A good article on Van Noten (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/t-magazine/dries-van-noten.html) dwells on two things Shaftesbury and Scheler would enjoy: gardens and heritage. In light of Shaftesbury, in a few blog posts I explored the relationship between flowers and fashion. According to Hanya Yanagihara, Van Noten’s use of colour is derived from his fascination with flowers and their…
Ever since Brexit, fashion pages have beaten the same drum: collapse is nigh because fashion is global. In an earlier post (http://www.ethicsoffashion.com/fashion-and-nation/), I pointed out the very obvious point that this cannot quite be true: heritage brands trade on their nation all the time. Happily, the well-known Suzy Menkes has made another obvious point: the…
Rapidification is a central complaint of Pope Francis (details at V&R Chapter 2). Here is an article about some fashion companies building the idea of slowness into clothes: in how they are made, how long they last, and suitability for different social events (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/fashion/what-is-slow-fashion.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ffashion&action=click&contentCollection=fashion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront). Francis approves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuXGDFw8qDQ
Last week Loyola hosted the 2nd Andy Warhol Lecture and a thoughtful puzzle arose. My interest in Warhol is that he was a Catholic but immersed in the world of design and even the demimonde. To many, the worlds of religion and fashion seem obviously opposed. This can only seem obvious to those who have…
I mentioned awhiles back that I have a new book that expands on some of the claims made in V&R. Well, it is still doing the rounds trying to find a publisher: the process is somewhat drawn out as the manuscript has to be peer-reviewed. While I wait for news, I thought I’d post here…
*Loyola hosted theologian Brendan Sammon this week. Brendan teaches at St. Joseph’s University, the Jesuit university of Philadelphia. This post is prompted by his talk. A recent fashion exhibition identified a range of objects said to be iconic (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/moma-makes-a-list-of-iconic-fashion-items). But are they? Can any fashion object be iconic? Leading phenomenologist, Frenchman Jean-Luc Marion,…
Another tremendous video from the car people at Petrolicious. The setting could not be better: the streets of London. The owner, a happy fellow, bringing joy to many. Truly charming video: https://petrolicious.com/films/1957-brutsch-mopetta-smiles-per-gallon?utm_source=Petrolicious+Newsletter&utm_campaign=937b832bb1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_10_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ff9b060c1d-937b832bb1-296390737&mc_cid=937b832bb1&mc_eid=8cd60b3e66 Even if you are not remotely interested in mechanical things on wheels, this video is joyous. Do note the very last frame and the…
An extremely interesting reflection on the heritage of a design company: http://www.documentjournal.com/article/louis-vuittons-creative-director-nicolas-ghesquiere-looks-to-the-past-to-se Louis Vuitton’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière: “There are many designers that succumb to a wistful affection for the past, and stay there. Then there are others that are constantly looking for the next best thing, and they forget about their core customer. To be…
On Monday, Loyola hosts the 2nd Andy Warhol Lecture. I will post a summary of the argument here next week. Meanwhile, here is well-known English hair stylist, Andrew Dale, talking about his craft and early years being trained at Vidal Sassoon, in the heady days of British New Wave music. Super that Warhol did ads…