Dries Van Noten x Shaftesbury x Scheler

A good article on Van Noten (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/t-magazine/dries-van-noten.html) dwells on two things Shaftesbury and Scheler would enjoy: gardens and heritage.   In light of Shaftesbury, in a few blog posts I explored the relationship between flowers and fashion.  According to Hanya Yanagihara, Van Noten’s use of colour is derived from his fascination with flowers and their…

Dear Frances x Pope Francis

Rapidification is a central complaint of Pope Francis (details at V&R Chapter 2).  Here is an article about some fashion companies building the idea of slowness into clothes: in how they are made, how long they last, and suitability for different social events (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/fashion/what-is-slow-fashion.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ffashion&action=click&contentCollection=fashion&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront).  Francis approves.

Louis Vuitton x Edmund Burke

An extremely interesting reflection on the heritage of a design company: http://www.documentjournal.com/article/louis-vuittons-creative-director-nicolas-ghesquiere-looks-to-the-past-to-se Louis Vuitton’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière: “There are many designers that succumb to a wistful affection for the past, and stay there. Then there are others that are constantly looking for the next best thing, and they forget about their core customer. To be…

Fashion and nation

Ever since Brexit there has been a constant drumbeat in fashion commentary about the pernicious character of national consciousness.  I have delayed writing about the topic, yet in over a year I have not come across a thoughtful reflection on fashion and nation. Though undeveloped, a recent Chinese graduate of Central Saint Martin’s makes a…

Supreme x Huizinga

Reselling Supreme can make you a millionaire by retirement age (https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/magazine/data-supreme).  Reselling is a curious phenomenon trading on the concept of fandom.  Here is Margaret Thatcher’s beloved Aquascutum very cleverly recombined: Fandom is veneration of a person or brand and in this case linked to refinement in a direct way.  Supreme has made itself a…