"It has not been easy since the beginning. I had no money, but I had the enthusiasm. You know, my parents had no money. But I think for me it has been better, because I know that with nothing I can do something… If you have passion, nothing is impossible. If you are obsessed by something and you want to do it, you will find a solution to do it..."

We beg you to turn display images on. Click here to open in your browser. Thursday - April 17, 2014 "It has not been easy since the beginning. I had no money, but I had the enthusiasm. You know, my parents had no money. But I think for me it has been better, because I know that with nothing I can do something… If you have passion, nothing is impossible. If you are obsessed by something and you want to do it, you will find a solution to do it..."  - Jean Paul Gaultier rantnrave:// Are fast-fashion knockoffs a form of piracy? Or is it all a remix?... Can wearables be functional and fashionable?... RAY-BAN's gotta be happy about VP BIDEN's first INSTAGRAM post. This is okay but SAMSUNG's in hot water over DAVID ORTIZ's selfie with OBAMA?... As a man who counts beard-growing among his few innate talents, I'm not pleased about this PEAK BEARD nonsense... Daily dose of cultural disorientation: this Japanese typeface that blends KATAKANA with OLDE ENGLISH. - Adam Wray (adam.wray@redefgroup.com) Curator, FashionREDEF heels The shirt on your back: the human cost of the Bangladeshi garment industry theguardian.com How did the clothes you're wearing get to you? Guardian journalists trace the lifecycle of the shirt on your back via the teeming workshops of Dhaka, where labour is cheap, factories are cheaper and just going to work can be fatal. Chinese Models Break Barriers in Fashion and Business style.com "Sometimes a Westerner will say to channel the thirties or forties during a photo shoot," says New York-based model Xiao Wen Ju. "I want to tell them what China was up to then... it would terrify them!" In My Skin I Win: Shaun Ross on Beauty Standards at TEDxHackney 2014 ted.com Albino model Shaun Ross gives an inspiring talk on beauty standards. Killer Shoes: the Connection Between Fashion and Violence highsnobiety.com They found him - Michael Eugene Thomas - on May 2, 1989. He was 15. Strangled. Barefoot. Soon after, David Martin, a "basketball buddy," would be charged with his murder whose motive was so horrifying that it sent ripples around the world. Uncovering Clues in Frida Kahlo’s Private Wardrobe collectorsweekly.com Frida Kahlo wore her heart on her sleeve, though not the way one might think. In real life, as on the canvases of her many self-portraits, Kahlo used fashion to channel her physical and emotional insecurities into statements of strength, heritage, and beauty. Interview: Robert Kirkbride on Design, Part I tackmag.com Robert Kirkbride specializes primarily in architecture and product design. But his thoughtful and steadfast commitment to exploring the full realm of design-including our relationship to what, how and why we design-makes the breadth of his work especially unique. American Fashion A to Z style.com A highly subjective look back at the people, places, and turning points that made American fashion what it is. Why Young Designers Struggle to Find Investors fashionista.com For the vast majority of labels, investors don't come knocking until business is truly booming. Here's how emerging brands make it work in the meantime. From Apple products to DIY and fashion: how grey became the colour of the decade theguardian.com At Topshop in London's Oxford Circus, the outlook is misty. Faded varsity sweatshirts and charcoal leggings hang on the rails. Teenage girls weave in and out of the aisles dressed in grey-marl jogging bottoms. For Young Traders, a Market Where Air Jordans Are Blue Chips nytimes.com With sneakers slung around their shoulders and pockets full of cash, young boys huddle in hotel ballrooms and high school gyms, shouting and bartering as if they belong on a trading room floor. flats Geek Chic? Why Fashion Is Holding Off on Wearables mashable.com After receiving an invitation for this year's fifth annual Fashion 2.0 Awards, an event that acknowledges the fashion industry's savviest digital programs and technology outputs, you can imagine my panic in selecting the perfect ensemble. As the Market’s Appetite for Handbags Cools, Prada Looks to the Future fool.com Both emerging and mature markets are cooling off on their demand for luxury goods. Certain economies, like China for instance, are experiencing a slowdown and citizens have cut back on spending. Europe is also in the midst of a slowdown in their economic cycle. Soft wear: computer simulated design is tailoring the future fashion industry dw.de Scissors, needles and mannequins may now be relegated to the dustbin of the clothing industry. Fashion designers are increasingly designing their new collections digitally - with simulation software. Thu Thu founder Thuy Duong Nguyen Find Inspirations in Vietnam's Northern Highlands scmp.com Designer Thuy Duong Nguyen tells Divia Harilela how the discovery of a fabric in a remote Vietnamese village led to the founding of her fashion label. The end of aspirational: What’s next for luxury brands in a plateauing market? slate.com The luxury market has finally plateaued. It's time for brands to choose sides. The A/W14 Fashion Material Dictionary anothermag.com Every season fashion throws out a word that has editors reaching for their dictionary. There was devoré (a pattern formed by burning the pile away with acid), Trompe-l'œil (a visual illusion in art) and the season Versace created Vunk, Donatella's high end take on punk. Fear not the hipster beard: it too shall pass theconversation.com If you haven't been outdoors in a few years, you might not have noticed that beards are back. Back in such a big way that apparently many New York hipsters are paying north of US$8,000 for " facial hair transplants " to embellish their patchy beards. Jean Paul Gaultier Talks Madonna, Miley, and Coming Out nymag.com In his latest publicity appearance for the exhibition " From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk," Jean Paul Gaultier sat down with Suzy Menkes at London's Barbican last night for an on-stage interview. Designer Collaborations Don't Sell and That's Okay thefashionlaw.com Over the weekend, Alexander Wang announced his impending collection with H&M. What exactly the status of the designer x mass market retailer is right now is up in the air a bit. Faith and Monochrome: Investigating the Colour Red in Religious Dress vestoj.com To conclude the series investigating the role of colour to various religious cultures, we look at red as a potent communicator of various spiritual ideals. As the other instalments have illustrated, white and black possess a relatively uniform message across religious faiths. Prabal Gurung and Steven Kolb Have Some Good Advice for Fashion Students fashionista.com Fashion students are always on the hunt for the secrets to success, and earlier this week an audience at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus got to hear Council of Fashion Designers of America CEO Steven Kolb speak to fashion designer Prabal Gurung about his. Interview: Petra Collins x Tavi Gevinson On Instagram, Bodies & Rihanna oystermag.com I first discovered Petra Collins when forming the staff for my magazine Rookie, in 2011, and knew right away that her sensibility was exactly what our publication should aim to capture. Looking Back at Danny Lyon's Iconic 1960s Photos of Bikers vice.com Last fall, while I was working as a book designer for the Aperture Foundation, the photography nonprofit, a first-edition copy of of Danny Lyon's The Bikeriders from 1968 was placed on my desk in a plastic folder. The Bikeriders is the first book by the now-legendary photographer; copies like the one I was given go for $700. "Sunlight on the Faded" - Laurel Halo via YouTube Click here for more idea morsels. redef.com. Like what you see? Spread the love. SEND TO A FRIEND   “REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’” — @JasonHirschhorn YOU DON'T GET IT? Subscribe - Unsubscribe   WHO WE BE REDEF, Inc. 95 Morton Street // New York, NY 10014 www.redef.com