. It had the potential to be the next Uniqlo and they fucked it up royally.

I think those were certainly problems, but perhaps something much more basic is being overlooked: Their style just wasent digestible for most people.

Certainly AA was popular and people loved some of their stuff, but if you really looked through their whole inventory there were massive swaths of things that just werent appealing to most people.

Endless neon colors, DEEP v neck tees, bruce campbell-esque Hawaiian shirt prints for $70, etc. They made too many items in too many colors and the design quality just wasent there.

Some of this stuff has been sitting in their sale section for *years*

I still love American Apparel to this day for their retro basics... big placket polos, denim jackets, high waist jeans. But I can count on one hand the number of recent (and I mean last 12-18 months) items that have been truly great.

We also shouldnt discount the massive rise of fast fashion, which happened almost in parallel with AA's popularity or the quality controls that they have always had.

[Arkady]

But their quality controls consisted of using domestic sweatshop labor rather than outsourced sweatshop labor, as far as I'd understood it? I certainly wouldn't place them outside fast fashion, if anything they seem to be one of its shrewder operators.

[vtlynch]

But their quality controls consisted of using domestic sweatshop labor rather than outsourced sweatshop labor, as far as I'd understood it? I certainly wouldn't place them outside fast fashion, if anything they seem to be one of its shrewder operators.

I often see people make these kinda pot shots at AA's labor. Though I fail to see what "domestic sweatshop labor" is. Even if it was minimum wage work (which it isnt) that is so much better than literal sweatshops which other manufacturers use (and which was much more prominent 10 years ago when AA was growing).

[Arkady]

It's not a potshot, there were tons of editorials / exposes about this a few years ago. They just had similar setups to a Laotian plant in downtown LA from what I recall.

Their share price was also hit when they were found to be using illegal workers en mass. http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/...64I4CT20100519

[scanner]

Actually, the problem with AA was the fact that the company's shareholders blindsided Dov and fired him and his team and took over all operations, of which they had no clue about how to run.

This is a great article into what happened - http://www.businessinsider.com.au/do...apparel-2015-8

I believe the board members set up AA to fail. Some of the shareholders and board members ran other major competing brands so it would be no surprise to see them sell their shares and burn AA to the ground with Dov along with it and to spite him, leave him penniless.

[Arkady]

One of those tricky situations where continuing to keep some rapist fuck a millionaire would've been a net... positive... I guess?

[vtlynch]

This is a great article into what happened - http://www.businessinsider.com.au/do...apparel-2015-8

I love that article but it hardly makes the case that Dov was doing such a great job. Personally, he was a bizarre person and he let his sexual antics put the company at risk. As a manager it was pretty clear he had done the company disservice by expanding it without the proper logistical and organization backbone.

He is a mixed bag for sure. I think the Business Insider article is right about one thing - the fact that all of the sexual exploits have come to light have now spoiled his chances of returning. Most boards wouldnt support him. As hard working as he may be, his behavior is inexcusable.

[Faust]

I think those were certainly problems, but perhaps something much more basic is being overlooked: Their style just wasent digestible for most people.

Certainly AA was popular and people loved some of their stuff, but if you really looked through their whole inventory there were massive swaths of things that just werent appealing to most people.

Endless neon colors, DEEP v neck tees, bruce campbell-esque Hawaiian shirt prints for $70, etc. They made too many items in too many colors and the design quality just wasent there.

Some of this stuff has been sitting in their sale section for *years*

I still love American Apparel to this day for their retro basics... big placket polos, denim jackets, high waist jeans. But I can count on one hand the number of recent (and I mean last 12-18 months) items that have been truly great.

We also shouldnt discount the massive rise of fast fashion, which happened almost in parallel with AA's popularity or the quality controls that they have always had.

Very true - agreed.

[Law]

A fantastic article on Balmain by John Colapinto for the New Yorker.
I had no doubts that Rousteing is a tart, and this only confirms it.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/12/trending

Incest, a game the whole family can play:

Her mother fetched a small foam pad, and Kylie lowered herself back into position. Rousteing whispered in Sorrenti’s ear.

“Put your hand on Kendall’s breast,” Sorrenti said, “as if you’re pushing her away.”

Kylie laid her hand on her sister’s chest.

“Kendall,” Sorrenti said, “grab Kylie’s fringe.”

Kendall grasped the fringe hanging from Kylie’s shoulder, as if she were pulling her sister down on top of her. Sorrenti fired shots as the models stared, expressionless, into his camera. He told them to look into each other’s eyes, and they complied. “A little closer,” he said. They moved their faces together until they nearly touched. “Great!” he said. “That’s great!”

During a break, Kendall and Kylie, in white bathrobes and slippers, sat thumbing their iPhones, while Rousteing talked about the shoot. When it was suggested that the photos had a provocative subtext, he put on a puzzled look. The theme, he said, was “sisters.” He went on, “What I love about fashion, it’s not only the clothes. It’s putting a vision, and I think the sisters’ story—the love between a family—is really something that is going to help fashion. To create beautiful stories in different ways.” Jenner, expressionless behind her dark glasses, looked on and nodded.