Drones x Fashion

Technology is collaborating with every industry more than ever. The intersection between fashion and technology has become increasingly more common as companies are eager to be more innovative for their brand. Specifically, drones are being used in many different ways and multi-media outlets. Drones have the ability to invite a new visual perspective through the attached camera.

In 2014 Fendi’s Winter show, users were able to visit the Fendi website to experience the fashion show. Fendi merged with the creative team at UNIT9 to design and build the drones featured on the Fendi runway. 

They also teamed up with Google to broadcast the show. Branded Fendi drones flew down the runway and users on the website could switch between the standard ground cameras shot or different aerial shots. There was three drones used to capture the runway from all dimensions giving the users a 360º streaming experience.

Recently, in Rebecca Minkoff’s show during New York Fashion Week, Drone quadcopter complete with a 3-axis precision video camera took the runway.

They hovered above the band performing and the entire runway, over the heads of the models and on the sides of the runway. This allowed an areal footage to be captured and viewed live streamed similar to Fendi’s show.  

Scratch and Spin

My personal view on DJ’s has changed after watching the documentary Scratch about how the scratch sound developed. This movie shows where the DJ originates and how this genre in music developed.(below is the documentary for your 1hr&a1/2 of curiosity)

Years later, there are DJ’s who party on stage and create an atmosphere for the audience through the high energy they give off and often they may not even touch their equipment once. However there are DJ’s who actually control their turntables throughout their entire performance and thus creates a different experience through their authenticity. DJ Craze’s New Slave routine shows how he is fully involved in his performance and works with his turntable nonstop.His DJing is choreographed and is what enhances his performance. 

Recently I like electronic music a lot more through the latest musical collaborations. However it’s not my go-to listen/ everyday preference, it is more the music I reach to listen to for when I need to be pumped up / have energy like at the gym or a party. I appreciate what it does for music and how it is more about technology and mechanics rather than the physical classic instruments and lyrical components addressed in mainstream music. It extends the industry and genre of music to a different sound experience and culture that goes a long with it.

These Boots Ain't Made For Walking

Apparently, I should really know who this guy Boots is. I recently learned that he is responsible for many of Beyonce’s songs and has contributed to her success. Boots has also signed with Jay-Z Roc Nation pursuing his own musical abilities. When I learned about Boots briefly in class and was shown some of his work and videos, I found it funny that his name is Boots, and that I have not heard of him, while he is behind so many of Beyonce’s latest hits. He seems like an OZ (man behind the curtain) figure.

His original name is clearly not Boots which makes sense because I have never heard of someone naming their child after something we would wear on our feet(but then again anything is possible these days).  Funny enough, when I first heard his name I connected it to Shrek 2’s character Puss&Boots. No hate on the name Boots, it is alternative and sounds fitting in the music industry. Just to clarify his name is really Jordan Asher but has styled his artist and producing name as Boots.

He wrote the score for a five-minute short video produced by VFiles Production and features model Chanel Iman getting an eye examination. 

This video didn’t speak to me and I was left feeling more confused then having any sort of emotional reaction to it. Maybe after I watch it again I will understand the hidden message or idea behind it.

Boots is almost a mystery in the industry because he does not appear in his own music video. Similarly to a band like the Gorillas who use graphic cartoons for their music videos, Boots does also in his music videos instead of featuring himself. Buzzfeed posted a story on Boots discussing how he is this mystery character behind Beyonce's album [Meet Boots, The Unknown Guy Behind Beyoncé’s New Album So mysterious]and shared an intro to his career.

Vocaloid - A Closet Filled With Voices

Imagine a hit song sung by a computer or a sold out concert without a human performance. Imagine sitting in your room and having the capability to compose and synthesize a song from your laptop. This is all possible with Vocaloid. 

Vocaloid is a Japanese music software sensation that is changing how music is produced. According to Vocaloid’s website: “Vocaloid is a technology for singing voice synthesis developed by Yamaha, and the name of this software application. The software allows users to input melody and lyrics in order to synthesize singing. In other words, with this technology, singing can be produced without a singer.” [1]

Released in 2004, Vocaloid is a singing voice synthesis that holds vocal sounds in a voice banks. Unlike Apple’s Garage Band, the Vocaloid user is not limited to singing with his/her own voice and is not dependent on others to create a full song. Vocaloid singer options are broken down into characters that are associated with unique sounds, styles and have their own fan base. With the different characters, they have different voices.

The software has been able to capitalize on these characters by creating a storyline between them with relationships and drama. Additionally, the characters are trademarked and produced into figurines and used as graphics for many products. 

Vocaloid attracts similar audience as an Anime convention or Comic Con, with a large following who has interest in computing, music and graphic design. 

This software has created the ability to perform hologram concerts and there are animated music videos. Can this technology pick up a following to compete with the music competitions we’re obsessed with like The Voice?

This opens the door to skillful musicians and creative types who lack vocal talents as well as computer programmers who want to let out their inner rock star. The composer has the power to create the song with any pitch, voice, genre and tone they like to fit the song best. They can create their song from scratch using human sounds available through the software and explore the possibilities of making music without actually singing. Then, fans are able to download the songs for a fee.

Some of the Vocaloid songs are a reaction to politics in Japan and used as social commentary. The school system in Japan is known for enforcing harsh discipline and this video below gives you an insight into a new cultures way of reaction to all of this. 

Is this a new genre in the music industry? Does it alter the traditional roles of music production? I think in some ways yes, as it does take away the relationship between the musician and composer. Also, some songs can sound a bit robotic since it looses the authentic human sound that often makes the listener feel an emotional reaction. However, in the music we listen too we can hear that the musicians synthesize sounds and there’s a difference between recorded songs and live performances.

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[1] http://ex.nicovideo.jp/vocaloid/about

Music & Fashion Branding

Entertainment and fashion industries use each other’s names/fame as a tool to cultivate more success and create a new meaning/identity. Advertisements and endorsements are new career opportunities for existing stars, aging stars and rising stars. The crossover between fashion and musicians in media- from magazine photography to music videos drives attention to fans of the musician and the fashion brand.

There are obvious collaborations where the musician fits perfectly into the brand’s identity and target audience. For example: Taylor Swift appearing in Ked’s campaign reinforced the existing image of both the singer and the brand. She will continue to attract customers to the brand that may have already supported Ked’s but she may not necessarily attract a new demographic.

Other usages of celebrity is when the brand does not obviously fit with one another- but the campaign uses a celebrity to attract a new demographic by extending its brand appeal. A$ap Rocky appearing in DKNY spring 2014 campaign was a new direction for DKNY and A$AP Rocky. He is known for his love of fashion and raps about it in his song Fashion Killa that name-drops his favorite 20 or so designers, one of them being Donna Karan. His music demographic doesn’t really fit into the mold of the DKNY consumer (who is the consumer of DKNY anyway?) However, both the designer and A$ap Rocky embody the New York spirit of the brand and his image with the brand attracts a new audience.

In addition, brands rely on celebrity’s endorsements as a tool to attract a larger audience as well as redefine their image. The relationship works back and forth, as the celebrity also uses the brand endorsement as another extension of their own individual branding. Brands have the powers to address and access specific lifestyles. By listening to a musician or supporting a celebrity, the listener/fan becomes associated with them. One can trademark themselves and their identity in a way that attracts the public and creates a lifestyle.

In 2008, Rihanna endorsed Totes Umbrella’s which capitalized on her hit song Umbrella. In a New York Times article, Nothing Sells Like Celebrity - The Boom in Endorsements, Rihanna says, “We’ve worked hard to build me and my name up as a brand, we always want to bring an authentic connection to whatever we do. It must be sincere and people have to feel that.”[1] Eight years later, Rihanna has been associated to a number of brands who have a different following.

In 2014, Rihanna became the creative director for Puma and oversees the women’s sportswear line and this fall her own sneaker called creepers were released and has been sold out. Rihanna can influence the brand she promotes, Totes umbrella sales went up and Puma is now attracting attention similar to what they had at the start of the 20th century. Riri is staying busy in the fashion industry, she has teamed up with a jewelry designer to create a collection of temporary tattoos and she has been a contributing creative director for a fashionable sock brand called Stance. The endorsements continue for Riri, Dior (what can be considered a polished and tame brand) announced last spring that Rihanna will appear as the new face of the brand.

Dior’s past face, Jennifer Lawrence is young like Rihnna and they share some similar attributes but they both give off very different energy’s. J –Law is an actress that is often seen on the red carpet in polished couture whereas Rihanna, a singer, can show up in dress that is completely transparent aside from a couple well-positioned sequins. This brings Dior an edgier and urban connection promoting the brand in a different demographic. Now the Rihanna fans will aspire to own Puma sneakers and a Dior bag bringing them one step closer to achieving her glamorous meets street style look.

Brands have the power to give outsiders a new way to look at the musician and see them in the way the brand wants them to appear. Justin Bieber is now what Mark Walberg was for Calvin Klein. The brand created a new image of Justin Bieber- replacing his teenage boy image with a provocative masculinity. Is this adding as much to his image than it does for the brand? Bieber says, “I’m excited to venture into a new lane….Really new and something I’ve always really liked, but now I’m just moving forward into that direction.” He sees his appearance in these ads as a “transitioning tool” for his own brand to extend its opportunities.[2]

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[1]  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/business/media/22celeb.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[2] http://wwd.com/fashion-news/people/justin-bieber-calvin-klein-hong-kong-10154837/

Performance Art

 The performance art movement began to shake up the art world in the 1960’s. Marina Abramovic and Rirkrit Tiravanija works reflect different usages of performance and an interactive viewer experience. The explosion of performance and relational art is examined through different movements within the art world. Artists are always searching for new ways of interacting with their viewer. 

The Serbian born New York based artist, Marina Abramovic refers to herself as “the grandmother of performance art”. In 2010, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Abramovic sat in silence opposite the museum visitors for seven hundred and fifty hours, which is eight to ten hours a day for seventy seven days. Abramovic’s early work in the 1970’s was known for its physical daring. She abused herself through starvation, fire, drugs and self-cutting. Although more subtle than starvation and blood, The Artist is Present was extreme in its physical requirements. 

She says she endured enormous physical pain sitting motionless for hours under the bright klieg lights in the MoMa’s atrium. Abramovic is always pushes herself physically and mentally in pursuit of her art. Her goal in creating The Artist is Present was to create “an emotional connection with anyone who wants to look at me for however long”. 

While no words were exchanged and Abramovic sat with an intense stare she evoked different responses making many viewers question her performance as art.

 Rirkrit Tiravanija, a New York based artist born in Buenos Aires, has cooked Pad Thai in front of an audience. Unlike Marina Abramovic, this work is centered on engaging viewers in a comforting interactive experience. An Untitled (Still 1992) at 303 Gallery in New York City, housed his model kitchen where he would prepare Pad Thai [the go-to order in dish] for an audience. Whenever he was not at the gallery, the exhibit was “the detritus, utensils, and food packets became the art exhibit” (Bishop, 56).  

Tiravanija’s take on the visitors is that “this involvement of the audience is the main focus of his work: the food is but a means to allow a convivial relationship between audience and artist to develop” (Bishop, 56).

The act of cooking Pad Thai in front of people was essential to Tiravanija’s work and insisted that viewers be present to create his relational art. Performance art tries to elicit an emotional reaction by directly engaging the viewers in a physical way.

POP Goes the Designer!

Jeremy Scott: The Peoples Designer, 

a documentary directed by Vlad Yudin released this past September, features many musicians such as, A$ap Rocky, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, 2NE1, Jared Leto, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Rita Ora and the list goes on. Scott is a pop culture iconic fashion designer linked to the music industry and has exploded the boundaries of fashion through his creativity and doing things his way. He heads his own brand and also is the creative director of Moschino. Scott’s unique vision for Moschino has impacted fashion, art and the music industry. Since his debut as creative director of Moschino in 2013, the public has seen mainstream commercial brands like McDonalds, and most recently Windex, inspire his high fashion collection. From Miley Cyrus to Katy Perry and Rihanna, the list of A-list musicians wearing the McDonald’s logo continues.

The playful designs can be considered costume-like and a gimmick, which is why Scott’s designs are considered provocative to the fashion world. Is Scott intentionally challenging high fashion’s relationship to mainstream commerce, where burgers and French fries don’t mix with French couture? What motivates him to merge these two extremes in our society’s culture? Is Scott’s role in the fashion industry similar to what Andy Warhol’s role was in the art world?

Both artists have used Americana to their advantage by repositioning mainstream objects in the public’s consciousness. Neither Warhol nor Scott created the iconic Campbell Soup can or the McDonald’s golden arches, yet they both take from these global giants and use branded identity as a way for their own brand to attract media attention. For Scott, he puts his own name at the center of attention by exploiting another identity.

 Even though he is using another person’s work from the colors of the McDonalds logo to the text and overall replica of it, he is creating something new that is a polar opposite from that fast food industry. He is using a cultural phenomenon to enhance fashion.

As many disparate cultural elements are brought into conversation with each other, celebrity performances, late night drive-through party lifestyle to create fun subversive fashion worn in good humor. 

As a result, this envelope pushing fashion has attracted many musicians who are eager for that extra x-factor to add to their appearance. When the musician wears his designs, they are wearing his art and in turn it benefits both of the artists (promoting their own individual brands, the musicians identity and the designers brand). 

Whether or not you think his designs are considered fashion, we can say that Jeremy Scott's designs can evoke some emotional reaction. Additionally, Scott has brought a form of art to multiple mediums with a special connection to the music world. 

In the future, will he be considered a pop art designer for this generation or a passing fad? How long will we be entertained by his constant references to pop culture? One thing is for sure that everything touched by Scott is eye catching, over the top and translates well in a performance and onto the stage.