Libertine

[Guest Fade to Black]

What are your thoughts on this brand? I think they're a one-trick pony personally, but they got some cool stuff...go check out Luisa Via Roma menswear section, some of the most expensive clothes I've ever seen...black cotton zip-up hoodie w/ swarovski skull on the back for 1200 euros was my fav. of the bunch. It seems like only rock stars and heirs to oil barons wear this stuff...

[LA Guy]

One trick pony. Great China Wall was doing this schtick (albeit with more casual pieces) years before.

[wild_whiskey]

I'm sorry but I just couldn't see someone paying that much money for re-constructed thrift-store clothing with skulls and eyes screened onto them with waterbased ink. In all honesty, these projects probably cost $30 or less to execute, and they're being sold at 1200 Euro? Lordy.

[englandmj7]

It is mostly hideous, not to mention the prices.......

[Guest Fade to Black]

Quote:

I'm sorry but I just couldn't see someone paying that much money for re-constructed thrift-store clothing with skulls and eyes screened onto them with waterbased ink. In all honesty, these projects probably cost $30 or less to execute, and they're being sold at 1200 Euro? Lordy.

--- Original message by wild_whiskey on Mar 7, 2006 05:23 PM

the regular silkscreen stuff isn't nearly as expensive...those are usually in the low hundreds USD range. The stuff on Luisa is in the thousands of Euros because the prints are in swarovski crystal. Still an outrageous price, I agree...especially the regular cotton t-shirt with that small ass crystal print going for 500 euro (seriously at that size i didn't even know it was printed with crystals until I blew the pic up)

[Jay Allen]

It really comes down to marketing. Libertine, to their credit I suppose, has positioned their brand as uber exclusive....fashion as art/art as fashon. The real question is......would you buy it if it was $50 rather than $5,000. If so.....you like the piece but not the price. I haven't seen enough of their work to comment either way. Many brands have "runway" pieces that no one can afford, or wouldn't wear if they could afford them. Those pieces get all the press and attention......meanwhile they are selling a shitload of $50 t-shirts.

How about this.....I'll take a WW2 field jacket......screen a whale skeleton on the back....and attach LIVE FUCKING LOBSTERS to it. What do you think? Is that art? Is that fashion? I'll call it Scavenger....with the tag line being......"they only kill what they eat"

If anyone steals this idea I'll be pissed.

Conceived and executed on the working waterfront of Portland, Maine. www.jayallen.biz

[nairb49]

reminds me of a certain discussion had a while back about serum vs venom, the brand trying to take nigo's marketing to the extreme.

uber expensive, uber unavailable, trying to build uber hype.

personally, even if someday i can throw down 2000USD for a hoodie and think nothing of it, i'm not gonna.

nairb49

[Guest Fade to Black]

Quote:

reminds me of a certain discussion had a while back about serum vs venom, the brand trying to take nigo's marketing to the extreme.

uber expensive, uber unavailable, trying to build uber hype.

personally, even if someday i can throw down 2000USD for a hoodie and think nothing of it, i'm not gonna.

--- Original message by nairb49 on Mar 7, 2006 08:35 PM

the thing is...i don't even think this is on the same plane/field as Nigo...I mean I would say that Nigo is doin his thing on a much wider scale and gaining more notoriety as well as acclaim and recognition for what he's done...yet joe schmoe who jocks Pharrell is still linin up to buy his shoes. Libertine...it seems other than Mick Jagger, Brandon Davis, DJ AM or whoever is in that social stratosphere...i don't really see anyone on the street wear the stuff. To be honest I myself dig A Bathing Ape more than I do Libertine.

I wonder how these brands will be perceived 50 years from now. Libertine might end up being the fashion equivalent of pet rocks, yet I can see Bathing Ape's name being remembered as a cultural movement of sorts.

Never mind me I just turned 22 years old 195 minutes ago, was drinking in the dorm lounge and I'm slightly faded.