Corporate fetish, goth girls and is “New York still cool?”
"Goth is back. And I, for one, am here for it."
Hello!
As you are reading this, I’m hurtling through the sky on route back to London after almost 2 heavenly weeks “working from” a seaside village in Greece.
It was an impromptu decision to swap the cold, winter-y “autumn” of London to the still-beach-weather of Greece. It was a week full of good food, lots of ouzo, and observing culture from the ease of €4 beach chairs. Quite the way to usher in the autumn season.
Agenda for today’s letter:
What’s up with our corporate fetish
Goth is in
And is “New York still cool?”
What’s up with our corporate fetish?
“I’m looking for a man in finance, with a trust fund, 6’5, blue eyes, finance…”
It appears that we’re more than looking for a man in finance. The culture – or rather, fashion – right now is seemingly obsessed with all things corporate
In the past few weeks alone, we’ve had Sporty & Rich’s Wall Street drop, I AM GIA’s Office campaign (which tbh is my personal favourite), and Amelia Gray for The Kooples
This trend has been slowly brewing for a while. But it appears that corporate is at an all-time high
The aesthetic itself is interesting to me. Or rather, what our obsession with corporate says about the culture right now – because I think it says a lot!
The obvious is we’re all back in the office, so dressing in office attire has again become an everyday priority. I think this is too reductionistic a sentiment, however
(Particularly considering how little of these clothes are genuinely office-appropriate - I AM GIA, I’m looking at you!)
What we’re seeing now is purely an aesthetic backdrop; one that we are finding increasingly cool and desirable
This is what fascinates me most. And, perhaps, is most interesting to interrogate
There was a time when having a job and working for “the man” equated to being a “corporate slave”
Working for yourself / building your own empire was the aspirational standard
But then, a pandemic happened. The global economy took a turn. The girl boss died
Suddenly, to have a job – a steady income and a “cushy” work environment – didn’t look so bad
Corporate symbolises the qualities we deem aspirational today - money, safety, security, esteem (Cue the fetishization of corporate culture!!!)
Of course, what we’re fetishizing isn’t work or the office, or even, having a career. What we’re looking at is: Wealth. Money. Power
(There’s a reason the Sporty & Rich campaign is set on “Wall Street”, with its Birkin Bags and Cartier Tank Watches)
Given trends occur in direct response to the sentiment of the time, it’s clear that in today’s climate, corporate has become synonymous with these qualities
Whether we actually want a job “in finance” is another story. The aesthetic is enough to drive desire, admiration and sales
Goth is in
Skinny eyebrows, defiant gaze, all black everything.
Goth is back. And I, for one, am here for it.
As someone who never really jibed with the whole ‘clean-girl’ aesthetic of the late 2010s and early 2020s, there is something refreshingly honest about the ghoul aesthetic of the moment
Gabriette, Amelia Gray, Noah Cyrus, Dove Cameron, etc. etc.
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