Around the Playground

moments of suffocating dullness interspersed by violent and near suicidal flashes of excitement

I ask Louise Wilson a question I’ve been pondering: how does fashion work? Bickley at Joyn talked about how digital has affected consumers’ expectations of customer service. Alexa Chung is an example of the impact of influential bloggers and celebrities. How can Wilson, the person behind the clothes we wear, explain the process to me? She locks me in a look. I lean forward to hear her secret. “There aren’t 10 easy fucking rules, OK?” OK. “You wouldn’t ask Freud: ‘Can you show me how to make a painting?’, would you? You wouldn’t dream of asking an F1 driver to show you quickly how to build a car. How does it work? How do you lick a cock! Listen, it’s a life experience. It’s about skills, education. Sorry, mate, not everyone can be in the club.” Again, a sigh. “The problem with British fashion,” she says, “is that it’s got too fashionable.