Vidur: The finer attributes of Contemporary Menswear

Menswear can be courageous. A lot of details that didn’t previously exist are making their way into “contemporary menswear”. There are a lot of layers, fluidity, structural minimalism, and bright natural colours. My assessment would be that these clothes are ‘constructed’ piece by piece.  Vidur is a contemporary menswear brand headed by RCA graduate Raj Mistry. Founded in 2012, the brand’s other co-founder has a background in music, and I think that aesthetically, Vidur has succeeded in carving-out a distinctive awareness around who they are and what they stand for. I would like to discuss two of Vidur’s distinguishing characteristics which I feel bring light to their design philosophy; the integration of athleticism and functionality, and the use of natural materials. 

We are currently witnessing a period of experimentation in the menswear design scene. My reading of the situation is that dressing down is central to this experimentation. Athletic silhouettes are not new to contemporary menswear. In my very short life, I recall an era in the late 90s and early 2000s when dressing down blue denims with Nike Airmaxes was very popular. This grew to be normalized through brands such as Common Projects who designed and made sneakers that didn’t feel ‘sporty’ at all. In 2015, I still like to wear my Adidas sneakers to the office either with raw denims or chinos. This is because of how functional it feels. Vidur have made this element of “functionality” to be at the core of their design philosophy, and this is refreshing and relevant.

Vidur also use natural materials in their garment making. This is important, particularly the use of natural colour. Indigo dyeing is one of the oldest traditions in the world. It’s nearly impossible for large-scale clothing manufacturers to use natural indigo partly because of its scarcity, but mainly because it’s a lengthy process. So these manufacturers use artificial indigo dyes. Major problem with that is once the artificial indigo dye is used, the water can’t be reused (because it’s contaminated). This may seem like a minor issue if you’re dying small amounts, but if we’re talking about millions of tons of clothes dyed in artificial indigo each year, how much of that water goes to waste? Vidur are clear about how they are constantly engaging with their manufacturers and mills to keep the natural composition of their clothes at an optimum. The use of natural materials is becoming just as critical as a brands other unique selling points.

I believe that this brand will continue to cause global headwinds. In 2013, they were selected by Vogue Italia as “one of the menswear talents to watch”, and after discovering them at last month’s Copenhagen Fashion Week, I agree fully with Vogue Italia’s endorsement. Keep going Vidur.

SS14 Lookbook credits: 
Photographer: Harry Sleightholme
Model: Suren @ AMCK 

SS15 Lookbook credits:
Photographer: Jamie Stoker
Model: Eliot @ SUPA
Grooming: Dan Delgado
Styling: Charlotte James

Perpetual rags of the second-hand clothing market

article originally published in phsicsmag's A Universal Language issue available for download here

Much of the commentary around the secondhand clothing market seems to be content with continuing on with the current secondhand clothing business model provided clothes in Western countries don’t pile up at landfills. Fashion is increasingly becoming disposable because of the way conventional retail has diminished what used to be considered as one’s ‘basic capsule’; a pair of jeans, a coat, a few dress shirts, and so on. Fast fashion retail isn't the sole contributor to the issue of unwanted clothes.  In the secondhand market, charities collect clothes from donors and sell them to secondhand dealers at a profit. The dealers determine among themselves, the market prices for the clothes without any economic references. When you factor all that in, along with the imported clothes from low income sourcing destinations which drive up the demand for secondhand items by contributing to contractions in domestic textile industries, the secondhand issue is enormous. 

I would like to respond to some critical questions on this topic which aren't being answered. Do we need a secondhand clothing market? Yes, I believe people should be given the right to choose to buy secondhand goods or otherwise. Should we regulate it? Yes, especially in countries where domestic industries are hurt by it. Does it add value? Sadly not; even though affordability is certain, the economic considerations for producing brand new clothes through stimulating local economies are far much greater. Even the people employed by the secondhand clothing market would  be better off benefiting from established, transparent, regulated industries where things such as retirement plans and social benefits actually exist. What should retailers do to prevent stockpiles of unwanted clothes? Perhaps fast fashion’s next drive should be to recycle clothes. You return an old unwanted item to a Zara or H&M and they top up your purchasing credit with it or something similar. This will be more aboveboard and less stringent on resources. The secondhand clothing market is a present day reality.

For more on the AUL Story:
A Universal Language Film can be watched here
Phsics Media online platforms Digital Timeless Facebook / Youtube / Twitter 

Private Life Collection by Phsics.Private

Contextualizing Private Life’s design brief is like driving in reverse through a mountain pass. This was a complex collection from its inception. It was the result of the frustration I had working on Phsics.Private’s first collection back in 2012, and I must have penned it more than five times. Accompanying the Private Life brief was a figurative moodboard which captured the symbolism behind the idea of the Private Life. The overall design philosophy behind this capsule collection can be attributed to a Margiela, Coppens, or Simons (notice how they’re all Belgian), alright then we can add Touitou to that list. Of all the Phsics brands, Phsics.Private has to be the one I’m most careful about. Being a participant and a commentator at the same time can leave you exposed. When I set up Phsics.Private back in 2012, I wanted to establish a link between my magazine publication and my higher-order imagination. I wanted to feel what the designers I wrote about felt, and I wanted to see what they saw. It’s possible to achieve all of these from an editorial standpoint too, but my experience so far has taught me that playing on the field and watching on grandstands are concepts which are at extremes of each other. So then, what is Private Life? 

The Private Life is a state of completeness. It’s about being able to see beyond your imagination. What I’ve observed along the years is how the ‘culture of fashion’ evolved into the ‘fashionable culture’, where anyone who chooses to live it becomes content with the allure of ‘living in the moment’. The Private Life is a bold statement which says, ‘I don’t have to be part of this fashionable culture, but I still possess great taste and sensibility’. The intricacies behind this collection are what make it so fascinating. It’s more than a clothing capsule collection, there’s an underlying discourse within it. An eye opening dissertation which the Private Life collection introduces so effectively is that of the ‘quality of life’.  

Lastly, I really hate sounding like a capitalist, but these capsules are the fuel to the business. The magazines I put out, the documentary work I’ve done so far, music and photography clearances, a major part of what I’ve put out was supported by this brand extension. Many thanks to my incredible team comprised of Marco Oggian, my designer, and Nedret Eren, my manufacturer. My next collection will be for women, but until then, guys can pre-order the Private Life by emailing me at soulphsics07@gmail.com

Blessings

// Crewneck – USD35.00

// T-Shirt – USD25.00 

Photographer Marco Oggian

Model Paolo Rossi

Location Laveno, Italy

Creative Director Tebogo Mohlahlana 

A Universal Language Trailer: Maddy’s Story

In PhsicsMag’s 4^th annual issue, I wanted to move out of my comfort zone. Writing about music was exactly that. Music is a domain which I don’t normally ‘examine’ because people’s emotions always seem to be heavily invested in it. I find it unfair that artists are rated and ranked based on what they've accomplished. Releasing an album is an accomplishment; it’s like giving birth to a baby. Imagine if all the new born babies in the world were rated and ranked based on what they looked like or how much they weighed or something, that would be messing with people’s emotions. The commercialization of music has created a culture of unnecessary comparison and evaluation based on appeal or segmentation. For those who are interested in media studies, a scholar by the name of Marshall McLuhan once said “the medium is the message”. My interpretation of his statement is that when a music video is streamed on MTV for example, MTV is the medium, therefore it (MTV) is that message; the message is not in the content of the music videos which it streams! It’s an interesting notion for understanding the current state of media and its portrayal of youth culture, religion, race, and anything else you can think of.  

Earlier this year, I established Digital Timeless (Phsics.DigitalTimeless) to be the “medium” that Mr. Marshall McLuhan spoke of. Digital Timeless is a vertical agency for PhsicsMedia. In simple terms, we cover content creation from its inception right to its projection. Digital Timeless allows PhsicsMedia to be a ‘cable network’ that makes films, clothes, magazines and coffees (my good friend Vanessa Bolosier knows this), and still be able to be cool. We’re so secure about what we want to achieve that being in trend isn’t a factor for us. Our Youtube Channel will premiere many of our future works with A Universal Language being our very first. With AUL I want to achieve an effective connection between the Les Deux brand and young, progressive artists from Los Angeles. Maddy McFly (formerly of the duo Sound Fx) is one of them, and we’ll be revealing our other subject in AUL’s next trailer. This is fascinating because Les Deux is a clothing brand from Copenhagen. By bringing the two worlds together, we’re able to align them with a set of values which a globally relevant; humanity, grace, fluidity, respect, and substance. AUL is the first film I’ve ever produced and although this is its first trailer (we’re dropping another one soon) I’d just like to appreciate the contributions of my co-pilots Jared Soule, Andreas von de Hoider, and Kal Mokhtar. The full documentary will premiere on our Youtube Channel along with PhsicsMag’s 4^th annual issue in early 2014. Stay blessed