Label Lobotomy - part 1

A

August 23, 2019

I’m coughing blood over here- step back and strip into your bathing suits;heed the familiar reverberations of my respiratory tract scarring. Time andtime again I’m blown away by how clothing lines which are not mainlines aremisinterpreted even when intent is explicitly stated. Like everything else Iwrite, I’ll painstakingly vomit out my frustration at my leisure, for your ser-vice. When encountering clothing lines which are not mainlines it’s importantto distinguish how they operate, I’ll prepare four general terms: Mainline,Diffusion line, concept line, and non-Clothing line.

Figure 1: Frame from Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog.

Mainline is the core flagship line of a clothing company, often maintainedas the namesake. For Rick Owens it’s Rick Owens, for Damir Doma it’s DamirDoma, for Comme des Garcons it’s Comme des Garcons and Comme des Gar-cons Homme, for Yohji Yamamoto it’s Yohji Yamamoto and Yohji Yamamotopour homme, for Issey Miyake it’s Issey Miyake.

NOTE: There are examples like Thom Browne mainline where there’s therunway clothing SPECTACLE (which most comprises SAMPLE 1/1 runs) andthen the retail offerings.

A Diffusion line thematically replicates the Mainline’s seasonal offeringhowever at a lower price point. A lower price compared to Mainline designsis achieved by different means including: simplifying the technical complex-ity (thereby employing cheaper labour), utilising more affordable fabrics andblends (reducing product-cost), and how it’s exhibited in contrast to mainline(thematic cohesion, reusing resources). The objective of a Diffusion line is toextend the brands market to a lower price bracket and larger audience whomay resonate with the seasons concept but can not afford its ticket. Through

1

this brands establish a foundational consumer market which the brand subsistson to buffer future potentially otherwise risky projects.

A concept line offers a different experience to the one advanced by thebrands Mainline. For instance, while a Mainline may refer heavily to punkvernacular and specific punk culture tropes for a specific season a concept lineunder the same brand will offer garments which refer to Victorian menswearcostume or harsh Brutalist imagery. Concept lines represent something al-most entirely independent from the Mainline, however draw from the samepool of resources establishing a freedom for pursuing unrelated but compellingprojects. Concept lines are reserved for the most successful clothing brands,as distinct teams are required to lead specific projects, introducing novel risks,extra costs, and potential inter-brand competition if the concept lines andMainlines are not distinct enough from one another and draw intersectingmarkets. Through the production and curation of a concept line a brand ex-pands its lexical repertoire, technical expertise, and visionary prowess whilealso providing an excellent opportunity to diversify its market share to an au-dience with more varied tastes.

Non-clothing lines (inclusive of accessory lines) are products offered byclothing brands but are explicitly not clothing (consider perfume, furniture,towels, books etc). I’m of the firm belief that clothing operates as materialwhich fulfil some persons euphoric ideal of the world, consequently a worldisn’t exclusively based in clothing- it needs to be supplemented with smells,dwellings, literature- bunch of other things. From this non-clothing lines aid toembellish experiences which clothing alone can not. This allows for a consumerto indulge in a brand’s image through other facets of their life, while alsoallowing the brand to pursue their conception of the universe using vehicleswhich clothing (in itself) would have a hard time communicating.

2

Figure 2: Tissue modelling.

A flat example of a Diffusion line can be seen by comparing Damir Doma(Mainline) to Silent by Damir Doma (Diffusion line). Frankly I haven’t fol-lowed Damir Doma for the last four years but was a pretty ardent fan from2008 to 2012, after which it kind of transitioned into this weird classic Ital-ian house hybrid; seemingly wanting to desperately morph into some sort ofKris van Assche and Prada hybrid. It was also around this point where DamirDoma began developing Silent by Damir Doma, with dedicated look-books andpresentation, its 2012 collection eerily reminiscent of what may been taken toHoth. Then taking AW12 Damir Doma sampled a blend of Asian nomad fea-turing rich, heavy, and voluminous wool long coats, silk loose shirting, wooland silk blended oversized trousers, rosary beads, and simple pattern motifs.Silent AW12 was presented as a Look-book and took some of the same shapesas the mainline, simplified the fabrications to predominantly cotton blends, re-moved some of the intricately weaved textiles, and did not offer the saccharineluxury present in the mainline culminating in a palpably flaccid cast.

3

Figure 3: Damir Doma collection of A/W 2012.

Figure 4: Silent by Damir Doma collection of A/W 2012.

While mainline Damir Doma is placed on the runway, Silent is restrictedto look-books and buyer rooms. Furthermore, Silent is offered at a lower pricepoint compared to mainline Damir Doma. Together this makes an explicitdistinction between mainline Damir Doma and Silent, creating an elite vsnon-elite dialect. This is largely produced by pricing of the different lines, in-dicating that only certain classes have access to certain Damir Doma material.Those that can acquire mainline Damir Doma are more readily ambassadors ofthe labels as through their association to the Runways exposure, while Silentoperates as a diffused supplement. An important distinction is seen in that, asa rule, none of the Silent range was presented on the runway. In turn this alsofuels consumer fervour within the brand itself, where Damir Doma enthusiastswill compete for who is the more genuine Damir Doma zealot through whoappropriates which facet of the label- incentivising elite vs non-elite discourse.From the outset it enhances potential market share by offering material to alower socioeconomic bracket- increasing exposure through sheer presence. It

4

also fuels class strife as Silent consumers are ostracised and discerned frommainline Damir Doma consumers resulting in intense desire to be recognisedas superior within the brand. Overall this phenomenon promotes an intricateand complex brand culture by feeding on its driven social contest, pushingthe rise and fall of Damir Doma consumer personalities. Through all thesevehicles a Diffusion label operates to enhance the market share, and profits ofa brand given they can sustain and balance the distinction between diffusionand mainline.

Figure 5: Organ.

DRKSHDW under Owens Corp presents a pretty weird example of a non-Mainline line. DRKSHDW was introduced into Owens Corp in 2006 aroundthe time he established his headquarters in Paris. It was conceived as the

5

denim line for Rick Owens, more akin to a continuation of SLAB, howeverquickly transitioned to occupy select offerings from past Mainline seasons inspecific fabrications as well as clothing only ever presented under DRKSHDW.It could be roughly described to cater to a more street-wear oriented crowdwith a lustre for concrete bunkers and construction worker fetish (bless Cas-tro), wiping much of the grandiose held at mainline. Largely restricted to moresturdier materials, canvas and grosgrain cotton, denim of different washes, andwaxed finishes. While mainline commonly features silk blends, delicate cot-tons, wools, tender leathers and materials woven into meshes or web-like pat-terns. From a technical standpoint DRKSHDW is less sophisticated comparedto the intricate cuts and patterns present in Rick Owens Mainline. In mymind DRKSHDW offers a range of durable clothing, fetishising military andlabourer culture, while also frequently revisiting classics from older mainlinecollections in different fabrications. If I was to ham-fist a romantic interpreta-tion: I think DRKSHDW manifests vestiges of Rick Owens retired LA clothingendeavours. Migration to Paris saw a greater pursuit for fantastical clothingspectacle leaving the more super-market ready clothing (which were central tohis LA career) to DRKSHDW.

Figure 6: Rick Owens DUSTULATOR, ANTHEM, GLEAM.

Both DRKSHDW and Mainline clothing has featured on the runway to-gether, sometimes both lines are styled together on the runway. Emblem-wisethey are distinct, mainline iconically features two bars stitched to the cloth-ing’s nape, or the central top of a garment with Rick Owens and the seasoninked onto the bars. While DRKSHDW will have the two bars in similar loca-tions, a portrait of Rick Owens, and depending (now discontinued) obnoxiouslylong grosgrain hang tag. Each line takes on independent collaborations withcompanies: for example Mainline with Adidas, and DRKSHDW with Eastpak,they’re strategically commercialised through different collaborations.The pricepoints of each line are considerably varied and can reach similar heights how-ever DRKSHDW often samples lower prices. DRKSHDW does not take theexperimental brunt allowing it to offer tried and tested variants of Mainline atlower price points. DRKSHDW operates as something between concept lineand Diffusion line, making a concrete distinction difficult. Overall the linesoperate independently but the communication is one way; DRKSHDW refers

6

to Mainline now and again while Mainline never takes note from DRKSHDW.Stylistically the lines are synergistically coupled together, but exhibit distinctfabrications one delicate, luxurious, and reminiscent of decrepit nether planesand the other burly, rigid evoking preparations for everyday toil and slug. Con-clusively DRKSHDW is positioned as an interim between Diffusion and conceptline. Both DRKSHDW and Mainline clothing has featured on the runway to-gether, sometimes both lines are styled together on the runway. Emblem-wisethey are distinct, mainline iconically features two bars stitched to the cloth-ing’s nape, or the central top of a garment with Rick Owens and the seasoninked onto the bars. While DRKSHDW will have the two bars in similar loca-tions, a portrait of Rick Owens, and depending (now discontinued) obnoxiouslylong grosgrain hang tag. Each line takes on independent collaborations withcompanies: for example Mainline with Adidas, and DRKSHDW with Eastpak,they’re strategically commercialised through different collaborations.The pricepoints of each line are considerably varied and can reach similar heights how-ever DRKSHDW often samples lower prices. DRKSHDW does not take theexperimental brunt allowing it to offer tried and tested variants of Mainline atlower price points. DRKSHDW operates as something between concept lineand Diffusion line, making a concrete distinction difficult. Overall the linesoperate independently but the communication is one way; DRKSHDW refersto Mainline now and again while Mainline never takes note from DRKSHDW.Stylistically the lines are synergistically coupled together, but exhibit distinctfabrications one delicate, luxurious, and reminiscent of decrepit nether planesand the other featuring robust fabrics, impressionably burly, and evokes ide-als of proletariat toil. Conclusively DRKSHDW is positioned as an interimbetween Diffusion and concept line.

Figure 7: Rick Owens tags.

In the euphoria of writing I’ve come to realise Owens Corp runs the gambitof line categories, with his furniture line fulfilling the non-clothing line category.Recently having finished reading the Rick Owens furniture book, among themost emotionally charged homage I have encountered- precisely a tribute tothe oasis that is Michele Lamly. What can’t be overlooked is that insatiablebeauty which traces the entire book; a strict rendering of the Rick Owensbrand, it’s hard to envision anything else but the clothing complementing itsserenity. The Rick Owens furniture line is the zenith of what a non-clothingline is, is that in every facet is re-imagines, contextualises, and forwards whatthe clothing pursues. Not only how mesmirising the furniture itself is but thebook etches that same ethos into the entire process from planning, material

7

acquisition, processing, assembly, and finally presentation. I’m struggling toput it to word so I think I’ll resign to a breadth of images and HEAVILYrecommend carefully reading through the book.

Figure 8: Rick Owens Furniture.

Finally arrived at what stirred me to write this was addressing fucking con-ceited, dismissive, and irritating Yohji dweebs- gimmie some space to lay thisout. Yohji Yamamoto is WOMEN’s mainline, Yohji Yamamoto Pour Hommeis MEN’s mainline, Y’s is WOMEN’s domestic concept line, Y’s for Men isMEN’s domestic concept line and suiting, Y-3 is a COLLABORATION withAddidas that is a concept line which took a bad turn 4 years ago. Some mightsay Y’s is a Diffusion line, and while the more affordable price points andconserved design might incline that opinion it’s wrong for several reasons. Tobegin I think it’s important to introduce that Yohji Yamamoto mainline hasconsistently been an intensive spectacle experience, to a point where it canrequire a small team to wear some of the garments. Even for those whichcan be hoisted independently walking down the street, opening a fridge or anyotherwise trivial action is rendered extremely cumbersome at best, endowingasphyxiation and requiring constant readjustment. Without very clever stylingoften there’s a apprehensive labour in itself to wear Yohji Yamamoto mainlineanywhere outside a photo shoot scenario. This is unlike much of the mainlineproduce of Rick Owens and Damir Doma which may not be optimised for thesupermarket but definitely doesn’t require a network of fish wires, pulley sys-tems and all, to keep fixated on the body- an ergonomic nightmare. Here’sthe difference, the Y’s lines don’t offer anything remotely similar to what theMainline offers for any given season, in essence they’re reproductions for thesuper-market or for the office, they also utilise a similar luxury in textiles usedand technical expertise BUT towards a different goal and different market. Inthis sense there is a cohesive novel angle the Y’s branches compared to Mainlinewhich distinguishes the two, and fabrics are considered to the strength of eachline, not to re-perform an elite and non-elite nomenclature as seen in Silentby Damir Doma. Both Y’s and Yohji Yamamoto mainline host runways andsimilar fashion media HOWEVER Mainline is presented to an internationalaudience (assumed eclectic and diverse tastes) at Paris Fashion week whileY’s is presented to a domestic market (familiar with taste). There’s plenty ofavailable literature that translates the commercial and political necessity forYohji Yamamoto to have a stake in Paris fashion week, perhaps perpetuatinga bitter and egotistical resentment to Fashion or something otherwise. What’salso important to recognise is Japanese people for a long time were smallerthan Western audiences. This demanded a consideration of different sizingmodels for each as well as different proportions and shape, which Yohji Ya-

8

mamoto was aware of. That’s why it was important for him, in a nationalistsense to supply different offerings to both markets, because how the clothingmeets the bodies of these two markets is worth answering and responding to.Y’s for Men, specifically the suiting also responded to this shape difference byidentifying there was a demand for well made suits for a domestic Japaneseaudience and Yohji Yamamoto was in a position to meet that demand. This isalso why it’s important to be aware of the sizing model discrepancies betweenthe two brands, a 3 in Mainline is not the same as a 3 in Y’s- and why Ipersist to rely on direct measurements. This complements earlier points andgoes on to suggest as a consequence with form shaped differently so is conceptrealising Y’s a distinctive concept line compared to Yohji Yamamoto mainline.I’m not super interested in answering Y-3 or more contemporary sudden YohjiYamamoto diffusion lines because frankly I haven’t looked at the last threeyears of Yohji’s material.

What’s also important to recognise is Japanese people generally have asmaller build than Western people. This demanded a consideration of differentsizing models for each as well as different proportions and shape, which YohjiYamamoto was aware of and catered to that by offering clothing sized formarkets, because how the clothing meets the bodies of these two markets isworth answering and responding to. Y’s for Men, specifically the respondedto this shape difference by producing well made suits sized for a Japaneseaudience. This is also why it’s important to be aware of the sizing modeldiscrepancies between the two brands, a 3 in mainline is not the same as a 3in Y’s- and why when purchasing something I would implore that you insiston direct measurements of the clothing. This complements earlier points andgoes on to suggest as a consequence with form shaped differently so is conceptrealising Y’s a distinctive concept line compared to Yohji Yamamoto mainline.I’m not super interested in answering Y-3 or more contemporary sudden YohjiYamamoto diffusion lines because frankly I haven’t looked at the last threeyears Yohji’s material.

9

Figure 9: Yohji Yamamoto.

Here comes the inevitable and fucking mammoth task of going through anddistinguishing Comme des Garcons (CDG) through my own means, becausethere’s a lot of shit that needs sifting and I’d like to sacrifice my time to thisendless shit show. Of paramount interest, and awareness to me are CDG Play,CDG shirt, CDG CDG, CDG tricot, CDG robe des chambres, and CDG per-fumes. I think considering this labels provides a pretty sweet cross section andallows me to step, at least partially, on everyone elses toes.

CDG Play is by far the most accessible of all the CDG lines, both throughits relatively subtle insignia and it’s modest designs. For the most part CDGPlay boasts a collection of t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, cardigans, sweaters,and discrete Chuck Taylor like sneakers- largely recognisable through the FilipPagowski design heart emblem. I think a lot of, “elite” fashion consumers oftensnub CDG Play as a half-assed attempt at clothing and it’s consumers littlemore than cattle. I think this perspective is misconceived and largely basedon the fact that relative to other CDG labels it is by far the most accessiblein terms of stockists and price (while I would argue that $150 t-shirt is by nomeans “accessible”) and technically unsophisticated line of clothing, servingthe tastes of a wider demographic however still aligns with the eponymous labelCDG. While to some degree I can sympathise with this pursuit of disownmentof CDG Play. That for a lot of people clothing acts as the facade which bothidentifies and distinguishes them from other members of the public. Thereforeby a wider demographic having access to CDG Play, and therefore subsumingthe heart badge which inclines their submission to CDG, a sudden surge ofnew CDG consumers is introduced into the CDG brand. For long time CDGzealots this can be interpreted as an assault on their eclectic and private tastes,aligning their distinction with a wider and more vague demographic. Through

10

CDG representing a wider population the connotations of the label becomesdiluted and mystified, perhaps at the consequence of veteran consumers whomight feel disgruntled by the enhanced globalisation and commodification of alabel that previously might have distinguished themselves more explicitly, inshort an attack on CDG elitist assholes.

Now to return to how approximate CDG Play into my category system, Iwould say it fits neatly in as a understated concept line, but skewed towardssouvenir. CDG has developed its brand through heavily referencing contem-porary art, art history, and collaborating with epoch making artists as well aspresenting its own politically charged clothing media. That compared to themainline CDG and how CDG fits into CDG Play by continuing its legacy ofart reference (Filip Pagowski) but with a distinctly different design impera-tive to CDG mainline. While both CDG mainline and CDG Play refer to artpractices I would argue that CDG Play’s breadth of references has been re-strained, establishing it as subtle gesture towards the CDG tradition opposedto a intensive part of its agenda. In terms of clothing design compared to CDGPlay, CDG mainline boasts among the most technically demanding designs inhistory while CDG Play presents almost exclusively run of the mill T-shirts,sweaters, cardigans, and shoe designs. CDG Play is not displayed on therunway and it’s media presentation is largely restricted to stockist commercialimages and very stochastic appearances in independent styling projects. Thereis very little CDG Play commercial material authoured by the label comparedto CDG mainline. While I would say that CDG Play is extremely expensivefor what it is worth recalling that CDG mainline can go for several thousandsof dollars, some archival pieces easily reaching over $10,000. After consideringthese aspects I would conclude that CDG Play is distinct enough from main-line to be it’s own alternate project- placing it as a concept line however moreakin as a homage to the brand itself, in a sense a souvenir.

CDG CDG is pretty understated within CDG albeit my favourite line, os-tensibly it is a women’s concept line drawing heavily from Western Victorianand provincial dress tropes- reminiscent of Paul Harnden’s and Elena Dawson’swork. The line for the most part does not at all deviate from referencing this se-lect era, which might indicate a swift road to stagnation. However what’s easyto overlook and underestimate is the creative prowess of CDG, perhaps bestmanifest here, while this is a rather explicit rule the era has a stylistic breadthand wealth in its clothing culture, allowing for it to be harvested liberally anddeeply. Furthermore CDG CDG has done an incredible job at meticulouslysampling exemplar aspects from the era and designing for the runway withspectacular finesse. Runway presentations of CDG CDG can be considered ahighly stripped back ordeal, often the it’s refined to a simple white blockedrunway with a white backdrop with the models carrying the clothing for thatseason in no theatrical display. The media presentation is also relatively reclu-sive, in a similar vein to CDG Play there seems to be a less intensive drive fromCDG to display CDG CDG throughout magazines or label sponsored shoots.Rather interpretation is left to commercial department stores or independentstylists who exhaust themselves on relaying the label and its aspects. Perhaps

11

this is also what contributes to its relative secrecy among other CDG labels,at first glance it possesses the character of something that would be expectedof mainline, although upon investigation does not feature in the mainline cat-alogue or runway, which may arise suspicion. CDG CDG relegation to a linealien to mainline demands an intensive pursuit of the clothing, for me at leastthis resulted in the discovery of an entire trove of CDG products which I hadyet to rummage through. After a period of fandom for the line I eventually hadthe opportunity to interact with it in person. What took me most by surpriseis that much of what i took for wools was polyester treated to appear like wool.While the polyester does an excellent job at retaining the shape and image ofthe clothing it does not possess the thermodynamic capabilities of wool oftencausing it to irritable and suffocating. Overall fostered disappointment in me,both my inability to discern between wool and this polyester and also that Ihave yet to come by anything from this incredible selection that is made, evenin part, from my favourite textile. To sum the above up I would categoriseCDG CDG as a concept line, and also perhaps one of CDG’s best kept secrets.

It’s really hard to look past CDG perfume, I have only ever heard goodthings- it’s solidly a non-clothing line addition to the label but allow me togive a personal anecdote. The only CDG perfume bottle I have purchased upuntil this point has been one for my Mother. A number of years ago I tooka trip to Melbourne and bumbled around the city for a week. I was informedof a small CDG pop up store and made it an essential stop the same day.The shop was relatively small and staffed by a single woman behind a rect-angular white counter. The walls were lined with three shelved cubes hosting48 different perfumes. I know the number specifically because I immediatelysat down to counting them and preparing a table to quantify them by in aorganised fashion. It’s also important to keep in mind I don’t know anythingabout scents, bases, aromas or whatever weird metric systems have been con-structed in devotion to evaluating perfume. Consequently, what took placeover the next two hours was me meticulously going through every single per-fume bottle, knocking them out round robin style, then doing a second roundof the remaining until I finally converged onto a single bottle which was mostreminiscent of my mother. I probably consumed several bottles worth while Iwas sampling- dismissed the ferociously disgruntled look of the women behindthe cashier, and ensured to throw out the samples before leaving, taking notethat it filed approximately half the volume of the small bin. It goes withoutsaying that my nasopharyngeal apparatus has been perturbed.

12

Figure 10: Comme des Garcons.

My initial thoughts when writing this was to concretely describe the func-tion and role of specific lines based on: agenda, presentation, price, and tech-nical demand and also debunk some of the bullshit snubbing I see amongconsumers of different lines. I don’t think I succeeded in quelling some of thatelitist sentiment aspect well at all. However I have come to realise I have muchmore to say about other specific brands and their lines. Here I will politelyexcuse myself and invite you all for the subsequent parts realised in the un-known future.

Thanks,

13