ICYMI: Speaking Truth to Power, Tiny Denim Shorts
Hi Friends,
How was your week? Any bright spots to report? Did you hear about the glitter fighting worms named after Elvis?
This week we published an op-ed by Andrew Olah that discussed the inequity and imbalance in the garment industry. Never one to mince words, Andrew called out the supply chain for bad behavior. You can read the entire thing here.
Here’s a small taste:
“For a true and decent industry, everyone needs to get honest, to stop avoiding the subject of transparency and start backing up their words with facts…
I hope the pandemic will encourage everyone to use this time to reevaluate their business practices. But I remain skeptical that we will see anyone pushing a reset button or finding a cure for our industry-wide virus. Unlike COVID-19, what ails our industry is a shortage of empathy, thoughtfulness, decency and association.”
KINGPINS24:
We sent out the first round of invites for the next edition of KINGPINS24 – June 23/24. It’ll focus on the US denim market and will feature a livestream and on-demand content. Register here. More info here.
More new content on Kingpinsshow.com:
Denim Dudes schools us on the Corona Tuxedo
New York Street Style Gallery
Military + Indigo Forever
Stay safe out there.
-The Kingpins Team
Links to keep you informed and inspired:
A shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the need to contain the spread of COVID-19 in hospitals sent scientists at the LAMP Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering on the hunt for a textile coating that would repel viruses and safely extend the life of PPE. What they developed looks pretty promising. Phys.org is reporting that “The lab has created a textile coating that can not only repel liquids like blood and saliva but can also prevent viruses from adhering to the surface… What makes the coating unique is its ability to withstand ultrasonic washing, scrubbing and scraping. With other similar coatings currently in use, washing or rubbing the surface of the textile will reduce or eliminate its repellent abilities.”
More testing has to be done, including trials to see if COVID-19 bounces off like rubber (not glue), but the potential for the textile treatment could see wide application opportunities if it works. Why stop at PPE, when you could apply it to, say, ALL THE THINGS?
Read More: Researchers create durable, washable textile coating that can repel viruses
Business of Fashion reports that luxury brands are hiking their prices “in what looks like a bid to pad margins, cushion the impact of lower sales volumes and capitalise on the China rebound.”According to BoF’s reporting, “Louis Vuitton raised prices by 3 percent in March and another 5 percent in April. This week, Chanel was even bolder, raising prices on its iconic 11.12 and 2.55 handbags, as well as its Boy, Gabrielle and Chanel 19 bags, and certain small leather goods, by between 5 percent and 17 percent. The percentage increases reflect prices in France, but the hikes are being phased in globally.
As the news leaked, thousands of shoppers in Asia flocked to Chanel stores to snap up handbags before the price increases take effect in their markets in what effectively became a sort of reverse sale. Lines formed outside Chanel boutiques in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Beijing. In Seoul, the queues were so long that the municipal government is considering an order to suspend Chanel from doing business in the city, citing fears over Covid-19 infections.”
Read More: Why Luxury Brands Are Raising Prices in a Pandemic
Read More: Carpe Denim: Will the Jeans Industry Survive COVID-19 Amid Higher Demand for Comfort?
Read More: G-Star Appoints Administrators
Read More: Dim Mak and Candiani Partner on First Denim Collaboration (pictured)
Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear tiny little acid wash jean shorts. Highsnobiety has a great profile on Andre Agassi and his love for jean shorts, the sartorial effects of his choices and a shopping guide, should you be inspired to show your own gams while you WFH.
According to Highsnob: “If he was before your time, Agassi was a tennis player who hated tennis. Pushed into the sport by his disciplinarian father at a young age, he sought rebellion through sartorial bombast, making the transition from sportsman to pop icon thanks to his piercings, mullet haircut, lurid sneakers, and of course, acid wash denim shorts. Such was the Las Vegas Kid’s distaste for tennis’ stuffy conservatism, he even refused to play at Wimbledon between 1988 and 1990 because of its all-white dress code — this despite being ranked number three in the world at the time.”
Read More: Andre Agassi or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Denim Shorts
