“Limited Edition” Doesn’t Mean Designers Can Skimp On Their Jobs
Posted by: Annika Harris
Filed in:
style
11:50AM, Monday July 27th 2009
Vivienne Westwood has released a line of limited-edition, postage-stamp pendants to commemorate her partners in London, Milan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul. Only 300 of the individually numbered “precious keepsakes” have been made. The pendants are meant to infuse the history and culture of each place with Westwood’s design aesthetic, but the traditional scalloped-edged, polished silver stamp pendants fall short. Not only is the idea of using stamps to signify travel rather trite, but the pendants also look like something I could pick up in any museum gift shop.
Westwood seems to have gotten lazy like several others in the fashion industry, who think labeling something “limited edition” or “exclusive” should be enough to start a buying frenzy. We’ve been duped by all those H&M and Target design collabos, especially Alexander McQueen’s offerings for Target. We’ve trekked to the stores and stood in line for hours only to discover that more effort went into styling the promo photos than designing the actual garments or other items. But cheap fabric and shoddy construction don’t stop people from buying because they just have to have No. 17 in a limited edition line of crap.
I say designers should stop drawing customers and collectors in with promises of exclusivity and should instead focus on the product itself. What good is a limited edition if you’re too embarrassed or disappointed to wear it?
TheFrisky.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
la calme avant la tempête
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 10:57 am: [report]
Agreed, and this doesn’t only go for “exclusive items” but for all items period. The other day I was at an upscale warehouse and wandered into the armani section. Some of the stuff I found in there just made me shudder. Tshirts with big rubbery prints that you just know will make you sweat like hell, plus after two washings they’ll look completely flaked. Shoddy, crooked seams (and not in a rock&roll;-this is supposed to look like this kind of way), cheap fabrik etc. If you have the balls to ask 150 euro for a tshirt, it better last me a lifetime.
Coral
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 12:04 pm: [report]
I think these stamp pendants are very cute—and they are unique in a way. There haven’t been other designers making stamp pendants. It’s a cool way to signify travel and the various cultures.