“People will look foolish in the name of “fashion”. – Oladipo Efunkoya Jr., Curator at The Blvd Experience
I’ve always been a firm believer that corporate and culture don’t mix. On one end you have corporate – a concoction of unapologetically artificial elitists, capitalists, appropriators, co-opts and opportunists who thrive off disingenuous ulterior motives. On the other end, you have the culture – this organic and authentic being that blossoms in light of a lifestyle of the have-nots, largely due to the perpetrations of corporate. The two obviously polarizing groups have very little in common yet sustain a symbiotic relationship; both need each another to propel to higher altitudes.
Wiz Khalifa echoed my sentiments in the song, “Mia Wallace,” from his album, Taylor Allderdice: “When we start out we don’t have sh*t. We really make do with what we have, and in turn, that turns into like million-dollar corporations. But what labels don’t have is that mind frame and that spark that makes that million dollars, you know what I’m saying? They know how to manifest that and make more millions off of that, but they don’t have that spark.“
Eventually the needs of corporate morph into the exploitation of culture for capital gains. Corporate’s latest dubious plot on culture? The recent “resurgence and acceptance” of streetwear by the world of high-end, luxury fashion.
A fashion blogger sent me a link to