The Weekly Roundup (week of 7.8)
🛹 🇫🇷 🥐
1. The Marvelization of fashion
I get what this article is trying to say and I empathize with the main thesis: that fashion now is about selling a story and creating a separate ecosystem for entertainment through narrative-driven content. Yeah yeah, in a perfect world everything would be purely about craftsmanship and quality. It would be about the love of the clothing or some other creative exploration that didn’t rely on cheap parlor tricks and marketing to push the brand into your feed, but at the end of the day – people buy into narratives and fantasy, so with the amount of competition brands are facing these days, its essential that they create an ongoing relationship with their audience through content and yes…. entertainment. “All of this content production merely amuses when it should challenge us…” Maybe… but also what do I care what Gucci has to say about the world? I don’t think luxury houses are in any position to tell me how to think, they should probably just stay in their lane and provide escapist fantasy’s for me to get lost in and stick to selling products people like. At the end of the day, luxury products are at the tail end of capitalist and bourgeois excess, let’s not sugarcoat it and accept that the people who love fashion, especially high fashion, are in it for selfish reasons. I’m ok with that! And you should be too. Read the piece here.
2. Erewhon x UGG
What are we doing here? This is just completely unnecessary, like why does it even need to exist? What kind of person buys this? Our collective collab fatigue is turning into overdrive these days. It’s just going too far. It’s making a mockery of the footwear space. I love Erewhon and respect their brand deeply but I can’t help but feel like they’re losing the plot. Don’t fumble the bag!
3. Skate, sound and Sacré-Coeur
Vans has always been associated with various cultures and subcultures over the years, from skaters to surfers, adding to their appeal among very niche demographics. This niche appeal has at times pierced the mainstream, but for the first time all of Paris either wanted to be a part of the Vans community or wanted Vans to pack up their sneakers and go home. Whichever side your found yourself on, Vans’ takeover of the Sacre Coeur cathedral was an unmissable discussion point on the cultural landscape.
A good write-up on the party that made Vans the talk of the town for Paris Fashion Week.
4. TikTok’s Favorite Camera
Fujifilm’s X100VI is an upgraded model that was released at the end of February. Its sticker price is $1,599.95, but most retailers have it only on back order, and buying one on the secondary market might cost you twenty-five hundred. In 2023, Fujifilm’s revenue hit “record highs,” according to the company’s earnings reports, boosted significantly by digital cameras. If you spend enough time online, you’ll learn to spot evidence of the devices’ popularity. For the past few summers, I’ve noticed a slew of TikTok influencers posting travel photos from Bali, Lisbon, or the French Riviera featuring deep-orange washes, high-contrast shadows, and fuzzy faux film grain.