pOSTS

Eugene talks about our recent strides with reinvigorating our creative processes and continuing to move forward, even as the challenges we sought to solve and the world around us continue to evolve.

sTORIES

David Kenji Chang talks with the founder in his LA studio and new shop to talk about his life’s work and staying weird in a weird world.
Eugene sits down with David Zhou and Lucas Farrar, who set the record straight on the Chinese hip hop scene, specifically as it pertains to Chengdu and Chongqing.
We speak with Sarah Kim, one of the founders of Feminine Product, an exploration and celebration of the role of femininity in art.

PODCASTS

Key moments in culture in 2021 and Reflect on significant changes that will carry forwards.
The global appeal of Squid Game and the possibility of supposedly niche cultural entertainment going viral and The importance of Frances Haugen, the latest Facebook whistleblower, coming forward to testify about the need for social media platform regulations.
Star Atlas, a space-fantasy RPG built on the Solana blockchain, that indicates the promising possibilities of funding game development through digital asset ownership and The prevalence of captions on TikTok and how the use of captions signals considerations of design and inclusion.
How Willie Norris is reimagining menswear from a trans perspective at Outlier and A recent Atlantic article by Ed Yong that goes into the reasons why people aren’t necessarily feeling better as the pandemic decreases in intensity.
The difficulties that social media managers face and how platforms as well as businesses could do a better job of supporting workers in that area and An essay that describes the author’s life growing up on a commune and what non-commune individuals could learn from that mentality.
Eugene Rabkin’s essay, “Read This Before You Decide to Work In Fashion” published in Highsnobiety which goes through a laundry list of negative aspects of the fashion industry and An artist zine created by Marco Marzocchi called “How To Destroy Everything”, which is connected to a discussion of digital devices as an extension of human memories and the emotional significance we give digital archives.
Streetwear brand Chinatown Market deciding to rename themselves. This comes in response to people in the Asian American community expressing their concerns with the use of the name and The current context of increased anti-Asian racism in North America as well as discussing whether personal wardrobes should carry sentimental value.
Worldbuilding as a visionary, collaborative practice as described by Ryan Madson in Strelka Mag—Wakanda being an example of worldbuilding and NFTs: what they are, what the possibilities could be, what they hype is about.
Answer a couple of questions about this past year and How they’re feeling, what a “new year” means, and what they’ve learned about work and themselves.
New collection of artwork released by the artist Beeple that is in the form of NFT and They also talk about Async Art, a new kind of art movement built on the blockchain. Their second subject of the week is the state of the web in the year 2000 compared to what it is now, based on an article written by Postlight CEO Paul Ford.
How data is both dangerous and useful, how it has impacted growth of all kinds and changed the way we think about algorithms and Instagram going all-in on shopping and what we personally turn to Instagram for now.
Toby Shorin’s latest essay, “Come for the Network, Pay for the Tool”, which talks about the emergence of paid communities from the combination of social, content, and commerce and The recent Vogue cover of Simone Biles shot by Annie Leibovitz and the criticism that arose regarding the photos.
The new email service created by Basecamp, and the issues of email in general. On the subject of work, they also talk about what going back to the office looks like in terms of necessary health and safety measures and the physicality of workplaces.
The role of small indie music venues in supporting emerging musicians and the continual growth of the music industry and A new model of media star, where media is fragmenting further and the individuals people gravitate towards are increasingly varied.
The launch, rapid demise, and potential futures of Quibi, the new video streaming service and How technology has pounced on pandemic-created opportunities and what the post-pandemic tech appetite and landscape might look like.
Two ways they’ve been spending their time: playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and watching The Last Dance and How Animal Crossing is an interesting place for brands to add value for gamers, as well as how The Last Dance could only have been made and aired at certain moments in time to have the impact it does.
The complex conversation surrounding “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins (a novel about a Mexican mom and her son fleeing for the United States) which revolves around the question of who should tell what stories and Perception of waiting staff in restaurants and what the effects are of good service on dining experiences.
An article written by Alex Danco titled “Everything is Amazing, But Nothing is Ours” about how technology has evolved to be about access at the expense of ownership and Reseller platforms such as The RealReal and what their relationship is to the primary luxury market.
A recent WWD interview with Rei Kawakubo, founder of COMME des GARÇONS and Dover Street Market, where she makes distinctions between her relationship with fashion and business and Whether the role work now plays in people’s lives can be considered equivalent in any way to the role religion used to have.
Goldman Sachs telling employees that they can start dressing more casually and how that might affect the fashion landscape and An argument for veganizing design and the counter-argument against applying that ideology.
The Outline’s most recent round of layoffs leads to a freelancer boycott of the publication and The New Yorker announces Steve Bannon as a speaker at their upcoming Festival and then rescinds their invite after Twitter outrage, and Colin Kaepernick is revealed as the face of the 30th Anniversary “Just Do It” Nike campaign.
WCharis and Eugene discuss whether a time-tracking feature utilized by Upwork that takes screenshots of a freelancer’s screen and logs keystrokes is too intrusive and what leads to healthy freelancer client relationships. The also talk about a t-shirt released by Advisory Board Crystals that raises funds to support the Wikimedia Foundation and A t-shirt released by Advisory Board Crystals that raises funds to support the Wikimedia Foundation
Consumer power and the responsibility that comes with spending money on anything and The potential funding Reddit might be accepting from Chinese tech giant Tencent and how that could shape the Internet in the States, in China, and globally. This episode attempts to unpack what it means to follow the origins and effect of each dollar.
Don Norman’s concept of how pizza could save the world—metaphorically speaking—as pizza is a way to view and solve problems and Millennial burnout and why the generation born between the early 1980’s and late 1990’s experiences errand paralysis, engages in self-destructive behaviors, and have tough mental battles to wage.
The new hit app Zepeto and how the virtual avatar platform can lead to the continued rise of virtual influencers and digital exclusives in consumer goods and The non-stop growth of big tech and the ongoing relationship individuals must navigate with technology.
A Nike football shirt created in collaboration with The NATIVE and use that subject as a launching point for discussing projects done well that are inspired by heritage and Why Air France’s airline Joon, which targets millennials, isn’t working and what could possibly make airlines more appealing when you control for price and schedule.
The business of background music and the art of curating audio qualities that’s appropriate for brands and spaces and The shifts in the influencer economy towards nanoinfluencers and considers how this changes the prospects of influencers at various levels plus the actual overall effectiveness of these tactics.
What went well, what could be improved on, and what lessons they’ve learned and The conference brought together people from disparate walks of life to speak in conversation with each other on stage. Speakers included John Maeda, Julia Huang, John C Jay, Jason Mayden, Jun Cha, Jennifer Ferro, Lindsay Jang, David Choe, James Bailey, Charis Poon, Eugene Kan, Jeff Staple, Karen Okonkwo, Madeleine Brand, Helen Zia, and Kenya Hara.
Disney+ and Apple TV+, two new streaming services, launching with series that cost an unprecedented amount of money per episode to make and Tokenism: what it is, how to deal with it, and whether there are silver linings to it.
Whether good grammar matters, especially when it comes to material written by Southeast Asian influencers and YouTube’s announcement regarding overhauling its verification program and then the quick walk-back of that announcement.
Frances Bean Cobain launching the “Kurt Was Here” clothing collection and what the purpose is of releasing post-humous products and The union drive occurring at Kickstarter and how unions can function within companies.
Why products for older people are poorly designed and how to include older people in the design process and Johanna Hedva’s disability access rider and why constructing society around what we often see to be niche groups is actually the best course of action.
Aaron Rodgers coming on as partner in a new venture and growth capital fund. This piece of news links to a trend towards a broader consideration of creative capital and the possibilities for how creatives conduct business and Greta Thunberg, a teenager in Sweden striking in order to call for something to be done about the climate crisis.
Art collective Meow Wolf and the concessions necessary to make art profitable and The health of the Internet particularly as it pertains to the world’s population increasingly gathering in cities.
Whether or not an issue of political correctness censoring fashion design exists, a discussion revolving around an op-ed written by Eugene Rabkin and How the age of the influencer is starting to come to an end while appreciation of the slacker and slacking off is on the rise.
A commercial and travel photographer represented by Tinker Street and Tyson has beaten every Final Fantasy game ever made, is an avid trail runner, and hosts Tinker*Podcast. He lives in Queens with his girlfriend and dog.
The newly proposed “flexitarian” diet configured by 37 scientists to not only be healthy for humans, but to take care of our planet and What it looks like to be creative while clean as described by nine musicians interviewed by GQ regarding all aspects of their journey through substance abuse into sobriety.
Edward spoke with London based photographer, filmmaker, all-around visual content creator and storyteller extraordinaire, Holly-Marie Cato and How Holly got started in photography by being at arguably the wrong place at the right time (the 2011 Tottenham riots in England with a point and shoot)
The current state of fashion as described by 36 industry people in an article published by Elle and The perception of fashion as a superficial area of interest and discuss the possibilities of fashion with regards to identity and depth and The competitions being organized by African governments that award money to entrepreneurs. These competitions are intended to encourage business innovation and to create jobs.
The efforts of Low-Tech Magazine to reduce the energy use required to access their content by building a low-tech, self-hosted, and solar-powered website for themselves and Banksy trolling (or possibly being in complicity with) the art world by orchestrating the self-destruction of his painting right after it had been sold at auction by Sotheby’s for $1.4 million USD.
The landscape of video games and how many more new games have come into being over the past four years. How has this affected the video game industry and what does the future of it look like? and An opinion piece written by Tim Wu that praises the pursuit of mediocrity in certain areas of life and the practice of having hobbies.
A viral series of screenshots comparing a Russian AI assistant and the Google assistant. The article from Aeon on the subject suggests that the increasing reliance of humans on AI and technology for help with emotional health issues is something to be cautious about and The new Nike App at Retail and whether there are better ways to merge digital technology and physical spaces.
The product line Sorry I Have No Filter launched by Sagmeister & Walsh to raise money for its not-for-profit Ladies, Wine & Design. Ladies, Wine & Design was started two years ago after Jessica Walsh got to the heart of some of the hate she was receiving and An exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum called “Night Fever” that surveys night clubs in history and how they were important places for culture to grow.
The shifting nature of Asian-American identity and the history of that identity. She ties it to perceptions of Chloe Kim, the 17-year-old Korean-American snowboarder who took a gold medal at the Winter Olympics and An Asian-American zine from the 1960’s. Eugene brings up an op-ed by Tim Wu, professor at Columbia University and contributing opinion writer to The New York Times, called The Tyranny of Convenience.
The industry insights into ComplexCon 2017, a direct-to-consumer tradeshow around street culture. After a great debut in 2016, a series of incidents overshadowed an otherwise fascinating real-world insight into a culture that’s been defined by what happens online and The recent news behind the shuttering of DNAinfo and Gothamist after its billionaire owner rejected a plea to unionize. What does this mean for the future of media when rich, powerful individuals can withdraw support at the drop of a hat?
An Apple Music interview that featured Jimmy Iovine, Zane Lowe, and Larry Jackson. Some interesting insights led them to dig deeper into how the future of streaming music will play out and Apple’s positioning and A really great project that featured Daily Paper, a streetwear brand out of Amsterdam, and PUMA. The project focused on the creation of a football pitch in Ghana at an all-girls school as part of the 20th anniversary of sponsorship between PUMA and various African nations.
The creation of a “Netflix for education,” and whether there’s a need or market for continued education that offers legitimate certification. We also delve into the role of awards in creative culture such as the Cannes Lions, and whether they’ve lost their true direction? and The layers and investigate the reasons why a photographer would release his war photos for free after being unable to find a suitor for them.
The latest casualty in long-form online publishing and the price of fame. With an inability to monetize effectively and a lack of journalistic support from the very industry it reports on, MTV News has recently cut its long-form content and pivoted toward video and Brooklyn Beckham’s become the laughing stock of photographers and the Internet itself with the release of his new photography book “what I see.”