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Visvim FW16


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What was the quality like of the mesh for the Huron Moc Mesh? If it's weak, seems like a tear could ruin the whole shoe.

 

 I just received my pair and the mesh is pretty thick and feels strong ya dummy.

 

Notes: I would size up 0.5 - 1. Gorgeous shoe. The only connection between the mesh and the suede is the stitching on the sides. To me it feels like a mesh slipper with a suede ankle stabilizer.

Edited by Bigyen
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Hi There!

Quick question for the ones with IT jackets. Have you used a waterproof spray or any kind of protection on yours? I remember talking with Yusuke from the ICT in Omotosando and he told me he never applied any protection on his beige jacket, and that he wore it on an almost daily basis regardless of the rain. His jacket looked almost immaculate. What's your advice considering I live in London?
Cheers
S

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I used a proxy to get the Mesh Huron Folk Moc and all in it ran me like $740 and I'm seeing the exact same shoe at UNION for 590. Whats up with that? I understand some items are rare and some items don't make it to the states, but if someone would like to school me on when and when not to use a proxy I would appreciate it. DM if you want to keep your sources hush.

 

I'm eyeing the Services Pack in the lookbook and would love to avoid spending $150+ extra.

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You gotta know which ones are the regular release items that get distributed worldwide, which items are the FIL exclusives,vonline store and which are the ICT exclusives.

Both the FIL and ICT exclusives are the ones most people use proxy for, since they can only be obtained at the physical stores and sometimes at the online stores. Even then, you are competing with dozens of HK and mainlanders proxy guys.

That service pack looks like a regular item, so it's better to get it from Union.

Edited by ken shinoda
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Yeah, outside of Japan it's pretty much a bust. Eventhough current FW16 is strong and quite refreshed.. too little stars/celebrities exposure I guess. Today it means everything. It would be enough to Kanye rock some V for 2-3 months and the interest would sky rocket. Sad world we live in

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I think a lot of it has to do with design and cutting going into heavy asian influence which is not as easy to wear and can come off as costumey. A lot of the new garments are also priced far out of their acceptable range for intangible benefits. For example, the silk dotera literally has the same shell and liner as the non-silk version, the only difference is the silk baffling and a velvet collar. There is some merit behind the price in that mawata silk is very labor intensive, but any idiot can see that its not even close to the price they are charging (mawata for example is not that expensive if you buy in bulk, despite what the marketing video pushed out by vis suggests). 

 

When you start to approach more and more extreme forms of garment production, with more niche items that generally cater to a primarily asian audience through design or fitting (The latest patterns are VERY Asiatic), its not hard to see why the brand doesn't have the same momentum for Westerners. 

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This seeming decline in interest speaks to the menswear market at large, not specifically to vis. The market is simply saturated and therefore far less novel and exciting than it was ten years ago. High-end streetwear wasn't a thing back then but now it's everywhere. What was once a niche interest shared on forums and message boards is now a public commodity. Witness the cross-brand mainstream appeal of raw denim, vintage garments and the focus on handcrafted goods. These approaches always existed but weren't nearly as widespread as they are now.

 

Vis possessed impeccable timing as their growth ran parallel to that of the larger developing market, specifically 2009 through 2014.  This provided the brand, along with others, added momentum for which vis was a deserving beneficiary. Aside from some geographical missteps (HK, Singapore) they continually generate demand for their products even if their strategies (limited runs, backdoor Chinese resellers) are of a questionable nature.

 

Their designs remain as intriguing and interesting as anything they produced five years ago. In the broader market this is less apparent due to the sheer volume of other choices available with far more favorable price points. Couple that with the fact that their cuts have become increasingly 'challenging', as Mike helpfully points out above, and you have a brand which becomes a labor of love. It's understandable if someone isn't willing to drop a couple grand to figure out sizing on a piece which will probably look odd on a Western frame. Buyer's remorse only stings more when you realize that the grey market has been dead for years and you're looking at pennies on the dollar in a private sale. Yet a few of us still solider on.. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

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Problem is it got saturated with mediocrity. And the big names in the game follow suit- moving production to China, saving on fabrics, etc etc. Just another sign of our times. Everything's shallow, superficial, but fast and in constantly overwhelming dosage. Quantity over quality. So many players in the game, none of which are really a go-to brand (Vis is not that brand for the aforementioned reasons- price points, availability/accessibility, strange fit) and vast majority not even half-decent

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Visvim strikes me as being a bit more elitist than some of their contemporaries. It's nothing new with them of course, but I think at this point they've priced themselves out of the market for the vast majority of people, even within Japan. If you like it and you have the money for it all the more power to you, but I think that's a definite minority of people. And at least at the moment they seem to be okay with that.

 

What surprises me about Visvim is that at this point they haven't gone toward a more "basics" style line to try and bring in the younger crowd. Comme des Garcons does it, Undercover does it, even Mastermind ran a bunch of collaborations with some cheaper products. Probably several more do it, although I can't think of more at the moment. I don't think there's any questioning their beautiful products or some of their crazy production methods, but at the same time you can get an equally beautiful piece by maybe a less-famous Japanese brand for something like a third of the cost.

 

In Japan I don't think it's necessarily just a question of the hype ship sailing, but it's a crowded field with a lot to offer and other brands often more accessible, less pretentious and better priced. That's my experience at least. Aside from special events, I rarely, if ever, see customers at the regional Visvim shops. Maybe Harajuku and Tokyo get the tourists and the people with the money, but I've never personally seen other people buying stuff there. I still love what Visvim does and will be more than happy to get some of their pieces at deep discount on the second hand market.

Edited by stadsvandringar
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for me, at this point I have almost all of the iconic silhouettes in the fabrics I want

some of the new styles are interesting, but not that different from what I already have

Visim is my "basics with a luxurious/fabric dork twist" brand and there are only so many basics that you need

 

outside of finding a burgundry elmendorf or a 101 with the embroidery at the top, I don't have much else to look for

 

e: wearing an olive kilgore over a navy sturgis pullover today, still feels as good as ever

Edited by Planetarium
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interesting discussion on this page. i'd echo the view view that the overwhelming majority of vis pieces are now realistically just too expensive for "enthusiasts" and even some of their og followers. from loosely following vis on the periphery over the years, they have largely progressed from a coveted streetwear associated label to something approaching traditional luxurious high(er) fashion.

 

as someone else highlighted, the huge mainstream surge in menswear interest over the last decade has resulted in obvious ripple effects where you've got celebrities with 5 mil IG followers and nytimes jerking off over hiroki's boro collection that "raise prices!!!11" is a non-issue since they now have access to a previously untapped market with almost unlimited disposable incomes. i'd argue similar parallels exist with acronym and a few others, albeit on a smaller scale.

 

related, but the 20L was one of the first accessories i ever lusted over almost a decade ago. i personally still cannot justify dropping that kind of money on a backpack even though i now earn a somewhat respectable salary (growing up dirt poor probably contributes to my guilt). one day, one day...

 

edit: what happened to that white dude who was basically a wannabe carbon copy of hiroki - haircut, goros and all? i remember being undecided if it was more straight up creepy or just utterly depressing.

Edited by conqueror
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I have to agree that Visvim is getting pretty expensive nowadays, add to the fact that the economy is experiencing a slowdown so people are more cautious on what they spend on. But I think at least for me and my friends we already have most of the silhouettes we want from Visvim, of course there are still others we are looking to get but they usually sell out too fast and we are not really willing to pay resellers' pricing.

 

Aside from that, I have a question. I recently bought a Visvim Slim Chino from the new season. I wear size 1 for all my high/higher water chinos and chino shorts, and also W30 for Social Sculpture. But I could barely button the Slim Chino full, I literally have to fight with the pants to get it buttoned up. The thigh areas are also very tight. Other than that the length is perfect and cutting below the knee is good. I'm wondering if I should sell this pair and get a size 2 (or continue wearing it and hope that it stretches), but I am worried it would be too big or long (since I don't plan to fold it, that would defeat the purpose of high water. I'm also avoiding the tailor if possible).

 

Any opinions?

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