For the next Defrag event, we’ll be investigating the contemporary phenomenon of “hype”. From waiting in line to cop the latest crepes, to invite only tech launches and raffles for exclusive cultural events: the internet has powered a bustling culture of digital hype. Desire is fostered by limited releases, and the promise of cultural capital is used to entice consumers into buying products, where they are sold in hyper-inflated resale markets.
But some artists have been fighting back, creating DIY bootlegs and utilising the demand for exclusive products and experiences to satirise and critique the fashion industry. We’ll be exploring whether subcultures have rediscovered their critical edge, or if they have been co-opted once and for all, by a technologically enabled marketing machine.
SPEAKERS
Katie Baron
Katie is a London-based writer, content director, brand strategist and futurist with extensive experience within the fashion, retail and design industries. A recognised force in futurism she is also the global Head of Retail (Trends, Insights & Innovations) at Stylus.com - a leading trends forecasting, research & advisory agency.
Nathalie Khan
Nathalie teaches fashion history and theory at Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion. She is also a guest lecturer at Sotheby’s in New York, the University of Bologna and The Conde Nast School of Fashion and Design in London. Khan is a leading theorist and writer on contemporary fashion media and the impact of new technology on the traditional catwalk show and fashion photography.
Jon Wright
Founder of Sportsbanger, UK sportswear of the poor, rich & famous.
Curated by Jake Charles Rees in association with Somerset House Studios.