It recently dawned on me that the 1990s, the era that defined me, is properly vintage. While it’s a discombobulating thought (I mean, I don’t feel middle-aged), there are some positives. One is that the minimalist-slash-deconstructivist designers of the time – Margiela, Lang, Demeulemeester, Sander, Prada, Klein – have become established as classics and thus there’s a new market for them. (more…)
‘We sat on the stairs watching a group of football fans and erstwhile hooligans who were sat a few steps below us as they hugged and (literally) made daisy chains together. Andrew [Wetherall] gestured towards them and half-whispered: “He’s a Chelsea fan, that one’s Millwall, those two are ICF [West Ham’s Inter City firm of hardcore fans], he’s Arsenal and I’m not sure about those two wrong-‘uns behind them but you can bet that a couple of weeks ago they’d have happily been kicking chunks out of each other. This “Summer of Love” thing could be getting out of hand.”‘
This quote from Dave Swindells comes from his new photo book documenting the Acid House raves, warehouse parties and clubs of 1988, the year that dance music changed British culture and society (if you want to get really deep). (more…)
Retail-edutainment is the latest portmanteau on my mind.
Dior is finally ready to reopen its Avenue Montaigne flagship after a two-year reno. This latest incarnation is a ‘universe of Dior’ which includes retail, restaurants and a gallery, plus a private shopping apartment that gives its guests the keys to the store – accompanied by concierges to attend to their every whim.
The Galerie de Dior is the masterstroke. (more…)
“I don’t come from where I’m supposed to come from. So I have to prove that this is design, that this is art, that this is valid.”
Virgil Abloh
Sad times in fashion. The news of Virgil Abloh’s untimely passing (from a private 2-year rare cancer illness) rocked the fashion world this week. But also created shock waves beyond. A pop culture icon whose influence stretched way past the boundaries of the catwalk, Virgil epitomised the modern-day Renaissance man who created product, music, happenings, communities and perhaps most importantly, the myth of the man himself.
Despite all the post-mortem plaudits, as a designer, he was polarising. (more…)
