Last Saturday, the New York Times ran what must be one of the dumbest attempts at a trend piece. The story, which discusses the rather comical designs of artist Aya Tsukioka, suggests that her skirts, which transform into vending machine costumes, are a response to fears of street crime among young Japanese women. Sadly, the writer Martin Fackler and the Times itself have missed the point.









There is no rampant paranoia about street crime, there is no putative need for women to conceal themselves as Coca Cola dispensers in order to evade muggers and rapists. Tsukioka's designs are arty, far removed from any practical purpose or even the tradition of clothing as disaster shelter started by fellow Japanese designer Kosuke Tsumura with Final Home.

Here is the original article in the Times and here is a great rebuttal from Neojapanisme. Read it and weep (or laugh depending on how you react to blatant ethnic generalizations in the media). As you can see from the picture above, this probably shouldn't have ever made it past Fackler's editor, yet somehow, one of the most respected dailies in the US managed to publish a totally worthless trend piece full of tired old ethnic stereotypes chasing after what would have to be the dumbest trend of all time.


Posted by James Friedman

We realize that this isn't brand new information here, but EMERGE isn't exactly at the cutting edge of big name men's couture, so we're just bumbling across this abortion of an advertisement now:


































Tom Ford, what the f!@#$ were you thinking? Sure the greasy thighs and cleanly shaved you-know-what are sort of sexy, but the photo is just another point-and-shoot titillation from Terry Richardson, who's semi-shocking work is so ubiquitous its rather boring these days. In our not-so-humble opinion, it would have been much cooler and classier to stick with the original shots you had commissioned from Marilyn Minter instead of sharing your imaging with the guy shilling discount flannels for Uniqlo. Not to mention that fact that this stuff just seems offbrand for Mr. Ford despite his nudie ads from a few years ago.


Posted by James Friedman

It probably shouldn't be surprising that after years of providing performance gear for climbers, skiers, surfers and generally outdoorsy folks, that Patagonia would end up transcending that world to become something of a fashion statement. Yes, you heard correctly. The company that pretty much put polar fleece pull overs on the back of every preppy kid on the planet has quietly become cool enough for the streetwear set to pair with their ultra-limited Nikes and $200 selvedge denim.

Having known Patagonia as a mountain climbing outfitter a la North Face, we were happily surprised to see that the brand had expanded to serve the adult surfer too mature to rock his old Billabong tee shirts. What's more, EMERGE was also impressed to discover that Patagonia routinely underwrote the printing of the major surf magazines on recycled stock. That kind of corporate social responsibility is meaningful, especially to the surf community and demonstrated Patagonia
s genuine connection with their consumers and the company's long-standing eco-friendly stance.

That bit of the brand's identity, of course, has become quite the trend itself in fashion circles. While upstarts like Nau are coming out with green credentials frontloaded, Patagonia has been quietly using recycled materials in its garments for years and have long vocal defenders of the green spaces their customers go to use their fancy new moisture-wicking thermal gear. Perhaps Patagonia's popularity is due to the brand sticking to their guns with an idea whose time has finally come.

Another piece of the Patagonia puzzle- in our eyes at least- is the brand's consistent identity. Sure, they've gone a little bit upscale over the years, and they sell a lot more than just jackets, but whereas North Face has gone from hardcore outdoorsy apparel maker to puffy winter coat of choice for folks who'd never dream of spending a subfreezing night in a tent, Patagonia has remained far more focused on their target consumer. They've been savvy enough, however, to recognize that these very same folks have sophisticated tastes and have expanded their offerings accordingly without compromising on whit of the brand's hard-earned authenticity. Take for instance the Spoken Word Jacket, a casual blazer designed for use wherever and whenever. Its earth tone palette, corduroy material and button near the neck make this an ideal addition to any scruffy New Englander's warddrobe, but Patagonia have taken it one step further in the details, hiring acclaimed surf/skate illustrator Geoff McFetridge to design the lining of the coat, a move that has earned them instant cred with streetwear stalwarts like Berlin's Beinghunted.

So thanks to an emerging eco-conscious marketplace and a deep devotion to the communities it serves, Patagonia has become more than just a purveyor of tastefully basic and functional clothing. It has become an iconic, authentic brand that has built itself up without taking shortcuts, resorting to crass marketing tactics, and EMERGE is looking forward to seeing the brand's continued growth towards mainstream ubiquity. If only the Gap were 1/10 as cool.




Posted by James Friedman

A few years ago Brooklyn-based graphic designer and clothing maker Kevin Carney closed down his cult collection Generic Costume, packed up and moved to Los Angeles. Since then, EMERGE has crossed paths a couple times with Carney, mostly around our mutual love of obscure disco records. However we weren't surprised to learn today that Carney and Generic are back with some really cool new products.

Turns out that while GC may be a thing of the past, the Generic brand lives on. GNRC Design is Carney's design agency, through which he's lent his inimitable touch to projects for American Apparel, Jeremy Scott, Burton, Stussy and many more. The big news today is the Generic is being revived as The Generic Man, "iconic shoes for the modern man."

A collection of high end footwear for stylish guys who have tired of their collection of Nikes, The Generic Man features styles ranging from casual slip-ons a la Vans to high top sneakers, boots with leather soles, vaguely wingtip looking numbers and some casual kicks with natural crepe soles. Hand constructed in Italy, the shoes are all suede and leather, though several feature unusual finishes such as bright orange dye, "caviar" leather, and even some metallic treatments. Somehow, though, The Generic Man never feels over the top, childish or tacky. The understated silhouettes of the shoes and their fusion of classic, casual and straight up sneakerly aesthetics are sure to make the collection a big hit with the aging sneakerhead and perennially casual professional alike.

The line isn't going to be available until August, but Carney will be accepting orders shortly. Get in touch at Contact@thegenericman.com

While reliable sources have told EMERGE to expect lots more of the skater/urban fashion crossover in the next couple of years (thanks Nigo, Pharrell, Lupe!), we're already counting down the days until people stop obsessing over neon Dunks. Sure, we've already talked about streetwear's explosive transformation from underground trend to mainstream ubiquity, but as the old saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, it's a moving picture but you get the point.

Here is a new spot for the Toyota Avalon which associates sneaker fanaticism (for Greedy Genius no less) with the reminiscences of an attractive and successful couple out for a drive in their new Avalon complete with satellite navigation to help track down those ultra-limited pink suede sneaks.

EMERGE has witnessed a pretty astonishing phenomenon over the past 12 months or so. While long lines and absurd prices for rare Nike Dunks have become a cultural phenomenon across the globe, they've been happening for a couple years now in NYC. Supreme has had long lines outside it's SoHo boutique for just about every release of Nike SB kicks as well as Supreme's many collaborations with Nike and Vans. Nevertheless, even in fashion-forward NYC, the proliferation of streetwear's signature looks (think allover print hoodies, pastel sneakers, japanese denim) have become the citywide uniform of choice for dudes, be they skaters, hipsters or just guys from the block.

Even as the aesthetic it helped define has crossed over, Supreme has taken the collaboration thing into hyperspace, launching a line of skateboard decks designed by Jeff Koons(building off a long line of artist-collaborations including Peter Saville and Kaws), a series of Vans and apparel featuring the photography of Ari Marcopoulos, a range of shoes, skateboards and clothes in partnership with rap legends Public Enemy, a range of New Era fitted baseball hats bearing the brand's Barbara Kruger-inspired logo, and now Supreme is announcing a partnership with Timberland to produce Timberland X Supreme (in the parlance of streetwear collaborations) boots.

Based on a style of Timbos that have been ubiquitous in NYC for the past several years, the Supreme version features an unusual colorway which pairs brown leather with a purple nylon material and a padded ankle collar in beige camouflage.

While rumors suggest that Supreme's glut of collaborations is due to some vacancies in the brand's design department, to many people it is emblematic of the state of streetwear in general. As mass brands like New Era, Nike and Timberland continually draw inspiration and credibility from very protective, authentic brands like Supreme, they are taking the aesthetics and worldview of that niche brand and amplifying it far beyond its core audience. While there is nothing wrong with this in and of itself, it has a trickle down effect throughout the industry which Supreme helped establish.

As the paradigmatic brand in the streetwear scene wanders aimlessly through a thicket of collaborations and corporate partnerships, it detracts from the scene's overall vitality. The backlash is already beginning as blogs like Don't Believe The Hypebeast dress down the "cool guys" and the brands they worship. Most of all, the critics cite the illusory originality espoused by the collective groupthink of the streetwear scene and the absurdity of so much of the product.

Just wait until they get wind of this nightmare of a shoe...