The Weekend Review // 009

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This week we wrote two pieces (a first for us)…

The first was on the history and comeback of the penny loafer in American style, focusing on newcomer footwear & lifestyle brand, Blackstock & Weber.

The second piece was new for us. We actually wrote about cocktails, specifically how to build a bar cart at home. It gives you all the tips you’ll need to impress your friends at your next dinner party.

Enjoy em!

Hot links:

• F.E. Castleberry finally opens a men’s suiting showroom in the West Village.

• JJJJound + Eddie Bauer collab gives you: The Canadian Vest.

• FT’s 2020 best menswear brands in NYC. The best menswear stores in the world.

• Bayern’s Leroy Sane is dripped and ready for international duty with Germany.

• Mohawk General Store (LA) is selling Dries van Noten + Engineered Garments for 70% off.

• Burberry is just nailing brand relevance. You love to see it.

• Jerry Lorenzo + Nike make a hoops holiday hoops collection.

Digging a little deeper…

Supreme goes cooorporate.

Whew. This is an interesting one… a few thoughts: First, the Supreme we know—one that pioneered an entire menswear genre—is fading. This should surprise no one. You don't sell a brand like Supreme to a private equity firm (Carlyle / Goode Partners) or a parent company like VFC and expect this won’t happen. The moment Supreme sold a majority stake to Carlyle, its cult-like aura would inevitably lose its shine. I wonder how James Jebbia (founder) feels. Of course, he got paid years ago. But, he also spent decades building his Supreme empire around exclusivity, rebellion, community, and unpredictability. None of that can be “bought” on its own. To imagine that Supreme might be bastardized by mass distribution may well hurt. But he knew that. Supreme is an anomaly. They don’t follow playbooks, they made the playbook. The value of brand is in their independence, not mass distribution. Are we nearing the end of an era? We’ll see.

Another season, another Uniqlo designer collab.

It’s that time of year. Uniqlo’s always been known for tapping dope designers to put a luxury spin on their already modern, sleek goods. In the past they’ve worked with the likes of Alexander Wang and Michael Bastian, and this season it’s German designer, Jil Sander. Check out the link above and see what pieces are worth a purchase.

Creative studios, small agencies are the new streetwear brands.

Are studios just streetwear brands disguised as studios? Stuuudio (how original), a crew of designers based out of San Francisco, just dropped new merch on Etsy after Trump’s blunder with the whole “press-conference-at-four-seasons-just-kidding-four-seasons-total-landscaping” thing. Mouthwash Studio (Los Angeles) has their own shop too, where they sell seasonal apparel and cigarette cases. And Land (Austin).

So it has me thinking… are studios just streetwear brands disguised as studios? Seems legit.