» HADOUKEN « and like that, balance is returned to the force
For my money, Star Wars, despite some gaffes and blunders that appear in the prequels, is the greatest story ever told. For all its esoteric plot lines, plethora of complex supporting characters and expansive non-canonical franchises, it is the simplicity and familiarity of its central premise that binds the series in such a beautiful, precious way: the Force, a metaphysical, ubiquitous and spiritual power flowing through the universe, must remain in order to ensure that good is not compromised by evil. Under constant threat by "the dark side," or villains set on manipulating the Force for their own selfish, malevolent gains, the Force is preserved by the Jedi Order, or "the light side," who use its power to combat the Sith Lords of the dark side. (If you've ever seen a Rick, Boris or Damir show, this should all be starting to make sense for you.)
Tuesday morning I woke up to a few text messages that balance had been returned to the Force: Justin O'Shea had been sacked by Brioni.
Mr. O'Shea has had one hell of a 2016. In March, the Australian-born women's wear buyer and street style favorite (tattoos are cool!) was appointed creative director to storied Italian tailoring house, Brioni. Being pretty much the only person left in fashion who almost exclusively wears suits (English suits, at that--English suits that make him look like a hipster mixologist at a Williamsburg cocktail club, actually) is probably the closest thing Mr. O'Shea has to any sort of credentials that would make him a worthy hire to such a post. Technical expertise in design? No. Conceptual expertise in design? Zero. Any experience in menswear whatsoever? Of course not. Relevant taste that resonates with today's consumer? I mean, he spent a fortune casting 50-year old corny rockers as the face(s) of the brand and stated that his strategy for reviving the brand is to make it "pimp" and "awesome"--a bit antediluvian considering the times we are living in, you know, where street style and haute couture have blended to form, well, something that is not "AWESOME PIMP SUITS"?
Now, I am all for unconventional hires, thinking outside the box and leveraging other talents to elevate a stagnant entity. But the hire must have redeemable qualities or at the very least some kind of finesse. Having been served a slice of humble pie after being brutally knocked out by Nate Diaz in UFC 196, one would have thought Mr. O'Shea would show some restraint during his tenure at Brioni. This was not the case. Instead of simply working hard, keeping his nose clean and operating in the shadows, Mr. O'Shea basically celebrated the obvious flaws in his resume. Perhaps most obviously and egregiously, he personally overtook Brioni's social media and posted masturbatory images and videos of himself...being himself. Over and over and over again. He couldn't help it: these creative assets ended up all over the place.
Then there was the misguided and frantic adoption of the "see now, buy now" wholesale model. Instead of focusing on brand building and prioritizing other creative strategies, Mr. O'Shea grabbed the low hanging fruit and pressured Kering into giving him the leeway to simultaneously show and sell his first (and only) collection. As I wrote at length some weeks ago, who cares when you deliver a collection if no one buys it? Let's face it, no one is foaming at the mouth for a $6,500 off-the-rack suit. And let's talk about the "collection" for a second: he sent down the runway #clothing. Seriously, clothes. Suits and coats. After months and months of banging on his chest and pumping up the brand, this is what he shows? A chinchilla coat? How crazy! Never seen that before!
I can go on at length about Mr. O'Shea, but perhaps my attention should be focused on those at the wheel of Brioni's parent company, Kering, who made the decision to hire him in the first place. They were the desperate group who collectively blacked out and thought it was a good idea to make the Dalmatian a firefighter--just because he's been sitting on the back of the truck for the last few years doesn't make him qualified to squirt a hose, nah'mean?
Whatever happens to Mr. O'Shea, I wish him luck. I really do. It just feels so good to have balance restored to the Force.