If I only did Chanel it would be mediocre because I’d have to renounce my own personality. These days I’m like a computer who’s plugged into the Chanel mode. | | | | Model Toukie Smith and her brother, designer Willi Smith. NYC, 1985.
(Anthony Barboza/Archive Photos/Getty Images) | | | | | | “If I only did Chanel it would be mediocre because I’d have to renounce my own personality. These days I’m like a computer who’s plugged into the Chanel mode.”
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| | rantnrave:// Selling out has been a potent image in fashion and style this year, from literally seeing products sell out in seconds (care of sneakerbots) to tracking the tailwinds of authenticity in design and business. It's all about tipping to demand—how far to push forward in bald pursuit of profit, and knowing the gains that might be derived from restraint. Example? The dilemma companies face in releasing finite numbers of YEEZY BOOSTS into the world, or flooding the market with cult handbags. "I think about the dangers of selling out every day." DEMNA GVASALIA told VESTOJ's ANJA ARONOWSKY CRONBERG. It struck me that Gvasalia spoke at length about details in his designs that people missed. He describes a trench coat he showed for VETEMENTS Fall 2017 that was fully lined with a dress a person could wear, "but you have to put it on to know that." For a designer who's been associated with fashion’s version of the hot take, it could seem ironic that there’s more—much more—to designs that seem tailor-made for the hype-and-scroll feedback loop. Yet irony has been another of Gvasalia's calling cards at Vetements, and it seems that hovering somewhere between irony and total sincerity keeps the label in high demand. Gvasalia also addressed what it means to be authentic at the house founded by one of fashion’s most revered designers: CRISTÓBAL BALENCIAGA. Balenciaga purists would find little but blasphemy in the label's recent direction, but Gvasalia is well aware of the interplay between heritage and novelty. Are customers?... Cristóbal Balenciaga was one of the reasons PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON decided to draw on fashion for PHANTOM THREAD. In ZACH BARON's wonderful profile of Anderson, the director said he began reading up on Balenciaga after seeing a photo of the designer in an airport. He found that Balenciaga had "taste, skill, talent. The full package... he was protective of his work." Those characteristics were channeled by the fictional fashion designer played by DANIEL DAY-LEWIS. Looking forward to seeing it. Opens December 25... Briefs: MARVIN TRAUB ASSOCIATES delivers a primer on blockchain... How scrunchies came to be... Bids for STYLENANDA... Sweater party... FashionREDEF is taking a break for XMAS, but we'll be back with some special edition newsletters next week. Happy holidays to all. | | | - HK Mindy Meissen, curator |
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| “I would like to think that you can live a generous life to your family and your friends and still be self-consumed with your work.” | | |
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| Inside the arms race between sneakerheads and those trying to turn hype into profit. | | |
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| Balenciaga's creative director and the founder of Vetements reflects on his success and staying true to his design ethos, courtesy of Vestoj. | | |
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| It wasn't a "retail apocalypse." Not exactly. | | |
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| Meet Oscar Olsson, the mind behind H&M’s new brand for millennials. | | |
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| In theory, startup culture is supposed to valorize innovation and reward merit, but it's increasingly difficult to ignore the shell game that so many consumer-oriented startups are playing. As we speak, Uber and Lyft are in competition to invent buses for the public transit-averse. | | |
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| At Sneaker Con New York City 2017, nearly every vendor offered multiple pairs of the Kanye West-designed Adidas sneaker. | | |
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| Rose McGowan is outraged. Boiling over, explosive. She is angry about sexual assault, rape, complicity and the use of the word "alleged" in connection to accused sexual predator Harvey Weinstein. | | |
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| With a solo record and a career as a male model, the One Direction member is redefining what it means to be Niall Horan. | | |
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| Phillip Lim launched his eponymous fashion label, 3.1 Phillip Lim in 2004. Quickly becoming a formative player in bridging the gap between streetwear and high fashion, Lim’s influence upon the world of fashion has been incredible. Over the last 15 years, Lim has seamlessly parlayed his inherent design abilities and creative talents into an integral component of a now multi-million dollar business. | | |
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| Karl Lagerfeld is almost as synonymous with Chanel as Coco Chanel herself at this point, but there was a time when the now legendary designer was nervously working on his first Chanel collection, Couture for fall 1983. | | |
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| So long, you! Who’s back? Me’s back! | | |
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| Remember that freaky child who cantered around the playground pretending to be a wild mustang? Or that girl in sixth grade who doodled magnificent steeds in looseleaf margins inside this binder? That was me. And many others, too. Whether she actually rode horses or simply daydreamed about them while gobbling up Saddle Club books, the classic Horse Girl is colored by obsession. | | |
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| "Sometimes something will get on my nerves." If that sounds like an unusual observation within an instructional context, that's exactly the point: The creative spark can come from countless sources, irritation included. It's one of the numerous points Marc Jacobs makes during his 18-lesson MasterClass fashion tutorial that launched last week. | | |
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| Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of Huda Beauty. Founded by YouTube beauty star Huda Kattan in 2013, the brand has become such a force on Instagram (with 23.2 million followers) that outside brands are attaching themselves to it to drive engagement, despite having no direct relationship to the company. | | |
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| Fashionability, uniqueness and affordable price points are driving a new wave of ‘demi-fine’ jewellery brands. | | |
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| A little-known footwear brand attempted to wage war against the world’s most valuable luxury brand -- and unsurprisingly, it lost. | | |
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| An interview with the anonymous voices behind the snarky Instagram account seeking justice for those who’ve had designs stolen. | | |
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| Fashion is the second worst polluting industry in the world after oil. Brands know they need to do better, but will consumers care? | | |
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| © Copyright 2017, The REDEF Group |
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