Haruomi Hosono may not be a name you’ve heard before, but he’s huge in Japan. Active since the 60s in bands that span genres, he’s been a part of the rock band Happy End, the city pop band Tin Pan Alley, and the electronic trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, and he’s credited with shaping the sound of Japanese pop. Now he’s just out here being famous and taking on cool projects, the way you do when your name speaks for you. On that note, maybe you’ve seen the preview for that movie Shoplifters in your favorite indie theater, or on the list of 2019 Golden Globe nominees. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year with its story about a Japanese family of crooks taking in a stray child. And guess who scored the film? Haruomi Hosono. Please enjoy this piano-laden bonus track, and then maybe the rest of the album, and perhaps even the movie.
Cool new headline: “Is Made-to-measure clothing the future of fashion?” Fingers crossed for a big, fat ‘yes’. If we’re being real, most clothes look weird on most people, and we spend a ton of time looking for things that only just sit on us all right. So given the planet’s bevy of body shapes, doesn’t it make sense to have clothes made for each individual one? (You know, how it used to be, pre-industrialization?) A bunch of custom-fit companies have cropped up in recent years, and now they’re accelerating– three new made-to-order brands launched in October alone, each at a different price point and all using mobile apps to determine fit through 3D body scans. If these take off, we should be hyped for more reasons than vanity: made-to-order clothing avoids the waste cycle on the corporate level (remember the story about all those luxury brands burning their surplus?) and on the personal level too: you’re bound to be more attached to a garment that’s made specifically for you, which ought to jog you out of the brain space that inclines you to buy a million lower-quality things at once because you can. If you’re feeling on board, follow that headline and read the roundup of companies in the game right now.
Neutrogena is printing custom sheet masks based on your face measurements. Wouldn’t want to miss a spot now, would we? The masks are measured again through a 3D face imaging app, and in addition to a comprehensive fit, you can customize the ingredients in each facial area to meet your needs– vitamin C on your dull cheeks, for example, or hydraulic acid on your forehead (but you tell me). This all sounds great, but remember: as in all things customized “for you,” the app is also gathering data on your (and everybody’s) skin concerns so that Neutrogena can sell you more shit. That’s one trend that’s not going away.
The new throwback activity, guaranteed to keep your body data on the DL. Give it a try.
