The Spirit of Punk

This is not a review of MET GALA Punked up Celebrities

We’ve seen the celebrities.

And of course Madonna. ( Still in love with her since 1986)

But I want to remind all the Fashion Lovers who may be too young to have missed this awesome time frame when once upon a time, Punk was really about that DIY spirit, when a smart A@@ common folk like you and me picked up a paper clip and made history.

It was never meant to be fashionable but an explosive spirit of youthful self-assurance that rocked out to CBGB.

Unruly.

Unkept.

Slashed.

Definitely not polished.

And even Naive!

But the spirit of self-expression is genuine and fun and you are suppose to make it yourself or with your friends.

Then like all the other youth movements that came before, Punk has become standarized, codified, and on the Red Carpet.

Is it wrong? Depends on which angle you take but what is sure is that when that spirit of independence is mass-produced, something’s gotta give.

I still remember the closed down of CBG in St. Marks right down the street from my college back in early 2000’s. Together with is, Punk became fashion history.

Ironically, it’s through mass-produced fashion brands that the next generation of young fashionistas are reminded of Punk.

Givency featured on Moda Operandi

Mother of Punk: Vivienne Westwood.

Minimal Type of Gal

Model Kiko Mizuhara

Do you find yourself always the woman looking from outside in and surrounded by 4 white walls and nothing else?

But you prefer it that way anyways, as the empty space allows you to breath and think in your own pace and on your own terms.

You are the type of woman who’s perfectly fine left to her own device, because you know all too well that the glitter of parties and juices of gossips never amuse you as much as your own thoughts.

Between you and me, though you don’t mind the occasional bother by these gossipmongers and party butterflies, you and I both understand that they are a bore to you.

Nothing they offer can be taken home.

Nothing they offer will last long.

A smart woman such as you, create your own space and maintain it so that when the true inspiration finally comes, you are ready to seize it.

So when Black Iris comes, or black inspiration in flower speak, a minimal type of gal such as you is too shrewd to let if fly away;

From you.

Without you.

Black Iris Satchel from Black Iris Collection www.modarevise.com

Speak Fashion! Part I

Ever find yourself at a loss when conversing with a designer about his/her concepts for the products you so admire?

Fear no MORE! Our artistic director has decided to contribute to Moda’s blog this week, and help you decipher the many fashion jargons designers like herself spew out to loyal customers like you :D

Emotional, Conversational, and Bread and Butter

“When we design, we don’t just design whatever we feel like it, in fact a lot of research goes into one single bag you see on the rack. We need to make sure whatever new styles we come up with will cover the all grounds of the Emotional, Conversational and Bread and Butter.

An Emotional piece is a piece that provokes consumers on a personal level. This piece is usually developed to be added into existing line of products but with a bit more bells and whistles.

Case in point, let’s say we decide to add a tote into upcoming season’s new collection, instead of simply creating it as a regular tote, we design it to be “Mom’s Shopper”, providing an emotional anchor point that consumers can easily respond to.

As Mom’s Shopper, it will come with additional exterior pockets and more interior compartments to hold the many real life responsibilities all mom will be juggling. The size will also be slightly larger because as we all know, MOMS have a lot MORE to carry literally and figuratively.

As you can see, an emotional piece is created out of an idea people can connect to on a personal and emotional level. Then we further validate their reasons to purchase by offering features that support the initial idea constructionally and visually.

A Conversational piece is a piece that people want to talk about and not always have the reason to purchase. It’s the centerpiece that grabs every one’s attention and may even exhibits that “je ne sais qoui” quality people cannot explain. Think about why you gawk at Lady Ga Ga’s outfit, that is the ultimate conversational piece of costume she’s wearing. Will you buy it, hell no, but you certainly did look at it didn’t you!

And don’t tell me you didn’t tell your girlfriends about it either!

But why would anyone want to create a Conversational piece if you can’t even make money off of it? Because it draws you into the store to look at the Emotional pieces you will buy, and the Bread and Butter pieces you will need. Same reason as to why Haute Couture runway show exists. You watch the runway but only buy its pret-a-porter pieces.

Lastly, what is Bread and Butter pieces? As you may have already guessed, these are the styles you purchase because YOU NEED THEM! These are the every day and functional bags you will need to assist you in your every day life and routine.

For some it’s the crossbody that makes you look super chic and at the same time allows your hands go free while walking. Or it may be the oversized tote you carry to work everyday, stuffed with letter sized documents, makeup case, cellphone, even your ipad and so much more.

It is your bread and butter as much as ours, for we use these pieces to create a solid and consistent brand image season after season, year after year. If any bread and butter pieces are in demand year after year regardless of seasonal trend and/or price, then we will bump it up to what we called the “Signature” category and become Moda’s classic style.

In short, a successful design of any category be it emotional, conversational, or bread and butter, should be able to relate back to each other and introduce each other’s uniqueness. Most importantly every new style we add should always speak true of the brand’s image and message.”