Chanel_cruise

Silence of the Lambs: The Fashion Media Prostrates Itself Before Chanel and Louis Vuitton

Fashion, Features/Op-Ed

Vestoj and StyleZeitgeist have teamed up in a dialogue and series of critiques of recent events in fashion media to raise more wide-reaching questions about the state of contemporary fashion media – and what that says about our industry at large. In our second installment of this collaboration, we examine the recent political faux pas of the Chanel and Louis Vuitton resort collections, and the fashion media’s sycophancy.

vetements-fw16-collection

Op-Ed: Is Haute Couture Losing Its Meaning?

Features/Op-Ed

Each season the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (CSHC) meets to decide which guest designers get to show during the haute couture calendar in Paris. These designers, while not being formally accepted into the rarefied couture club, are considered as worthy of showing alongside the likes of Chanel and Dior. Its selection process is supposed to be rigorous and extremely selective, in order to reflect that haute couture is the pinnacle of fashion design and craftsmanship.

blyszak 9

Blyszak Eyewear

Fashion

We would like to introduce to you Blyszak, an ethically-sourced buffalo horn and metal eyewear brand by Andrew Blyszak. Originally intended for personal use, the brand launched last year as Blyszak found that the matte black design had a broad gender neutral appeal. The pieces are created in partnership with a London-based master craftsman utilizing now uncommon materials.

ioulex-iris-van-herpen_d

Iris Van Herpen

Best of, Fashion

The new fashion exhibit Manus x Machina at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York explores the relationship between fashion made by hand and by machine. One of its sub themes is the marriage of the most traditional handwork couture methods and the most advanced technological methods of clothes-making. Amongst its selection are seven dresses by the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, who stands peerless in doing just that.

There is a depth to her work that results in garments that are often called “otherworldly” or “futuristic,” though van Herpen will be the first to tell you that she sees them firmly rooted in reality. Another misconception, perpetuated by the fashion media that runs after trendy stories and by the general media that runs after sensationalist ones, is that van Herpen’s work centers on 3D printing. In reality, her work traverses a wide variety of techniques and materials in service only to two things; to give free reign to van Herpen’s imagination, and to transcend fashion itself.

diaboli-kill-jewelry-damian-rings-black-onyx-pyrite-w

Diaboli Kill Jewelry

Fashion

We would like to introduce to you Diaboli Kill, a luxury jewelry brand designed by Angie Marei in New York City. Marei draws inspiration from old Hollywood, ancient Egypt, and occult movies as well as incorporating art deco to create her pieces.

iris van herpen manus x machina 9

Manus X Machina at The Met

Culture, Fashion

This week the new fashion exhibition “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” opens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It aims to challenge the notion, usually found in the popular imagination, that handwork and machine work somehow exist in the state of opposition.

FLOWEN BRAND 8

Flowen Jewelry

Fashion

This week the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils its new fashion exhibition, MANUS X MACHINA. We would like to introduce to you Flowen, a “Digitally Grown” jewelry brand based in Los Angeles, whose work will be presented at the exhibition. Flowen is inspired by the complexity of nature and grow their products from a precious metal powder transformed into separate pieces without byproducts, a technique akin to 3D printing, which are then assembled by artisans in Italy.

Alice-Waese-Stacked-Ring

ARGUROS

Design, Retail

The new online jewelry shop Arguros is the brainchild of Karlo Steel, the former co-owner and mastermind behind the iconic New York menswear boutique Atelier, which played a major role in promoting the menswear avant-garde since its inception in 2002.

tacet 2

Tacet Jewelry

Fashion

We would like to introduce to you TACET, a niche silver jewelry brand designed by Alexey Artemov in New York City. Alexey is also a musician and a producer, and he aims to translate his love of music into his jewelry. The label is now stocked in New York exclusively at Hotoveli.

vestoj banner 5

VESTOJ X SZ: WHAT REVOLUTION? T-MAGAZINE, GUCCI, AND VETEMENTS.

Features/Op-Ed

We would like to announce our collaboration with Vestoj – the Platform for Critical Thinking on Fashion. Through an ongoing exchange of articles about recent fashion developments we will aim to delve deeper into the state of fashion and the fashion media today. In our first exchange we share reactions to a major piece published in T-Magazine of the New York Times. Stay tuned for the response from Vestoj to the article below.