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International Herald Tribune January 2006
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A neo-rebel cool - Repackaging Black Panther gear
Paris: It was easy to be part of the counterculture in the 1970s;
all you had to do was pin a peace sign button on your lapel
and join the nearest demonstration... Now it’s so much more
complex. For today’s young men in hot pursuit of better abs
and a higher income, political engagement seems like a distant
dream, or something dad did back in college. So if you can’t
find your own cause, why not resurrect a vintage one, or borrow
form somebody else?... In the center of this rebellious spirit are
stores like New York’s Nom de Guerre with its interior inspired
by “underground sites like bunkers, tunnels, and archaelogical
digs to create a sense of otherworldliness,” says a co-founder,
Holly Harnsongkram. The subterranean store, which opened in
2003 at the corner of Broadway and Bleecker, occupies a
building that is known as a former meeting place for the
Panthers, a fact that suited the store’s four partners just fine...
Nom de Guerre stocked upscale utilitarian clothing from labels
like A.P.C. and Rogan before launching its own collaborative
label for men last fall. From the first season’s hoodies covered
with Nom de Guerre written in Arabic script and wool scarves
with the distinctive keffiyeh honeycomb pattern, the brand’s
rough and tumble basics are just the thing for chic urban
rebels... Los Angeles’ Fred Segal and Loveless in Tokyo have
already picked up the brand... And in this nostalgic time, when
vintage has revolutionized the way we look at fashion, even an
old cause can make a modern statement. -- Rebecca Voight
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