Monthly Archives: April 2017

Its not easy being a pioneer.

Mother and daughter, Elisa Goodkind and Lily Mandelbaum forged forward with their progressive web site, Stylelikeu.com, even when blogs especially those promoting unique, non-conformist style during the height of genericfast fashion were blips on the industrys radar. But as their web site tookoff, so didits mission in a grander sense. Authenticity and self-acceptanceclimbed the ranks of priority to the socially swayed Millennials and Gen Zers.

Today, the duo released their second book, True Style Is Whats Underneath: The Self-Acceptance Revolution published by Rizzoli. The edition is an analog variation of its wildly successful Whats Underneath video series thatshowcases subjects in and out of their clothes, stripping down bodies and personal barriers. Girls leading ladyJemima Kirke, socialite and actress Tallulah Willis, and Orange Is the New Black actressLea DeLaria have sat for interviews.

In all of Mandelbaum and Goodkinds endeavors a college tour and live filmings are in the works authenticity is top priority. And while they have encountered plenty of their share of challenges it is a start-up, after all the retail and fashion markets are catching up to share in the need for unrivaled reality. Glammed-up, air-brushed and idealized models are making way for more wrinkled, rumpled and all-around imperfect looksthat resonate with a broader consumer audience.

Here, the StyleLikeU founders discuss their new book, the shift in the consumer mind-set and their perspective on the need for diversity in the fashion apparel market.

WWD: Tell us about the book what can StyleLikeU followers expect?

Elisa Goodkind: Here we include ourpoint-of-view of the journey weve been on and what weve discovered in terms of self-acceptance and whatsbehind style and beauty over theyears. We wanted to express the deep knowledge that weve gained from hundreds of interviews and put that into words.

We wanted to pull together what StyleLikeU has meant to us and what weve learned from doing the closet interviews and Whats Underneath. It forced us to take a birds-eyeview of what were doing and make sense of it. It forced us to get very precise and articulate our message of how beauty and style is all about the spirit on the inside. Theres the external expression and the joy of that, which is super important.

WWD: Youre on the ground meeting with various individuals who have encountered adversity due to their characteristics likeracism and gender. Are you detecting a shift in peoples willingness to share their experiences?

E.G.: I think that Pandoras box has been opened. Theres the beginning of an understanding that tomake the world betteris to remove the shame thats been built around almost everything single thing about us. Weve been made to be ashamed about every aspect of ourselves to make us buy a lot of things.

Lily Mandelbaum: I think that the opening of that conversation has started and its really come from social media, Instagram and from people being able to get away from the middleman and express themselves the way they want to. Clearly there is an audience for that, so slowly the power is being handed back to the people. There is going to be a tremendous amount of undoing and that undoing is long road ahead. I feel like people need to first understand that there is a problem.

WWD:Where do you think most individuals are in terms of comfort and willingness toopenly share their differences?

E.G.: People are just beginning to understand and like any big revolution in the world, it begins with the smaller amount of people who are on the forefront. The thinkers are the ones that people follow. Its a tsunami right now, but the level of undoing has a ways to go.

Right now theres a lot of focus about body image andcurviness, and its the beginning of [addressing body image issues in the media]. But the areas and ways in which people have been made to feel bad about themselves goes so deep race, age, gender, sexuality, disabilities. Our hope for what were doing is for people to recognize that the beauty is in how unrepeatable every single person is. We want to spread the message: You are like no one else. That is the gift.

WWD: We constantly report on Millennial and Generation Z demographics craving authenticity from their social outlets and favorite brands. Is this a fad or do you think this new priority is an evolution in a larger shift in the group mind-set?

E.G.: I feel like theres no turning back. The whole system will have to change or collapse. When people know that they can feel good about themselves, why would they continue to feel badly about themselves?

L.M.: The things that people buy will shift. When youre not blindly consuming in imagerythats affecting your self-image, what youre consuming will change. Blind consumerism has created so many of these problems. People have been blindly following images of the body type of the modeland then buy what the model is wearing to try to look like them. I think people are becoming more awakened and conscious on every level.

WWD: Do you think fast fashion has become prescriptive?The sizing system has come under fire with inaccuracies thats called into question the need for categorization in general.

L.M.: Ideally the utopia is that there isnt a distinction and its personalities that matter. Anyone who has the confidence to embody clothes in an inspiring way will be models. I think the plus-size model movement is the first step you have to do that first before you can meld it together. The tokenization of race and sexual identification will be next to be leveled.

E.G.: I think that the future of fashion will be the exploration of the individual. Its something thats coming from the inside that in turn will create a completely different market.

L.M.: Hopefully the market will become lots of small designers and artists who speak to different people. Smaller and more niche communities rather than mass for everyone.

WWD: What youre suggesting sounds like a return to the tradition of visitinga specialized artisan or designer for a niche product.

E.G.: I think it will be so great for designers who have been alienated by the system. It will be awesome for them to be artists its a win-win for everyone.

WWD: As a grassroots movement, what were the biggest challenges inbuilding the web site?

L.M.: The not-challenging part has been uncovering these incredible people and the sharing between us and the subjects, which is so easy and magical. I think that our biggest strength is in being inspired by their beauty and finding diverse people.

The hard part has been both marketing and the financial component. I think since starting Whats Underneath our message has crystallized so its been easier to get out there.

I think that when Whats Underneath videos started going viral really helped everythingtake off. That was a big turning point for us. I think the culture has really changed and the zeitgeist has caught up to what were doing as well.

E.G.: I think we made a big change around the new year with accepting outside support instead of the two of us doing every single thing. I think thats because theres been an overall change in the culture with people willing to work with us because they feel that its important to support our message.

L.M.: Financing has always been a struggle, but its gotten easier in the last couple of years. But its still difficult since were still non-commercial. Were really careful about the brands we collaborate with. We found a way and because were a small team were able to shift gears quickly depending on the moment we can shift our strategy for that week, month or year. Its very fluid.

E.G.: The curse is becoming part of the gift. The landscape requires usto be fluid. We want to give a platform to what is happening in the culture; what is the soul of the culture; what is the beauty of culture and being able to pivot quickly.

I think inthe future instead of things being so big that you cant change what youre doing fast enough, more businesses will downsize to be nimble social media has really helped change all of that.

WWD:With the book launch under way, what can we expect from StyleLikeU in the near future?

L.M.: The big news is an expansion is a series of open calls for a public Whats Underneath series. Were doing one on April 22and April 23 in New York. Its where anyone can put their name in a hat to be selected to do a live interview. We did one in London last year that was really magical.

E.G.: The audience was really involved and added a whole other dimension to it. It was amazing.

More from WWD:

Post-Aspirational, Consumers Seek Shareable Items Over Label Envy

Merchants Arent Prepared to Deal with Modern Consumers

Consumer Demands Spark Supply Chain Software Upgrades

See the rest here:

Ahead of the Zeitgeist: StyleLikeU Founders on the Rise of Authenticity - WWD

Allied Esports International and MGM Resorts International have penned a deal to create the first permanent eSports venue on the Las Vegas strip and promise to make it the eSports go-to venue, in much the same way Wembley and Wimbledon are for footie and tennis.

MGM has commissioned the conversion ofa 30,000 square-foot (2,800 square metre) former nightclub in its Luxor Hotel & Casino (the one with the actual pyramid and sphinx), into the Strips first permanent eSports venue, and, hopefully, the hub of big-ticket eSports events for the foreseeable future, with a promised opening as soon as early 2018.

We have very ambitious expansion plans over the next two years, and when we realized that a location at Luxor was possible, we jumped at the opportunity to develop our flagship here, said Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports International.

The space will be kitted out with gaming stations, LED video wall, state-of-the-art streaming capabilities, telescopic seating and a production studio worthy of big name TV studios. Of course, itll also cater to all the more mundane things weve come to expect of Las Vegas, thanks to its prime location.

Las Vegas already holds a reputation as a showcase for major indoor sporting events from Boxing to UFC it only makes sense to take the next step. With this venue, Allied Esports International hopes to capitalize on the Las Vegas name and project their brand into the golden age of spectator sports.

Allied Esports International, a joint venture of some of the biggest eSports franchises across the world), says it wants to continue building up its Esports Arena brand across North America, with plans to announce 10-15 Esports Arena locations in the next few years. Its also focusing on providing professional path for eSports athletes who want to go pro and fostering the whole ecosystem which revolves around an organized sport.

KitGuru Says: Nothing quite captures the Zeitgeist of a movement like having it turned into an actual Las Vegas venue on the Strip. It seems eSports is moving into its next stage of maturity.

Original post:

Las Vegas to get 30000 square foot eSports venue in 2018 - KitGuru

LONDON Mr Edward Enninful, the creative and fashion director of the American magazine W, is set to replace Ms Alexandra Shulman as editor-in-chief of British Vogue, its parent company Conde Nast confirmed on Monday.

The first man and the first black editor to take the helm of Britain's most powerful fashion publication in its 100-year history, he will begin his new role on Aug 1.

A top stylist and acclaimed fashion director who migrated to Britain from Ghana as a child, the 45-year-old is known for his cheerful demeanour, legendary fashion covers and having an army of loyal fans in and out of the fashion business. He received an Order of the British Empire in June last year for his services to diversity in the fashion industry.

Ms Vanessa Friedman, fashion director and chief fashion critic of The New York Times, tweeted: "Congratulations to @Edward-Enninful new editor of British Vogue! This is going to shake things up." Supermodel Naomi Campbell, a close friend of his, wrote on Instagram: "Today, history was made."

Conde Nast International chairman and chief executive Jonathan Newhouse called Mr Enninful "an influential figure in the communities of fashion, Hollywood and music, which shape the cultural zeitgeist", and added that "by virtue of his talent and experience, Edward is supremely prepared to assume the responsibility of British Vogue".

The appointment comes three months after Mr Newhouse named another man, Mr Emanuele Farneti, to the helm of Italian Vogue, following the death of Ms Franca Sozzani.

Mr Enninful was an unexpected choice. Born in Ghana, he was raised by his seamstress mother in the Ladbroke Grove area of London, alongside five siblings.

At 16, he became a model for the British magazine i-D after being scouted while travelling on the Tube, London's subway system. He has called modelling his "baptism into fashion".

By 17, he was assisting on photography shoots for the publication with stylists Simon Foxton and Beth Summers.

In 1991, at 18, he took over from Summers as i-D fashion editor, making him one of the youngest leaders of a major fashion publication. He also obtained a degree from Goldsmiths, University of London.

He was a driving force behind the "grunge" movement of the 1990s and became a contributing editor to Italian Vogue in 1998. He spearheaded the magazine's Black Issue, declaring his intention to end the "white-out that dominates catwalks and magazines". The issue was so successful that Conde Nast printed an extra 40,000 copies.

Another notable shoot depicted Linda Evangelista in Chanel, her face wrapped in bandages as if she had just had plastic surgery.

Although there are a handful of notable exceptions, the fashion industry has a dearth of black power players and that had been a source of immense frustration for Mr Enninful, who has made a considerable effort to improve things. He has made headlines with accusations of racism, including after he was assigned to sit in the second row at a couture show in Paris in 2013, when white "counterparts" were in the first.

NYTIMES

The rest is here:

British Vogue's first male editor in 100 years - The Straits Times

I feel like there are two competing approaches to this weeks review of Welcome Parlour Ice Cream.

The new craft ice cream shop recently opened in the beautiful and historic Hodson building at East Eighth Street and St. Andrews, an edifice that is also home to the charming Andrews on 8th caf.

The first approach would consider Welcome Parlour exclusively on its own merits, pointing out that it is a family business, owned and operated by longtime North Shore residents. I would go on to point out that Welcome has a great interior design, one that is very on point with a zeitgeist that favours rustic and reclaimed materials.

Further, I would mention that the shops service is friendly and knowledgeable (I had the benefit of the owners manning the fort on my visit), and I would relate the coincidence of being served by the son of the owners, a personable young guy who occupied the work station right next to mine during a sushi making class at Cook Culture in March of last year.

Moreover, I would remark on the fantastic full-wall mural that enlivens the shop, an impressive transfer of an archival photo of Lower Lonsdale in the early 1900s, during which time a popular general store, the Welcome Parlour, operated in the area. From this perspective, everything about this new business is firmly North Shore.

Well, almost.

You see, the competing approach to this review would be to take a step back and consider the origins of the current thriving craft ice cream movement in the city.

Now, for the sake of full transparency, I need to tell you that while working on another project, I had the benefit of sitting down for an in-depth interview last spring with the founders and operators of Earnest Ice Cream, the East Vancouver craft purveyor whose approach to the popular frozen treat has caught on like wild fire since its modest beginnings in 2012, reinvigorating latent or staid consumer appetites and spawning a veritable revolution in their category.

With this in mind, I feel it would be remiss not to point out that Welcome has clearly been inspired by Earnest. The design esthetic is strikingly similar, from the reclaimed wooden panelling right down to how the available ice cream flavours are displayed via hand-written signs affixed to hanging clips. Small-batch is the battle cry of both operators, and I noticed a few undeniably familiar flavours of ice cream on offer at Welcome, including Apple Pie and Vegan Lime Coconut.

Ultimately, I guess the question is: so what? Does taking a page from a successful business model detract in any way from the end consumer experience?

I turn to the craft brewing industry here for guidance, recalling the mantra so often repeated by leaders in that category: all ships rise with the tide. What is good for the category as a whole is surely good for each player within it. Brewers express open and warm fondness for other businesses in their industry, sometimes even collaborating on products with groups that are ostensibly their competitors; its a new paradigm that holds tremendous promise for the future of local, independent businesses.

There appears to be room enough for everyone in the craft beer space and I personally relish the wide selection available to me. Well find out soon enough how players in the artisanal ice cream category get along as Earnest has recently announced its imminent arrival on the North Shore, with plans to open in Lower Lonsdale.

I visited Welcome Parlour with my family; there was no way I was going to sneak this review in without the kids in tow. We visited a few days after the shops soft opening and found the place to be busy already with enthusiastic patrons.

True to its name, Welcome is very family-friendly, with wide-open spaces and smaller serving sizes available, which I greatly appreciate as it pains me to toss away any quantity of good quality ice cream once my kids appetites have been defeated. Kids servings, presented in a bowl, are just $3.50; add a buck if you want that serving in a cone. Regular cones are $5.50.

Perhaps predictably, I was enticed by the Whisky Maple ice cream and found it to be the best of the flavours sampled. This was a bold ice cream, decidedly adult, with ample woodsy, toasted malt and vanilla notes with a well-integrated, aromatic maple lift. My son, The Boy, went for Birthday Cake ice cream, a faithful recreation of a store-bought white cake with sprinkles, a sweet treat flavour the ubiquity of which confounds me. It feels so incongruous with the principles of craft anything, but perhaps that irony is the entire point. In any event, its a flavour bound to resonate with kids.

My daughter, now seven years old, surprised me by not selecting the heavily touted Rocky Road flavour, opting instead for Double Chocolate, which delivered on its names promise of ample chocolatey richness, satisfying in its simplicity.

My wife DJ chose what would have been my second choice, Apple Pie. This flavour positively dripped of artisanal creation, with rustic, coarsely chopped bits of tangy apple and crumbly crust featuring in nearly every bite and/or lick.

We rounded out the sampling with a kids cup of fruity, tart, and fragrant strawberry ice cream, a close runner-up to the Whisky Maple in terms of preference.

Flavours will change seasonally and Welcome has vociferously committed in its promotional communications to using all natural ingredients.

Welcome Parlour Ice Cream is located at 277 East Eighth St. in North Vancouver. welcomeparlour.com 604-408-7481

Link:

THE DISH: Welcome Parlour Ice Cream serves up sweet treats - North Shore News