TL;DR,
WELCOME TO THE·BY·PRODUCT. A WEEKLY RECAP OF WHAT IS GOING DOWN & WHAT IS COMING UP ON THE INTERNET.
ISSUE SEVENTEEN IS UPON US. SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY FADING, BUT THE SUN IS STILL STRONG IN THE DAYTIME. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR UPCOMING TRIP TO PARIS AND THE SURROUNDING REGIONS. NOT A BAD WAY TO RIDE OUT THE REMAINING DAYS OF SUMMER, RIGHT? TO BE HONEST I AM NOT SURE HOW MY LOCATION AND TIMEZONE SHIFT WILL AFFECT THE PUBLISHING OF THIS NEWSLETTER, BUT FEAR NOT AN ISSUE WILL BE PUSHED OUT TO ALL YOU LOVELY READERS NONETHELESS. IN THE MEANTIME DIVE INTO THE ISSUE BELOW AND FEEL FREE TO SHARE.
THIS WEEK’S “HOT TAKE”
TIME IS THE ONLY LUXURY.
CATEGORY: DISHEVELED MEN
The dirtbag tends to be excitable, silly and skilled in something that is not deemed conventionally useful, like playing in a loud and chaotic band or selling drugs.
The iconography of a dirtbag has cycled through multiple decades, a sort of cultural touchstone among shifting trends and ideals. It’s a potent blanket descriptor for a sleazy kinda guy — a high school dropout, a hoser, a metalhead, a stoner. Once derided, it feels that now we’re nearing an era where it’s socially acceptable to publicly express our longing for a dirtbag boyfriend. / Via ID
CATEGORY: SECOND HAND
Would you buy a pair of Christian Dior trainers previously worn by Lily Allen? What about a playsuit sported by Olivia Rodrigo or cropped jeans from Maisie Williams?
The chance to buy clothes directly from a celebrity has become a new shopping option, thanks to a slew of famous names teaming up with websites that sell secondhand clothes. / Via The Guardian
CATEGORY: INDUSTRY SHIFT
For those like myself, we have been very familiar with the term “drop” when it comes to some of the most coveted brands, sneakers, box logos, for years. Swarms of youth forming lines outside shops in the early morning to cop the latest fire. It is pretty normal an idea. Now the “drop culture” is expanding to luxury and mainstream brands like mattresses and fast food. “Are we all ready to queue up at KFC?” - in gargled grandpa voice / Via WSJ
CATEGORY: CREATOR ECONOMY
How do you do, fellow kids? Gen Z’s countless TikTok trends may make it seem like the generation is supercharging the creator economy, but it’s really the 40-year-old millennial leading the way. Seems like the Internet is still pretty in pink. / Via Fortune
CATEGORY: THE ARTS
Monday morning read alert!!!! The American polymath David Lynch is perhaps best known for shaping a distinctive cinematic sensibility that draws from surrealism and noir, with totemic films like Blue Velvet (1986), Mulholland Drive (2001). Over decades he has projected his subversive imagination to the mainstream, as with his cult television series Twin Peaks (1990-91), and it’s recent revival, Twin Peaks: the Return (2017), whose languorous, stream of consciousness storytelling confounded the staccato tempos of the attention economy. Read this awesome interview with David by the one and only Hans Ulrich Obrist. / Via Surface
CATEGORY: SEARCH ENGINES
Over the past 12 months, a vibe shift has taken hold of TikTok. It’s been driven by content creators, and beauty and fashion brands have responded and produced videos for the platform in the same style. TikTok is evolving more specifically into an aesthetic incubator. “Coastal Grandma,” “Night Luxe,” “That Girl,” and “Clean Girl” are prime examples.
These aesthetics go beyond basic beauty trends like “glazed donut skin” or “Jello skin,” and instead represent a lifestyle complete with beauty, fashion and even certain personality traits. One could consider this akin to Pinterest on steroids, wherein people can access aspirational aesthetic ideals. So this begs the question is TikTok the biggest search engine in town? / Via SIC
CATEGORY: COLLABORATION
The exclusivity associated with one-time product drops adds to demand, leading to items being sold for several times higher than their original price.
Almost five years on, pieces from the Supreme x Louis Vuitton are commanding higher prices on secondhand sites than their original drop. Last year, one of the trunks doubled its value on Vestiaire Collective, selling for $118,505, while a hoodie could boast a 400% markup. Meanwhile, newer collaborations are yet to see as much fanfare. Despite the hype surrounding Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga and the high resale value of Ye’s sneakers, one of the Dove hoodies sold for only sold 33% higher than its original RRP on Vinted.
Though products can accumulate value over time, the evolution of AI and bots allow consumers to buy products faster, speeding up demand for collaborations, which have now reached saturation point. While there will still be interest in new drops, 2022 and beyond will see an increased pressure on brand partnerships to create something special in order to cut through the noise and avoid becoming “just another collaboration.” / Via Edited c/o Ben Dietz
CATEGORY: ART IS TRASH
Both trash and art are subjective to the maker and collector. What defines trash has more to do with intention than it does with aesthetics. Trash Art became a microcosm of the larger Tezos community, with expression and interpretation mattering much more than profit and floor price. The low stakes of minting on Tezos gave artists the opportunity to express themselves without overthinking their work, giving way to art that pushes the boundaries of what is possible for NFTs, challenges our ideas of what art is, and allows thousands of artists to thrive and make a live-able wage doing what they love. / Via Forefront