I was in New York recently and what did I see? Wellies, that's what. Well to be clear, I noticed lots of incredibly stylish individuals in and around Soho, Greenwich and the Meat Packing District wearing them. At the time I chuckled to myself. The fools I thought. It was only later when I found myself holding a pair in my hands, that I realised I was actually jealous that in no way I could pull it off. Miserable about this, you'll be pleased to know that I balanced things up, by buying myself some bright blue sunglasses that made me look 12.
I thought I'd put this behind me, until it was bought back to my attention in a meeting I had the other day, when Michael Tulley, a trend guru at OMD UK, was talking about subculture making it's way in to the mainstream. Intrigued by this I went to the site of The Sartorialist himself, and he too has noticed the high Street Wellie.
Clearly they are a must for festivals, and it is no surprise that designers now produce them for those that want to stand out from the crowd. What is interesting is that it is now bridging over in to every day life. It reminds me of the Hush Puppies case Gladwell spoke about in the Tipping Point. People wearing wellies down the high street and in bars is a sign of what is to come. As Nassim Nichola Taleb would say, it is an example of a black swan.
I am heading to my mum's in the country this weekend. She will be delighted to hear that she is so cutting edge. Go Mum.
She'll be less delighted when she finds her Wellies have been stolen by her son.
Sam
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