What if you were stopped on the street and someone offered to buy everything you owned? What would they find? Would the items on your person truly represent who you are…your beliefs, political stance, goals, religious affiliation, or values or would they find random inconsequential items that somehow found their way inside your pocket or purse.

Liu Chang’s exhibit, Buy Everything on You(2006-2008), offers such a snapshot into modern Chinese culture. The artist approached people on the streets and offered to buy everything on their person.

The exhibit consists of all of the items that Liu Chang purchased from individuals on the street placed on a white table. What was most striking was the prevalence of western culture that had been appropriated by the Gen-Y individuals Chang choose for this project.

There was a the usual proliferation of western cultural hallmarks such as denim jeans, cotton t-shirts, sneakers, and cell-phones, as well as certain items, like seaweed, personal tissues, and Chinese currency that serve as place markers and reminders that these individuals were not your average American suburban teens, but rather represented a new Chinese identity forged from a communist country whose current wealth is the result of capitalist enterprise.

A new China that is intent on capitalizing on consumers’ needs and desires for new things and supplying the West’s ever-growing demand for quick, cheap, and disposable fashions. Most interesting, is that Chang chose a canvas which showcases both contemporary consumer proclivities as well as outlines the social and personal forces that help us to define ourselves—our clothing.

These new millennial individuals have much more freedom of personal expression than their ancestors living under the dictate and rules of Mao Tse-tung. In this era of communist China, citizens were expected to dress in uniformity wearing clothing which showed no difference in rank or gender, consisting of a military-style tunic-like jacket, short trousers, and cloth-peaked caps. Dress was used to express a national rather than individual identity.

Today, a rapidly growing upper and middle class seeks to enhance its identity and quality of life with luxury products. Much of Chinese spending is driven by people’s desire to enhance their own social status and visibility by an association with famous brand names. In recent years, it has not been uncommon to see owners of a new suit conspicuously “forget” to remove the brand name and price tag that revealed the maker and high price of their new apparel.

Also fueling this demand for luxury products is that China now has an entire population of young, affluent males, called Little Emperors, who have grown up during the one-child only policy and thus, have been afforded many more liberties from their parents as only children.

Recognizing both China’s demand and ability to purchase these designer items, luxury brands, such as Prada, LVMH, and Armani, have and continue to scout new locations to open boutiques in China. Analysts predict that, as China’s average per capita income grows, it will become the world’s second-largest purchaser of luxury goods by 2015 and accounting for the sale of 29 percent of all luxury good sales worldwide(http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Luxury_Consumption_in_China ).

Many more designer brands are looking toward the Far East as the demand for luxury products face sharp declines in Western Europe and the United States. In sharp contrast, the West is reworking the paradigm for luxury, which involves less the acquisition of high end products and instead centers on the luxury of intangibles (time, freedom, and personal satisfaction).

The recession has now forced us all to stop, pull out the things on our person, and truly question if we really are only the sum of our possessions.

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LINKAGE: WeIndie

Olivier Theyskens (right) has officially left Nina Ricci, to be replaced by Louis Vuitton designer Peter Copping (left).

This means a totally new designer for the house for Spring 2010, and a major opening at LVMH, unless Marc’s already found Peter’s replacement, hope we’ll know soon.

Wonder if Olivier will take this opportunity to finally launch his own label? Hope so.

LINKAGE: Fashionista

Seems like LVMH is in buying mode. Gareth Pugh is already on the block. Wonder if they are interested in a little fashion blog…

LINKAGE: LVMH Is In Shopping Mode

RUMOR ALERT! RUMOR ALERT! AND I AIN’T TALKING ABOUT THAT UGLY CHIN WITH THE LAST NAME WILLIS EITHER! There are rumors swirling that Kris Van Assche is getting the boot from Dior Homme after his consistently poor performance over the course of the past couple seasons. Who is he rumored to be replaced by? Well if you’re that slow and haven’t realized that all the buzz is pointing to the Men’s “IT” designer of the year Gareth Pugh, then just stop reading this now and head towards the kitchen for a knife and begin cutting slowly.

Since the hype around Pugh is swirling without any signs of dissipation, Dior Homme is apparently bringing him in for some consulting work, thus resulting in the departure of Van Assche. Word has it that the rumors began when the daughter of LVMH owner Bernard Arnault was spotted front row at the Pugh show. 

It was also said that Pugh’s show this season was his “audition” for the job. If this is the case Van Assche has the same chance of keeping his job as Amy Winehouse does at getting sober.

Could this be the resurrection of Dior Homme? Let’s hope so!

Image courtesy of: The Fashionisto

LVMH-owned site eLuxury.com is shutting down its retail operation over the next six months to become an online magazine about the luxury market. The company doesn’t think the retail site is necessary when many of the brands it sells have their own online stores.

“Starting in mid 2009, eLuxury’s new mission will be to create an ‘e-window’ into the world of luxury, by serving as an information reference for luxury in fashion, art de vivre, leather goods, wines and spirits, watches and jewelry, gastronomy, cars, yachts and services,” the spokeswoman said. “To that end, eLuxury intends to develop collaborations with the most prestigious names in the world of luxury media, as well as the main contributors of the luxury world.”

-VIA WWD

Louis Vuitton won yet another victory yesterday in its never-ending trademark-protection crusade, this time against Sony BMG. In a legal dispute just slightly more glamorous than LVMH’s recent ones with eBay, Sony BMG has agreed to pay Louis Vuitton 100,000 euros, or $155,830. Louis Vuitton got upset with the music giant because they used its Toile Monogram and Multicolore trademarks in music videos and on CDs by Britney Spears, Ruben Studdard, and Da Brat.

For example, in her “Do Something’” video, Britney appears driving through the clouds with her sexy girl entourage* in a pink hummer with a pink dashboard embossed with Louis Vuitton’s signature pattern (which flashes on the screen for literally less than a second).What makes the LVMH legal team seem even more spectacular is they’ve already won $240,000 in the Spears and Da Brat cases over the last five years. These guys are seriously cracking down on copywriting, good for them!!!

Thanks NY Mag for the info.

And in more creative news from the world of LVMH, I just saw the Louis Vuitton creative with Keith Richards (this is delayed I know, but I’ve been catching up on my magazine reading). And, sweet Jesus, that man looks terrible—an LV suitcase would probably look better if it had accompanied him on all his world tours (though he, um, doesn’t seem the LV type, which makes the company’s choice to use him as spokesmodel rather odd). Either way, let this be a lesson to all you vain kids out there—just say no to drugs (or you’ll look like Uncle Keith).

Francis and Sofia kicking it in Napa for the new “Life-is-great-because-we’re-rich-and-have-LV-luggage” Louis Vuitton Ads

Over the last couple of seasons Louis Vuitton has taken an interesting direction with their ad campaigns…by putting interesting public figures in their ads. Instead of putting the hottest celeb of the moment like a Shia Labeouf or a Eva Longoria, they decided to feature people like Andre Agassi and Catherine Deneuve.

Antoine Arnaud, son of Bernard Arnaud, chief executive of LVMH said of the new direction: “We needed something special to remind people about the romance of travel. People said we were crazy to even contemplate Gorbachev or Clinton, but eventually Gorbachev said if we could put him in with the Berlin Wall we were on…”

Well get ready for the next set of ads with none other than Oscar-winning father-daughter Francis Ford and Sofia Coppola. This isn’t the first time Sofia has been featured in an ad for her buddy Marc Jacobs. You can still find her as the face of Marc Jacobs orginal fragence in magazines.

The normally camera-shy and super ‘indie’ Coppola explained to the Times why she would do something so corporate: “I liked the ad Annie shot with Keith Richards. It was flattering to be asked. Plus I’ve known Marc Jacobs since I was 18. We had mutual friends and started hanging out together. I remember asking my mom to take me to see Perry Ellis when he was designing there. I still have a box of clothes from that grunge collection somewhere. It’s great to work with Annie – she did a good portfolio on the set of Marie Antoinette. She just selects one picture and then shows it to you. But I think that’s good. My dad and I were both like, yeah, whatever you want, this is your shoot. On your own set you want it exactly your own way, but we can get with someone else’s vision too.”

[The Times, I Heart Sofia]