The Thousands

The lack of fashion journalism in Australia (and by that I mean good fashion journalism) can be put down to several things. One of them being that fashion seems unable to qualify for the in-depth journalistic review given to other topics. Sure, fashion should and does take its place in the context of world issues but I don’t agree that it can’t enter the realm of ‘topics for good discussion’. I think lately it is being dismissed in favour of more seemingly high brow subjects like art, design and philosophy.

I guess fashion is no longer fashionable because it’s just fashion. But art is just art. Danish furniture is just Danish furniture. And pingers are just pingers.
 
Well, this book is titled FASHION. And Mitchell Oakley Smith has spent two years researching, interviewing and assembling a catalogue of the main players in Australian and New Zealand fashion. He’s produced a collection of 70 profiles including Akira, Arnsdorf, Josh Goot, PAM, Scanlan & Theodore, Romance was Born and so many more. It is nicely printed, weighty, and the visuals are good. The profiles are perhaps too short to get beyond the ‘introduction’ stage for each designer, But I like that Smith has asked them the questions you would ask artists – because that’s what they are.