Business of fashion

The culture of fashion: Swatch x Jean-Michel Basquiat



Swatch x Jean-Michel Basquiat watch

I very nearly missed this memo.

Swatch just dropped three Basquiat collaboration watches as part of its Art Journey line. The turquoise ‘Ishtar’ one is very clever with its number placement, while the yellow ‘Hollywood Africans’ is also very cool, and the crown design has a certain IYKYK appeal.

Part of me thinks, what the fuck took you so long Swatch? (more…)



Helmut Lang just hired Peter Do as its new creative director



Helmut Lang hires Peter Do

News just in: Peter Do is the new creative director at Helmut Lang.

I can’t say I’ve paid a ton of attention to Helmut Lang recently. Apart from that time they reissued a load of classics it’s not particularly on my radar.

But this feels like a good move for both parties. (more…)



Print media – but make it French



Harper's Bazaar France March 2023

Digital media is in meltdown. Again!

Buzzfeed news is dead, Paper followed suit and things aren’t looking too rosy for Vice. Meanwhile, everyone’s sick of Instagram and TikTok is burning us out, one braincell at a time.

It’s enough to send one running to the calm, serene refuge of print mags – particularly French ones. (more…)



On clubs, culture, commerce and… candles



DISCOTHEQUE Paradise Garage candle
The post-Covid hedonism wave we were promised doesn’t seem to have quite materialised. There are glimpses of it – a whiff of a smoking revival, the return of the indie sleaze aesthetic – but mostly it’s a lingering backward glance to wilder times.

Discothèque candles got the memo and ran with it. Founded by L.A ladies Jessie Willner and Hanover Booth, the intoxicatingly-scented and gorgeously packaged candles are named after storied clubbing landmarks of their time – think Hacienda, Crisco Disco, Paradise Garage and the Mudd Club. (more…)