Even by the standards of high-fashion advertisements, the latest from New York luxury house Pyer Moss was odd, to say the least. Narrated by an AI generated woman’s voice, over footage of looters rampaging, the video opens “Hey, gang, have you ever wanted to feel like a real life criminal? This is your chance.”
In this video, released out of the blue on Monday on their Instagram account, Pyer Moss promised a sale event like no other, where customers could pay a fee to spend a brief amount of time in the store, and walk out wearing whatever they could hold or wear. It’s called “The Loot-Out,” and it’s one of the most reckless, insensitive and callous marketing ploys I’ve seen in recent years.
This event will occur in an as-of-yet undisclosed location in New York, on the 21st and 22nd of December, where wannabe looters can pay $100 for a one-minute timed session in the store, or $300 for five minutes. Given that the retail price of a single Pyer Moss sweatshirt was more than $100, it seems like quite the steal, to pardon the pun; but given that nobody cares about this brand anymore and the material cost of these items was relatively low, it’s not really. More than anything, this appears to be an effort by the struggling brand to clear stock, pay off outstanding debtors, and pull in new, naive investors from the newfound attention.
In 2016, when New York-born designer Kerby Jean-Raymond first garnered mainstream attention with his brand, Pyer Moss, I was intrigued. His work was spunky, passionate, and had a unique, bold, very American look. All of this was framed around a certain strain of American progressive, highly racialized politics, which I disagreed with, but Mr. Jean-Raymond’s beliefs were sincerely held, unlike the moral hectoring of some other brands.
Much of the press breathlessly praised Pyer Moss’ 2015 show for its focus on police brutality, but the garments themselves were great. They used bold colors, interesting tailoring, didn’t look quite like anything else, and their Reebok collaboration sneakers — namely, the Sculpt and the Fury Trail — are among the most underrated of the last ten years. These led to Reebok appointing Mr. Jean-Raymond as their Global Creative Director in September 2020, a role from which he would be dismissed in March 2022, without much work to show.
For years, the fashion press ignored the obvious signs that the brand was in decline and lacked direction; and because it got so much attention, Mr. Jean-Raymond did as well, which only augmented his arrogant overestimation of his own talent. This was finally brought to light this January, when The Cut published a feature by Tahirah Hairston, detailing how Mr. Jean-Raymond had used investor money for lifestyle expenses, created a poor workplace environment, and had driven the brand deep into debt. Unsurprisingly, he’d been on the Forbes “30 Under 30″ list in 2015; a list now renowned for its record in celebrating fraudsters.
In the aftermath of the Cut piece, friends and allies of Mr. Jean-Raymond defended him on social media, claiming that he was facing racist blacklash to a black man entering high fashion and streetwear — ignoring that the late Virgil Abloh, who founded Off-White and became a creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton, was among the most beloved designers of the past 10 years. One of Mr. Jean-Raymond’s allies, James Whitner — who founded streetwear boutiques Social Status and A Ma Maniere — was recently accused by prosecutors in North Carolina of being involved in a $32 million Chinese money laundering scheme.
Such allies promised that Mr. Jean-Raymond would bounce back and show the critics that he could overcome any hurdle. Aside from an underwhelming Canada Goose collaboration, the “The Loot-Out” is that attempt; and it shows just how far the designer has fallen.
At best, this is a distasteful marketing stunt, which tries to garner social media virality by making a fun game out of the 2020 Black Lives Matter unrest, ignoring the livelihoods and lives that were lost in those lootings. It should also be noted that reframing looting as part of the ‘culture’ reeks of racism.
At worst, given the utter incompetence that defines this brand and the value of products concerned, there are decent odds that this could turn into a violent riot, with the store actually looted, and people getting hurt badly because of it. Only this August, popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat caused a riot at Manhattan’s Union Square when he promised to give away PlayStations and other assorted gaming gear. The NYPD dispatched 1,000 officers to regain control.
Free PlayStations have more appeal than niche designer sweatpants, but it’s not unimaginable that a similar situation could play out here. And if it does, the blame will be squarely on Mr. Jean-Raymond’s shoulders.
