Claim your baggage. Fendi A/W 2018, Milan Men's Fashion Week, Jan. 15, 2018.
(Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)
Claim your baggage. Fendi A/W 2018, Milan Men's Fashion Week, Jan. 15, 2018.
(Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)
FASHIONREDEF PICKS
Male Models and Sexual Exploitation, Miuccia Prada, Milan Men's Fashion Week, Wonderwall...
HK Mindy Meissen, curator January 16, 2018
QUOTABLES!
quote of the day
If fashion is going to have this moment — which, there are so many people who don't want it to, and others who think it needs to — it is the tip of the iceberg.
fashion
rant n' rave
rantnrave://

In the NYC subway system, there are public signs posted as a reminder: “If you see something, say something.” When I first saw the signs I was given to chuckling, because without context, the slogan seems ridiculous. As human beings we see something all the time—even in dreams, even when we lack sight in the traditional sense. So given no context, and knowing that I see all the time, would I say something every moment of every day? What would I say? Of course, we know better. The slogan was written by advertising executive ALLEN KAY after 9/11, as part of the METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY’s push to increase public awareness for reporting suspicious activity. Although some say it risks making people feel surveilled or paranoid, at its heart, the slogan was meant to convey a sense of vigilance and empowerment—a civic responsibility for the safety of others. This has been a glaring issue in recent allegations of sexual abuse in the fashion industry. How can the industry change systemic conditions that have incentivized people to stay quiet for years, to look the other way, or to normalize the behavior? On Saturday, the NYT published male models' allegations of sexual exploitation by renowned fashion photographers MARIO TESTINO and BRUCE WEBER. Several companies cut ties with the photographers, and CONDÉ NAST released a formal code of conduct for working with models. While laudable, the measures are largely reactive, occurring sometimes decades or years after the alleged misconduct. Policy is an important step, yet the industry must also deal with the deeply embedded cultural side of the problem, which involves normative behavior, values, and incentives. What more can be done to prevent problems rather than react?… MILAN MEN’S FASHION WEEK was on over the weekend, and PRADA went industrial for A/W 2018, referencing warehouse logistics, prints from collections past, and a company signature: nylon. MIUCCIA PRADA spoke to VESTOJ about authenticity and the compromises faced running a large-scale enterprise. It would be great if more could be so candid… In brief: CVS pledges to end "materially altering" its beauty images... RIP NABILE QUENEM.

HK Mindy Meissen, curator

January 16, 2018