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Alright, here is a challenge to you all. We are always talking about the same dozen brands or so. And a half dozen brands get the lion's share of the time. Yeah, I love Engineered Garments, but I checked, and my first post on the brand was in 2004. The beginning of 2004. Sometimes, Styleforum gets flack for being a little too conservative. Maybe there is some truth to that. No, I don't think that it's that cool to go from Japanese repro one month, and become Japanese Goth Ninja the next, but there is some merit in trying new things.
That is why I get excited when some brand unfamiliar to the forum gets discussed. I was really excited to see Mr. Olive discussed with some interest recently, and I had really hoped that bringing Rakuten in as an affiliate would really get people to open up to experimentation. Yeah, Inapt Peacoats are a safe bet, but is anyone experimenting with Paranoid or As Venus?
I know why people don't experiment - there is a brand you like, with pieces that fit you, and it is a mainstay of the retailers you like as well. And well, maybe you don't have a ton of cash, so you will put it towards something you really like. But you don't have to go one way only.
So, Fok's mandate to Styleforum:
1) Go to Yoox. Or Rakuten. Or the affiliate vendors, who carry more than the dozen or so brands that *everyone* carries. Or Revolve (but be sure to use our banners). And devote, say, 30% of your clothing expenditures on a brand that you've never heard of, but whose pieces look good to you. Forget "shop by brand", and use "shop by category".
2) Don't use the excuse that you are poor, because A) There is Ramen, and B) There are plenty of affordable brands on Rakuten, and especially Yoox, and C) I know you guys shop anyway. Revolve too, is a good browse, though you may have to suspend your distaste at their models and try to imagine what looks good. If you are really influenced by that, go to Context or Oak, who have the best photography I've seen online. Do not go to Saks or Bergdorfs websites unless you aspire to look like a middle manager on his day off.
3) Do not return unless the piece is truly garbage. If you like the piece, awesome. If not, sell it on the Buying and Selling forum at a discount, and let someone else try. You will, probably get stuff that you like in return...
4) Comment on the brand and the piece on the forum. Lots of the brands on Rakuten do not market outside of Japan, and lots on Yoox, not outside of Italy, even, or France in some cases, so you will be doing everyone a service, and also get bragging rights for having "discovered" a brand.
5) Eschew the big international companies that market all other the place. Yeah, we know about Jil, and Raf. Man, if you pick up any glossy, you can't help but to know about all their trials and tribulations.
6) Here are some brands to get you started:
European Culture - slim fits, interesting materials, decent construction. They use lots of fleece and jersey. Reminds me a little of Wings+Horns.
Forniture Civili Out-Fit - a mid market Italian brand with a military bent in lots of their collections. Good fits for slimmer guys. Note that both these brands have shorter hems than most US makers, so good for shorter guys as well.
Apolis Activism: We are actually doing an awesome collaboration with them, so get used to the brand. It is military inspired. The piece we are doing is slim, but the brand typically sizes larger.
V::Room - great materials and slimmer fits, though they have been doing the drapey ninja thing lately.
Niccolo Ceschi Berrini - drapey fits. A little like V::Room, but based in Italy. The materials are delicate but surprisingly sturdy. The materials are also the drawing point.
TST: Interesting sneakers from a displaced Japanese designer. Athletic and outdoor inspired. Good materials.
G.V. Conte - the stuff made for American Market is sort of boxy, but in the native line, you can get slimmer shirts on the cheap.
Okay, let's do this...
That is why I get excited when some brand unfamiliar to the forum gets discussed. I was really excited to see Mr. Olive discussed with some interest recently, and I had really hoped that bringing Rakuten in as an affiliate would really get people to open up to experimentation. Yeah, Inapt Peacoats are a safe bet, but is anyone experimenting with Paranoid or As Venus?
I know why people don't experiment - there is a brand you like, with pieces that fit you, and it is a mainstay of the retailers you like as well. And well, maybe you don't have a ton of cash, so you will put it towards something you really like. But you don't have to go one way only.
So, Fok's mandate to Styleforum:
1) Go to Yoox. Or Rakuten. Or the affiliate vendors, who carry more than the dozen or so brands that *everyone* carries. Or Revolve (but be sure to use our banners). And devote, say, 30% of your clothing expenditures on a brand that you've never heard of, but whose pieces look good to you. Forget "shop by brand", and use "shop by category".
2) Don't use the excuse that you are poor, because A) There is Ramen, and B) There are plenty of affordable brands on Rakuten, and especially Yoox, and C) I know you guys shop anyway. Revolve too, is a good browse, though you may have to suspend your distaste at their models and try to imagine what looks good. If you are really influenced by that, go to Context or Oak, who have the best photography I've seen online. Do not go to Saks or Bergdorfs websites unless you aspire to look like a middle manager on his day off.
3) Do not return unless the piece is truly garbage. If you like the piece, awesome. If not, sell it on the Buying and Selling forum at a discount, and let someone else try. You will, probably get stuff that you like in return...
4) Comment on the brand and the piece on the forum. Lots of the brands on Rakuten do not market outside of Japan, and lots on Yoox, not outside of Italy, even, or France in some cases, so you will be doing everyone a service, and also get bragging rights for having "discovered" a brand.
5) Eschew the big international companies that market all other the place. Yeah, we know about Jil, and Raf. Man, if you pick up any glossy, you can't help but to know about all their trials and tribulations.
6) Here are some brands to get you started:
European Culture - slim fits, interesting materials, decent construction. They use lots of fleece and jersey. Reminds me a little of Wings+Horns.
Forniture Civili Out-Fit - a mid market Italian brand with a military bent in lots of their collections. Good fits for slimmer guys. Note that both these brands have shorter hems than most US makers, so good for shorter guys as well.
Apolis Activism: We are actually doing an awesome collaboration with them, so get used to the brand. It is military inspired. The piece we are doing is slim, but the brand typically sizes larger.
V::Room - great materials and slimmer fits, though they have been doing the drapey ninja thing lately.
Niccolo Ceschi Berrini - drapey fits. A little like V::Room, but based in Italy. The materials are delicate but surprisingly sturdy. The materials are also the drawing point.
TST: Interesting sneakers from a displaced Japanese designer. Athletic and outdoor inspired. Good materials.
G.V. Conte - the stuff made for American Market is sort of boxy, but in the native line, you can get slimmer shirts on the cheap.
Okay, let's do this...
