I never wrote a review before. Shows with judging are by nature controversial, as people identify with certain contestants and naturally root for them (even though sometimes they're really not the best people who "should win" - considering that the best should win).
Since they the Instagram "Celebrity" Chiara - who never made a comment not echoing another judge's - was brought on the show, judging became ridiculous. Could we please let people with a real-life platform and *actual* knowledge on the subject be claimed as "experts", not someone who liked the winner "because I can buy anything he makes". Right, that's what "copycat" means: Jonny AllSaints Cota. Nothing wrong with that, just don't call it a brand with vision.
There were two true designers on the show (and few others less creative, but very competent, like Megan). Esther and Sanders. The winner Jonny Cota received *several* comments about being banal, repetitive, to lack creativity, and famously bombed the couture episode (the biggest test to any designer's creativity). He took advantage of other participants help in at least two episodes where he wouldn't manage to finish his assignments on time. After paired with Megan, he started to use her white and black patterns.
The 1 month gap before the final - a strange unfair rule in a competition where all designers had the same resources and time to work through the assignments - had Jonny traveling to Indonesia to produce *all* his clothing for the final assignment by a sweatshop. Yes, those places employing children making cents on the dollar for 18 hours/day of work. I understand this supply chain fits Amazon's cheap products quite nicely, but companies at least try to pretend this side of cheap clothes doesn't exist. They don't try to advertise it as something good. "It's a waste free sweatshop". Really, Jonny? The biggest global department stores are always caught up in sweatshop scandals because of lack of control, but yours is propped as something "touristy" because it's in Bali?
This was actually a constant thing about this show: you watch judges trashing a certain candidate (like Jonny), you see him doing poorly on his business pitch (according to the judges), using cheap labor overseas etc. which makes you think: well, someone is going to talk about it, right? They're showing these things to set up a certain outcome. But no; you see these moments for absolutely no reason other than to give you the idea that the entire thing was rigged/unfair. Jonny reminds me of another contestant on Netflix's rival "Next in Fashion", also from LA, identical aesthetic or lack thereof.
All in all, the show had many flaws which are tolerable since it was fairly entertaining. But if what you want from this type of show is: even if it's not perfect, some people are better, these people make it to the top, and some of them win, this is not the show for you.
Well, Esther, Sander and other talented designers who came on the show will surely succeed. Now, we need to keep an eye on the next AllSaints collection to figure out how Jonny's will look like.
Since they the Instagram "Celebrity" Chiara - who never made a comment not echoing another judge's - was brought on the show, judging became ridiculous. Could we please let people with a real-life platform and *actual* knowledge on the subject be claimed as "experts", not someone who liked the winner "because I can buy anything he makes". Right, that's what "copycat" means: Jonny AllSaints Cota. Nothing wrong with that, just don't call it a brand with vision.
There were two true designers on the show (and few others less creative, but very competent, like Megan). Esther and Sanders. The winner Jonny Cota received *several* comments about being banal, repetitive, to lack creativity, and famously bombed the couture episode (the biggest test to any designer's creativity). He took advantage of other participants help in at least two episodes where he wouldn't manage to finish his assignments on time. After paired with Megan, he started to use her white and black patterns.
The 1 month gap before the final - a strange unfair rule in a competition where all designers had the same resources and time to work through the assignments - had Jonny traveling to Indonesia to produce *all* his clothing for the final assignment by a sweatshop. Yes, those places employing children making cents on the dollar for 18 hours/day of work. I understand this supply chain fits Amazon's cheap products quite nicely, but companies at least try to pretend this side of cheap clothes doesn't exist. They don't try to advertise it as something good. "It's a waste free sweatshop". Really, Jonny? The biggest global department stores are always caught up in sweatshop scandals because of lack of control, but yours is propped as something "touristy" because it's in Bali?
This was actually a constant thing about this show: you watch judges trashing a certain candidate (like Jonny), you see him doing poorly on his business pitch (according to the judges), using cheap labor overseas etc. which makes you think: well, someone is going to talk about it, right? They're showing these things to set up a certain outcome. But no; you see these moments for absolutely no reason other than to give you the idea that the entire thing was rigged/unfair. Jonny reminds me of another contestant on Netflix's rival "Next in Fashion", also from LA, identical aesthetic or lack thereof.
All in all, the show had many flaws which are tolerable since it was fairly entertaining. But if what you want from this type of show is: even if it's not perfect, some people are better, these people make it to the top, and some of them win, this is not the show for you.
Well, Esther, Sander and other talented designers who came on the show will surely succeed. Now, we need to keep an eye on the next AllSaints collection to figure out how Jonny's will look like.