TRENDY: Coolhunting: marketing term coined in the nineties as a tool for locating upcoming trends (cite) TRENDS: Katcher lecture in class - vogue used to have a column called “concerning animals” for ten years? Founder of vogue started it and it talked about every animal welfare issue - ended by conde-nast take over

FASHION/EN VOGUE: The first time I remember seeing faux taxidermy was in a window display for a hip women’s boutique in central Amsterdam. In the fashion category, the concept of “faux” is typically explored through leather and fur alternatives. But here I see two femme-presenting mannequins dressed in sparkly green outfits and gold jewelry. The mannequin on the left side has a grey and white faux taxidermy (Was it an elk?) bust as a head. It’s stuffed and fluffy with antlers. The other mannequin dons a larger stuffed moose head, which appears to be nearly falling off. Here faux taxidermy is being used for the primary purpose of selling clothing, with its likely secondary purpose being to create a certain shopping atmosphere and cultivate their brand. This specific store uses a fake human/fake animal hybrid for these endeavors, as a way to convey a certain sense of style. Vegan designer and ethical fashion researcher Joshua Katcher has said that “fake and faux are major no-nos in the fashion world.” He also lists off brands that have stopped using real animals as materials for their clothing. (Katcher, 2019)

As I come to the end of this list I sit back in my Chinatown apartment and reflect on my first ventures into this neighborhood as a child visiting NYC with my family. Dying for designer handbags, my parents’ compromise was to trek down to Canal Street and buy me a few fake designer purses for a fraction of the cost. I was pleased as punch. Now I wander Canal street with my dog, watching men unload dead ducks and pigs from their trucks, without judgment, knowing this is the last space for my judgment. I know we are contradictory beings, myself included…...“Aesthetic irrationality”: (lars suendsen) why are aesthetics removed from demands of morality? (trendy + fashionable section)