A [political] convention is a kind of free-form extravaganza, and there are certain settings where you can take risks. So I just thought: ‘Yes, I can do this. I can be smart and challenging while I wear spaghetti straps, and everyone is just going to have to get their heads around that.’ | | | | | Yak herders near Mt. Everest (Qomolangma), 2003. (J P Davidson/Flickr) | | | | |  | “A [political] convention is a kind of free-form extravaganza, and there are certain settings where you can take risks. So I just thought: ‘Yes, I can do this. I can be smart and challenging while I wear spaghetti straps, and everyone is just going to have to get their heads around that.’”
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| | rantnrave:// “She texted me, ‘Life can be so interesting and fun from the most unexpected places.’” Indeed. Particularly so in the case of reporter JANA G. PRUDEN and her discovery of a newsprint scarf printed with (of all things) a story she had written in 2011 for the EDMONTON JOURNAL, on (of all things) mad cow disease. It’s a story about history, provenance, remediation, design, commerce, and manufacturing, all in one. On a scarf. It’s worth thinking about. In her quest to uncover the scarf’s origin—and I’m not talking about THE SHOPPING CHANNEL’s product page—Pruden tracks down writers of other stories printed on the scarf, several wholesalers and distributors (including one in NYC), and one MR. JANG, who’s incredulous she even read the blurred print in the first place: “It’s really hard to read.” The piece dives into newsprint as an aesthetic: SCHIAPARELLI used it on scarves in the 1930s, and JOHN GALLIANO designed custom newsprint for DIOR's Fall 2000 collection (worn by CARRIE in SATC). Pruden befriended writers with stories that appear on the scarf, some on FACEBOOK and TWITTER, and she found that the stories span 107 years and 5 countries. It’s cool. Anyway, read it to find out if she discovers who designed the scarf… I’d like museums to collect artifacts like this one. Preserve the story that goes along with it—the network of relations, records, and stories that come with an object. After all, the scarf is the perfect confluence of media, networks, and communication, globalized. Wasn’t TED NELSON’s vision for XANADU similar? This is where the archive is headed… Special mention to DUBAI-based SOLE DXB for this story on streetwear label R.A.P., founded in 1996 in LONDON. It captures the culture and political environment that fueled the label's sense of community, and its success. Look for STUART HALL’s “bottom-up globalization”… Read VANESSA FRIEDMAN’s story on MEGYN KELLY and how the FOX NEWS anchor took control of her image. Extra-special shoutout to anyone who can so successfully articulate the “FOX look" (which Kelly avoids)… Here’s a list of things to know about: 5 young Indian designers in ELLE INDIA... A KICKSTARTER-funded line produced with Tibetan farmers, mixing yak and TENCEL for a machine-washable fabric... This KAPITAL lookbook looks kool. | | | - HK Mindy Meissen, curator |
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 | The Globe and Mail |
| When Jana G. Pruden found a Chinese-made scarf with her name - and a newspaper story she had written years ago - printed on it, the riddle of how it got there was hard to unravel | | |
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 | Sole DXB |
| The days of RAP, founded in 1996 by Moroccan-born artist Hassan Hajjaj, are arguably far off. Except that Britain is currently more riven on questions of identity and nationhood than at any period in recent memory. And that makes the ideas of openness and multiculturalism that Hajjaj explored through the label feel all the more current. | | |
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 | The New York Times |
| In 2016, the Fox News anchor challenged political and gender expectations with both substance and style. | | |
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 | The Washington Post |
| On Thursday, Dec. 15, Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan interviewed Diane von Furstenberg about her career spanning more than four decades, the trends that are upending the fashion industry and how fashion bumps up against politics and culture. | | |
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 | Polyester Magazine |
| "There’s something absolutely liberating in the anonymity of large cities. They let you be whoever you want to be. When I first moved to London four years ago from a small town in Australia, I was in awe of its too-loud, too-cold, too-bold attitude. This manifested most obviously through fashion..." | | |
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| The New York Times |
| A look at the photographs that almost made Bill’s column this year, explained by his longtime collaborator. | | |
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 | Japan Times |
| In her Dec. 14 Tokyo Shimbun column, media critic Minako Saito mentioned how the press is excited about the buzzword of the year and the kanji of the year. They are much less interested in another annual prize, the Black Company Award for the firm that most egregiously exploits workers. | | |
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 | Fashion Revolution |
| This article isn’t about shaming the fashion industry for building a broken business model. It’s about linking the amazing women on either end of the supply chain -- designer and maker -- to come face to face, woman to woman, to create a more human centered fashion industry. | | |
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 | Bloomberg |
| Publicity on warehouse staff mistreatment is a growing risk to shares in retailers. | | |
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| The New York Times |
| In 2016, designers formerly on the fringe were invited into the establishment. And they brought the fringe with them. | | |
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 | SHOWstudio |
| To launch Design Download - a series demystifying the fashion process by offering prestigious designer garment patterns for download - internationally acclaimed designer Yohji Yamamoto contributed an enigmatic pattern for viewers to print out and make up into an exclusive, mystery garment, free of charge. | | |
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 | Fashion Unfiltered |
| CFDA president Steven Kolb weighs in. | | |
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 | Business of Fashion |
| The iconic retailer is aiming to win back its cachet with a new West Hollywood location. But is it too late? | | |
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| Bloomberg |
| The $1.3 billion suitmaker locks down some of the finest merino wool on earth. | | |
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 | Racked |
| With a few simple accommodations, brands can make their stores a lot more inclusive. | | |
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 | Fashionista |
| Think of this as "fashion intellectual property law for dummies." | | |
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 | The Creator Class |
| The Creator Class is a channel for creators, by creators, showcasing projects and collaborations by our community of visual storytellers. | | |
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 | Glossy |
| With a degree in physics from Oxford University and a career history in steel trading, Pakistani-based fashion blogger Salima Feerasta didn’t take a typical path to her current line of work.“I haven’t always loved fashion, but I’ve grown to love it,” Feerasta laughed. The 43 year-old is behind the popular Instagram account @karachista1 and the blog “Karachista.” | | |
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 | South China Morning Post |
| Anda Rowland, daughter of buccaneering British businessman ‘Tiny’ Rowland, talks about preserving the bespoke menswear tradition while staying relevant in luxury fashion today. | | |
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 | Denimhunters |
| In this third episode in the series about how denim is made, you'll learn how denim gets its blue colour from indigo dyeing. | | |
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 | via YouTube |
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