32 Americans have been elected as winners of the US Rhodes Scholarship for 2021. From an initial group of 2,300 US students, the group have been chosen in what has been the Scholarship’s first virtual application process. Cherwell also spoke to Victoria Puglia, one of the 2021 Rhodes Scholars, here.
The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and one of the most prestigious international scholarship programmes and enables its recipients to undertake postgraduate study at the University of Oxford.
The American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, Elliot Gerson, said in a press release from the Rhodes Trust: “Never before has a class of Rhodes Scholars been elected entirely virtually, with both candidates and selectors participating safely, independently and digitally.
“This year’s American Rhodes Scholars —independently elected by 16 committees around the country meeting simultaneously—reflect the remarkable diversity that characterizes and strengthens the United States. …are leaders already, and we are confident that their contributions to public welfare globally will expand exponentially over the course of their careers.”
“These young Americans will go to Oxford next October to study in fields broadly across the social, biological and physical sciences, the humanities, and public policy. They are leaders already, and we are confident that their contributions to public welfare globally will expand exponentially over the course of their careers.”
Previous recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship have achieved success in a variety of fields, including politics, journalism and science. Notable past winners from the USA include President Bill Clinton, American television host Rachel Maddow and Ambassador Susan Rice.
The Scholarship begin in 1902, following its establishment by Cecil Rhodes, a British diamond magnate. Rhodes set out a specific criteria for allocating the scholarships, including “literary and scholastic attainments…fondness and success in many outdoor sports…and qualities of manhood” among others. Rhodes originally stipulated that the scholarship was only to be provided to “male students”. This was only changed in 1977.
Cecil Rhodes has since become a controversial figure, and this has extended towards his projects, for his support of white Anglo-Saxon supremacy and imperialism. Rhodes sought, in his own words, “the furtherance of the British Empire and the bringing of the whole world under British rule”, and wrote in his will that “I contend that we are the finest race in the world”.
Image Credit: Wiki alf~commonswiki // Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.5.
Oxford students have gathered to show solidarity with Indian farmers protesting new agricultural laws passed by the government earlier in the year.
The demonstration took place at University Parks on Saturday and was organised jointly by the University of Oxford India Society and the Oxford South Asian Society.
Mihir Rajamane, the general secretary of the India Society, said that the protest was organised to show “unequivocal solidarity with the farmers who have been protesting for the last few months.
“Our solidarity is all the more necessary considering the undemocratic nature in which the law was passed in Parliament, with no complete consultation stage and a denial of a vote by division amidst chaos. The protestors have also been met with water cannons and were not allowed the freedom of movement to the capital where they planned to protest – rights inherent to all citizens in democratic India”.
He also highlighted that for some the recent events were “part of a broader trend of anti-democratic acts by the Indian government- ranging from the detention of activists, intellectuals and students under draconian laws, the reconfiguration of Indian citizenship and interference with private relationships on religious grounds, the destruction of labour protections and more.”
In addition, a statement for Oxford students and staff to sign in support of the farmers’ protests in India has been launched.
The reforms, which were voted through the Indian Parliament in September, would allow private companies to have greater power in determining the pricing of agricultural commodities. There are fears among farmers that this could lead to businesses offering lower prices for goods, harming producers.
There have also been questions about the procedure used to pass the bills, with a refusal to send the reforms to a parliamentary committee where they could have been scrutinised more closely. Eight opposition politicians were also suspended after staging a sit-in protest outside of the parliament to demonstrate their resistance to the new laws.
Opposition to the legislation led to a nationwide strike by farmers across India which has grown particularly strong in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. In Delhi, farmers who marched from the countryside to protest the changes were met by police forces. Subsequent images showing tear gas and water cannons being deployed against demonstrators has led to global concern about India’s handling of the protests.
The Oxford South Asian Society said that it was important for members of the university to try and raise awareness of the issue.
“The University of Oxford is uniquely placed to influence policies across the world, or in the least, to get a serious conversation started.
“Being members of an educational institution that respects democratic ideals and human rights, it is important that we make our opposition to these laws known.”
Robert Bristow has been in the thick of Oxford student drama for 20 years in his role as BT studio manager; I spoke to him about theatre under the pandemic, standout shows, and his advice for aspiring student thesps…
How did you come to work at the BT, and how long have you been there?
“I trained and worked as an actor during the 80s and 90s, mainly working with companies where we had to do all our own stage management and administration. Those jobs come and go, so I came back to Oxford to work in my dad’s second-hand furniture shop and heard about the BT job at the pub one night. I got the job in 2000, which means I’ve been here almost 20 years exactly and makes me one of the most longstanding members of staff at Oxford Playhouse!”
What have you enjoyed the most about managing the BT?
“I’ve always enjoyed coordinating and supporting the student programme, with such a huge variety of ideas and projects that groups put forward for presentation, whether they are well-known or original works, and then seeing the companies work together to pull them off. The Cuppers competition is always a highlight, too. It’s often people’s first time performing in a proper theatre space so they can be very nervous at the start of the week, and it’s amazing to see their confidence grow so much by the end. I love being able to support that – the spirit of it all is great! I’ve also really enjoyed building up the BT’s programme out of term time. We’ve managed to get local groups, touring fringe productions, children’s performances, Christmas shows – a real variety of things.”
How has the BT navigated lockdown? What are its plans moving forward into the post-lockdown world?
“When the pandemic broke out at the end of Hilary this year, we had to cancel all our scheduled shows for Easter, Trinity and the summer. We’d been planning to open the BT for small student group rehearsals or workshops from a few weeks ago, but with the second lockdown that’s had to stop too. Although one student group did manage to use the window of rehearsal time and film their play – I would really like to see the studio used more in this way. A 50-seater is very hard to socially-distance in, so streaming to live audiences might be a short-term alternative.”
What do you think characterises Oxford student drama?
“The energy and enthusiasm! Students here are always looking for new ideas and ways of doing things – even new productions of old classics are always interesting and innovative. In terms of drama in the BT specifically, the shows tend to be very intimate and experimental since the actors are so close to the audience. There is an atmosphere in there that lends itself to quite intense stuff.”
Are there any student shows which stick in your mind?
“It’s hard to pick just a few! The one which sticks in my mind in terms of popularity was a very trendy and out-there radio show called Blue Jam in 2001/2 – it was so popular and sold out really quickly. There have been lots of good Shakespeare adaptations – one punky Midsummer Night’s Dream was based around a huge rubbish tip – and some brilliant issues-based self-written drama. I don’t always get to watch all the shows, sadly, but I always enjoy it when I do!”
From the ups and downs of the shows that you’ve seen, what would your advice be for an aspiring student production?
“Keeping it simple is a good thing. It’s difficult to create a realistic set in the BT, and in this century when we have television and film, we don’t need all that. I think that a more representative style works better. But if you’re having a simple set, it’s important to go as far as possible with the imagination of your acting and your words, and really play around with them. Also, work as a team! That’s really crucial. There have been shows where the director, even though they have great intentions and artistic integrity, has tried to do everything and has taken on too much. It’s important to bring in other people and use their strengths – I imagine that it is hard as a student to take the step to get involved and put yourself out there, so sometimes people won’t come forward, but it can be so valuable for everyone to encourage these people to take part.”
What would you like to see more of from Oxford student productions?
“I think that in the age of Covid, things which are interactive and online are going to be very popular. Finding ways to interact with the audience and to stream things effectively is a challenge, but it can work really well and be genuinely inspiring. I know we all want to be in a live space again, but in the absence of that, I think there are some really exciting opportunities.”
“Nature made me happy and good, and if I am otherwise, it is society’s fault.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in his eighteenth century coming of age novel Emile, accurately spotlighted the bildungsroman’s essential battle between nature and nurture. Are we destined to become who we are as adults, or are we formed by our experiences on the way? It happens to all of us, but the process of growing up continues to fascinate writers, artists, and filmmakers, for it surrounds the struggle to forge an identity in a chaotic and often harsh environment.
The transition from childhood to adulthood is a complex and often painful journey, and as readers, we are granted the unusual privilege of following our protagonist along this road. Time spent with the characters is what makes a bildungsroman so compelling; no other kind of novel gives us such an intense connection.
Paradoxically, the bildungsroman is a genreless genre. The concept transcends typical boundaries of science fiction, crime, or romance. Moonlight, The Name of the Wind, The Kite Runner, and Glee all fall under the bracket of coming-of-age stories, so don’t be fooled by the pretentious title. Here are a few of our favourites, transporting you to the gritty slums of Naples, the streets of Istanbul, and even up to rural Scotland.
A Strangeness in My Mind by Orhan Pamuk
Devanshika, Deputy Books Editor
At a Brooklyn author event for this novel, Pamuk declared that “a book is not its plot”. Sure, he was directly referencing students at his Columbia University lectures accusing him of handing out spoilers to classic literature, but the idea applies perfectly well to A Strangeness in My Mind as well. The plot exists, but it’s definitely not as important as most other elements in the story, with a timeline that loops about jarringly often, beginning in medias reas and leaping back in forth in a way that only helps convey its theme of inherent disorientation. A street vendor of a yogurt drink, the protagonist Mevlut grapples with the perplexities of human existence (do we ever truly make our own choices, he seems to ask, when near-Shakespearean trickery has him marrying the wrong woman) to the mundane eccentricities of his family, friends and quixotic anecdotes from his neighbourhood. They say Sex and the City’s fourth protagonist was the city of New York, but Istanbul in this story could give that idea a run for its money. This is a coming of age of Melvut, yes, but more of Istanbul as a city, charting its changing landscapes (political or otherwise) over forty pivotal twentieth century years.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Amelia, Deputy Editor
Written originally in Italian, the first of the enigmatic Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels remains one of my favourite coming-of-age books. The story follows the intense friendship and rivalry between two working-class girls, Elena and Lila, growing up in the slums of post-World War Two Naples. We are introduced firstly to Elena as an old woman, who tells us that Lila has disappeared, and from there we are transported back to a gritty and violent urban childhood. The series as a whole deftly follows the girls for over sixty years.
Ferrante beautifully interweaves gender and class in Lila and Elena’s many hardships. They are flawed and often cruel characters, but the power of the genre is that it facilitates a deeper understanding into the reasons behind a character’s anger or meanness. The girls are first and foremost determined survivors of a political and social system that constantly works against them, and across the four books in the series, the enduring message is of strength and bravery.
A brutal and dangerous Naples is brought to life by Ferrante’s stark prose. My Brilliant Friend has a huge cast of characters, which although confusing at first, makes for a lively ensemble and draws the reader in to the complex social network of the slums. We follow Lila and Elena as they encounter love, sex, conflict, and abuse. Ferrante steers clear of tropes, and so there is no guaranteed dream career or happy marriage; the narrative constantly teeters on the brink of disaster and both girls are forced to make unhappy choices in order to secure themselves financially.
Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Eve, Books Editor
A coming-of-age tale set in pre-WWI rural Scotland, Sunset Song tells the story of a young girl who finds herself torn between her rural upbringing and her love of books and education, “two Chrisses there were that fought for her heart and tormented her.” Written in a very accessible form of Scots, with a glossary at the back to keep you on track, Grassic Gibbon beautifully explores Chris’ increasing awareness of her sexuality as a young woman; in a family, community and religion that shroud the female form in shame. Chris must navigate the complexities of young love, the death of her mother and the disturbing advances of her lustful father. The ever-present backdrop to Chris’ upbringing is her local community of Kinraddie: both a stifling source of hypocrisy and a support system that Chris comes to depend upon.
Voted ‘The Best Scottish Book of All Time’, the novel depicts the sun setting on the traditional, Scottish way of life in the face of the tumultuous political events of the 20th Century. Grassic Gibbon’s novel is a powerful tribute to the “Peasants, the last of the Old Scots folk” who died in trenches far from the land they were so devoted to, for a cause they did not understand, “with them we may say there died a thing older than themselves.”
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Devanshika, Deputy Books Editor
I’ve been told that the only people who genuinely enjoy this book are rebellious, angsty teenagers who relate to Holden Caulfield, and I wonder whether I’ve got a whiny misanthrope lingering inside of me because of my absolute love for him. It’s not a long book at all, but it’s full of cutting observations and little asides that make you feel, as Holden himself says about good books, like “you wish the author was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up whenever you felt like it”. Just two days in Holden’s life let Salinger– who has admitted that the novel is semi-autobiographical– explore the fundamental theme of a transition to adulthood, a transition that Holden struggles with deeply and unconsciously throughout. His arc isn’t anything like that of a classic bildungsroman protagonist, spending the entire novel in a state of disillusionment and emotional upheaval, with choice moments of epiphany (through his relationship with his sister) but definitely nowhere close to stability or maturity. The Atlantic has written an entire article telling reviewers to stop calling all new coming of age novels “the next Catcher in the Rye”, which is fair enough—it goes against the essence of Holden’s consistent disdain for ‘phony’ popularity and establishmentarianism, but The Catcher in the Rye is an essential read in the genre.
Clement Cattlee, a stray cat adopted by University College, died on the morning of 11 December, while the Head Porter of the college was bringing him to the vet.
Students of University College had taken Cattlee in a few weeks ago, officially adopting him as the College cat. He was around 18 months old, and frequently visited the vet for routine jabs and microchipping. Prior to his death, the College intended to bring him for a surgery in the new year. It is suspected that Cattlee had experienced some form of trauma prior to his arrival at University College.
Despite this, Cattlee was known to be an “affectionate” and “talkative” cat adept at seeking attention and treats from the college community, according to information published on the University College website. The College has also set up Instagram (@cattlee_the_univ_cat) and Twitter (@UnivCattlee) pages dedicated to Cattlee, where photos documenting his brief time in the college community can be found.
“It was a short but very sweet association which has touched many hearts beyond our walls. We are extremely grateful to our old members who were moved to so kindly contribute to his upkeep, to our students for having the compassion to advocate for him and not least to our vet, Eleanor Flynn who spent a great deal of her personal time on Clement’s welfare,” University College said on their website.
Prior to his time at University College, Clement Cattlee was homeless. Cats Protection, the UK’s largest feline welfare charity, is currently campaigning to “bring hope to cats left out in the cold”. You can donate to their campaign here.
Still feelings flee as
all dirt does so
a firm fate will need a firmer
hand of principles: the seed
which flowers the feelings
anew,
resown,
regrown, so
you
can taste your lotus when in
need. Even as you float
on panicked waves find
the caress of a thousand
petals softening you still.
Oxford’s Beat Society has written open letters to the Vice-Chancellor and local MPs, urging them to provide more support for students with eating disorders. So far, each letter has garnered over 200 signatures.
In their letter to the Vice-Chancellor, an increased demand for services was underscored; “5% of the student population experience an eating disorder of some description” and “through the pandemic, Beat (the UK’s eating disorder charity) have reported an 81% increase in demand” while “Cotswold House, a tertiary referral centre for adult eating disorder care covering three counties [Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire], has been forced, due to a lack of resources, to only accept referrals for severe or extreme Anorexia Nervosa (AN) or Bulimia Nervosa (BN) (classified by DSM-5 diagnostic criteria)”, meaning that students studying in Oxford cannot receive support for their eating disorders unless they fail the Fitness to Study guidelines.
The letter also urged that training for college nurses be provided in the management of eating disorders, “which not only require physical health monitoring, but a measured approach to recovery. This can be done by facilitating training for staff using the ‘Bridging the Gap’ course for University staff provided by BEAT” and that a dietician with “specialism and experience in working in eating disorders would be a tremendously valuable addition to the University Counselling Service”, in part due to the “charmingly unique” options of Oxford dining halls. Establishing student-led peer support groups was also suggested to be “a highly valuable addition to the University support systems already in place”. In addition, Oxford Beat Society stressed the significance of Oxford as a facility for the medics of the future, writing: “We feel that Oxford has the opportunity to lead the field in educating future doctors, not only about the physical, but mental implications, of such life-limiting illnesses”.
The Beat Society has also written an open letter to local MPs, with a focus on MPs in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire. This letter highlights the long waiting times for and overcrowding of services like Cotswold House, as well as the waiting times for other treatment options – “currently, waiting times for routine based psychological treatment are 21 months in Oxfordshire and 25 months in Buckinghamshire”. It concludes by urging MPs to take action, outlining various avenues, including setting “waiting time targets for adult Eating Disorder services (with associated funding), at least equivalent to that of CAMHS Eating Disorders services”, increasing the number of beds in inpatient units across the country and repeating the “adult psychiatry morbidity survey to assess need” for health provisions.
The letter also included the stories of Oxford University students who have been impacted by anorexia and/or bulimia. James Nevett, President of Oxford’s Beat Society, concluded the letter with a plea: “These stories included above are a brave and brief glimpse into the silent epidemic faced by not only many students at this University, but millions of people up and down the country. For we, as a student society, to be seriously considering what we can do to provide welfare for fellow students is a massive indictment of the dearth in professional treatment currently available. I implore you, as our elected representatives, to give this health crisis the due time and thought that its seriousness demands. Lives are at stake”.
Izzy Creed, one of the letters’ organisers, told Cherwell: “Local services are almost at breaking point. The lack of funding into local services was already an issue before the pandemic hit, but now it has become even worse. Young people’s lives, including students at our own University, are being put at risk”.
Beat provides information and support for anyone affected by an eating disorder. You can call their student helpline at 0808 801 0811, or visit them at beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
There has never before been a time where alternatives to fast fashion have been so prevalent in debates about climate change and sustainability. Terrifying facts such as 87% of textiles going to landfill, micro-plastics flowing into oceans and the uncovering of hugely unethical practices by big fashion employers are changing people’s perceptions about the fashion industry. More and more people are buying from environmentally conscious brands or rejecting brand new items in favour of second-hand ones.
For most students, myself included, ‘sustainable’ fashion does not mean buying an expensive pair of jeans woven from organic cotton and dyed with natural indigo. It means shopping in charity shops or on reselling platforms such as eBay or Depop. Depop alone has 21 million users per year, 90% of whom are under the age of 26. However, as thrifting is increasingly being put in the spotlight as the best way to find unique styles, we are moving away from its origins as a way of shopping cheaply with a low carbon footprint and moving towards it becoming far less accessible. As one critic, Naomi El, aptly put it, platforms such as Depop are undergoing a process of gentrification as many garments are seeing a massive hike in prices. This hike is justified by the tagline ‘Y2K’ or ‘genuine nineties’, regardless of whether they deserve it.
Of course, we should not vilify a whole industry. Reselling clothes is a business model and one many young people rely on to supplement their income. However, we must not forget that as a ‘sustainable’ sector of the fashion industry, it is not without problems. The more recent trend of price inflation needs to be commented on as well as the buying out of charity shop stock that many rely on. However alongside this there is the often less discussed lack of inclusivity of sizing, which makes lower-carbon footprint, yet still affordable shopping, a lot harder for many.
Many of us will not be strangers to the Depop ‘dramas’ that have been published on social media as humorous illustrations of the potential pitfalls of buying items listed by hopeful sellers. But embedded in the joking cynicism about the audacity of a H&M jumper from 2014 being listed as a ‘must-have vintage piece’, we see firsthand the way that secondhand shopping is becoming increasingly exclusive. Even if people are willing to spend up to and even sometimes over £100 on a vintage Nike or Adidas sweatshirt with holes in the sleeves and a stain on the hem in the name of fashion, the last few years have seen a rise in people cashing in on this business model. The extent to which the profits being made can be justified is debatable.
Of course we must differentiate between rarer vintage items, sourced by experts, and online sellers pushing high-street items for over-inflated prices. The trend of trying to generate a large profit margin from items that otherwise might have been donated to a charity shop and sold at an appropriate price is problematic. It is debatable whether this can really be labelled ‘sustainable’ or ‘ethical’. Whilst on the one hand, a decision to give the item a new lease of life has been made, on the other, charities who rely on donations and people who rely on the low-cost of charity shops are deprived.
As with anything, trends in ‘vintage’ fashion come and go. Certain items hit the jackpot and become highly sought after. A current example of this is the tennis skirt or, even more mysteriously, the skort, an item definitely reminiscent of school uniform until its recent rebranding. The sudden increase in demand for an item fuels another practice that rather limits the sustainability of a supposedly second-hand, pre-loved piece. As certain brands or styles gain popularity, it is not uncommon for people to capitalise on demand by bulk buying and reselling brand new items at a price higher than the original retail price. A practice that surely defies the principles of thrifting!
Whilst the so-called gentrification of second-hand clothes shopping is maybe more immediately noticeable as a developing issue, other access barriers to more sustainable fashion have existed for a long time. One of the most important being a lack of diverse sizing. Many ethical fashion companies stop at a size 16, and even sometimes a 14. This is usually justified through the claim that an increase in sizing would increase the production costs of an already costly item, something these often small start-ups cannot afford. Although some brands such as The Reformation, renowned for its use of environmentally friendly fabrics, have introduced both plus-size and petite ranges, the lack of inclusive sizing is still greatly apparent in the vintage and second-hand industry. Walking into a vintage shop, one would not be surprised to see the majority of stock ranging from a size 6-10 and petite models styling clothes in larger sizes as ‘over-sized’.
Amongst the inflationary prices of on trend items on sites such as Depop, this notion of second-hand fashion being frequently marketed to smaller sizes is often reinforced. The reselling of last-season Brandy Melville clothes is a good example of one of many brands which sell fast with big profits on the platform. As a brand stocking clothes in just one (very small) size, the hype surrounding their clothes hardly promotes ideas of diversity and inclusivity. Rather it promotes the (potentially harmful) idea that wearing their products equates to looking fashionable. The way that wearing second-hand clothes is becoming fashionable is of course positive for challenging the fast fashion industry. However we must consider that this version of fashionable is becoming a mark of exclusivity as the industry adapts to the increased demand for certain products to maximise profits.
The second-hand market is set to hit a worth of $64 billion in the next five years. Whilst it is great that people are becoming a lot more conscious of alternatives to buying new, we need to consider that by labelling the industry ‘sustainable’ purely because it is second-hand, we are at risk of sweeping important considerations under the carpet. Ethical and conscious shopping is a lot more complex than the umbrella-term of ‘sustainability’ makes it out to be. There is still a lot to be done to change the fashion industry to one that can be fully inclusive.
Earlier this summer, Raf Simons lifted the veil on an upcoming ‘Redux’ collection featuring reissues of 100 iconic pieces from the hallowed vaults of his back catalogue, one of the most coveted in menswear. It’s a perhaps overdue acknowledgment of the preoccupation with archival fashion which has over the last year or two become the predominant narrative throughout online fashion circles, fittingly made by a designer who sits pre-eminent in the scene’s pantheon. A hobby which was historically the preserve of only the most die-hard of fashion followers has emphatically encroached upon the mainstream; Simons’ move represents the first significant attempt to draw material financial gain from it since Helmut Lang’s ‘Re-Edition’ capsule in 2017 – arguably too early to capitalise upon a demand which has since burgeoned. Rachel Tashjian of GQ Style rightly points to the difficulties posed by the “grail paradox” whereby designers fail to see tangible rewards for any retrospective plaudits their past collections might receive, with the real winners from the archive fashion boom being high-end second-hand resale platforms such as Grailed and Vestiaire Collective.
Grailed,
in particular, can be credited with a critical role in the establishment of the
distinct subculture which surrounds and propagates the buying and selling of
archival fashion through their meme-heavy, approachable social media presence
and editorial content. For all that you might be assailed by a pressing urge to
retire entirely from the spheres of sartorial commerce and consign yourself to
a sequestered existence independent of the need for clothing every time you see
a post promoting the “copping” of “jawnz” (I know I am), it must be conceded
that Grailed have been enormously successful in inculcating a language and a sense
of community particular to their business practice. One need only look at their
weekly round-up of the most expensive purchases made through the platform to
see how high the demand can be for canonical pieces; topping the list for the
week just gone at the time of writing is an unassuming crewneck from Simons’
A/W 2002 “Virginia Creepers” collection which sold for a belief-beggaring
$8,000.
Faced with
figures of this order every week, it doesn’t seem irrational to question
whether the archival fashion hype is – can be, even – anything more than another
moribund bubble. Yet enthusiasts and collectors willing to pay thousands for
garments of perceived cultural import have existed long before Grailed began
extolling the values of ‘drip’, and no doubt there will always be those who
rightly treat fashion as an artform and can afford to meet prices befitting an
art market. Less certain is whether studying and buying archival pieces will
continue to interest the majority of fashion’s followers, as it does now,
rather than revert to being a more esoteric pursuit.
An
examination of the demographic to whom archival fashion currently appeals might
lend itself to scepticism, with many of its young devotees having only recently
relinquished ‘hypebeast’ status, trading in their once bleeding-edge box logos
and trifergs for Margiela Tabis and slick Hedi Slimane era Dior. And indeed,
many of the hallmarks of hypebeast culture are detectable within the
contemporary archival scene. For all that an interest in past collections opens
up an inexhaustible range of garments and designers to choose from, the same
few names tend to dominate the conversation and to merit a greater degree of
kudos. Most menswear archivists pay prostrate obeisance to the likes of Raf
Simons, Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto, Hedi Slimane, Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang,
Comme Des Garcons founder Rei Kawakubo, and so on, yet largely overlook
trailblazers such as Pierre Cardin and Hussein Chalayan who have somehow been
excluded from the discourse. Pre-80s collections also rarely get a look-in,
though perhaps that’s more a symptom of the comparatively scarce couture
menswear options available prior to the revolutions of that decade and the 90s
which followed. Nonetheless, the groupthink-determined esteem attached to
certain names is such that even unassuming, quite ordinary pieces by the likes
of, say, Prada, will commandeer a respect flatly denied to less canonical
designers, in much the same way that a Supreme, Palace, or Off-White tag can
outweigh striking design in hypebeast circles. The community surrounding
archival fashion, its memes and its fixations upon a select few seasons and
designers, suggest that for many the desire for recognition and admission into
an exclusive club is at least as significant a motivation as any deep-set
appreciation for the garments themselves.
Is, then,
archival fashion and ‘Grailed culture’ doomed to be no more than another fad
which will in time lose the pull it currently exerts on the on-the-pulse 20-somethings
who ultimately determine what’s in? A death by over-exposure to the truly
mainstream such as that which befell hypebeast culture seems unlikely, though
certain relentlessly memed pieces and collections have already taken to that
route (most notably Rick Owens’ now ubiquitous Geobasket and Ramone footwear
designs); the significant majority of items, however, are simply too subtle in
their merits to ever justify their price tags to mass audiences with only a
casual interest in fashion, depending on uniqueness of cut, material, and
craftsmanship rather than on the logomania which made hype streetwear so widely
accessible.
Equally,
an interest in historic collections entails at least a base level of engagement
with fashion as a pursuit with an intellectual dimension, as an art form with
its own unique innovations and icons past and present. Such engagement
ultimately represents a more substantial involvement than is required of
acolytes of hype and is arguably a more robust basis for a lasting, perhaps
lifelong passion for unique and creative garments. Once gained, a fascination
with the runway tends to be unshakable.
And
really, where else is there for a fashion enthusiast to turn other than to the
past? Luxury fashion is the endgame, as it were, to which hypebeast clothing
and streetwear served as a stepping-stone of sorts for many recent adolescents,
and with current seasons retailing at what are, for many, prohibitively
expensive prices, second-hand pieces represent a comparably affordable option –
at least when they’re not of ‘grail’ status. More than that, it’s a
sustainable, environmentally responsible practice, too, relying on pieces that
have already demonstrated their quality of construction and durability over the
decades to fill your wardrobe rather than draining fresh resources. These are
values which doubtless appeal to fashion devotees of all ages, largely immune
to shifts in cultural inclination.
Though
some archivists’ fields of interest might appear oddly narrow, perhaps it would
be to go too far to describe the community as an echo-chamber. Archivism might
have its internal spheres of hype and mutually assured infatuation, but it
still admits of an almost boundless degree of individualism. For all that
particular preoccupations might wane as tastes deviate, for all that some of
this fresh generation of menswear zealots will no doubt return in time to a
condition of sartorial apathy, the trading of designer pieces from past
collections, facilitated by the likes of Grailed, feels like a phenomenon with
real staying power not just for the devoted minority, but for the industry at
large.
The performance of Raf Simons’ Redux collection will be instructive for other labels of archival clout going forwards, a first real attempt to slash open the Gordian knot presented by the ascendance and, it seems, future resilience of the global consumer-to-consumer luxury fashion marketplace. The likes of Louis Vuitton and Loewe took to revisiting past marketing campaigns during the lockdown through their social channels; should Simons’ venture prove a success, we might expect to see houses make more concrete endeavours to re-connect with their former triumphs, already a common practice when it comes to haute couture collections but less typical of menswear, particularly. Yet with that said, Raf commands a degree of veneration virtually unparalleled in the strata of internet-based archival fashion circles; perhaps his mythicising touch makes for a benchmark ill-suited to his less rarefied peers.
