Can Apple get its groove back? The tech giant has set the trends over the past years. The Cupertino California based brand gave the world iPhones, iPods, Air Pods, and iPads, but lately the $2 trillion valued giant seems to have lost its glow. At one time a new product announcement gained the equivalency of a royal proclamation. Gone are the lines of fans waiting outside stores for their latest cultural changing gadgets. Now, the celebration is muted.
“Let Loose” was Apple’s reveal of new iPads. After two years the lineup got a few updates with OLED screens and M4 new chip suitable for AI processing. The most striking feature, the iPad Pro is the thinnest device by the company at 5.3 mm thin for the 11-inch model.
11 and 13 inch models
The other surprise, the 10th generation iPad starts at $349, $100 cheaper than previous models. Even Apple understands consumers are feeling the inflation squeeze.
A Black and Paper exclusive interview with Korean Fashion Designer Avizmo Jo, creative head of De_caffeine homme. What attracted me to his brand were his outerwear pieces. I wanted to ask what inspires his designs and collections.
The looks for the Fall Outerwear, three buttons and lapel, where did you develop this idea?
Fall Outerwear
Planning and inspiration for this season’s collection was the fabric flow that occurred when the general form of clothing was raised tightly. By organizing the form that was created so that there was no inconvenience to the human body once again, we confirmed that the interesting form appeared again and used it as a detail of the collection. In the main look jacket and coat, the center of the clothes is connected with a long zipper so that it is locked to the bottom of just below the neck. Buttons were used only as decorative elements to create objects that made the design more prominent.
Your SS21 menswear tops are not conventional, is there a statement behind this?
SS21 is a new reinterpretation of traditional Taylor jackets and shirt designs, which I think are also traditional in another sence. Like our design philosophy, we acknowledged the beauty of traditional forms, changed it anew, and emphasized it again in a sharp and modern style.
Why did you design the SS 21 collection with symmetries in mind?
The reason why I chose asymmetry is because I think it’s interesting to see what happens when you wear disproportionately to the human body, with the weight of the fabric on both side and shoulder widths different. The asymmetric collar of the shirt is also the same image.
See The Collection Here
Do you think men should take more chances with their style choices?
Yes. I think there should be no restrictions on men’s fashion. There will be a style that we can suggest for each individual’s individuality.
The 20th century art movement Dadaism, in the 21st century, what does this mean to you in terms of fashion?
The Neodadaism I seek is closest to the explanation that otally disconnect what was once a form of social role from its original location and at the same time, it is trying to confuse the value it has and then bring it into the new value system.’ I think that recognizing, understanding and reusing existing roles here has a positive effect. Adding my design to a design with traditional values is creating new values and giving a new role.
Stay tuned for more interviews with global fashion designers on our web chat show “Before Tacky”.
Being Fabulous! Aspirational living! This is the lifestyle Vogue and other Conde Nast publications put in our faces. That $1500 bag matched with a $900 linen top. Advice; Pay the rent before heading to Bloomingdales.
Once again the magazines find themselves in the headlines, but for the wrong reason,,AGAIN! Six years ago Conde Nast debased from Mid Manhattan to the World Trade Center. Fast Forward to the 2020 Pandemic, ad revenue flat lined. Suddenly, those palatial 1.2 million square feet became a brick tied to an ankle in a sea storm.
Fashion magazines have been in a denial stage for a decade. Bloggers and social media elbowed in once exclusive territory. Brand advertising splintered. But to the heads of Conde Nast, this was a bump on a Champagne Boulevard. They had become victims of a movement they help create, “Living In A Fake Reality”.
Nothing says success than new digs. Trading up, moving to 1 World Trade in lower downtown New York represented the future, optimism. Anna Wintour and staff sat on top of the world. August 4th 2020, reports started circulating Advance Publications, parent company of Conde Nast, is scouting for a new office. I had to do a double take. Suddenly, Vanity Fair, New Yorker, Teen Vogue’s 21 floors lost its appeal or a need to “trade down”. Six months ago I saw Vogue editors coming in and out of the Bristol and Hotel de Crillon hotels in Paris.
One Minute This, Then,
In April requesting government a bailout, today negotiating cheaper rent. No more fashion week teas in “Le Boudoir”. Have the company credit cards been cut? No worries, if a Vogue Staffer is reading this, send me a message. I know a few affordable places in Paris and Milan.
Looking over the magazines social media channels, I could see problems. Access to the best writers and photographers in the world, yet, a lack of original content replaced by recycled stories. How many pictures can be from the archives? Or Vogue Challenges every week? HMMM!
All smokes and mirrors, denial is a fabulous way to live until a “reality brick” hits the face.
