Everyone knows the flow and style where I’m from and what it’s about when you’re living there.
But I’ve noticed so much of the philosophy isn’t spoken about, so I’m going to give it a crack.
Hoodish is the philosophy of the road mainly it’s about work-rate and perseverance. Mainly because that’s all you saw, before laws were put in place about public overtime hours all I saw was my parents working 7 days a week to put food in our bellies and clothes on our back. That’s got us all we have and all we could get because more hours working meant more bric-à-brac.
That being the philosophy where I grew up where your first consignment was selling chocolates on a playground and if you were were about that life, you’d turn that into a Q and so forth.
Credibility was earned on hard work. Where I’m from you put your hoodie on and keep your head low and get to doin whatever you’re doing to rub pence together to make a pound.
So when I’m feeling HOODISH I get that grinders itch, that no matter what I’m doing I feel I need to do more to get more.
That’s the ethics of where I was raised and when I apply it to this life I’m living now it can mean much more than what it was worth before.
I spend so much time looking up designers looking up artist and discovering things that are new, up and coming, established and certified. All in an objective fashion. As I am an artist myself I make sure that I give everyone a fair shot and that comes with some effects.
High Level Vibe
I’m not exactly able to convince myself of thinking left or right about something meaning I’ve not been a personal judge of good or bad – this has been going on for the past 2 years – I convinced myself ‘I shouldn’t judge people’ in my personal life and that personal philosophy spilled into my career and I only allowed myself one reaction. HYPE- if I got extremely hype about something new that has come out this past 2 years that’s how you can tell I liked something. My opinion never mattered, the reason I say this is because I recently allowed back in my critical eye into design during a conversation with other artists (which is the only people I discuss art with) causing really heated debates because of my bed of knowledge. Now just because I won’t wear something doesn’t mean I think it’s trash it’s just my personal taste but something’s are hyped to the extreme that doesn’t mean it’s high art in its medium – which is where I discovered my new rating system. Hype not High
Hype Not High
Hype not high is a nudge system I use to just say something isn’t all that. It’s really my hmmmm… meaning I am not really big on this clothing items design or artists work basically & with the massive advertising it’s really hard to discern which is where you put your personal taste into effect Hype not High a polite and efficient nudge just saying just because the zeitgeist is talking about it doesn’t mean it’s worth the discussion
I must say though this is still objective I will still be able to explain what about this personal item that’s loose and is only advertised a lot to HYPE it – but no more – the design may be cute/good but it’s not the highest art. If you get me. Being hype does not mean your work isn’t or the person isn’t an exceptional artist/designer.
High not Hype
The typical juxtapose of this would be this is really something else. But High not Hype means the design/work/album is exceptional and worthy of all praise due to its precision and execution of high level. High art, high taste level – which can also be explained through extensive discussion and dissertation. Personal feelings aside.
I’m not really good at typical non art conversations. It’s not that I’m snobby but if we’re discussing something as quality as design an art piece/exhibition or an album I would have to do so using my full knowledge because I feel the artist deserves that much in terms of Critique.
I’m focused on giving cool little critiques to the people about work from artist by an artist and I want my friends and colleagues to know I want to be fair and just because that’s the same respect I’d want to be given while also providing quality content without foolish extremes just hype not high
There have been so many drops the first week of December so many I want to get into but not all at once and not all here. In fact I don’t want to get to them all but I do want to focus on the thing that took me the most this season, something that propelled me out of my comfort zone in understanding what Dior can true and truly made me remember who was spearheading menswear and much more noticeably is trying to make their mark in the best way possible for the way men dress now.
Kim Jones, right after the Kaws hubbub came with a stunning collection. One which I don’t feel to fault and feel subtly too impartial on. Much like the Supreme LV menswear collaboration this is something only Kim Jones could have made happen – Putting streetwear or subculture into the most formal places – which is what I believe he will go down in history for as the great collaborator of our Generation.
backstage at Louis Vuitton Menswear a/w13
Coupling the streetwear skate brand Supreme with the luxury of Louis Vuitton propping it up for Virgil to make his debut. Doing it again and not in an encore fashion but creatively moulding the subculture of techwear from Alyx & Ambush into the high fashion powerhouse of Dior weaving and blending the aesthetics into a true natured collaboration.
Pairing up with Alyx own Matthew transforming the signature saddlebag and his buckle into a Dior art piece
Yoon from Ambush fame and making her Director of Jewellery at Dior as her Instagram now states, so its obviously true.
They made a beautiful collection it wasn’t too much and it didn’t seem like the money grab (it always is) but it seemed like a collab between friends and I don’t want to fault that.
This pre-fall collection was a great place for Kim to State his case, stamping him in my culture but for the bigger picture of fashion moving the needle as to who should be at the heads of these houses, it’s very telling when the product of a long fought battle comes to fruition and you can tell it here.
From the smallest detail of showing in Japan it was obviously a statement of where the inspiration came from and the type of art Kim wanted to show off even going as far as to transform the saddle bag into a future-sexy-back robotic tin sculpture in only the way Hijame Sorayama Could.
The Soul Sorayama Sample
the celebrated Japanese illustrator whose work was commissioned by Kim and was chosen to be the celebration point as Kaws was, really bringing in together the idea of community and association. How related Kim Jones is to these artists shows but this Show with Sorayama was a great hurrah and is in need of an encore & will have me looking forward to the next artist in need of celebration
This tron-centric show gave sharp lines and high energy, along with very high fashion appeal the lines were so clean and the grey tones used showed a masterful understand of colour and the shapes in the Jewellery gave me the understanding this was something that spent a long time in the cooker as you would expect Matthew to do with his work, shining a massive Spotlight on Yoon and her true abilities This is really a top tier collaboration in my eyes as the Dior man is the closest to my style in terms of aspirational male dress sense. All this electric blue and gives off the energy of not luxury but fashion, a professional who loves to still rock a hoodie and a peakless cap; a pro who is fashion forward and knows how to put together an outfit; a pro that is un-pressed by those around him because his world is his own.
There was so much energy released by Kim Jones in the time leading up to a PRE FALL collection that it has to make you wonder and analyse what he did it for.
Coming from this small island called Britain you are given a lens into other cultures, because the British empire pillaged and penetrated pretty much every corner of the globe the history books have a chapter of where the British “explored culture” that’s what art students are taught because the British way isn’t to stay in this small island but have your nomadic experience into the mainland and find the culture explore what is out there and get a taste of the new experiences. As a kid growing up you look to artist of the world especially in London with some of the greatest museums in the world filled with stolen and acquired art pieces & living artist looking to show their work people like Kaws and Sorayama, as an art student like me you look to these guys and you find their work intriguing and want to know more.
This collection gave me so much to say but I will leave some on the table for self exploration and a deserving of a individual blog on Yoon ahn and Matthews son Alyx part
I won’t say this collection inspired me but it certainly did represent me and the culture well and hope to see more of it in the future
They made a beautiful collection it wasn’t too much and it didn’t seem like the money grab (it always is) but it seemed like a collab between friends and I don’t want to fault that.
This is really a top tier collaboration in my eyes as the Dior man is the closest to my style in terms of aspirational male dress sense. All this electric blue and gives off the energy of not luxury but fashion, a professional who loves to still rock a hoodie and a peakless cap; a pro who is fashion forward and knows how to put together an outfit; a pro that is un-pressed by those around him because his world is his own.
Not Your Typical 