+10,000 Aura(lee)
December 28th - A recap on what I've been loving recently, two of 2024's top brands, and a short selection of picks.
Outfits
A few nights ago, I made a quick trip to Neighbour to pick up one final Christmas gift for one of my best friends. As always, I chatted with the team for a bit, talked about what’s coming up for the shop (apparently there’s are two new brands being added to their list that has blown away some of their staff - available SS25), and where I’m at with the current state of my wardrobe.
I feel like I’m trying to find a mix of playfulness and uniform, and it’s been a lot easier than I had expected. So, I’ve got two looks below for you to peek at:
As you can see, we’re in our “sophisticated clown” era again, and it feels great. I do have to start thinking about what I want to pack for Paris, but it’s hard when you’re only travelling carry-on, u feel me. Also, I’m kinda chapped since I missed out on Neighbour’s boxing day sale and they had the Short Duffle Coat by Lemaire at a stupidly good price.
Blast!
General Thoughts
“Do you work in fashion?”
That’s a question I’ll often hear, yet I don’t really know the proper answer for it. I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life trying to navigate within this space, however, I still don’t know where I fit. It’s hard not to have imposter syndrome when answering, so I usually reply back with “not really, but also a little.” Or, my partner answers for me (lol). Truthfully, I need to just start saying yes.
Prior to the uprising of Tik Tok, I would’ve said yes without hesitation as I had been working with brands to shoot their editorials, connecting with individuals online to discuss potential projects for their shops, brands, etc. Now, I feel like the fashion industry is fully booked up with the influencers you see flooding your feeds daily; making the same tired jokes, or discussing topics that have already been covered once, twice, three times, and more.
We need to challenge people more, bring in fresh perspectives, new work, and to not be afraid of ruffling feathers; worrying about what’s going to happen by simply disagreeing with someone’s opinion. Present Forever is someone I’ve recently subscribed to and have enjoyed reading their work, especially their interviews with brands like Archie, Works and Days, and Conkers. Very informative.
To bring this full circle, I don’t know where I stand in fashion. Maybe it’s better being an outsider than working from within? Or am I already in the deep end? I’ve got no clue.
What I’ve Been Loving
It’s the end of the year, so it’s been tough remaining engaged with anything fashion-related as everyone’s just wanting to wind down. Something I did love, though have yet to finish, is the interview with Jonathan Anderson for Fashion Neurosis that dropped two weeks ago. It’s brilliantly done by formatting it as a live therapy session, and Bella Freud, the host of the show, did get the acclaimed designer to just touch on why his outfits tend to be quite casual.
“I feel like I need to be some sort of blank canvas to project onto other people, ultimately.” Jonathan Anderson going over the simplicity of his outfits, whether if it’s after a presentation, or day-to-day life.
Cawley, a brand my partner and I both love dearly, released BTS of their AW25 collection which looks exceptionally beautiful. Something I’m aiming to do is strengthen my hat game, and Cawley is definitely one of, if not the, brand to look into if you’re looking for a gorgeous new companion for your head. Especially since it’s getting colder. The UK-based brand cares deeply for their relationships with their craftsmen, as their manufacturing remains local, and have made sustainable design an important point in their work since first starting.
Everything on their website is made-to-order, so I’ve highlighted a few of my favourites by the brand: Suede Back Curly Shell Hat, Leather Cow Hide Sandy Jacket, British Waxed Oilskin Kit Trench, Japanese Stripe Sophie Shirt, Suede Back Curly Hair Cap, Smooth Silk Rugby Shirt, and Portuguese Striped Wool Zip Jacket. If you’d like to see what’s already available, then you can peek at both Neighbour and Colbo to see what’s still in stock by the brand.
Vogue recently released a piece going over what sold in 2024, featuring buyers/owners from various shops throughout the US and Canada. Dries Van Noten, The Row and Lemaire remain at the top, however, there were two brands that stood out to me - Auralee and Sacai. The latter remains underrated. Despite having several successful collections/presentations over the past few years, the brand is one that I both don’t see enough of, nor do I hear very many people talking about Chitose Abe’s work which is absolutely criminal.
A common sentiment felt throughout the industry is the lack of risk-taking by numerous brands that are choosing to play it safe for the sake of selling. Chitose Abe, on the other hand, chooses violence and proceeds to release one of the best collections for AW24. What was shocking, and this was covered within Vogue’s article for the show, was how several looks appeared to be a concoction of various, separated pieces, yet they were actually all one-piece. The cuts, mash-ups of fabrics and cuts, patterns, etc - they are all terrific.
As for Auralee, the brand seems to be a hot commodity within stores, as most stores listed within the article mention how quickly it’s selling. The casual nature of each collection, along with the insane level of research and development by Ryota Ikai, founder of the brand, when it comes to fabrics and materials, has made the brand into what it is today. You can absolutely tell how much Ryota cares for his craft by simply throwing anything on by Auralee, as most garments tend to sit and fit beautifully, even for individuals like me that tend to be weary of Japanese sizing (I’ve got big shoulders, long arms - it’s a whole thing).
It’s a brand that’s has a more sophisticated customer, with its level of maturity in their collections, yet they have this youthfulness as well that attracts the younger customer that’s possibly exploring fashion for the first time. Their price points are also very affordable, considering the high quality of garment you’re getting.
Hypebeast recently released a piece on, one of my favourite people, Greg Jackson. If you haven’t peeked at my last few posts, Greg Laboratory remains as one the emerging new brands I’ve been loving recently. The brand’s futurist vision remains strong in their latest collection, highlighted by pieces such as their PC-IJ-24 Insulated Jacket, PC-IS23 Boxy Shirt, and PC-FT23 Trousers. Versatile, functional, and wonderfully designed. As a customer, I love this collection. As a friend, I’m incredibly happy for Greg. Man deserves his flowers.
Finally, in regards to music, I’ve been listening to a lot of Mark William Lewis recently, and recommend Pleasure Is Everything, available on Apple Music and Spotify. My Past Piano Songs, Pt. 2 by Chino Yoshio has also been on repeat this week.
Picks
We’re winding down for the year and gearing up for spring/summer, so I haven’t done too much digging recently. I’ve highlighted some of my favourites, and in the future, I hope to share some of these links as an affiliate, just so we can make some income to help fund other projects (e.g. surviving in Paris to tackle interviews for the newsletter). Also, maybe snag a coffee as a lil reward.
*on sale
Adidas
Taekwondo Shoes(?)
$104.24CAD
Rier
Embroidered Foulard
$187.62CAD
Comme des Garçons Homme Plus
Sequin Long-Sleeve Shirt
$1,240.39
Auralee*
Wool Soft Cord Knit
$865CAD
Insait
Trigon Cargo “Grey”
$195CAD
XLIM*
02 Knit Sweater
$224CAD
Cordera
Black & Brown Baby Alpaca Beanie
$125CAD
Jan-Jan Van Essche*
Black O-Project Corduroy Jacket
$687CAD
Ver
Arc Jacket
$915.30CAD
Unkruid
Janker Jacket
$1,630CAD
Comme des Garçons Homme Plus*
Black Buttons Short
$1,196CAD
Pet-tree-kor*
Black Resonance Pleat Sweater
$469CAD
Amachi
Gradation Knit
$1,845CAD
Rier
Walker Jacket Black Flowers Felted Wool
$1,875CAD
Maison Margiela
Future Antique Distressed Leather Brown
$569.57CAD
Seya
Eternal Shirt Fine Grained Tweed
$690CAD
Cecile Tulkens
Black Fur Stitch Jacket
$3,056.93CAD
Closing Notes
We’re finally preparing for our PFW trip. I’m currently working on scheduling a few interviews for Duchump, though I will do my best to cover fashion week in general as best as I can. I’ve tried dishing out emails to secure an invitation, but have yet to hear back from, well, everyone.
I wish smaller creators would get invited to events and shows; getting a glimpse of what their lives could be if they keep working hard. For myself, I’ve always wanted to have a publication that gets invited to presentations and showrooms, especially as a Canadian since we really don’t have much out here offering such coverage.
Anyway, until then, I’ll start posting more frequently now that we’re back to full health. Thank the good lord in the sky.
Thanks for reading!
Your support is greatly appreciated as I continue working towards growing this newsletter and slowly turning it into something bigger. The end goal is to turn this into a publication, featuring interviews with individuals within the fashion realm, covering collections and shows, etc. Maybe we can make it to fashion week - who knows.
My only ask is if you can please like, subscribe and share this post if you found it helpful, fun, or if it just helped pass the time tbh.
As always, thank you for your support. Love ya.
- Chris
so many brands mentioned in this post speak to me! i love Sacai and often hunt for it on resale and Cawley is more of a recent discovery (i also decided to improve my hat game) that hurts because of the import taxes from UK to the EU. but i want all those hats so badly!!
I’m curious about your thoughts on Auralee’s rapid rise. Do you think their approach to fabric innovation is setting a new standard for contemporary brands, or is it a niche appeal?