MAGIC, POOL, VEGAS. Just returned from a stale as f**k show. Comments and rant.

[ryegb]

Heh,

Thursday morning and I'm back at work in Los Angeles from Vegas, I'm super tired but I have just enough energy to briefly offer "my" opinion on the quality of product on view at the shows.

MAGIC/PROJECT: Stale, boring, uninspired etc........(this is just "my" opinion as a designer and consumer, I rarely wear my own stuff). I won't point out specific brands but If your thinking of starting a denim line at present it would be more productive to just burn your cash. My eyes hurt from looking at the volume of generic denim product, there is "no" differentiation from one brand to another.

"Heh, lets start a cool denim line, we should make limited edition authentic vintage jeans with ton's of resin, back pocket flaps with big silver buttons and use Old English Type with shields and our back pocket stitching should be chainstitched in eight different colors of orange going in all different directions, let's not think about the design, let's just keep adding stuff and if we make holes we'll just keep adding more patches, hell yeah this is so f****n cool!". "Then let's do mineral wash tee shirts with tattoo art and eagles and serpents it's sooo masculine, yeah there's only 50 other brands with the word "Free" and "Revolution" and "humanity" in their name doing the same s**t, but I want a Porsche like every other garmento so let's do it any way".

The above actually sums up Project also, even though I have my own line and another on the way it's nice to be inspired and see other people raising the bar of design. There are too many people in the game for a fast buck, and it's their right, but it really really bugs the s**t out of me.

POOL: I understand that this show is for entry level companies, it's fairly inexspensive and is ground zero for launching your label...but!, what would this show have looked like if they eliminated all of the "generic" (I'm sorry for using that word again) doodlesque, I just doodled on a note pad something vague and added a word that has nothing to do with the "doodle" and it's ironic bla bla bla blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa................................................................and I really hope that Urban Outfitters buy it and don't rip me off in the process.

Sorry everyone for the frustrations, but I love clothes and design and there are too many untalented imposters, some with money and some without purpose right now involved in the game (Don't get me started on the Urban guy's with their third generation Bape Sta kicks and logo t-shirts, heh homie let's lease a Lambo for Vegas and whack 48" rims on it and we'll surround with a velvet rope so the drooling masses may be overcome with sooooooo much jelousy they'll buy our "310" motoring tee's that really they should only be using to wipe their arses with".

So... in summary there was "mucho crapola", if Monarchy is the busiest hypest s**t out there it's a sad testament for the industry, good for Eric Kim, bad for everyone with a brain and good taste. It was pleasent to see Von Dutch shoved into the back where it belongs, it was nice to see bored Seven sales reps and a little less Grail, let the old guy's who don't know what their doing wear that!.

For all you none industry peeps, the future is not so bleak, as long as you support the small guy's, lay of the overpriced, over processed, overdyed, overembroidered ostentatious poop, it's an illusion, let's all stop looking so alike.

Apologies for the spelling mistakes and unusual grammer, I'm not the sharpest tool in the box but I have an opinion on the industry I'm involved with.

P.S. On a side note I had a great show, not a Porsche buying success, but good for now.

[witts]

i know what your saying its already apparent in stores

SUPERJUNKIE

[ultra_V]

thats exactly what i thought in august..

way to be on hit

[6MT]

dude, u just say exactly what has been on my mind for the last 2 years.....how funny, the crazy 20,000 color back pocket yes i see them every day, ha finally some one besides me said something about Monarchy.

i thought i was the only one feeling the pain in the denim world, oh thank you GOD, i much needed to read this article.

ha ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahaha ha haha h a hahahahahahahahahahahahah a..................................sorry i can't stop laughing, this is the best shit i read in the past 2 weeks

[polly7]

apart from denim, how about the played out shirt brands who just make a mockery of the word fashion

[RedFoxxworth]

OK OK OK ... Yeah yeah yeah.

But didn't those tees with the thugged out Tazmanian devil that said "WHAT IT DO?" make the entire thing worth it???

IT GETS WACKER BY THE SECOND!

[minya]

So which are the worthwhile small guys?

[LA Guy]

Quote:

So which are the worthwhile small guys?

--- Original message by minya on Feb 23, 2006 06:53 PM

The Cast. Obedient Sons. Engineered Garments. Built by Wendy. 5EP. Too late to think. I'll add to this list tomorrow.

[ryegb]

So which are the worthwhile small guys?

I guess "small" was the incorrect word during my rant, it would be satisfying for people to recognise substance and quality. Many of current crop of small start-ups have one or the other, not both.

My list: please critique!

1. Any well stocked stall at Rose Bowl (I'd rather hit the Bowl with $200 and come back with some trashed 517's, some Birkenstocks, a comfortable M-65, possibly some half wearable Jordan 1-5's (not 2's pukeeeee) and a bunch of tee's.

2. 5EP (It's not perfect, but the fits are good).

3. ISA (I kinda wanted to this whole shinanigan fail, but...the qualities there and they could have easily adopted a Supreme style approach to bull s**t $200 hoodies).

4. Cloak (Stepping out with a different aesthetic, pushing buttons and raising the bar)

5. Acronym (A perfect example of achieving something without starting out with cacky tee's and hoodie's)

6. Visvim (Nigo should lick clean Fujiwara'a arse hole, this is my hero, I have no prob's admitting that).

7. Hysteric Glamour (I know I may get slagged off here, but I love music and this brand goes hand in handwith that love).

8. ALIFE (It's not just about the clothes, the store, the events, the collaborations are of the upmost quality).

[ok]

i just got back too. i asked the guys that run our new york and la showrooms why we do these shows and they told me we had to. then they showed me our sales and i undeerstood.

but i agree that there is a ton of shit. really bad denim and tshirts is all i saw. i also do buying for a store and only wrote 4 lines out of all 3 shows.

i think this industry has become very accesible for people that shouldnt be making clothing. its unfortunate because buyers get exhausted wading through shit to find good brands.

on a good note: vegas is always a fucking party and i spent about 3 hours in the dior store at the wynn

[6MT]

the whole situation with the biz i think only happen in LA for some reason, i dont know when making clothe has become such fashionable thing to do for those rich fuck. i'm just as frustrated as any of you, this was my first choice in life, if i fuck this up i wouldn't know what to do next. every day i have poepl come to me ask me to help them do a line, and it all look the same.

i guess making t-shirt will be the next "real estate" for those fucks who have no aspiration in life. and who could we blame..

[powerglov]

does ISA have a website? i'm unfamiliar with this brand and would like to know more.

[LA Guy]

I think that ryegb is talking about Nom de Guerre. The original store in Williamsburg was called ISA, and Nom de Guerre was an offshoot, until about a year or 2 ago, when I guess NdG did so well that they changed the name of the BRooklyn store.

To add to ryegb's list:

1. 6876 (ryegb and I have talked about this brand elsewehere)

2. Alexandre Herchovitch

3. I want to say Engineered Garments again, although Nepenthes doesn't really count as a small operation, and a lot of stores are picking the stuff up.

4. The Cast. Please, more people, pick these guys up.

5. Oliver Helden (did I say that already?)

6. 5EP and Cloak (just to re-emphsize ryegb's points. Both terrific lines. Amazing in both concept and execution.)

7. Beauty:Beast

8. And for the women: Gary Graham (great fabrics and cuts).

Edited by LA Guy on Feb 26, 2006 at 08:29 PM

[johninger]

off topic a bit but does anyone know if alife approaches collabs or vice versa. as an example the tennis ball shoes.

If loving denim is wrong i don't want to be right.

[powerglov]

i cant say for sure, but check out the interview with jest on THEBRILLIANCE .. he talks about their levis collab and how it came about