Storytelling w/ James Whitner, we have too much stuff, be more specific, vogue business doesn't watch sports, off white etc
Storytelling w/ James Whitner, we have too much stuff, be more specific, vogue business doesn't watch sports, off white etc
missed u all
I miss writing weekly. We’re getting back to it soon, I swear. In about a month it will also be the one year anniversary of this lil ‘lette. should we have a party? should we invite bella hadid?
Apropos of nothing, a couple of weeks back I went to a panel discussion hosted by
ft. and a few other folks at The Standard in the East Village. It was cute! I was struck by how much an editorial writer’s lens + process is deeply similar to an (effective) Brand Strategists. I know so many writers looking for different ways to make money right now- i’m thinking of hosting a little workshop to do a break down specifically for editorial writers on how to parlay/translate their skills into brand consulting. would anyone be interested in this?anyway, into the goods-
Free brand storytelling game from James Whitner + Aria Hughes
Complex debuted a new Youtube show called “Please Explain” recently with Editor-In-Chief Aria Hughes as the host. The first interview is with James Whitner from Whitaker Group - his first press since a high-profile federal case surrounding alleged money laundering through his businesses (sneaker boutiques + high end retail). I put it on kind of half heartedly while I was doing a hair mask at home and I was surprised that it … turned out to be a bit of a masterclass in branding and experience design/storytelling? The highlights for me were as follows (but you should put it on and listen while you clean your apartment/house/desk/whatever!);
James absolutely refuses to classify his spaces as “retail”. “I would first start off but not calling [us] retail. I think it undermines what it is, those of us who are looking to do something different.”
He acknowledges the decline of retail in general, economic pressures, and the downward trend of the sneaker market. His assessment (this comes right out of the gate, btw) is a simply articulated idea that “The moment that you take out more than you pour in …. “ following up with “people don’t want to be sold to. They want to be romanced, connected, told a story” (or words to that effect). This is so on point. In my observation, the more access algorithms afford outsiders to a culture or community, the more marketers think they are approaching something with an informed enough lens to ‘target’ it. What they lack is the ability to nurture it or reward it in a way that ensures a resilient and mutually beneficial relationship between said brand and its audience. That type of nuance or comprehension comes from a depth of engagement or understanding which can’t be mimicked from just being extremely online.
As a collaborator of Nike (and others), James is a shrewd conversationalist in being equally unfiltered and careful in how he approaches the brands’ current positioning, characterizing them as ‘unfairly penalized’ while also acknowledging some of the gnarlier inner workings he deals with in entering those spaces.
a bar! James’ overall focus for his business is Blackness and bolstering his community. Within that, he offers a framework with an unapologetic specificity that the different banners in his group offers (A Ma Maniere, APB, Social Status). He outlines his overall business ecosystem as having unique ways that he can “[get] really sharp on what part of blackness this serves… and hitting it.” I do believe that unabashed specificity is one of the easiest ways for a brand to distinguish itself in the presently algorithm-optimized-race-to-the-bottom.
Taste, Connection, Be Super Sharp about who you serve and Why: the three things that inform his product design or creative collaboration process. “We’re not looking to serve the masses, we’re looking to serve our core audience, and they’re already a bit forward.”
Maybe we have enough “stuff”. In general.
Incredible headline activity is happening over at Washington Post with the wonderfully-titled “Why are rich people so boring?”. Beyond the main gist of the article (as expressed perfectly through the headline), I’m more interested in the secondary layer of: why are we making so much stuff just for the sake of it?
Gucci’s clothes at the moment are just stuff. There is no emotion behind the technique. The pieces carry you nowhere. They veer between too obvious and too nonsensical. The opening look was a zip-up track jacket and blousy pants in what looked like gray suiting wool, with sneakers. Influencers have been wearing versions of that from Frankie Shop, Cos and Zara for five years now. Why do we need a high fashion designer to repackage and sell back to us a trend that’s already past its prime?
Too many brands are just making stuff.
and they wonder why sales are drying up :’)
be more specific imo. three unrelated thoughts that connected in my mind- Industry S3, Vaquera, Charli XCX
“The show needs to be hyper specific in order for it to really work, to be believable. While these people work in finance, it’s nice that on the show you address how all of these industries are connected and inform one another. In terms of how finance involves art and culture then its political implications and manifestations.” - November Mag (an interview with the makers of Industry)
“…If people fully got it, we would be doing something wrong… It still needs to be a little bit hard to understand.” iD’s write up on a Decade of Vaquera
“[being] niche is being rewarded in a way that we haven’t seen for a while.” Charli / Troye in iD.
Vogue Business holler at me
A whole feature on one-legged tailoring/garments throughout this Fashion month and no one made the connection of Aja and Angel influencing the runway?
Come on man.
Off-White’s sale as the continuation of Virgil’s project
Off White was recently sold off to Bluestar- a licensing business that Puck declares “a bottom fisher,” buy up bankrupt brands, or license dying brands, then they re-license them to every product maker they can think of.” It’s a gnarly fall from grace that for some feels way too soon after Virgil’s passing. On the other hand, it feels like the continuation of Virgil’s deeply self-aware and hyper-commercialized overall creative project and platform. Thrashing something within an inch of its life, extracting the value and then passing it along (following the blueprint of his original side quest, Pyrex Vision). Virgil seemed to operate under the ethos that ideas were not limited in supply, and that IP was not precious. I dont know if he ever saw Off White as an eternal platform or brand.
I kind of like the idea of Bluestar taking this and making it hyper accessible to young people and giving it a new life, even if it ends up being ubiquitous in the process. If you’ve tapped into any kind of Kanye interview over the past decade, you’ve probably heard him talk at some point about how badly he wanted to work with McDonalds or Payless. Access and affordability is a different kind of flex.
More links for ur headtop
I’ve rambled about streetwear/fashion enough for today.
Interesting write up about the wave of political commentary on twitch, spearheaded by Hasan Piker. Sharing how he connects with a younger audience over politics- “Communicate to them that they are worthy of attention and that their desires are valid and that you’re actually going to do something.”
Enjoyed this article on “How Do You Build A Brand People Love” from an WeTransfer’s Head of Marketing.
Absolutely riveting analysis of photography trends in social and writ large in culture from (one of my absolute fav IG follows) Emily Keegin via
. Emily reminds me that there is always an audience for people who examine the thing they love and talk about it within the context of culture. Curious people will find you.The Curse of the Michelin Star: “40% of restaurants awarded Michelin stars in 2005-14 had closed by the end of 2019.”
Sad (or nice?) chart of the day:
Branded content i’m loving
Once again, good things are happening at the gap. this editorial is exactly how kids are actually dressing.
Supreme have been releasing back to back heat. No one is doing this kind of storytelling anymore. I realize it’s popular to shit on this brand right now, but these are some of the best branded films i’ve seen in AGES. the bodega one in particular is the most real and innately NEW YORK thing i’ve ever seen. please no more nigel sylvester riding a bike around bushwick under the overhead subway head-ass brand social shots. THIS IS ITTTT
I really liked Office Magazines’ branded partnership with Alpha industries for the month of september.
FEETS round up / icymi’s…..
Sick behind-the-design view of the SNOAFER
Apparently these Nike rifts with ballet ribbons are out now in Japan. Can anyone confirm?
On that note, an archive ballet shoe from the swoosh. Very cute.
Tigers are really taking over for the 99’s and the 2000s. the Samba of 2024.
Thats all for today!
Hope everyone has a fab week.
GG x
Yup it’s available https://www.atmos-pink.com/item/nike/hq3761-640
Love the 'letter! I'm defintiely in the 'editorial writers looking for different ways to make money' camp. Intrigued by this brand consulting workshop idea!