Thursday, July 1, 2010

It's all about THE SUPPLY CHAIN.

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It's really all about the supply chain when it comes to shopping. Do you know your supply chain? Does it matter? I think the answer is that 98% of my readers wouldn't be able to identify who or even why they buy something. The art of the aesthetic that I choose to write about actually begins with the designer's themselves. Looking around my house; it's very eclectic, but every single piece for me is identifiable by a person, place, or thing. This makes the "product" I shop for and buy more than just a material item, no, not just that; this "product" becomes a lifestyle one identifies with and chooses to recreate throughout their home. Just now, I stubbed out my cigarette into a Versace ashtray, it was purchased at a store called Potten & Pannen Stanek in Prague. Our friend, Pavel Stanek owns this chain of housewares stores and has been importing quality product into the Czech Republic since the early 1990s. Incidentally, Marjan sold he and his partner, Robert, a home in Orco's Benice Suburb. We identify with Pavel and Robert, so, we also shop at their stores and eat in their restaurants. I like doing business with friends. I think it evokes a positive relationship both financially and "Why wouldn't you buy or sell something to someone you trust?" And this is why THE SUPPLY CHAIN matters!

Meryl Streep's character, Miranda Priestly, sums up The Supply Chain in this famous quote from The "Devil Wears Prada"
This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.

So, I thought, let's start with designers today and we'll work on other areas of the supply chain at a later date. Let's meet some designers.

Frida Giannini is the Creative Director at Gucci, she's brought chic back into the mainstream and she's well educated in both theory and practice.
Read more about her at Gucci online. Or watch Frida in NY












Jonathan Adler, although sometimes considered OVER, still kicks out the goods with his quirky and individual pieces.  I love my set of "prozac and doll canisters" by the designer and for me, well I'd have to say he's still got street smarts and knows how to produce well designed housewares.


And for today's Finale, one of my best friend's throughout life, Skip Rumley.  Unfortuanately, I'm not an owner of any of his pieces, but if I could figure out how to ship it from the United States to the Czech Republic for less than a small fortune, I think I'd have Skip just design my own home.  

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