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Letter From the Editor

21 January 2019

Someone Else is divergent fashion journalism. The divergence is away from What to Why. You can find What anywhere. Instagram is at its core an advertising app that ushers forth an endless blitz of What. Products get hawked by brands and people hoping to become brands. Sadly, the heritage-menswear world that Someone Else orbits is not immune. You might think that a community / scene whose slogans include, "Buy less, buy better" and whose byword / buzzword is "authenticity" might show restraint in terms of Instagram narcissism, but no. The #heritagestyle hashtag points to endless shots of the same denim bros in the same well-appointed apartments, hands wrapped around a rough-hewn coffee mug with turquoise rings on most fingers. Occasionally someone does something new, maybe with immediately recognizable overhead shots of thousands of dollars of neotraditional garments arranged just so. "Buy less, buy better" and "conspicuous consumption" should cause cognitive dissonance, but we merrily Like our way through it.

We gave Someone Else its name as a refutation of What culture. Not me, me, me, but Someone Else. That is to say, not What but Why.

In 2019, Someone Else will become more Chicago-focused. Our hometown has no shortage of designers with stories worth telling. It is filled with Whys that deserve our attention.

Thanks for reading, and as always, reach out anytime.

Joe Jarvis

Joe Jarvis, Editor (joe@someone-else.us)