Street style & its power raves on as soon the clothes on ones back/bag can be chartered/logged and sourced. Globalization marches on…there is less and less division between culture and geography when it comes to style because we all now have access. As it has always been then, the masses turn it viral and the seeking individualist reacts whether subconscious or not and personal style becomes home-brewed, stripped down & refined.
In the same vein I think the trend of bespoke, local, traditionalism reigns again as we’ve seen for several seasons and as we see in food: the current high culture. It's about locally sourcing and small batches.
We want the bags crafted in Ghana by woman who used the left overs of goats to make handles and rubber for the base. We want to feel the sole of a shoe and see the hand stitching. Hear the story of the man who tans the leathers in small Italian village…these artisanal mainstays are the heart and soul of our modern identity…the carriers of the standard. I think humanity is understood even in the way we shop. In the experience of the tactile & sincere life that is put into something. In this land of hyper-multi tasking and mass consumption and compulsive distractions it’s the slow focus on intent and craft that will lead us out of this vapid and socially superficial funk we’ve been in.
It enriches and engages our senses when we begin to taste a mushroom hand picked and personally sold by a farmer 30 miles away. These experiences are personal and as the markets crash and our dollars are ever more sparse we think about how we use them. Its about a quality, smaller batch of consumer frenzy that finally gives pause. Makes us think about what we’re buying and why. Do we need it? What makes me think this is such a special way to spend the precious money we make…lets savor a little more shall we? As we’ve heard consumption is personal & political. Make it an experience not a blind act of compulsion.
