neomarxiste

i see. so by your logic, parachute pants were fine in '93 as long as you wore them in Japan. thanks for clearing that up.

people who like ape should freely be able to like ape, but the fashionistas must deal with the reality as stated above that ape is a mainstream brand in Japan only worn by kids from outside Tokyo who get their fashion advice from mainstream magazines. the myth of being "underground" only exists because the brand was so hard to get outside of Japan for so long. (because Nigo long felt that selling to the American market was akin to "mass-marketing"). now, the brand is so dead in Japan that he has to open a store in Soho to retool the brand image and sell it back to the Japanese as something that Americans like (gyaku-yunyuu). if you like the design, go for it. but don't fool yourself that Ape is still hot property on the other side of the Pacific. your Japanese alter-ego wouldn't be caught dead in it. true story.

the best part is that space shower tv (mtv's rival) wouldn't let Nigo perform with NERD etc. he was only allowed to walk the red carpet. nice touch when a kind of lame cable channel tells a millionare what to do.

i think Nigo is hoping his new association with Pharell will somehow save that clothing brand he runs that's not BBC. the one with the monkey on it.

it's so cute that the japanese are such revivalists that there's still people who throw tribute parties to long dead trends such as electroclash.