5 Outfits & their Music Counterparts : How Music and Outfits Tell a Story

As stated previously, the goal of this site is to establish a connection between the world and its people through what we wear and what we hear and finding and relating the emotions of what’s in our ears and on our backs. In a world where divisiveness seems to be at an all-time high, it is imperative to find the connections between our world and each other, especially in aspects of life we enjoy, but often find our differences in. This post will be dedicated to manifesting the exact mantra we have set. Finding outfits from prominent fashion kings, and connecting them to music. Quite often an inividuals journey is mirrored in their song choices as well as their fashion choices. You can almost get a sense of where an individual is at in their life based on their closet and playlist. From here on, we will expolore this theory.

 

Ezra Koenig for High Snobiety & Vampire Weekend’s “Unbearably White”

“I ran up the mountain, out of your sight. The snow on the peak was just unbearably white.” The talks of snow and a peak compliment the use of his jacket, a patterned fleece that catches the eye instantly. The song additionally goes through its own peaks and valleys, building up and then coming back down to earth even ending on isolated vocals. This connects to his choice of footwear, socks, and sandals. From head to toe,  an eye-catching fleece, out of the ordinary salmon chinos, and finally it all isolates itself to socks and sandals. Its almost a mountain climbing or hiking outfit from head to legs, but the sandals completely take that notion of hiking out of the equation. This could put into perspective the lyric “There’s an avalanche coming. Don’t cover your eyes. It’s what you thought that you wanted
It’s still a surprise” A lyric which can be interpreted to be about life, sometimes we want or need change, but we curl up, or are not prepared and attempt to avoid it, even if it was what we wanted. Almost as if going on a mountainous landscape in sandals, and wanting to see snow, but still being surprised.

 

 

 

 

Jonah Hill & Jaden Smith’s “Watch Me”

“Watch me, watch me. Watch me, do this. Watch me, watch me. Watch me, do this.” When Jonah Hill, the fit god, went out in public and saw paparazzi he did one thing, told his friends “Watch This” and tucked in his vintage Phoenix Suns Jersey into his pants, and walked out, confident. This is complimented by the boisterous Jaden Smith tune is an anthem for those who are confident in themselves, and know that any choice they make, whether career based (i.e. Jonah Hill’s directorial debut with A24 “Mid-90s”), or fashion-based (i.e this outfit) will become almost instantly successful, or at the very least talked about. Jaden’s voice mimics the Phoenix Suns jersey, relaxed, calm, but simultaneously eye-catching like the chorus where he goes into an aggressive. While the drums and bass work in conjunction with Jonah’s choice of bottoms, sophisticated, classic, and overall in great taste.

 

 

 

 

 

Kanye West during Sunday Service & Kanye West’s “Everything We Need”

“We began after the storm inside.” This is a strong statement to open up a seemingly upbeat song. The line could be interpreted as not being able to find one’s true self until going through fierce hardships within themselves. Something this Hip Hop icon has seemed to have done many times over, and all right in front of mainstream America’s eyes. His outfit during one of his recent Sunday Service outings tells a similar story. Previous eras of Kanye fashion has been extravagant, “you can’t get this but I have it” type of style. This is apparent in a verse in one of his early works “All Falls Down” off his debut The College Dropout. “Then I spent four hundred bucks on this Just to be like, you ain’t up on this.” But after rediscovering his faith and Christianity, it is no question that he has dialed it back and this outfit is a testament to that. Tame monochromatic earth tones, almost reminiscent of biblical attire, match the lyrics of this song. “We have everything we need” why would we need another outlandish outfit. However, Kanye is sporting a pair of his YEEZY foam runners, which compliment the futuristic synth at the end of the track. The track and this outfit bring the past and future into one singular idea.

Tyler, The Creator at the 2020 Grammy’s & Tyler, The Creator’s “PUPPET”

Grammys 2020: Tyler, the Creator calls urban category 'a politically correct way to say the N-word' - Insider

I’m your puppet, you control me.” “What is your wish? It can be granted.” Two unnerving lines from Tyler, the Creator on the tack puppet off his recent album IGOR. Listening to this song, it is fitting that he chose to wear a concierge inspired outfit at the most recent iteration of the Grammys. Looking like a character straight out of Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, the pink tone is an eye-catching display. Accompanying Tyler, a suitcase filled with his newest GOLF collection, a fashion brand he started himself. The song is a chilling ode to letting yourself go for the sake of someone else, almost acting like their servant. (i.e their concierge) Sparking pianos contrast the melancholy lyrics, and features a cameo from recently mentioned Kanye West almost acting like his guardian angel trying to help him come to his senses, putting yourself in that position isn’t a life you want to live. The song ends with a phrase uttered by Jerrod Carmichael, “But at some point, you come to your senses.” At some point, Tyler will come to his senses and get out of the concierge outfit. He will then put on what is in the suitcase which represents his true self, breaking out of the box.

Travis Scott in Celine Spring 2011 & Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode”

“Y’all know I don’t follow suit” It is no secret that the Kanye West and Travis Scott comparisons have came in droves ever since the Houston Rapper stepped on the scene. However, he has managed to carve out his own scene and catapulte himself into super stardom. This outfit’s main piece is a vitage Celine Spring 2011 blouse, something so iconically worn by Kanye West in his era defining Coachella performance during that same year. It would seem to not be a good move to wear something so tightly connected to someone who you draw comparisons to so frequently. However, Vogue summed up Travis’ exectuion of  this outfit so perfectly. “Scott’s good taste in vintage was underscored by his inventive styling. Rather than replicate West’s blingy, bare-chested approach, he did his own thing, throwing on ripped jeans, the Air Force Ones from Comme des Garcon’s Nike collaboration, and an oversized platinum Cuban link chain. These new elements combined to create an outfit that felt fresh instead of borrowed from West’s fashion oeuvre.” The same goes for his chart topping Drake featured song “Sicko Mode” off his #1 album Astroworld. This was the moment when he stepped out of the shadow and into the spotlight and established himself as Hip Hops new resident superstar. It’s avant garde song structure and production choices are remenicent of some of West’s best work, but it feels fresh instead of “borrowed from West’s musical oeuvre”

Cactus Jack Sent Me: How Merch & Music Hit New Heights with Travis Scott’s McDonald’s Collaboration

 

 

“Cactus Jack Sent Me.” The phrase uttered across the map as Travis Scott unleashed his new collaboration with McDonald’s. The two titans of their industry let their worlds collide as McDonald’s released the “Travis Scott Meal” and Travis branded his coveted merch with their logo. This is no small feat, as McDonald’s has not had a meal branded by an individual since Michael Jordan almost 30 years ago. However, it is quite obvious why McDonald’s chose the enigma that is Travis Scott.

Travis Scott & Merch

According to the BBC, “T-Shirts work well as a way of connecting artists and fans. They become visual shorthand and send out a message that the actor whose name is emblazoned on their chest is definitely worth checking out. In an age of saturated social media activity, a T-Shirt spotted in the real world can, through great design, stand out and put musicians in the eye line of people who might otherwise be unaware of them.” There is no better example of this than La Flame himself, Travis Scott. A protégé to Kanye West, Travis has continued in the same shoes as Kanye. They have managed to transcend their music and have begun merchandising to the masses, from sneakers, tour merch, and everywhere in between. To be a Travis Scott fan, you cannot just have the music in your earbuds, you have to own one of his many pieces. Whether you went to the Astroworld Tour and got your hands on a “Wish You Were Here” T-Shirt, or you got lucky and managed to obtain one of his Nike or Jordan Brand collaborations. To be a Travis Scott fan, you have to be easily identifiable in a crowd, often so you can connect with another fan. This community is what makes someone like Travis Scott so different, able to glue together people from different backgrounds, and all give them a sense of commonality. However, there are those few that do not know who he is. This is where the merch acts as a marketing tool to get their name plastered on a T-Shirt on kids all on Main Street USA. But what could fast track that marketing, and plaster Travis Scott across more parts of the country? That answer: McDonald’s.Travis Scott Astroworld Wish You Were Here - 836651013

 

McDonald’s takes a trip to Astroworld

September 3rd, 2020. McDonald’s teases new collaboration with Travis Scott, and the twitter world goes into a meltdown. A new Travis Scott meal (Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese add Lettuce and Bacon, Fries with BBQ sauce, and a Sprite) sends Travis fans (in their “Wish You Were Here” T-shirts) to their nearest McDonald’s almost instantly, causing some stores to experience a beef shortage. But, everyone knows this would not be complete without a merch drop, and fans were not disappointed. McDonald’s emblems were plastered side by side to Cactus Jack and Travis Scott insignia, from nugget body pillows, vintage 90s inspired T-Shirts, a life-size cutout of a Travis action figure, and almost anything else you could think of, fans ate it up as fast as they did the McDonald’s meal. The merch bordered on parody, reminiscent of vintage T-shirt that would rehash the McDonald’s logos into lewd depictions. But this was different, maybe it was how tasteful and trendy it was done, or maybe it was the community behind it. One thing is for sure, “Cactus Jack sent me” will be ringing through drive-thrus for as long as people can get their hands on this collaboration, and even more so after in the Travis Scott lore established across his fan community.

Travis Scott x McDonald's McNugget Body Pillow

McNugget Body Pillow

Travis Scott x McDonald's Jack Smile II T-Shirt Multi - FW20

 

Additional Reads: Complex: Top 10 Travis Scott x McDonald’s Merch Items

BBC: More than merch: why band T-Shirts are so important

 

 

 

Bootleggers: Grateful Dead & Vampire Weekend’s Merch Driven Fandom

Merch has long been a staple in the music lover’s wardrobe. You see your favorite band live, or visit their website and buy their merch, but you almost never have a say in their design. They may be your favorite band sonically, but sometimes their merch game is lacking. That’s where bands like the Grateful Dead and Vampire Weekend differ. Sure, they sell officially licensed merch, but their fans have built a community off bootleg merch designs.

Bootleg merch is not a new thing, you can find it anywhere, but what differentiates these two bands, in particular, is they embrace the bootlegged merch and have integrated it almost seamlessly into their personas. Instagram accounts such as FromTheFreezer and FromTheLot serve as digital archives for fan-made bootlegs, establishing a community where fans can connect and draw inspiration for their own designs.  Vampire Weekend Frontman Ezra echoed this sentiment in Rolling Stone, “I really like the amount of homemade tie-dye jobs and bootleg merch I’ve been seeing at shows. I think there’s something about this album (2019s Father of the Bride) that, maybe because of all these symbols, encourages people to do their own thing with it. It obviously feels good to sell a bunch of merch, but it also feels good to look out see that people took the symbols and made their own hats and shirts.”

On the Grateful Dead side, LA based Online Ceramics have gone from part of the Bootleg community, to designing for Dead and Co. shows and establishing a full Grateful Dead collection known as Turtle River. It is no secret that this started with music, fans adorning at the sonics blasting from their guitars to (in Vampire Weekends case) Sonic the hedgehog based bootleg T- Shirts. The bootleg merch of these bands has established a community that expands beyond their music and establishes connections and relatations amongst their fans.

 

 

Keep that Same ENERGY: Brain Dead x The North Face Fall ’20 & Disclosure’s Energy.

August 28, 2020. Amidst a global pandemic, Disclosure & Brain Dead released two collections that relied on the same basic principles: Energy & Earth.

In a pandemic where isolation is encouraged, one place of solace in the outdoors. Isolating amongst our landscape has not been lost, as most and more people engage in hiking, running, and rock climbing. Field Mag heralded the collection as “the best climbing gear of 2020”, and rightfully so. Iconic insignia for both brands are plastered across the collection but in a tasteful way. The overall theme of the collection: STAMP OUT REALITY, a strong statement that is undoubtedly something that people wish could easily be done in times like this.

 

 

The North Face and Brain Dead collection would be the perfect attire to scale the limestone canyons of Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, the recent site of Disclosure’s Cercle live streamed DJ Set to promote the release of their album ENERGY. ENERGY is a dance fueled journey through that takes you around the world in a time when taking a trip is just not what it used to be.  ENERGY takes you to the dancefloors of Africa, to the UK and Southern California and everywhere in between.

 

Iconic face for the UK based EDM due Disclosure

The connection between these two collections is apparent. From the Deluxe album track “Expressing What Matters” on ENERGY a fresh take on the 1976 track “Lowdown” by Boz Scaggs, the same year that the  North Face Mountain Parka that inspired the Brain Dead collection was released. “Expressing What Matter” has a constant driving kick that provides  consistency under the bellowing Boz Scaggs samples, and ringing high-hats. This is the same for the Moutain Parka from the Brain Dead Collection, with a Green Zipper providing the consistency sandwiched between a scattered pattern of Brain Dead and The North Face insignia.

 

It is no secret, that Disclosure and Brain Dead both successfully captured what they were aiming for with each collection, whether it’s striving to STAMP OUT REALITY and explore the outdoors amidst isolation, or  bringing the ENERGY to those in isolation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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