Ethics in fashion

November 23, 2017November 23, 2017 da(g)dstyleLeave a comment

With the annual orgy that is Black Friday sales just around the corner and Christmas and boxing day sales looming, it pays to think about the ethics of fashion when you are diving into those deep deep discounts. Sure we all love a good bargain, and with these fast fashion brands springing up everywhere, the prices are lower than ever before. But who is really paying the price?

I watched a documentary recently where Ricky Yates went around the world looking at where sable furs and croc skins come from. Some of the ‘farms’ where they keep these animals are absolutely horrendous. The scale of operations in China are so huge now that real fur can be bought at a lower price than synthetic furs. Live plucking of down has also come under the spotlight recently. Continue reading “Ethics in fashion” →

Musings

The immigrant’s son

November 18, 2017November 26, 2017 da(g)dstyleLeave a comment

I’ve been listening to Blamo! recently (which is an awesome podcast btw) on my work commutes and many of the interviewees mention their style influences come from their dads. My story is a little different and my dad definitely does not have a sense of style!

Arriving in Sydney from China as a little immigrant kid, I grew up on the streets of Cabramatta in the 90s. This was during the violent, drug rampant era where fights broke out on the streets, junkies were literally shooting up in the stairwell of the flat where we lived, and John Newman was assassinated. My primary school friends were all little hoodlums and the coolest shit back then were Nike hats, baggy sweats and massive baggy pants. Naturally we appropriated gang culture and gangsta rap tropes. For some reason the school principal at the time thought it wise not to enforce school uniform rules so me and my friends would turn up to school in our homie G attire. The only rule was we had to take our caps off during class.

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Footwear

1 year on: Yuketen Maine Guide Ox FO

November 12, 2017 da(g)dstyleLeave a comment

I picked up a pair of Yuketen Maine Guide Ox FO by accident about a year ago. I have always loved handsewn moccasin styles from Maine, and Yuketen’s slightly offbeat sensibilities add an extra level of interest for me. That intersection of style, fashion and old school craftsmanship is rarely seen in the shoe-making world. So when this barely used pair appeared on eBay, I put in a low bid, not really expecting to win, but win I did and ended up with what would become one of my favourite pairs of shoes.

The Maine Guide Ox is a low version of Yuketen’s signature Maine Guide boot, Yuki Matsuda’s interpretation of the hunting boot. Pairing true moccasin construction with thick boot soles makes for a comfy pair of boots, and my low top versions are no different.

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Musings

D-D-D-Disruption!

November 9, 2017 da(g)dstyleLeave a comment

Almost everyday I see some new startup on social media claiming to be disrupting the watch or clothing industry. I won’t name any names but there’s this watch one that keeps coming up so I click on it and sure enough it’s some fashion watch startup with a cheap quartz movement. I’d hate to be the naysayer but you ain’t disrupting shit.

I can’t imagine any watch enthusiast abandoning their collection of mechanical art pieces for this crap. And if I wanted a cheap fashion watch that was “excellent” quality I have many other brands to choose from. The reality is that these are completely different markets and “disruption” is just a nice buzzword to use but a distortion of the truth. True disruption is making a product that can actually stand up to the competition in the same class.

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