Read SoulCycle’s exclusivity was its secret weapon — and its downfall (Vox)
The boutique fitness phenomenon sold exclusivity with a smile, until a toxic atmosphere and a push for growth brought the whole thing down.
A fascinating story about culture and exclusivity.
Read Kamala Harris: what her sneakers mean by Priya Elan (the Guardian)
As a woman of colour wearing sneakers on the campaign, it semaphores a change in political dress and much more
On the value of a sneaker… The shoes become a symbol of Harris’ political philosophy in an incredibly approachable way.

Part of what I love about this article is that it could potentially have been written about a male candidate. It’s not sexualized as heavily as an article about her beauty (or lack thereof), her hair, her clothing, etc. We’re apparently making a little progress. Still, I’d much rather read material about the candidate’s positions and direct policies.

 

 

 

Watched McQueen (2018) from IMDb
Directed by Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui. With Bernard Arnault, Joseph Bennett, Detmar Blow, Isabella Blow. The life and career of fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen: from his start as a tailor, to launching and overseeing his eponymous line and his untimely death.

Watched on Sunday April 5, 2020.

 
Review: ★★★★

 

Listened to Episode 8: Choice Overload by Dr Laurie SantosDr Laurie Santos from The Happiness Lab

We all make thousands of choices each day. But making even trivial decisions can sap our energy and cause anxiety. Dr Laurie Santos examines why our society wrongly prioritises choice over happiness, and meets a woman who junked her wardrobe in a bid to improve her life.

Limiting one’s choice can be an important thing in life.

There’s some discussion of limiting one’s wardrobe choices as a way of freeing one’s life up a bit. They didn’t mention the oft-heard example of Einstein wearing the same thing every day, but did catch the possibly better example of Obama cycling through the small handful of choices in his wardrobe to limit the yet another decision of many he had to make each day.

👓 Nation’s Math Professors Announce Plans To Continue Wearing Chinos With Running Shoes Indefinitely | The Onion

Read Nation’s Math Professors Announce Plans To Continue Wearing Chinos With Running Shoes Indefinitely (The Onion)
QUINCY, MA—Confirming that they have no intention of modifying the traditional uniform of their profession at any point in the foreseeable future, mathematics professors from across the country joined their voices Monday to reaffirm their commitment to wearing chinos with running shoes. “We believe that this singular look has really been working for us for the past few decades, allowing as always for slight variations such as the presence or absence of pleats and the availability of slightly different varieties of white Reebok footwear, and we have decided to formally recommit to this outfit for as long as our profession continues to exist,” said Boston University vector analysis professor Paul Slavish, explaining that the pairing of khakis with cross trainers had become the symbol of his profession, as it offered a perfect combination of professionalism, approachability, and the comfort vital for on-campus life. “We acknowledge that our sneakers, while technically advanced, will never be used for actual running; our pants, while relatively clean, will never actually be ironed; and that this lower ensemble will always be paired with either a dress shirt two sizes too large or a sweat-wicking polo shirt that has never—and will never—wick away the sweat of exercise. Never shall we stray from this sacred combination, which proclaims at a glance that we are casual, unfussy people who happen to be very serious about mathematics. Plus, check out all these side pockets!” Slavish also confirmed that certain professors would occasionally wear a wacky necktie printed with mathematical symbols, but that this would occur at a maximum of three days per semester. 

👓 Here’s Why Steve Bannon Wears So Many Shirts | The Cut

Read Here’s Why Steve Bannon Wears So Many Shirts (The Cut)
His spokesperson and other highly knowledgeable play sources attempt to explain the former presidential counselor’s questionable fashion choice.

👓 She talks about working women. Her father says “buy American.” We go inside Ivanka Inc. | Washington Post

Read Ivanka Inc. by Matea Gold, Drew Harwell, Maher Sattar, and Simon Denyer (Washington Post)
The first daughter talks about improving the lives of working women. Her father urges companies to “buy American.” But her fashion line’s practices collide with those principles – and are out of step with industry trends.
This is not only interesting reporting, but the multi-media portions are fantastic and engaging. I wish more journalism outlets would invest some additional time and resources into this type of storytelling.

The global trade network is far more complicated than Donald Trump will admit, and so much so that even his own daughter can’t only not get around it, but she can’t do it with the level of ethical standard that most in her industry already mandate.

For those who are interested into a great “deep dive” on global trade and containerization, I highly recommend Alexis Madrigal’s recent podcast series Containers.

The dirty secret about your clothes | The Washington Post

Read The dirty secret about your clothes: Making them is toxic to people and the environment. Start-ups in India see a better way. But will we pay for it? by Esha Chhabra (Washington Post)

AUROVILLE, India — In the Colours of Nature dye house, Vijayakumar Varathan is busy prepping a vat of indigo. At 51, he looks frail, with a tanned body made mostly of bones, but he runs to and fro, setting up an open fire where he’ll brew cauldrons of natural colorants made from plants.He’s worked here for 15 years. But until his early 30s, Varathan mixed chemicals in a conventional clothing factory in the same region of southern India. There he developed a disease that caused layers of his skin to peel off. Even today, it is discolored. “It was pretty bad,” he says, in his fragmented English. “But I didn’t have a choice.”

Crocodiles (and Polo Ponies) Go Missing as Scalpel-Wielding Consumers Revolt | WSJ

Read Crocodiles (and Polo Ponies) Go Missing as Scalpel-Wielding Consumers Revolt by Khadeeja Safdar (Wall Street Journal)

Clothes buyers wield blades, markers and iron-on patches to kill off embroidered clothing logos; ‘a tricky surgery’

Since its debut in 1926, the Lacoste crocodile has adorned polo shirts on everyone from the brand’s tennis-star founder to President John F. Kennedy.

Yet you won’t likely find one on Max Ilich. The 47-year-old consultant has extracted the iconic reptilian from at least 10 of his Lacoste shirts. “It’s a tricky surgery,” he said. “But I was pleased with the results.”

I’d always thought of doing this and had tried on a few things with mixed results. Generally I just eschew logos and don’t buy them any more unless I really can’t manage.