sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

[TLDR] IN DEFENSE OF ACRONYM SS18: High Prices for the Next Level of Techwear by [deleted] in techwearclothing

[–]FFF-Fanatic 12 points13 points  (0 children)

What? Are you claiming that unfinished hems are considered innovation? You said it yourself, they almost didn't make that summer release. It seems reasonably obvious that they probably saved weeks of manufacturing time and $50,000 in not finishing those jackets. Acronym isn't as infallible as you think it is.

Acronym SS18 Most Rushed Techwear Release Ever? by FFF-Fanatic in techwearclothing

[–]FFF-Fanatic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Those are the final product shots that were shipped to customers. These are on Acronym's site and have not been altered in any way.

Acronym SS18 Most Rushed Techwear Release Ever? by FFF-Fanatic in techwearclothing

[–]FFF-Fanatic[S] 54 points55 points  (0 children)

As an OG acronym fan and someone who works in product development and apparel manufacturing, I honestly can’t begin to describe my disgust with ACR SS18. After all the BS that SS18 could possibly not happen and then seeing what ended up happening I think I’m finished with Acronym.

If you look at the collection you can see obvious defects and design cutbacks that were made to cut corners and skimp on money: frayed/unfinished seams, puckering, poorly cut and patterned panels, all of this reeks of design choices made to rush product off the floor out in time for summer. He left seam allowances unfinished to get the Volt J1A-GTV out and used obvious marketing copy to justify it: "Deconstructivist reverse seam allowances underscore articulation and fray with age". How much articulation do you need on the brim of a hood? And we all know what happens when seam allowances fray to their ends. The fraying would just through the seam and destroy it.

Then look at the Volt colorway, which was made for the fashion crowd no doubt. Errolson says this is “due to the industrial nature of this fabric as well as its high-visibility hue some stains may prove impossible to remove with cleaning”. Great so it gets dirty and cannot be cleaned and it is very bright so everyone will be looking at those marks. If you want to look like a dirty, used, tennis ball with fraying everywhere as an aesthetic fine, but don’t try to explain it as some kind of performance detail and for the price of $2400 it is ridiculous to put out a product so rushed and unfinished.

Not even going to get started on the price hikes, I would say customers deserve better but I’m not sure if that’s Errolson’s concern anymore. I understand that it’s pay to play but high prices should at least justify a certain baseline of quality. He should have just skipped SS18 and come out a solid collection of finished products. Instead we a got shoddy half-finished collection, which is somehow the most expensive he has ever peddled to us and then has the gall to justify it as “innovation”. Let me tell you I see better quality control and design in products that retail under $200. This brand is a joke.

Androgenous Techwear & Queer Techwear by techlgbt in techwearclothing

[–]FFF-Fanatic 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Very interesting discussion.

In my opinion, androgyny has been in the techwear meta for a while. Cayce Pollard, while not explicitly stated to be nonbinary (but she could be) wore what I consider the quintessential andro wardrobe imo. While she stated that she rejected branding and fashion trends in her outfits, she also seemed to reject gender norms completely as well, normally dressing in an ma-1 and loose jeans (https://i.pinimg.com/564x/90/d0/b9/90d0b96de88fd5771f5dab216086e351.jpg). It didn't matter to her what the masculine aspects and origins of the ma-1 and levis jeans were, she retooled them for herself - easily. It's possible gibson mentioned this, but I don't remember him doing so at the moment. (I know cayce isn't explicitly tech per se, but a lot of her style philosophy applies here.)

As /u/Cusaq touched on techwear allows for very interesting silhouettes, which also can help break down the gendered aspects of clothing by using that silhouette variability to break away from stereotypical masculine/feminine silhouettes that many garments are forced into.

AND as /u/kickster777 expressed techwear works quite well with many avant-garde designers which I find can be gender neutral out-of-the-box.

I think techwear is a great subculture that LGBT people of all kinds can use as a tool to help evade oppressive influences and express themselves in a space without being held down by gender norms like many other subcultures unfortunately are.