random fashion thoughts

[zamb]

Dear Zam, could you, please, elaborate on this. I can imagine the reasons, but still very intrigued to hear a deeper opinion from the man working in the field and whom I truly respect. My question is mostly related to the artisanal side of the so-called avant-garde, is everything really so bad?
Thanks.

Everything is not bad, some collections I did not see in person as I was not there to view collections but to show my own work.
I saw Boris show and from the look of it it was a truly great collection. in my mind right now he is alone at the top of the ladder.

I knew about LEB's work from the very beginning, I went to visit him this past season and the work has stepped up leaps and bounds, the collection is bigger and I think he has found a way to do what i thought couldn't.......scale his concept to a larger audience. Hos work and approach is truly original and the kind of work that i find inspiring as it adds a new dimension to fashion.

of course there are designers doing really good work.
What i am talking about is a bunch of new showrooms and new designers flooding Paris with garments made all over the place where there is a little piece of Rick, a little piece of CCP, a little piece of Boris and no technical knowledge no original vision and its just bad for the market across the board.
T-shirts make in Korea for 30 Euros expecting to sell to major stores because its "dark fashion"

there is a lack of depth, a lack of insight and a downright lack of awareness on the part of many of these people making these brands and its showing.

[Faust]

Soon most of them will move on to making Vetements knocks off, so I am not too stressed on that account. I think we can say that Vetements is displacing Rick as the king of trends, with Gosha bringing up the rear.

[zamb]

Soon most of them will move on to making Vetements knocks off, so I am not too stressed on that account. I think we can say that Vetements is displacing Rick as the king of trends, with Gosha bringing up the rear.

Maybe, but I don't think that can last.
Rick is a TRULY GREAT designer in the pure sense of it. and an excellent technician, one of the last great ones remaining.

and i think the last collection, even if some people didn't like it in the sense of clothing is on to something far more culturally important than clothing. this along with his women collection with women carrying women to me is a social commentary on women developing and displaying traditionally masculine virtues, while men are becoming more feminine and displaying more traditionally feminine attributes.
I don't know if it necessarily makes for great sales but its powerful social commentary

[Faust]

Of course Rick is a great designer! But great design is not the source of hype. Hype is hype, it has dynamics of its own independent of factors like quality of work.

[zamb]

Of course Rick is a great designer! But great design is not the source of hype. Hype is hype, it has dynamics of its own independent of factors like quality of work.

exactly, but Rick got a lot of hype, but it endured because the Talent was there to match the hype.
the difference between a supernova in fashion and a true star is the enduring strength of the designers talent and drive.......you and I know many of them who got to dizzying heights who are nowhere around now, either because hey never had the talent to match the hype of the drive to keep going when it was demanded of them.

For every great designer we know, there is another 10 who got a shot and fell flat because the substance that makes for staying power was never there............

[beyondthemeans]

Soon most of them will move on to making Vetements knocks off, so I am not too stressed on that account. I think we can say that Vetements is displacing Rick as the king of trends, with Gosha bringing up the rear.

Along with Yeezy rip-offs this has already started. I can't even remember how many Yeezy or Vetement rip off brands I've seen in the past two months.

[monster]

ProfMonitoff, Zamb, Faust, thanks for your valuable opinions, it's a big pleasure to have an opportunity to communicate with the people who have such a deep knowledge about the things.
To be honest I don't quite understand why we pay so much attention to Vetements, Gosha etc. etc. on the pages of this board as like as to some unnamed guys who made so-called "dark fashion". I think these are on an absolutely reverse side of the things and have no relation to the "design" or "fashion" we patronize here. Yeah, they are out there as a sign of the age, when, as ProfMointoff said, bloggers and instagrammers have the influence to determine the tastes like professional journalists and critics used to do. It's very unlikely that anyone can change this, and we can only admit this, crying out loudly: o tempora! o mores! I understand that it could be depressing for the ones who are into the industry and who want to do great things without going bankrupt, and I can feel this pain.
But at the same time, only being a spectator\fan\consumer I don't see so much of downgrade comparing to, say, the state of things that took place 5-8 years ago (I discovered fashion design then). Again, I'm not talking about the context, place in history, background and more delicate and deep things (I know almost nothing about these and to be honest don't have that much interest), I'm mostly talking about well-made garments, materials, design itself. Just from the recent memory I can name out LEB, who was mentioned by Zam already, Taichi Murakami, don't know if he counts as a bad copy of Carpe Diem, but as for me the guy summarizes all the things I like about clothes design, Soloist was absolutely great during the early era, which was not so long ago, I like Deepti, Ziggy, IS and so on. Don't go far: Zam, Geoffrey, Albert are still doing great things. Runway giants like Rick and BBS still deliver, BBS even more than he did before, I used to see too many references to CCP, Damir etc. in his early works, but his recent collection was truly amazing. Yes, maybe there are not so many sophisticated revolutionaries these days and the whole industry leaning towards Vetements-Yeezy-what else, some heroes of the past took another direction (Horikawa, Kumagai, Damir to name few), others show some kind of revival (see latest Ann collection), but there are still a lot of designers to follow, either mainstream figures or more private ones.
Though, I could be absolutely and desperately wrong. And the motive behind my question was dictated by the lack of information about the brands that used to be quite discussed here. Sometimes I reread old topics about MA or LUC and this is a very inspiring reading, now we are focusing on a very narrow range of things we like or blaming relatively wide range of things we dislike. Is it because there is not that much to discuss and fashion is stagnating and avant-garde, artisanal design is dead?
Thanks again for your answers and, please, excuse my ignorance and bad grammar.

[Faust]

Well, we discuss Vetements and Gosha, because it is the zeitgeist, so I don't see anything wrong with that.

As a journalist/critic it is also my job to pay attention to them. I may not like it, but I cannot ignore it. On the contrary the project of SZ/SZ magazine is to stand in opposition to The Emperor's New Dress moments.
You don't understand how many messages I get via email or FB thanking me for speaking my mind about these brands when most journalists seem to be fawning over them. There is a stratum of intelligent, interesting people out there passionate about fashion, and I want SZ/SZ mag to speak to them.

I am not particularly depressed on account of the fashion zeitgeist, more like amused/bemused. But, it is my job to comment.

As far as decreased level of discussion, it's hard to say, but there are several things at play

a) a lot of these designers have not produced much that's radically new.
b) a lot of old members have gone through these discussions multiple times, and could not be bothered.
c) it seems that there are fewer new members that are interested in the kind of deep level discussion which we used to have (b) is not helping
d) it seems that there are fewer younger people in general that care to have such a level of discussion.

I am not saying it's all doom and gloom - there will always be bright kids interested in good fashion.

[Nickefuge]

I’ve been binge-watching (if you can call it that way with only 8 episodes) this show and noticed this. (Please no Kanye discussion)

[beyondthemeans]

Drives me crazy on Grailed how other sellers constantly drive their prices down, setting a new benchmark price for items I'm selling.

They offer things for less than a third of retail, which I simply can't afford to do!

[550BC]

^same.. but thats because Grailed is filled with low ballers and cheapskates hunting/nagging for steals. Faust was right. Grailed is ruining the value of these items.

[zamb]

^same.. but thats because Grailed is filled with low ballers and cheapskates hunting/nagging for steals. Faust was right. Grailed is ruining the value of these items.

As a matter of personal principle I neither buy or sell there. Not that i hate it, and i wish the proprietors all the best. I met them and they are nice folks but that platform does nothing for the appreciation of good quality products or good design but actually foster an H&M type disposable mentality

As someone who is a maker of clothing for this market I know the trials, tribulation and level of work it requires to get stuff made. I will not participate in a medium that essentially devalue/ undervalue the work of designers.

[casem]

I know the above debate has come up a million times, but I don't blame grailed. I think it has more to do with the oversaturation of the market. I mean think about it, when so much is available on ssense or barneys at 70% off, why is someone gonna buy your used clothing for only half off retail?

I've had good luck on grailed, I've gotten a great price for more popular items and had to sell a few things for painfully low prices just to clear out my closet. Just be more careful when shopping so you're not put in the position of having to sell off old items to afford your new ones. I certainly prefer grailed over ebay, where I would get lowballed AND huge fees taken out.

[zamb]

I know the above debate has come up a million times, but I don't blame grailed. I think it has more to do with the oversaturation of the market. I mean think about it, when so much is available on ssense or barneys at 70% off, why is someone gonna buy your used clothing for only half off retail?

I've had good luck on grailed, I've gotten a great price for more popular items and had to sell a few things for painfully low prices just to clear out my closet. Just be more careful when shopping so you're not put in the position of having to sell off old items to afford your new ones. I certainly prefer grailed over ebay, where I would get lowballed AND huge fees taken out.

C,

i hear you and in a sense i can see all sides of the equation.
But for someone like me who is a maker of products, knowing what is involved and seeing the level of work other designers have to do I approach it from that perspective

Yes Barneys and wherever is having heavy markdowns, but many of these places are a part of the problem too. its like a race to the bottom, but I wont participate

[Nickefuge]

I wont participate

This would mean making only enough (or even a bit less) clothing to meet the demands. But yet you do offer sales. Where does this go together with the above statement? Not trying to be mean, I’m just interested in what you wrote.