It’s these zones that you create for yourself, whether they are physical, digital, cultural or even sonic. I could be in another place just by listening to music. Clothing is my tool and the body is the ultimate cultural symbol. | | | | Wallflora. Mademoiselle 1963.
(George Barkentin/Condé Nast Collection/Getty Images) | | | | | | “It’s these zones that you create for yourself, whether they are physical, digital, cultural or even sonic. I could be in another place just by listening to music. Clothing is my tool and the body is the ultimate cultural symbol.”
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| | rantnrave:// The rise of South Korean conglomerates, HALLYU, the HERMIT KINGDOM, THAAD, and K-beauty have been hot topics of conversation recently. Rarely are they covered together. This piece by TRACEY E. ROBEY is a fantastic look at how political relations between SOUTH KOREA, NORTH KOREA, and CHINA could alter the booming cosmetics industry (and it's not about the recently released images of KIM JONG-UN's visit to a cosmetics factory). Love it for not playing to conventional wisdom that the entire K-beauty industry operates as a single, monolithic entity. Robey puts forth two interesting potentials: that South Korea will invest more in the American market in order to diversify its global exports, and that China could move to bolster a homegrown cosmetics industry, perhaps aligning with new visions for "Made in China." Having a larger K-beauty presence in the US could be great, not only due to strong product offerings, but because K-beauty brands are inventive when it comes to retail—store design, rewards programs, etc... Some great designer interviews dropped recently, and they each call attention to the vast corporate and technical structures that power fashion—sometimes referred to as the "fashion system." In each of their cases there's a sense that the old system is changing. Rapidly. HUSSEIN CHALAYAN speaks his mind on everything from fashion's rise on the internet to staying in business after many of his contemporaries from the '80s and '90s have exited fashion. RAF SIMONS talks about his work overseeing the creative direction of the $8.4 billion business of CALVIN KLEIN. There's a great quote in there about bureacracy: "We don’t have so many meetings in Europe... I sometimes meet 150 people a week, and then I think, What did I...? How did I...? Did I move on this week?" And MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI makes the case that women, and a new generation of young people, should drive fashion forward. One of her aims at DIOR is to make ready-to-wear that sells (as opposed to the oft-repeated notion that it's subsidized by higher-margin goods like fragrance and handbags)... Makeup artists are integral to fashion, so it's great to see their work explored in film. A documentary on makeup artist KEVIN AUCOIN, who passed away 2002, is hitting the festival circuit. Hope this gets picked up in the US... LOOSE THREAD's analysis of STITCH FIX avoids looking at the company solely as a subscription box business. What about data? The potential for private label? Read on... Straight from the designer radar tower: 5 South African labels to know... Marinara, arrabbiata, DOLCE & GABBANA pasta. | | | - HK Mindy Meissen, curator |
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| You might think geopolitics and your sheet mask aren't related, but you'd be wrong. | | |
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| Hussein Chalayan is the last of the great talents of the 1990s to remain independent. Maybe that's why he's as fearless as ever. | | |
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| The publisher continues to slash costs as it builds up its digital business. | | |
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| The rigorous Belgian designer has become known as a quiet renegade for his provoking yet lyrical work. Now he’s turning his attention to the multibillion-dollar empire of Calvin Klein. | | |
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| What’s really behind fashion -- and women’s -- love of concealing clothes? | | |
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| The designer speaks to Vogue about ambition, activism and reinterpreting femininity for the modern woman | | |
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| China is one of the most important fashion markets and home to many talented designers. So why hasn't Chinese fashion taken over the world? | | |
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| There’s something about the era that appealed to a specific kind of sad young person. | | |
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| On the 44th episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, a show about the intersection of consumer, retail and commerce, I talk with Dan Widmaier, a co-founder of Bolt Threads, a biotech company engineering spider silk and a range of other fully sustainable materials from the ground up. | | |
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| Before giving in to speculation over the domino effect Bailey’s Burberry departure will cause, it’s time to stop and say: Christopher, that was magnificent. | | |
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| The North Carolina native rose through the industry ranks while standing by his notoriously difficult boss -- and through some good, old-fashioned hard work. | | |
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| For Ralph Lauren, Burton and The Hudson’s Bay Company, kitsch is out and streamlined is in. | | |
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| Just in time for the New York City Marathon. | | |
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| In fashion, tailors and designers get all the credit, but there's an entire world of weavers, dyers, and finishers that are making the things we feel directly against our skin. Just as good food relies on good ingredients, the cutting and sewing of a garment wouldn't mean much without quality materials. | | |
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| The partnership between Adidas and 3-D-printing startup Carbon Inc. could usher in a new era of bespoke shoes. | | |
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| The nearly 100-year-old maker of some of the most expensive shoes in the world has grown exponentially in the past decade. Can the family-run business become a global brand? | | |
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| Ex-CEO of Ralph Lauren Stefan Larsson said speed to market is the tactic most apparel brands are chasing, but without the right product it won't matter much. | | |
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| Belgian fashion designer Olivier Theyskens believes in freedom without constraint. | | |
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| "It began with K-pop, moved into K-beauty and now K-fashion is the next logical move." | | |
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| Taking a cue from Rent the Runway's unlimited subscription model, Ann Taylor has quietly launched a rental service of its own. The program, called Infinite Style, allows consumers to pay a monthly fee of $95 to borrow up to three items at a time and swap them out as much as they'd like. | | |
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