WEEKLY | reads

1. Cross dressing artists

...was the first thing I read. No you silly mind, it says Crossover artists. An article that is based on the criss cross collaborations between catwalk gurus and digital painters. I only recently discovered the intellectual side of webshop ssense, where some true gems are hidden. I mean, ever used asceticism in a sentence before? 'Crop tops with minus twenty degrees? I prefer some ascetic nunnyness.' I promise that this 5 minute read will teach you some new words. This article is like an art gallery of poetry, including some visual Shakespeares.

Crossover artists: Blurring the boundaries of fashion and fine art by ssense

2. Too many, too bad
I am not born and raised to become a fashion designer, but I'm up for a branding job in that same category. Yes, this article definitely makes smart use of product placement, right at the moment that you, a fashion student, desperately stare at your screen with eyes full of despair because of all the nasty things this woman says about your future. Despite all of this, the question that is raised deserves some attention. Are we producing too many fashion designers? And if we take it one philosophical step further down the line, does fashion actually need you/me/dupree?
Op-Ed | Are we producing too many fashion designers? by Frances Corner

3. Old and fashioned
This article has been published somewhere begin February, so in fashion-terms it is hopelessly dated. But as it has been written by a true industry authority, these words never get old. Nor does comfort, which we still prefer above style. Or was it the other way around? Next to that, Cathy Horyn added some catwalk candy from nearly twenty years ago to prove her point. And for fuck's sake, it looks as if the latest Céline army is coming down the runway. Is Phoebe an old soul in a young body? Point proven!
Sign of the Times | Slave No More by Cathy Horyn

WHY this article?
All this renovation talk can be heavy at some times, so please take a zen-moment and read this hap-snap article in between. The process of rebranding is being influenced by everything I absorb during the day, digital as well as analogue. These articles give new perspectives and are helpful in my personal development. And since the slogan 'sharing is caring' is the most mis-used Internet vomit since the establishment of Nyan Cat, I'll join the craze. Here, I shared this week.

PHASE ONE | (r)evaluating SWOT

Before ze blog became another big black hole on the Worldwide Web, it had potential. Somewhere. It went from three posts a day to one in two days to well, one every decade. You had to carefully select the verbal vomit and pre-Photoshop collages from the opinion articles, but there was something. The rebranding process starts with an evaluation, a humble introspective, a peek into one's (digital) soul. And on day one, the brand professors created the SWOT analysis.

Strengths

• The Magazine Effect. I wasn't even aware of puling this one off until I did some serious evaluation. The combination of longer and shorter texts, collages and single-picture posts creates a readable and scrollable whole. Variety in a nutshell. 
• My statistics (and they never lie) tell me that my AMFI-collegues are on the hunt for some inspiration, that Jasmin Sewell is still everyone's fashion darling and that the Givenchy Septum broke all records. My analysis: the interest in timeless classics lasts forever and I should seriously develop my sense of trends for countless page views.

Weaknesses

• No own images. I broke the copyright law for about 42238 times in my life so far. But since images without naming the photographer, stylist or model seems to be the next black sheep (referring to your own Pinterest our Tumblr account doesn't count), 2014 marks the era of credits. Not only does the initiator gets the respect he owns, it is also great for building a database of interesting people (and helpful for impressive namedropping on parties).
• Inconsistency. Once a day, once a week, once a year. Regularly updating and posting is essential for a consistent blog. It also affects the coherency: without a clear creative direction the content just seems like a whole lot of blablabla.

Part two of this educational piece will soon be online.

PHASE ONE | the concept

When your own blog functions as home page, you'll eventually get fed up staring at your last post from 31 July 2013. Then it hit me. It wasn't the medium of blogging I was fed up with, it was the uninspiring wave of posts filling my Bloglovin app and the shallow, repeated images of 'the blogger' (I did one attempt, once. It failed. I didn't have enough different duckfaces and all the kids from the nearby residential area left their Lego castles to look at me, awkwardly posing in front of their elementary school).

Raise your glass to trying-it-again, to the second attempt, to failing. Now drink. Some booze will get you in the right ecstatic mood for what the next sentence will unveil.

A new concept, based on 100% transparency, 'the journey is the destination'-ish quotes and the popularity of peeking behind the scenes. A blog that shows the hours of research and visualisation that is hidden behind inspiration-posts and hysterical outfit imagery. An ode to the art of analysis, a personal approach to the concept of blogging and a practical way of applying the skills I'm being educated as Fashion Brander.

Big words, huh? I promised that already. This blog won't be another portfolio, or a showcase of how great my vision on the fashion industry is (I did some attempts in drunk state, screaming 'Let's play hide and seek. I'm Martin Margiela!'). No, none of that. It should be explaining the why instead of the what and give insight in the many layers of fashion, beyond the catwalk or cash desk.

So, welcome to an experiment, with me as human guinea pig. I have nothing more than these words to explain it to you. The rest will follow in small steps, elements of a process that dress up this blog as the latest trends dress up our bodies.

I heard baby-blue will be big this season.

TWO | juxtaposition

Adriel Daniel | Tumblr

One picture says more than thousand words. Two pictures double the amount of cliché in that proverb. The compositions of Adriel Daniel evoke a whole different range of cliché words; 'amazing' 'fuck' and 'huh?'. The juxtaposition of one pattern in two a-natural settings centre the attention on the similarities, the strong analogy between the two. Because one is never a whole.

“There are only patterns, patterns on top of patterns, patterns that affect other patterns. Patterns hidden by patterns. Patterns within patterns. If you watch close, history does nothing but repeat itself. What we call chaos is just patterns we haven’t recognized. What we call random is just patterns we can’t decipher. what we can’t understand we call nonsense. What we can’t read we call gibberish. There is no free will. There are no variables.”
Chuck Palahniuk, Survivor

TREND | trend?

As the discussion on street style as circus has died down, the debate on trends has also come to an end. For the half-yearly ELLE style bible for this season, Fashion Director Esther Coppoolse wrote an interesting introduction on trends. Let me share a quote.

'Trends are not what they used to be. Once, it was so simple: a trend was born, reached its highest level, faded and disappeared. Today, we can categorize style as following: HITS (short-craved items), TRENDS (styles that last for one season), TENDENCIES (styles that last multiple seasons, on the catwalks as well as on the streets), CLASSICS (items or styles that get reinvented), SURPRISES (your personal distinctive features). Together, they form 'The Wheel of Style'. Give it a spin for a unique and personal interpretation of your style.'

I remember the age of thirteen, when I exactly knew which artists were on top of the weekly changing music lists. I grew up, lost my passion for soaking up new melodies and focused on the science of fashion. But I still kept my madness for remembering lists and odd facts. It-bags, low-budget alternatives, Japanese webshops: name it. I was in stage where I recognized Zara clothing on television (please, everybody does that. no?), filled Tumblr-pages with 'inspiration of coolness' and added semi-interesting quotes to my MSN-account. But MSN is no longer here. And neither is the old me. Holding onto 'being on trend' does not say anything about style.

AMFI tries to teach me to carefully select and curate items on value instead of added value. If I look around in class, I just see black. Not one of the forecasted 'trends'. I am struggling with finding clothing articles that suit me, and fit my identity. Because it makes me wondering what this identity might be. At the same time, clothes are just stupid pieces of cloth. I think the fashion industry has won another soul...

INSPIRATION | #03402

Specks of sunlight break the glass barrier that divide here from there. Fingertips follow the deep grieves of the creaking wooden floor.
Past tense transforms into sentences that echo in space.
The walls exhale a collective memory of thoughts
and whispers and glowing in the dark.
Amsterdam dresses down, until there is nothing more
than skin and skin and skin.

I've been soaking up inspiration from our new home on one of the Amsterdam canals. My inspiration folder explodes from monochrome interiors, pictures of cactuses and wall decoration like this collage. Even though it's far from finished, a piece of me already feels home there. There is so much to be discovered, I feel like an adventurer in my own street. I guess I could say 'Welcome home' now.

ph/amerrymishap

GOING OUT | in berlin

You might have noticed the lack of posts last week. Sorry. I was in rehab for my pixel addiction and RSI arm in Berlin. It's such a shame I've never been there before, since it is the closest (and probably coolest) neighbor we have! Together with other students of fashion school, we went hunting for fresh concept stores. Hold your breath as I drop them.

Shops
titus zooprene karl-liebknecht-strasse 9
Do me a favor and get me one of those skateable concrete bowls! Titus is a skatestore with a clean concept and simplistic approach. Brilliant caps and a nice selection of decks.

apartment am alexanderplatz memhardstrasse 8 
Step into the ground floor and you'll feel like you've just walked in a museum. White walls, white floors, only one object inside. Take the stairs to minus one and discover the incredible conceptual planet of apartment!

fein und ripp kastanienallee 91-92
Not everybody's piece of cake, but worth mentioning anyway. Fein und Ripp sells original 1920's produced men's wear. The 'new old stock' is even used as inspiration by the head designer of G-Star. Certainly talk to the guy behind the desk, he can tell you everything about the extraordinary shop.

Food
glory whole oderberger strasse 13
I read the name out loud. Once again. Laughed. And had to get in! Don't let the name fool you, Glory Whole is actually a really nice biological and organic small café with oven-fresh carrot cake.

clärchens ballhaus auguststrasse 24
If you're in for some charming Italian music and a bit of dancing, this place is brilliant. The venue is being used as both restaurant and dancing hall, with classes every evening. Enjoy the carrotsoup or the classic wiener schnitzel. It's the biggest you've ever seen!

Sleeping
hüttenpalast hobrechtstrasse 66
Unfortunately, the hotel was arranged by school. Thank god for my six nice roomies, otherwise I would have jumped straight out of the window. My own choice would be the lovely Hüttenpalast, a giant inside campsite with several caravans functioning as beds.

Non-sleeping
Berlin's club scene changes every other night. Most clubs are located in squatted, former East-Berlin buildings were the rent is low and the joy high. We enjoyed Tresor (Köpenicker Strasse 70), an old department store turned into technoclub, though it was quite touristic and not that authentic. If you're lucky, you might get in Berghein (Am Wriezener Bahnhof 1), the most desirable club in the world. Other nice clubs are Magdalena (Located on the corner of Schillingbrücke/Stralauer Platz), Chalet (Schlesischen Tor 3) and the area of Cassiopeia.

photos/freunde von freunden