ThirdLove bills itself as a progressive, feminist, woman-led leader in lingere. In this expose (https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/9/16/20864206/thirdlove-bra-company-women-employees-quit-ceo), evidence is offered that it is something rather different. The following quote is a summary of the culture, one incompatible with a staff primarily made up of women: “This about-face was compounded by company norms — don’t negotiate your…
In an extremely interesting article, Eugene Rabkin mulls over the changing face of luxury (https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/luxury-fashion-appeal-lost-today/). Luxury houses have long sought to shift product but avoid brand dilution. The balance has often been difficult. The new strategy is going swimmingly, the only real cost, justice. Supreme led the way: keep cheap stuff scarce. Rabkin…
One of Scheler’s great complaints about commercial civilisation is that its vampiric quality (V&R Chapter 5) rids societies of eccentrics. Adam Smith’s spectator does prompt a degree of conformity, as does the all important role of brand logos in luxury fashion. How refreshing then is this story: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-sussex-48757020/the-brighton-tailor-whose-identity-became-his-business. After the story, Zach Pinsent thanked…
Universities: The Future of Policing?
Craft and veneration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKBTtVTT3qA&feature=youtu.be See V&R Chapter 5 for the ethical reasoning that affirms the moral standing of a company like Freed. Some excellent stills here of the crafts people: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/freed-of-london-ballet-shoe-factory-east-london-hackney-documentary
Discussed at V&R Chapter 3 are the basic principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST), including the moral principle of subsidiarity. Don Quijote is a Japanese retail chain whose business plan is built on each shop having subsidiarity (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-17/the-cult-japanese-retailer-making-billions-breaking-all-the-rules). All hiring and management is local to ensure that the shops act like barometers to tastes…
This is a super article (https://www.ft.com/content/a27249e4-507c-11e9-9c76-bf4a0ce37d49). It is behind a pay wall but I read it for free on Twitter. If you go searching, the title is the same as this blogpost, but without the reference to Scheler. V&R Chapter 5 explores the moral attributes of the estate, a model for business offered by…
All football fans know that last week PSG suffered an historic defeat and were knocked out of the elite Champions League. No club has spent more money on some of the most exciting players in the world, yet a third-string Manchester United side defeated them. One curiosity: Man U invited old players and the…
Two weeks ago D&G famously imploded in China (http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/42334/1/dolce-gabbana-dg-china-cancelled-shanghai-show-model-experience). To launch a fresh push into the Chinese market, the brand rolled out an ad in which a young Chinese woman tries to eat a slice of pizza with chop sticks. The woman’s struggle with the pizza and giant cannoli was, I suppose, an…
Harrods is thriving despite being somewhat aloof from the digital economy (https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/global-currents/in-a-digital-world-harrods-bets-on-tradition?). A business very much about a place, it is developing sales strategies from its traditions, relying on in-shop experiences rather than the rapidifcation and technoscience made possible by the digital. Though a critic of luxury, Pope Francis would have to approve much of…