It’s Fashion O’ Clock!
A…A…A…Achoo !
Bless me and bless you too (hey that rhymed🤭!)
Sorry, It’s dusty in here and please, don’t even get me started on the cobwebs. Has it truly been that long?
Although you have probably seen or heard it a million times by now, I guess “happy resumption” is still in order.
A lot has happened in the world of fashion since you were last here but today’s gist is about two particular events I found intriguing due to the huge controversy they sparked. The question is whether they can be considered to be genius, gimmicky, or both since these attributes are not mutually exclusive. Let’s catch up while I clean up these cobwebs, or shall I say “let’s ketchup?” (You’ll see what I mean in a second. Laugh abeg😬)
Ketchup or Makeup?
It has been launch after launch for Fenty beauty, owned by America’s youngest female self-made billionaire, Rihana. This beauty brand aims to cater for all skin tones and made its way to 8 African countries in late May, and of course, Nigeria was one of them.
About three months ago, Fenty beauty collaborated with MSCHF, a company that according to their website ” creates some cynical and viral projects and products that have spread across the internet” to create ketchup or makeup?.
The product or “drop” as MSCHF calls it, was a box of 6 packets containing either ketchup or Fenty’s gloss bomb lip luminizer that sold for $25. The content each customer got was entirely up to chance. Frankly, I think only gamblers and Tik-tok unboxers found this product fun and considered it genius because what 🤨?.
A lot of questions arose when the news came out though, like, what happens if all 6 turned out to be ketchup? Moreover, if a packet has lip gloss in it, would it be re-sealable? Nonetheless, my question in all of this is, how does MSCHF come up with their weird ideas?
I couldn’t help but imagine a brainstorming scenario for this drop:
“Yes people, we need ideas for a new drop ASAP. What have you got?”, the head product manager said (or perhaps they call him head drop manager) as he entered the conference room. He plumped down on a comfortable swivel chair at the head of the table. The idea guy – let’s call him Carl – wasn’t paying attention. How could he when his stomach was growling in protest?
He had gone to bed last night without any dinner and was in a hurry to get to work that morning so he did not eat any breakfast either. The only form of nutrition he had taken all day was the cup of coffee he drank as soon as he had arrived at the office. Meanwhile, his colleague – let’s call her Sarah – walked in hurriedly, her heels clicking and clacking as she made her way to the seat across from him and muttered a quick apology for her lateness.
He observed her as she sat down, noticing that her light golden-brown gown was tailored to perfectly fit her slender figure. It blended well with her blonde hair and fair skin. Perhaps it was an effect of his hunger but he suddenly thought her look was reminiscent of the chips (well, he’s American, so fries) he’d had some days back. It didn’t help that she had applied a generous amount of red lipstick. It reminded him just how he liked his fries — with a generous amount of ketchup.
“Carl!”
He jolted out of his reverie. He looked at his boss with wide eyes and blinked twice as he muttered an unintelligible “hmmm?”
“What’s your idea?.. It’s your turn to say something. It looked like you were thinking about one. What is it?”
“Umm… It is.. Umm…” He decided to go with the truth, after all the truth shall set you free right?
“Ketchup”.
The drop manager raised his eyebrows.
“Ketchup?… Do go on”.
“Okay, what if we drop a lipstick that looks like ketchup?”
“We’re all about mischief, Carl. What’s the mischief in that? Do we look like a makeup company?”
“Okay then. What if we collaborate with a makeup company and release a lipstick that looks like ketchup? Then we sell both ketchup and the lipstick, but customers don’t know exactly what they’re getting. We make it a game of chance.”
The drop manager rubbed his hands excitedly.
“Now that’s mischievous. I like it! What do we call it?
“How about Ketchup or makeup?” Sarah chipped
“Genius,” the drop manager remarked.
I don’t know that I completely agree with the drop manager in my imagination seeing that MSCHF is all about artful gimmicks. However, considering that they’re making bank from all these drops then there must be a tinge of genius somewhere in the mix.
Fabrican spray on Dress.
Now, let’s talk about the most eventful week in Fashion. Paris Fashion Week this year had a lot of drama, with all the crazy designs, remarkable collections, Cher’s appearance and Ye’s controversial ” White lives matter” shirt and Balenciaga brouhaha.
However, the main gist has to be Coperni’s spray-painted Fabrican dress worn by Bella Hadid because damn! What a show!👏. It will surely go down in fashion history as iconic.
The way the technicians spray-painted the dress onto Bella Hadid’s body was simply magical. From the video, you’ll see that it’s giving serious bibbidi bobbidi boo!
There wasn’t anything spectacular about the end product in my opinion but full marks for the process.
Now, let’s talk practicality.
Fabrican is a patented, instant, sprayable, non-woven spray-on fabric. Basically, it’s like spray-on paint that dries when in contact with air and then forms fabric.
However, will this fashion idea work in the real world? Is this spray-on dress thing a genius idea or is it, as some critics have said, a mere gimmick?
I must admit that it seems ridiculous to stand in front of a mirror and try to spray a shirt on yourself but I think it’s a great tool for fashion designers.
For tall girls who struggle to find leggings that are long enough and for people who never seem to find a pair of jeans that fit perfectly, this is genius.
This technology is still in its infancy but there is no denying that it has massive potential. Fabrican even says it can be used in medicine to bandage wounds without disturbing them. There is a concern about whether the substances used in the product are safe. However, Fabrican assures us that it is. They said they use natural synthetic fibers and non-ozone-depleting substances so we would just have to take their word for it.
It’s been nice catching up with you. Be sure to let us know what you think of these events in the comments. For related pieces, click here.
Till next time.✌
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