It’s important as a brand that we can communicate, but not automatically through advertisements. Not through a very controlled medium. That’s what I Iike about fashion shows: It’s not just one moment I can show, it’s 55 moments... It’s always fun to see, at the end of the fashion show, if you have 100 people, nearly 100 people have seen something different.
Is this interest remix not displaying correctly? | View it in your browser.
Trans members of a cabaret at the Calypso club, Bangkok, Jan. 1, 1992.
(Malcolm Linton/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Tuesday - November 07, 2017 Tue - 11/07/17
rantnrave:// Remember THREADLESS? The t-shirt company known for vote-to-production designs submitted by artists, doodlers, and designers is still around, and you can find out what the company's been up to in this great read by TRACY E. ROBEY. Threadless was founded in 2000, and I remember spotting the shirts all over CHICAGO during, let's just call it the "Threadless high period," described by Robey as circa 2005–2011. Some days I'd spot the same shirt worn by multiple people. There's no doubt the novelty, cachet, and most crucially, the community that supported Threadless have declined in recent years, but as Robey points out, the company made it out of the internet forum phase. Today the company is making t-shirts on-demand. Others are trying the on-demand approach to eliminate problems presented by excess inventory—the slow journey of slashing prices until stuff eventually sells, offloading it to liquidators, or the highly unpopular "destroy it all" strategy. New label ARJÉ creates quick-turnaround collections in fixed quantities. No reorders, no re-issues. So companies are experimenting. Is this changing the traditional role of the retail buyer, or have experiments not hit traditional retailers yet? But back to crowdfunding. As a consumer, backing crowdfunded projects can be empowering—it gets projects and products into the world that otherwise wouldn't likely be funded. If backers are seen as investors, they'll see no returns on their investment in a company—just the merch. Cue the "I went to 'X' and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" trope. CAM WOLF's piece on KICKSTARTER for menswear makes some great points about how clickbait culture contributes to the types of projects that get funded on the site. Let's not forget RICK OWENS has been making contributions to the universe of male onesies far earlier than 2017, but without all the internet humor. Well, maybe some of it. Still, projects like STAR CITIZEN are pushing massively ambitious projects into the world (using scarcity and limited editions to achieve it, in the form of starships, not rompers for dudes). Is there a next wave of this for apparel? Is there a high fashion way to do crowdfunding, one that's not called pre-orders?... MICHAEL KORS posts gains for Q2... MILA KUNIS tells CONAN about her days as an EBAY seller... Never underestimate the power of enthusiast hobbies to unite in one collection: STREET FIGHTER and selvedge denim, together.
- HK Mindy Meissen, curator
customary
T Magazine
The Rise of Modern Ikebana
by Deborah Needleman
Floral designers are reviving the ancient Japanese art — and with it, an appreciation for the life force of a flower.
Racked
What Happened to the Internet's Favorite T-Shirt Company?
by Tracy E. Robey
Threadless figured out how to make money on the internet before anyone else. What went wrong?
Fashionista
How Dapper Dan Went From Harlem's Best-Kept Secret to International Fashion Icon
by Whitney Bauck
The legend shares his career journey in his own words, from dressing "street people" to collaborating with Gucci.
Esquire
102 Shows Later, Fashion Icon Dries Van Noten Isn't Slowing Down
by Jonathan Evans
The 59-year-old Belgian designer opens up to Esquire on his legacy, balancing cultural appreciation and appropriation, and why he loves clothes just as much as ever.
The Business of Fashion
H&M’s Answer to Streetwear Gathers Pace
by Christopher Morency
With Weekday, the Swedish fast-fashion group has successfully packaged the politically attuned, streetwear-loving aesthetic of Generation Z.
AnOther
The Photographer Shooting Fashion Shows for Half a Century
by Alexander Fury
Chris Moore has been photographing the shows for no fewer than 50 years. As a new book celebrating his life’s work is released, its author, Alexander Fury, takes us into the unseen corners of the photographer's storied archives.
WUNC
Ebony Fashion Fair: Showcasing Race, Culture And Style
by Leoneda Inge
In the 1950s and 60s, images of African-American beauty and fashion models in mainstream media were almost non-existent in the United States.
Footwear News
Extra Butter Talks Why Sneaker Fans Have Loved the Store for the Past 10 Years
by Peter Verry
The EB crew gets candid on a decade in business and plans for the next 10 years.
The Fashion Law
One of the Most Prominent Fashion Investors is Someone You May Have Never Heard Of
A Venezuelan investor and e-commerce visionary, Ms. Busquets, 52, has been coined “fashion e-commerce’s fairy godmother” due to her expansive portfolio of investments, most of which have come about in the past five years. 
Garage Magazine
*extremely art voice* Cindy Sherman and Supreme Are Making Skate Decks
by Rachel Tashjian
Rather than featuring her portrait film stills, they highlight two of her more unexpected Grotesque Series works.
native
Fashionista
The 'Thor: Ragnarok' Costumes Are Just as Fun as the Movie
by Fawnia Soo Hoo
Costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo discusses Cate Blanchett's "goth" look as Hela, the Goddess of Death, and the symbolism behind Thor's and Loki's wardrobe evolution.
Engadget
For Nike, augmented reality is the perfect way to sell hyped sneakers
by Edgar Alvarez
How Nike is betting on augmented reality to fight bots in sneaker shopping.
Glossy
Life after modeling: 'I feel like a dog that got sent back to the pound'
by Jessica Schiffer
Marga Esquivel got her big break at 19 when she walked in Gucci's resort 2016 show - a major win for any model. A year later, however, she decided to leave the modeling business behind. Four seasons of the show circuit had been enough to prove to her that high-fashion modeling was less than idyllic.
Port Magazine
Posturing: Photographing the Body
by Helena Fletcher
Helena Fletcher talks to Holly Hay and Shonagh Marshall, curators of a new exhibition that depicts a shift in aesthetic representations of the body.
Fast Company
The Real Story Behind Those Desperate Notes That Zara Workers Left In Clothes
by Elizabeth Segran
A year ago, a factory owner in Istanbul allegedly stole workers’ wages then closed the factory. When will Zara’s parent company compensate them?
Very Good Light
What Koreans actually think about K-beauty products
by David Yi
Kbeauty is all the race in the Western world. But what do Koreans actually think about Korean beauty products? A report from Seoul.
StyleZeitgeist Mag
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Eugene Rabkin
In the following Op-Ed we examine why fashion criticism will always matter.
Fashion Unfiltered
Meet Arjé, the Luxury Basics Brand That Wants to Revolutionize Retail
by Katharine K. Zarrella
Founded by Oliver and Bessie Corral, luxury basics line Arjé offers a promising see-now, buy-now approach.
Los Angeles Times
Anita Ko uses diamonds and gold to tell designer stories about L.A.
by Melissa Magsaysay
Anita Ko creates fine jewelry based on what celebrities and It-girls want to wear on and off the red carpet.
Tech in Asia
How Alibaba, JD are expanding their empires offline by offering data to retailers
by Eva Xiao
One trillion dollars. That's how much Chinese consumers are on track to spend online by the end of this year -- about half of the ecommerce market worldwide. But in China, that's less than a quarter of all retail sales. No wonder the country's largest ecommerce giants, JD and Alibaba, are gunning for the brick-and-mortar sector.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"Scandinavian Boy"
Joost
“REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’”
@JasonHirschhorn


REDEF, Inc.
25 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10014

redef.com
YOU DON'T GET IT?
Subscribe
Unsubscribe/Manage My Subscription
FOLLOW REDEF ON
© Copyright 2017, The REDEF Group