Yeah, its the designer world. There's a new bit of slang popped up in NZ recently - "Glassons' Goths" - they look like goths, have gothy clothing, jewellery, etc, but know none of the music, and do very few of the goth-subculture activities, because all they know is the look, which has been picked up from fashion advertising, in particular the local NZ middle to lower up-market clothing chain, Glassons (Like Myers, I guess.)
It's got so competitive to be the first to identify and commodify a fashion trend, that a lot of the big fashion houses have been paying young, hip design school people to hang out on the streets and try and spot which things will take off, and design accordingly. But of course, the young and about town are losing the ability to build their own look, because all they know are those looks that have been commodified and sold to them out of the chain stores, and they don't have the skills to loot, scavenge and make their own gear as much any more.
Me, I'm pissed about the way military dpm's ("Cargo Pants") became hot a decade or so back, because they had been my mainstay surplus store buy - tough trousers with lots of pockets for tools, loot, ammo, etc. Then they became fashionable, the pockets became silly, the construction became light, the fabric crap, and now I walk out of a pair in less than six months because they are no longer built to military spec. Plus all the scum who run what passes for surplus stores these days have raised their prices by about 400% for lower quality surplus gear.
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Date: 2005-11-28 12:49 am (UTC)It's got so competitive to be the first to identify and commodify a fashion trend, that a lot of the big fashion houses have been paying young, hip design school people to hang out on the streets and try and spot which things will take off, and design accordingly. But of course, the young and about town are losing the ability to build their own look, because all they know are those looks that have been commodified and sold to them out of the chain stores, and they don't have the skills to loot, scavenge and make their own gear as much any more.
Me, I'm pissed about the way military dpm's ("Cargo Pants") became hot a decade or so back, because they had been my mainstay surplus store buy - tough trousers with lots of pockets for tools, loot, ammo, etc. Then they became fashionable, the pockets became silly, the construction became light, the fabric crap, and now I walk out of a pair in less than six months because they are no longer built to military spec. Plus all the scum who run what passes for surplus stores these days have raised their prices by about 400% for lower quality surplus gear.
Rant rant.