ive always hated on hypebeast culture without giving it much thought. but, recently i wound up inside the nude project to buy my friend a hoodie and it all clicked.

i've always found brands like supreme lack authenticity. in reality, hypebeast culture is the most honest. it feeds on human attention and scarcity.

its a simple formula, really:

scarcity + 'luxury feel' + a compelling narrative = successful hypebeast brand

scarcity its in our human nature to want things other people can't have. these brands live for limited drops.

when i was told they no longer had my friends size, i felt a stab in my chest. i was frustrated - why couldn't i get him the hoodie i thought was best?!?

luxury feel decorations on the inside made me feel like i was in . white glove service. they go back to get you your hoodie, and give it to you in a special bag.

story the brand must have a compelling story - what does it say about you if you wear nude projects merch?

(to me, it says your a tool, can't think for yourself, and just want to wear clothes that other people think are cool. but disregard my uninformed opinion.)

by portraying themselves as a luxury brand, and designing merch that is 'mainstream' - they can capture demand with little taste. people buy it because it feels luxurious and exclusive. even though its no different than the 10 other sweatshirts on the market.

tasteless designs, artificial demand, and purchases made based on what it says about you.

we all by things to signal what it says about us, what people will think. it defines our personality.

i've never understood hypebeast culture. its somehow full of scarcity and mainstream at the same time.

but, recently, while buying my friend a hypebeast sweatshirt at the nude project, i began to understand.

scarcity. - creating artificial scarcity. they can make more hoodies, sneakers, but they choose not to. - this makes a given merch item feel more special, since it is limited.

all you need is for people to believe something is valuable, and they come.

lines also play a big part of this exclusivity. these stores often enforce tighter caps on storefront capacity to create a perception of demand.

'white glove' service