random fashion thoughts

[Lex1017]

Shit's terrible. It's just reworked stuff that doesn't even look good. It has none of the wit and conceptual energy of Margiela or GBS when Geoffrey was into deconstruction, nor the mad scientist construction prowess of the Soloist's earlier collections.

I really wish all these famous rich people or the wives of famous rich people would just stop playing at fashion design.

PREACH

[gregor]

I really wish all these famous rich people or the wives of famous rich people would just stop playing at fashion design.

on the plus side, at least they tend to get bored and finish with it easily.

[zamb]

I did not interpret that article as an attack against Kanye West's clothing line, I think doing so reveals the reader's bias more than anything.

On the line itself, sure it's not the greatest thing in the world but there are also people who pretend that Greg Lauren does good work.

Yes but this is a false comparison
I don't see Greg Lauren going around pretending he has this great power of a world leading designer.

What (he who shall not be named) wants is credibility and respect that he has NOT earned and thinking it should be given to him because of who he is, which really has nothing to do with designing clothing

[Faust]

With all due respect, this is not wise thinking...this is an extremely emotional and antiquated way to look at life. If faced with a situation like the (Creative? Shitty? [Insert adjective here]) one your proposed, where my wife might be raped, I would not take the time to judge the asshole, I would rush to action and try to protect my wife. As you can imagine, in this case my opinion of such a person is neither beneficial to myself or others, but how I react to that person's actions is.

And Faust, I am not trying to save the world...I believe aiming for that is just as idealistic and empty as faith is. Look at the scenario above, I am merely saying that although shit inevitably happens, when we have a choice we should take it. We need to cover our bodies, but fast fashion is not a necessity. We can choose what we purchase, and that is why following along to the "it isn't my fault" ideology doesn't help anybody. If anything, it prolongs the existence of the companies that make those shitty products, and which exploit it's workers, and whom are responsible for some of the world's pollution, etc.. I love this forum because it discusses matters of this sort and allows for a more profound analysis not only of the fashion circus as a whole, but also about the impact which the manufacture of clothing has on the world and it's inhabitants.

I'm not talking about consumer politics but geopolitics.

[ProfMonnitoff]

In he whom shall not be named's defence...

On one hand I get upset when someone claims they're democratising the fashion industry and getting rid of all the cruft and injustice that surrounds it as he has in various interviews, and then does no such thing. Fashion is something we care about very strongly on here so of course it upsets us when we feel like someone is transgressing and trying to claim credit for something they haven't done.

On the other hand rich people will always have it easier in every creative industry, that's not really news, and not really something worth getting upset about anymore to be honest, it's not going to change anytime soon. And it feels to me as though while the current work is falling short at least his heart is in the right place. If he was in it just to play Project Runway I think he'd have grown tired of it by now.

Besides that he has a very skilled and well paid team, and works with some of the best people in terms of production and other supply side stuff, without bragging about it. Say what you want about the aesthetic (I'm certainly no fan of it) but the garments use quality fabrics and are assembled by very skilled people. Of course he has the personal fortune and the shoe deal to pay their asking prices without flinching but at least he's doing things the right way. And actually his total net worth is for example a fraction of YSL's yearly revenue. Maybe not a fair comparison, but worth mentioning all the same.

The criticism he is facing imo comes from a similar place as the one Hedi got for the first few Saint Laurent seasons. Of course he never claimed to be saving the world, but the YSL name almost comes with that connotation in some way. I just can't get myself to be upset at these kinds of things anymore, I'm happy with the niche that I find appealing, and ok with it never getting the recognition it deserves. Maybe that's intellectually lazy, but so be it. "He things he's so great, but is really not" is one of the most useless feelings to have.

[TriggerDiscipline]

random fashion thought

but the more time passes the more feverish and selective I have been getting about what i'm buying but more importantly what I am not buying how things drop in value in my eyes as time goes by.

and at this point I feel like it would take the depth difference between Mt. Everest and the Mariana Trench to get me out of my current maniacal obsession in multiple meanings.

Also the UC retrospective was a very nice experience, It was nice to see some things I thought I would never see without having to get permission from an archive. (which in reality is not too difficult, at least in my case ;] )

[zamb]

you my friend are completely out of your mind and i wonder if I should at all reply to someone defending he who shall not be named as being credible as a designer or I should just leave you to your own unwise reasoning.
Maybe for me as a designer it is very different, my standards for respecting people in fashion are VERY HIGH. it is so because i know the work that it takes to create a collection season after season and to have a sustained level of excellence in this industry with thousands of designers all clamoring for an audience to receive both critical acclaim and commercial success.

this man has NO HUMILITY, is not willing to pay his dues, but is interested in short circuiting the whole process to fame and Success in fashion and thinks he can accomplish this by who he is.

He was once pitching ideas to TOP DESIGNERS and trying to tell them WHAT TO DESIGN BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHERE FASHION IS HEADING. does that seem like humility to you?

He was calling Bernard Arnault for Meetings, and being upset when Mr Arnault did not see it at all important to give him the time of day.

Being friends with designers and going to their studio to hang out.....er, intern if you like, doesn't suddenly make you into a designer. it cant and it won't.


Rich people do not have it easier in fashion per se, they have it easier to spend money in business so from that perspective i might agree but they often lose LOTS of it by their ignorance and having to pay heavily to play, It takes TALENT and VISION to create and that is something that is seriously lacking in today's fashion industry. This guy brings nothing different, nothing original to the table and if what we've seen so far is the best his team of designers and production people can do then its all a waste of money and time and actually an indictment against them all rather than a positive.

I have not seen the clothes in person, so I CANNOT speak about the actual quality of construction, but there is nothing in them design wise to make me want to go an investigate any further from what I have seen in the pictures or on the runway videos. Its all banal and laughable to me

Now you mention Hedi...........
Listen man, the reason people were turned off by the first few seasons of SLP is that Hedi made his name by producing elegant and forward thinking menswear in his first go round at YSL and then at Dior. What he did upon his return was the complete opposite in aesthetic, design and philosophy of what he championed for many years. On top of that he tried to overreach by addressing the Media and controlling the image of the brand and journalistic reviews in ways no designer should even try to.

All in all we will see how this plays out. Fashion is a business that takes a LOT of ENERGY and commitment and no Musician can ever do a designer collection and continue to make music without one of those things suffering............if I were him I'd stick to music.

[zamb]

random fashion thought

but the more time passes the more feverish and selective I have been getting about what i'm buying but more importantly what I am not buying how things drop in value in my eyes as time goes by.

and at this point I feel like it would take the depth difference between Mt. Everest and the Mariana Trench to get me out of my current maniacal obsession in multiple meanings.

Also the UC retrospective was a very nice experience, It was nice to see some things I thought I would never see without having to get permission from an archive. (which in reality is not too difficult, at least in my case ;] )

We missed you stateside man.
But it looks like you are enjoying life in Japan. Hope all is well my friend!

[HugAndWug]

It feels very odd to me that SZ is my main source of Kanye and Kardashian updates. It feels hypocritical for me to be saying this as I don't contribute to designer/runway thread as much as I want to but I can't help but feel I'm not the only one tired of it.

[Lex1017]

I am no better than anyone else, we are all but breath here for a limited time in this finite existence

but here is what i am better than. A better designer than him or his team and a better designer than that other one who shall not be named.

I read what you wrote, I do reading comprehension very well and have the academic credentials to support that.
As I said I don't know the guys fame/ music/ whatever because i simply don't listen to rap music so I cannot speak of him as a person or his influence on popular culture. But I sure as hell know fashion and the history of it. I know what good design is and I know those who have real talent different from the posers and frauds

Don'tyou think its fraudulent for him or anyone else not to design a clothing line yet it is promoted as their own?

Would you be OK with Music said to be Drake's P. Diddy or Madonna only to find out they used a ghost singer and it wasn't their voice?
If the answer to that is yes then its not difficult to comprehend why i find brands by Musicians the ultimate con game.

Years ago I was approach to design Sean John when it was Hot AND I FLAT OUT TOLD THEM NO. No amount of money could be given to me to ghost design for brand headed by Musician because I think its bull bleep. They all end up being ugly and lame (the only exception I had ever seen for a while was Lamb by Gwen Stephani and even then she hired Zaldy to do the work)

What do you want me to do, fawn over him like one of his followers?
well I wont and I don't think this is the place for you to expect that kind of reaction.

I have an employee who is obsessed with him so massage yourself with that

BTW.......Drake, is that you?

O Zamb if only you did listen to rap music, give "drake quentin miller" a little google search if you have 2 seconds of your life to waste. Sorry for the double post. For the record calm I don't care that Drake has a ghostwriter/I know he gave credit and he writes most of his stuff.

[Calm]

dont know if you are trolling or whatever. or if you are paid to create visiibility for this brand

OVO by Drake.....doesn't that imply to you that he "designs" the stuff.
what do you think "BY" there implies?

and since you are so smart and intelligent ca you please explain why the Ghost singer analogy is the worst?
to me it is a VERY APT comparison. Have you ever head about Milli Vanilli or are you to young to know?

My last reply since you are seeming to struggle with this whole concept and I don't want to crowd up this thread any more than it already has been.

I explicitly said it's NOT called "OVO by Drake", which a 3 second google search could've told you, but you've shown yourself to be pretty adverse to learning or understanding so far...

The Milli Vanilla comparison is not apt because Drake is not claiming to design the clothes - like I've tried to get through to you over so, so many words

And yeah, I really don't think a brand would pay someone to promote their clothing brand on an absolutely tiny forum that is WAY out of their target demographic...

Do you think things through or do you just type and work with what ends up in front of you?

Hard world for poets, even harder for idiots

[naturalalmonds]

Any other Toronto residents feel the same impact around the city from this guy, or have general thoughts about him?

Impact? I don't know. It seems like "the 6ix" actually caught on, at least to some degree. Fuck, there's a cold press juice bar that also serves activated charcoal shots for $8 called "6IX" now. I sold some clothes to someone in Germany and he said "Oh cool, you're from the 6ix"...so...there's my anecdote about his impact.

It seems like Toronto is at least a bit more known thanks to his music, but I don't think anything noteworthy is really attributable to him.

[En.]

As a part time Toronto resident, this guy's music and cultural movement is insanely pervasive. I actually enjoy his music ( Take Care is a masterpiece ) and I've heard his clothing line is produced in the same factory as Reigning Champion and Supreme - all produced in Canada. While he's definitely very far into the mainstream ( arguably the biggest hip hop artist right now ), I think it's interesting to look at his influence and his unique viewpoint on the impact that he does have. His recent interview with Fader is a great read (http://www.thefader.com/2015/09/24/d...tory-interview)

Any other Toronto residents feel the same impact around the city from this guy, or have general thoughts about him?

He is the biggest hip-hop artist now and his impact is noticeable in the U.S. As for his music, it suffers from a similar fault as The Weeknd's: their releases are the same without much of a difference. Production is good, lyrics are banal. Nothing worth their excessive fame.

Besides that, you should learn how to calm down.

[Faust]

In he whom shall not be named's defence...

On one hand I get upset when someone claims they're democratising the fashion industry and getting rid of all the cruft and injustice that surrounds it as he has in various interviews, and then does no such thing. Fashion is something we care about very strongly on here so of course it upsets us when we feel like someone is transgressing and trying to claim credit for something they haven't done.

On the other hand rich people will always have it easier in every creative industry, that's not really news, and not really something worth getting upset about anymore to be honest, it's not going to change anytime soon. And it feels to me as though while the current work is falling short at least his heart is in the right place. If he was in it just to play Project Runway I think he'd have grown tired of it by now.

Besides that he has a very skilled and well paid team, and works with some of the best people in terms of production and other supply side stuff, without bragging about it. Say what you want about the aesthetic (I'm certainly no fan of it) but the garments use quality fabrics and are assembled by very skilled people. Of course he has the personal fortune and the shoe deal to pay their asking prices without flinching but at least he's doing things the right way. And actually his total net worth is for example a fraction of YSL's yearly revenue. Maybe not a fair comparison, but worth mentioning all the same.

The criticism he is facing imo comes from a similar place as the one Hedi got for the first few Saint Laurent seasons. Of course he never claimed to be saving the world, but the YSL name almost comes with that connotation in some way. I just can't get myself to be upset at these kinds of things anymore, I'm happy with the niche that I find appealing, and ok with it never getting the recognition it deserves. Maybe that's intellectually lazy, but so be it. "He things he's so great, but is really not" is one of the most useless feelings to have.

You got it all wrong, bud. People are upset because he's not a designer, that's all. And he gets to have it yeezy while real designers struggle.

[Faust]

It feels very odd to me that SZ is my main source of Kanye and Kardashian updates. It feels hypocritical for me to be saying this as I don't contribute to designer/runway thread as much as I want to but I can't help but feel I'm not the only one tired of it.

Seriously. I miss the good old days when the only celeb allowed on SZ was Jude Law. I guess it's a sign just how pervasive pop culture has become. No place is safe.

Actually, you know what, I forgot for a sec I'm a moderator here. Fuck this drake shit. Deleted. Calm, get the fuck out of here.