Who gets to appropriate?
Semi-deep thoughts on Dior and the Piss Drunx
It’s been two weeks since the first images of the Travis Scott x Christian Dior B713 began leaking out. In the sneaker hype cycle that is an eternity, so I hadn’t planned on writing about the shoe and how frustrated I felt that these mega brands had ripped off the logo of the infamous skate crew, the Piss Drunx.
But then I saw that Jenkem, which despite getting its name from a hallucinogen derived from human feces produces some of the finest skate journalism around (seriously), had featured a playlist from Dustin Dollin, esteemed member of the Piss Drunx. I figured that seeing Dollin wearing a Piss Drunx long sleeve tee in the thumbnail image was a sign. So here we are.
For those that don’t know, the Piss Drunx is a crew of skaters that coalesced around the turn of the century and included at one point or another Dollin, Ali Boulala, Jim Greco, Shane Heyl, Andrew Reynolds, and Erik Ellington. These guys embodied the “hesh” side of skating at the time and were as renowned for their off-board antics as they were for their on-board hammers, the former sometimes influencing the latter.
In short, they were punk. And their logo, inspired by the iconic punk band the Dead Kennedys, was also punk.
Christian Dior, Kim Jones, and Travis Scott are not punk. They may be considered cutting edge and avant garde, but that is not the same thing as punk. At this point, each of those entities has achieved megacorp status. And for them to so blatantly rip off an underground symbol, while still trying to maintain street cred, is unconscionable.
What makes it worse is that Jones has made a point of formally bringing in people he was inspired by, such as KAWS, Shawn Stussy, and Kenny Scharf. Which begs the question, why not do the same here? It’s hard not to think that Dior simply felt they could just get away with it.
That’s what’s so frustrating. When skate brands do logo flips of big corporations, which happens all the time including with the Piss Drunx logo as mentioned above, it’s the outsiders taking the piss out of the insiders. (Never thought I’d write something that included the word “piss” so often). When Dior, Jones, and Scott do a logo flip, it’s the collective “big guy” picking on the “little guy.”
And that isn’t cool. Neither, by the way, are the shoes.
Summer Of Soul
I had a smile on my face the entire time I watched this documentary about the series of concerts that took place in Harlem during the summer of 1969. From watching Stevie Wonder play the crap out of the drums to hearing Mavis Staples and Mahalia Jackson sing together to experiencing the full funkiness that is Sly and the Family Stone, the film that was directed by Questlove sparks all the joy. The only part that didn’t was when they discussed how easily Black history can be erased (the concert footage sat unseen in a basement for 50 years). You can stream Summer of Soul on Hulu, but if you have the chance to see it in a theater do it.
–Justin
Farewell, Millennial Lifestyle Subsidy
This read comes suggested by JAT reader, super-talented musician, and all-around good guy, Martin Gohary.
As the country opens back up, people everywhere appear to be quite surprised by the increased prices of Ubers. There are a few factors at play here, but Kevin nails one particular one: gone is the venture-backed subsidy that has made these technology companies’ services affordable for so long. Despite their many workforce-related issues, ride-sharing apps have probably been net-positive for most. But since returning to NYC, I’ve taken only one or two shared rides (mostly because of the cost), and instead opted for the subway, Citi Bike, or bus. I think I prefer it that way.
–Andrew
Kapwing
I met Eric and Julia years ago when they were leaving Google to build Kapwing and introduced them to some of their investors (i aM sO hElpFUl). But only recently have I started using it regularly with some of my freelance clients. I am blown away by how easy it is to use and how many things I’m using it for. If you’re a wannabe designer with some creative needs and don’t feel like learning how to Figma or Adobe, you’ll like this. Disclaimer: I am a paying user of Kapwing and reap no reward other than good fortune for your sign-up. Also, there is a free version.
–Andrew