Gucci, Foucault, and A Cyborg Manifesto | A/W 2018 RTW Analysis Part 1

Analysis of Gucci Fall 2018 and the primary inspirations for the show: philosopher Michel Foucault’s Crime and Punish and Biopolitics, and feminist critic Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto.
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This is part 1 of a 2 part episode.
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Watch the original show: • Gucci Fall/Winter 2018...
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[@sh0gun___]

I miss cyberpunk literature and media that addressed concepts of identity and capitalism, not the "omg bro robot arms" garbage we get today. Great video as always.

[@BlissFoster]

Thanks so much! Yeah, I imagine the bounds seem limitless for theorists since the internet took off. With artists like Salvia working in the world, even robot arms seem kinda like small thinking

[@Nasalturtle]

Dune coming out in October and the costume design looks sickkkkk

[@AnthonyDeluca]

Your breakdown of Foucault’s theory of power via disciplinary society and surveillance brought me back to my political theory days in university. This might be my single favorite breakdown of a show I’ve ever watched. It’s nice that you’re elevating the discourse here on KZbin, I’ve always refrained from taking it to that level for fear that people might not find it interesting. Your passion however made this such a fun video to sit through. Really commend you on that

[@BlissFoster]

That means a ton coming from you, man. Thank you

[@FashionRoadman]

Another day, another impeccable Bliss Foster video. STANDARD!

[@BlissFoster]

Thanks so much, man!

[@rockw300i]

I love how passionate you are about this

[@BlissFoster]

RockyW thanks! I’m obsessed with this stuff

[@braxtongrundy4625]

🙏🙏

[@sophiewhiting6610]

Honestly, I have never been interested in fashion at this level. I have always leaned more towards vintage/historical fashion. But this!! This is an utterly amazing video. The passion and level of research about Gucci, Foucault, Haraway and their intersections really blew me away. I have read Haraway multiple times and the application here is so so cool. I am also a cyborg (I had surgery to have titanium fused to my spine), so the fact that the intersection between technology and humanity is real and that I am literally living it.. offt.

[@BlissFoster]

Thank you so much!! You should definitely check out my new series on Margiela. There’s going to be so much cool stuff to unpack.

[@MrMrG3AR]

You take fashion to a whole other philosophical level Bliss! Truly now I am seeing fashion in a different light. One where it consciously reflects humanity, culture, society etc! Because of you, my friend, I am more interested in the show notes as it helps me understand who the designer is. (Recently read the notes for TECUATL before watching the show. Such an awesome insight!) Cheers Bliss. Staying tuned and working on my next video. ♥

[@BlissFoster]

Can’t wait, man!

[@SaoirseS.]

4 years later, this hits different, but the concept of the collection is still relevant!

[@aakashdeepmundi7226]

My gosh, what a set of shownotes! I loved the literary approach you took to analyze them, using your education to blow our minds. Reminded me of my old HS english-philosophy teacher and how he used to pull out these strands from otherwise short statements. Im excited for next weeks's video. You gotta tell me what that top youre wearing is! So dope

[@user-qr6gu8hh4l]

My fashion friend you are a true fashion historian as well as a fashion philosopher... Fashion philosophy with Bliss Foster aka the guru

[@ElecProCrou]

at 11:13, with the addition of artificial light, you transform into a fashion acolyte who brought an iPad to a tavern at the end of the world, hoping to inform its patrons that Gucci is the largest of wolves and wolves are always headed their way. also, really enjoyed the show-note analysis in this one, great work, thanks.

[@thespokanekid]

One of my favorite channels on KZbin and so under appreciated. I've already got one friend hooked hopefully I get some more soon

[@marvin5625]

This is probably the best fashion related video ive ever seen on youtube

[@BlissFoster]

Wow that means a ton, thank you so much. Spread the word, man. If you have other friends who are into fashion or theory or both! As you can see, my numbers are kinda abysmal lmao

[@smallcave8147]

keep it UP! i love these analysis videos

[@BlissFoster]

vic vic thanks so much! I love doing them!

[@jacquesthauvin4210]

Holy Fuck, this was great. I am literally blown away, you are amazing.

[@user-tg4hi6bj3j]

Just a quick correction I'm pretty sure the panopticon was theorized by philosopher Jeremy bentham in the late 18th or early 19th century. Great video though! I'm just starting a graduate degree in fine art but I have no background in art my background is in philosophy, so it's great to hear these concepts applied to fashion!!

[@BlissFoster]

I love being corrected. Thanks for sharing 💫💫

[@ngdsmedia8189]

Insane video bliss big ups! Really enjoyed and happy you talk about Foucault, madness and civilizations is such is one of my favourite books happy to see some Foucault influences in a fashion show!

[@BlissFoster]

I need to read Madness and Civ. I’ve read some summaries and the stuff he talks about in it is so excellent.

[@leoambard3134]

The look with the chameleon was my wallpaper for a bit. Love the video btw

[@prof.janroxin4697]

Thank you so much for your videos! Revaling, Amazing, Unique !!!

[@lifeanddecay]

ILY thank you for the videos

[@sou9310]

another great video! please do prada next 😭

[@theogrundy7445]

love the detail!

[@posivibez2094]

Love your videos no one on KZbin like you So cool to hear someone talking about storytelling and world building in fashion

[@BlissFoster]

Thank you so much! Of all the channel, this is one of my favorite videos I’ve made. The kind words really mean a ton, thank you

[@moog5260]

you made me use my brain for a minute. thank you

[@BlissFoster]

Haha you got it 💫💫

[@Lukas-yu5re]

This is the. best video ever on fashion on youtube

[@BlissFoster]

Oh wow that’s quite a compliment! Thank you! Foucault in particular is great, you should check out more of his work

[@Lukas-yu5re]

I’ve always been interested in Foucault since reading some of his stuff in school. What I love about philosophy is the abstraction, but it’s not very often referenced in fashion. I’d never thought about the connection to this show, but it’s amazing

[@taylorholmes9329]

Omigod omigod omigod Bliss is talking about A Cyborg Manifesto

[@BlissFoster]

Taylor Holmes yeaaaa I was gonna text you and be like “yo I TAILOR made an episode for you 😊

[@taylorholmes9329]

@@BlissFoster That joke was a disaster. Dislike. :))))

[@michaelpatterson9122]

No cap this was really cool. Thanks for the video.

[@jackriseley3629]

My favourite video so far! :)

[@yaboy69.]

i'm in love with your outfit! thanks for the video.

[@BlissFoster]

Thanks! Shouts out to Lindsey for lending me her Free People hoodie

[@elijahthomas2041]

Your analysis of the art is art

[@elijahthomas2041]

i love this channel bro

[@e4gl1]

I love how detailed you get with these analysis videos, excited for part 2!

[@BlissFoster]

Yeah! It’s gonna be excellent. I’m filming it tomorrow 💫💫

[@giwrgosjanetopoulos6622]

Briliantly breathtaking ispirational information! thank you

[@humzaqureshi8583]

Great layout thanks for showing all the looks like that must have taken forever in editing

[@BlissFoster]

YES. IT. DID. Thank you for acknowledging that!

[@isabellasoares7041]

This video is sooo amazing!!!!

[@legarconquiment1069]

That’s crazy because this was the collection I was going to mention to you when you asked my option on gucci I think of VanillaJellaba whenever I see the styling of this show.. Beautiful work always Bliss I’m going to do more research on the philosopher you spoke about aswell !!!

[@BlissFoster]

Vanilla is, in my opinion, one of the best living stylists (if they could be said to be human, I’m honestly not sure)

[@arturoguillen2125]

Yea honestly I love the clothes in the collection but the styling is what really caught my eye. Really excellent stuff right there

[@retroazul]

wow this video was so deep like i was so drown it with the identity and self expression thoughts. cool video Bliss

[@lindazulaica5841]

That's a great mug!

[@neverloggingout]

a cyborg manifesto was zeroes + ones before zeroes + ones

[@footwork]

What's the hoodie you're wearing in this vid? absolutely loved your explanation of the show notes btw, keep it up !!

[@qturemcqueen]

I was talking with my coworkers the other day about how fashion wasn’t superficial, and now I have a ton of ideas to really prove my point, god was this awesome !!! Really good work

[@BlissFoster]

Thanks! It’s weird, fashion certainly can be superficial But I definitely prefer this side of it.

[@collinharman1839]

Wish I could subscribe twice

[@arturoguillen2125]

Bliss the cyborg I’m here for it. This video is the reason I love fashion so much. It’s so much deeper than the clothes. It’s weaving politics, philosophy, literature and all that into something that is beautiful to look at and wear. The idea of being this cultural cyborg is very intriguing to me. So down for the time when we all can just be cultural cyborgs and express our interest without any social barriers.

[@BlissFoster]

Yeah! I’d be interested to read some feminist critics of Haraway’s work. At the time, she was critiquing very modern feminist thinking. I wonder if anyone in the last couple decades has done the same to her

[@nickkirby6614]

please keep making this content

[@BlissFoster]

Have you seen my Margiela series?

[@biscuitgames_5016]

Where can I buy that awesome sweater of yours? I really really really like it.

[@halguy5745]

When I heard "daily moodboard inspo" I followed your ig right away

[@BlissFoster]

I wrote and rewrote that phrase for HOURS! I’m glad it landed 😤

[@halguy5745]

@@BlissFoster its a neat concept. You should advertise your ig like that in every video

[@BlissFoster]

Laki2_pl honestly I prolly will :) thanks for the feedback!

[@victorbenitezarencibia6990]

Could you analyse a Hedi Slimane SLP runway?

[@crso6661]

Awesome. A nice desert after reading Kant today.

[@BlissFoster]

Kant can shove it! Jk, all those guys are cool. Which of his stuff were you reading?

[@crso6661]

Bliss Foster Critique of the pure reason

[@terrymcguinness9586]

Another classic

[@samn5982]

Fashion and Foucault. How exciting!

[@BlissFoster]

I thought so!

[@taylorjackson241]

Have you ever thought of doing a podcast of just analyzing runway shownotes? I think you'd kill it.

[@BlissFoster]

Yes! This is in the works. Not the next project I’m taking on, but it’s on the board

[@carson2508]

Hey why Sweatshirt is that? It looks really nice

[@bubblebutt4919]

i love your colorful flowers very GUCCI 💐✨

[@3rdwarddove]

he’s so excited ! lol

[@BlissFoster]

Damn straight 😊

[@TWINgreen1]

bliss foster said trans rights! we love that

[@BlissFoster]

Of course! People are people.

[@hannascales13]

GOLD

[@buglover14]

how do you get access to the show notes? are they available online anywhere?

[@BlissFoster]

Alas, usually no. I usually have to get them thru people who attended the shows in person.

[@federicogerlin7734]

Hi! Where did you find all these references? How are you so able to understand so deeply the references used behind a fashion show?

[@BlissFoster]

A big part of it is things like shownotes! Once I have some kind of lead, I just become obsessed and don’t stop until I hunt everything down 😂

[@federicogerlin7734]

@@BlissFoster thank you for this generous sharing of knowledge 😍

[@desertflora6568]

This 💗

[@BlissFoster]

🙏

[@tomvvatson]

You should do more culture theory videos

[@BlissFoster]

For sure, these are my favorite 💫💫

[@arlinejernigan]

LOL, i hate artificial light too. I teach my group classes with no lights, unless I absolutely have to. Your content is getting better and better and better.

[@arlinejernigan]

YaaaaaaaaaaY, that made me so happy!!!!!

[@BlissFoster]

Thank you so much!!

[@BlissFoster]

For something like yoga it almost seems like a requirement to have natural light

[@arlinejernigan]

@@BlissFoster exactly but you would be surprised, even though though one of the studios I teach at has huge windows, a lot of the teachers turn the lights on when it is light outside. I even like it when it is dark. Candles are awesome!!!

[@littlethins4561]

I like the very Gucci flowers on the right

[@BlissFoster]

Thanks! I’m a smidge obsessed with plants and flowers in particular. Lindsey is really good at arranging them.

[@nospmohtracso]

woah who wrote those notes? that is the most mangled and pretentious waffle I've ever heard, and I'm an art theory major. Btw i'm pretty sure if foucault was analysing this show he'd see gucci as reinforcing biopower/regulatory control over the subject rather than liberating it, its a large global corporation dictating what's fashionable this season ffs.

[@amirdagan6415]

what is this gorgeous hoodie you wearing?

[@hanoimenace]

warding

[@BlissFoster]

It’s one of Lindsey’s oversized Free People hoodies

[@humzaqureshi8583]

Do some SS2020 stuff!!!

[@BlissFoster]

I need 1 thing, and 1 thing only: shownotes. If you know of ANYONE who can hook me up. Pls hit me on IG and let me know :)

[@mpanini5694]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Foucault's ideology more about the failure of power and how such display can cause a riot? E.g. A man was to be killed in public via dismemberment but the horses don't really pull him to pieces so the executioner had to chop off the limbs so the horses could do it easier. Many more mishaps happen in the process which leads to crowd disappointment and thus, a lock of fear (ruler control) which then leads to riot.

[@BlissFoster]

Yes! Foucault’s work is complex and far-reaching. The example you gave is a very popular summary of his work, but it’s by no means the only concept :)

[@mpanini5694]

@@BlissFoster Ooohhh okay. Such a coincidence that I'm covering him in my POLI 100 class rn as well. Thank you!

[@sandiamountains123]

I thought this collection was ugly but I like your videos

[@BlissFoster]

Thanks! I respectfully disagree with you about the collection :)

[@sandiamountains123]

@@BlissFoster yeah the show notes it made it more appealing since I could see what they were going for but just watching the show without context at first I though it was very unappealing

[@Goodbye_Horses]

I'm sorry lol but Gucci is not "dissecting Foucalt" and then making a collection, they are simply analyzing runway, retail, and street trends via data and making a collection based off what is going to sell best

[@BlissFoster]

I’m gonna have to respectfully disagree with you, Joe. Trend Forecasting is definitely a massive part of the industry, but I don’t think it applies here. The main company that controls trend forecasting is WGSN, I’ve actually spent some time with their sales team. Luxury runway shows are one of the main sources for WGSN to identify the trends that they then sell to their fast fashion customers like H&M, Banana Republic, etc. Those trends are sold 2 years in advance. So the things that are on the catwalk now will likely hit the shelves at your local mall in 2 years. To your point, Gucci certainly keeps track of what sells and what doesn’t. And if an item is hot, they’ll continue to produce it. But when it comes to creating completely new products, they depend on people who can “predict” what’s coming next. That’s not the job of WGSN, it’s the job of their creative director. Those ideas don’t come to creative directors in a vacuum, either. It’s part of their job to find inspiration everywhere. Alessandro Michele, the CD at Gucci for this show, is a rabid consumer of culture. I do think he was indeed inspired by ideas found in Foucault and ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’. I’m definitely open to other thoughts tho! Could you elaborate a bit more on your point?

[@MrMittomen]

Sorry for being a party-killer. I do like Gucci, Foucault and Haraway aswell, but let's stop for a second to observe what a strange company this is. Gucci is emancipating us from restrictive gender norms and rigid identities. So far so goood. But isn't it the case that we can decide who we want to be but only through the commodities we consume, the clothes we buy, the shows and videos we watch etc.? Thus capitalism thrives, wealth inequalities grow, and it's exactly those exploited who end up in the bottom half of the population that won't have the opportunity to buy themselves these cool fluid identities, however it's mostly their labour that we end up to wear in our clothes. I can very much appreciate Gucci's creations as an (elitist) artform, but let's open up some space for criticism before giving any praise to a multinational company for being "good", or ethical, or emancipatory. I'd love to hear what do you think in these matters. (Also, great video apart from that and I love the passion you speak with)

[@BlissFoster]

Hi! Thanks so much for the challenging words, I love comments like this. Yes, absolutely, there is massive inequality and abuse of labor in the world. I don’t think Alessandro Michele is pitching this philosophy as something that you can only achieve through purchase. I myself do not own anything but Gucci and I likely never will. I think this is an artist working in their medium, presenting ideas, and asking questions. And to your last point, I don’t think I made any value assessments about the brand itself? I made this video a while ago, so maybe I forgot about something? But I don’t think I said this was good, ethical, or emancipatory. I try to stay away from value assessments bc they’re often not helpful for talking about art. Again, please remind me if I missed something 😊 Thanks again for the thoughtful comment 💫💫

[@julianlenz3001]

Mies alter mein Kopf tut weh

[@elizabethco6116]

No. Sorry but not really.

[@tristanguillemette6777]

A guy with a stripper name, like Bliss LMAO HAHAHAH

[@tristanguillemette6777]

@@skjdhgkjsfhg Listen to the video Simon.