S01.E10: The Winner: The Next Global Brand

[sasha206]

 

15 hours ago, StrictTime said:

My finger was cramping from hitting the fast forward 10 sec.button so much the last two episodes. Good grief, how many times can they have E and J say the same things over and over and over? I think I’ll reserve judgement on whether or not Jonny’s employees were really slaves in sweatshops, because without details it seems unjust. By the way, it looks like Sander posted some of his finale looks on his Instagram:

 

Love seeing color, but this looks like edgy Golden Girls to me!

Edited April 27, 2020 by sasha206

[Omeletsmom]

Oh well.  At least it wasn't Esther.  That's about all the enthusiasm I can muster.

[Omeletsmom]

15 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Ahhhhhh so maybe not so tragic that he didn't get a runway show after all.

At least it would have been some color!

[zenithwit]

I think another reason why cutting Sander after the pop up shop felt unnatural is because the show broke it's own formula.  This whole time, the show told us that the number of designers eliminated in a challenge wasn't set (most weeks were 1 but some weeks did have 2 designers eliminated, etc).  So why all if the sudden did this one have an arbitrary "one of you will be going home"?  I highly doubt that the cost to add one more collection to the final runway would have broken the bank or that the head of Amazon Fashion couldn't squeeze in one more hour long meeting in her calendar.  The pop up shop should have been a pass/fail assignment where 2 or 3 of the designers could have made it through.  Even though Sander was never going to win, him showing would have provided at least some variety on the final runway.

If this show comes back for another season, they should really take a hard look at the format.  Since Amazon is the main sponsor, it's all about them making money not fashion.  So if they pivoted the show about to be more about the business side of things (marketing, supply chain/logistics, etc), perhaps it could be a better fit with the Amazon aspect?  Then again, maybe that doesn't sell as well as a more pure "fashion" show?  

[tunajune]

It's hard to fathom how Jonny operated under the "Skingraft" label for 10 years.  Ugh.  It's a medical procedure, on the level of gastroplasty or prostatectomy.  Hope he has buried that era and now just uses his name.

[dbell1]

Knives, forks, and spoons. Glad she didn’t have dinner plate headpieces. I would contribute to a Go Fund Me to get rid of that freaking hat.

Jonny, outlining black in white, putting people in dish gloves, and hiring more sweatshop people to pour candles, that’s not the next global brand. 

You could tell from the interviews who won. Esther was downbeat, Jonny had glowing lighting around him and couldn’t stop smiling. 

Sander needs to burn his final collection, not showcase it. My 87 year old mother would think some of it was too old for her. Should have put his models in Rascal scooters.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 4/26/2020 at 4:28 PM, StrictTime said:

My finger was cramping from hitting the fast forward 10 sec.button so much the last two episodes. Good grief, how many times can they have E and J say the same things over and over and over? I think I’ll reserve judgement on whether or not Jonny’s employees were really slaves in sweatshops, because without details it seems unjust. By the way, it looks like Sander posted some of his finale looks on his Instagram:

 

Pros: colorful
Cons: fug

[jabRI]

Just to punish myself, I went on the Amazon store page to look at Johnny's black collection for sale.  The main 'womens' photo shows a model in a black dress sprawled on a rock. The same kind of shot Meghan apparently got booted for in the 'digital' challenge. What hypocrisy!

And $165 for cargo pants made in Bali?  I'll pass!

[3jt]

I was ok with either one winning. Actually, except for that chick who designs for Rainbow Brite, I really liked all of the designers. When Heidi came out in that.... whatever it was, first I was like DAMN your boobs are over the top, like WAY over the top. Then I started laughing because to me the dress looked like something from an unconventional materials challenge. And not a winning look.

[charliesan]

Apparently Sander did get to show, it just didn't air. 

I can't say if I like it or not, but at least it looks 10 more interesting than both Jonny's and Esther's, just solely on the fact that it has color. 

I was hoping to see more of the pitching, but I didn't get the competitive advantage from neither designer, although I did think Esther did better, or at least it looked like she has experience working with investors. 

I don't know how or if Jonny will continue to work with the people from Bali, if he becomes a success at Amazon Fashion (honestly, doubt it), I bet he'll need to outsource from other manufacturers. Anyway, I guess I was hoping for more information about investors and money since he has said he's also a businessman. But! I think he and his husband are really cute. 

The clothes were better than Project Runway, but, in my opinion, WAY under the quality and inventiveness of Next in Fashion (I loved that show). I will give PR a pass because they have a clear budget for a 10 piece collection, and it seems that both this show and Next in Fashion have, or at least appear to have, a higher budget. There's just no comparison between Jonny's work and the winner of Next in Fashion:

Spoiler

Minju, in case some of you haven't seen the show but plan to

All in all to say that I had high hopes for this show, I mean, I haven't even finished this episode...

[Stats Queen]

On 4/26/2020 at 9:23 PM, Ashforth said:

Ahhhhhh so maybe not so tragic that he didn't get a runway show after all.

But it would have been more entertaining than the rest of the season.

 

 

Jonny may have been ahead of the fashion curve with the gloves, if he had paired them with any equally ugly face mask, maybe there would be a market for them (I’m thinking, maybe not).

[gorgy]

The winner of this mess running a sweatshop is pretty on-brand for Amazon

[xander874]

Agreed with most of what people are saying. The fact is Jonny was much more "mainstream" and his items will sell better on Amazon. It's odd to me that the Making the Cut store is gone from the site. It's like the other designers have been wiped away. I think they could easily make money if they continue selling some of the other winning looks. But I guess they are all into Jonny. Although it is nice that Ester has some looks available too.

Should this show come back, they need to rework some things. I like the music but too much focus on it. They really need to highlight the clothes more. I feel like they took a back seat to the "look" of the show and that was not a good thing. We come to see the fashion, not the camera angles.

And I think Joseph Altazurra is cute but he looked so tiny standing in that group with the ladies. 

[seacliffsal]

I watched every episode and just never connected with the show.  My favorite parts revolved around scenery in Paris and Tokyo.  Heidi was just too hyper for me-I prefer her in smaller/controlled doses.  And what really irked me about the judging was all the comments about "I would wear that" instead of what the appeal of various items would be for consumers.  I also didn't like how much time was wasted by Heidi telling the designers that they could change the judges' minds and then asking each judge individually if they changed their minds.  Even on Project Runway they would change whether someone was eliminated or not, so it's not a new concept. 

If Jonny creates a global brand it will be because of the far reach of Amazon; it will also depend on how committed they are to making him into a global brand (in my opinion).  I don't see it, but then I'm not in their target demographic.  Nor do I want to wear black leather everyday.

[Lukeysboat]

On 4/26/2020 at 3:19 PM, sasha206 said:

think she's gained weight and she no longer has a waist so she's showing off her bolt-ons?  Everything they've had her in has been tacky AF and some of the dresses made her look like she has saddlebags.  

I thought she looked great in the Moulin Rouge segment. 

[Eolivet]

So, the relatively older guy who got his start in the club scene and had been lounging in obscurity learned to edit and/or expand his craft to fit into the show's definition of fashion and won the season.

Looks like Tim and Heidi aren't the only things this show "borrowed" from Project Runway.

Edited May 5, 2020 by Eolivet

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, Eolivet said:

So, the relatively older guy who got his start in the club scene and had been lounging in obscurity learned to edit and/or expand his craft to fit into the show's definition of fashion and won the season.

you know, I watched that most recent season. And it ended like, days ago. And I could not for the life of me remember who won it or why. LOL. I literally had to google it. Of course, you are correct.

[Prower]

This conclusion seemed weird. Seemed like Esther did better than Jonny, except that Jonny had already managed a brand for 15 years. But wasn't the point to find the next huge brand and wouldn't he have made it big already in those 15 years if he was there? For me that counts as a point against him, not for him.

I was debating if I was willing to say that Esther was robbed, but I think I came to the conclusion: Esther was robbed.

[Stats Queen]

8 hours ago, Prower said:

This conclusion seemed weird. Seemed like Esther did better than Jonny, except that Jonny had already managed a brand for 15 years. But wasn't the point to find the next huge brand and wouldn't he have made it big already in those 15 years if he was there? For me that counts as a point against him, not for him.

I was debating if I was willing to say that Esther was robbed, but I think I came to the conclusion: Esther was robbed.

I think Sanders, Meaghan and the viewers were robbed, as was the idea of colorful outfits.

 

[Prower]

I guess you can argue that. But between Esther and Jonny, Esther did eveything better.

[raven]

Finally got around to watching the last two episodes and enjoyed them more than the rest of the show because less Heidi and Heidi/Tim vignettes (though Tim packing his suitcase was cute and def the way I expect he would - I would think Heidi has someone else pack for her, lol).  I liked seeing the designers on their home turfs and learning more about them. 

The pop up shops were a fun idea and were handled well by everyone, I thought.   It was nice to see that they were assisted by professionals.

I agree that having Sander go through all that, only to be let go, was unnecessary.  It was probably editing but I did get a "not quite ready" vibe from him.  I liked the idea of the onsite tailoring though and it seemed to be handled pretty well, considering the space limitations of the pop up.

I did like how close the three of them seemed to be; they all genuinely seemed to like each other.

I was interested in both pitches to the Amazon head of fashion or whatever she was.  Interesting that Jonny got stage fright in the beginning.  I thought both pitches were successful in showing their different POV.  That said, I never thought Esther would win; she was constantly limiting herself and did not seem willing to grow beyond what she currently does.  She gave it lip service - she's not dumb - but was not convincing anyone.  If she had just thrown in something like a dark purple she could have shown she was really ready to use color.  Nothing wrong with sticking with what you love and are good at but it obviously wasn't what the judges were looking for.

I didn't like anyone's designs, really, except for one dress of Jonny's and most of everyone's outerwear.  

I never really thought that the show was about fashion, as PR is; the emphasis during the season seemed to me always more about branding and business.  Then again, most of the eps have been forgettable to me.

I would give another season a go, even though I prefer when I'm rooting for someone.  Ditch the silly Tim/Heidi vignettes OR make them different - talk VERY briefly about where they are and how it connects to fashion or something.   Give us more time with the designers and let me hear their ideas about how to grow their businesses.   Ditch all of the  judges except Naomi, who at least has something constructive to say.  Heidi can stay if they get rid of the dumb Heidi stuff.  I still like Tim.

Eh, overall a C to me; high marks for locale and production values; lower marks for stuff I've already complained about.

[Klaw]

Oy with the boobs, Heidi... that dress was a monstrosity...

that runway show was terrible, as others said what with the quick cuts and the darkness and the dark clothes I could barely see the items... but that’s been true of a lot of the show, the quick edits and cuts to the judges takes away from the Fah-shun, darling... along with the scenes of Paris, NY & Tokyo, that’s why I watch these types of shows.

other thoughts:

lose the fucking influencer as judge, please ...maybe I’m an old fart but I don’t get why a mildly pretty person with millions of followers on instagram should suddenly be someone I should listen to?

Tim’s tearing up got on my nerves, and I have a soft spot for him - I can’t figure out if I still like him after this... I loved him on PR back in the beginning and I never watched Under the Gunn so I don’t remember if he was always so weepy..but after awhile his tears felt over the top and unearned ...

I live in Berlin. While Germans tend to pride themselves on their (usually) excellent English they do have a love of cringeworthy sayings in English that is inexplicable. Like the cheesier the better. All this to say that Esther latching on to “Hungry for Life” and feeling it’s profound made me chuckle because it’s soooo German. But girl, enough with the fucking black... and I love wearing black myself but some gray tones or deep purples or blues wouldn’t kill her ...she did make beautiful clothes though, so I may check out her store sometime.

i was whatever on Jonny winning ... he seems like an ok enough sort but I question whether he’s Mr Next Global brand guy...his bags were boring and uninspired, his pop up had a dated mid-90s LA feel to me, his pitch to the scary Amazon lady didn’t seem all that cohesive and he didn’t seem to handle pressure well during the competition (and needed help to finish at least twice)... but I guess he did at least try to evolve and introduce dresses and things beyond his black biker dude wear so ....good for him?

Sander looked like he was going to punch a bitch out when he heard he wasn’t in the finale... can’t say I was sorry to see him knocked down a peg or 2 as I sometimes found his arrogance grating. He’s talented for sure but he still needs to grow up...

Naomi fucking Campbell was, hands down, my favorite judge and favorite part of the show. Say what you will, but she’s a fashion legend and also knows WTF she’s talking about and I agree with her that when it comes to couture “you have to know your history and respect must be paid” ... I want judges like her and Joseph ... people who have had real careers in fashion - not nitwit influencers and socialites. I would include Heidi in the former  group but we all know she has shitty taste...Heidi should only judge Halloween costumes, honestly...

Also, Heidi? stop shouting 1 million dollars every 5 minutes ...it’s annoying af and yea, I wouldn’t sneeze at it,but let’s not act like it’s a ton of money in 2020 to launch a global brand /eye roll. 

all in all a just ok show, they really need to revamp it if it gets a second season ...

 

 

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, Klaw said:

lose the fucking influencer as judge, please ...maybe I’m an old fart but I don’t get why a mildly pretty person with millions of followers on instagram should suddenly be someone I should listen to?

I believe that after the first couple of episodes she was on, she was no longer an "influencer," but a "digital entrepreneur." So of course we should accept her expertise without question!

But you know, if she had been there to provide tips to the designers on how to leverage a social media presence into a zillion followers and presumably a shit ton of money, it would have made sense. Instead they just had her critique the clothes.

The whole premise of this was supposed to be building a global brand, but there was no mentoring or instruction on using social media, how to create a business plan and get a loan, how to structure a business team and hire the right people.

They just had the contestants make clothes, get little feedback, make more clothes - and somehow, that was a phenomenal growth experience. Phooey.

Edited May 10, 2020 by Ashforth

[qtpye]

4 hours ago, Ashforth said:

I believe that after the first couple of episodes she was on, she was no longer an "influencer," but a "digital entrepreneur." So of course we should accept her expertise without question!

But you know, if she had been there to provide tips to the designers on how to leverage a social media presence into a zillion followers and presumably a shit ton of money, it would have made sense. Instead they just had her critique the clothes.

The whole premise of this was supposed to be building a global brand, but there was no mentoring or instruction on using social media, how to create a business plan and get a loan, how to structure a business team and hire the right people.

They just had the contestants make clothes, get little feedback, make more clothes - and somehow, that was a phenomenal growth experience. Phooey.

You can just hear the old fart producers talk about how they have to have an influencer on the show because that’s who Gen Z listens to, not fashion magazines.

She was really not well thought out, like most of the show.

Edited May 10, 2020 by qtpye

[Stats Queen]

11 hours ago, Klaw said:

Naomi fucking Campbell was, hands down, my favorite judge and favorite part of the show. Say what you will, but she’s a fashion legend and also knows WTF she’s talking about and I agree with her that when it comes to couture “you have to know your history and respect must be paid” .

I wasn’t looking forward to her on this show because she’s had a history of not being very nice. However, I loved her on this show, she was refreshing, honest, encouraging and tactful. She was the best thing for the show for me, much to my surprise.
 

9 hours ago, Ashforth said:

The whole premise of this was supposed to be building a global brand, but there was no mentoring or instruction on using social media, how to create a business plan and get a loan, how to structure a business team and hire the right people.

I’m with you. There was absolutely no focus on mentoring on how to be a global brand versus an amazing designer, especially in the social influencer age.
 

I digress, but I am so tired of social media “influencers” such as former Bachelor Franchise contestants becoming way too important in our society as people who matter for their opinions - for what?

I really, really digress (I am a bit stir crazy being stuck at home) but I am beyond pleased and encouraged that our new “social media” stars are all those wonderful people who are taking care of the rest of us right now - medical professionals (from doctors to orderlies), delivery and warehouse workers, those making sure we have groceries and other essential items. I do not like the reason it evolved that way, but it makes me hopeful for the future.

[Klaw]

Quote

 I believe that after the first couple of episodes she was on, she was no longer an "influencer," but a "digital entrepreneur." So of course we should accept her expertise without question!

And that kind of tells you that someone also thinks listing someone's profession as an "influencer" is bullshit. "Digital entrepreneur" sounds a lot better (and more legit).

Quote

But you know, if she had been there to provide tips to the designers on how to leverage a social media presence into a zillion followers and presumably a shit ton of money, it would have made sense. Instead they just had her critique the clothes.

Exactly, if she had been a guest judge on the challenges around digital marketing (like the photoshoot) or even the pop up shop (like how to harness SM to get people into your B&M and online shop) but no, she's talking about the clothes and really, what are her qualifications to critique the clothes? When she said something like "all my followers would wear that" I burst out laughing. That's the best you can do? What a ridiculous thing to say. 

Quote

You can just hear the old fart producers talk about how they have to have an influencer on the show because that’s who Gen Z listens to, not fashion magazines.

This. And trying to keep things current and young (it is fashion after all) is a laudable goal for a show like this, but they completely screwed the pooch in execution. 

I really really wanted to like this show but I have to agree with another poster (sorry forgot who) who gave this show a grade of C. It could have been so much better... I could have even enjoyed the Heidi and Tim "bits" if they were a bit more joyful and not so fake, forced, and weird (did she seriously get that pissed about a dumb game???). (Like I thought the comparison of their packing techniques was funny in an odd couple kind of way and felt more natural than the fencing and the sake pounding). 

Do we know yet whether there is a second season? If so, would be curious if they change anything...

 

[khyber]

God this was underwhelming. If this comes back I don't think they'll have much of an audience. 

[chitowngirl]

4 hours ago, khyber said:

God this was underwhelming. If this comes back I don't think they'll have much of an audience. 

I definitely think they benefited by having a Covid audience.

[scarlettudor]

This is what I came on for, to see a link to pictures of Zanders collection.  How unfair it was to send the final 3 to work like dogs on a 14 look collection, then reduce them to two before showing the collections.  They should NOT do that in the future.  If they're made to work so hard on a collection, they should be able to show it.

[snarktini]

On 5/7/2020 at 3:02 AM, Prower said:

But between Esther and Jonny, Esther did eveything better.

IMO she did everything better, except the "global brand" part which was the point. Her refusal to do color showed she would not compromise sufficiently for buyers. During judging she barely choked out that she would take their input into consideration, but I didn't believe her for a second. She was the more interesting designer but she was not who they were looking for. Not that I think he is either but he's more commercial.

Do you think Esther wears that hat all the time or was it a show gimmick?

On 5/9/2020 at 5:12 AM, raven said:

That said, I never thought Esther would win; she was constantly limiting herself and did not seem willing to grow beyond what she currently does.  She gave it lip service - she's not dumb - but was not convincing anyone.  If she had just thrown in something like a dark purple she could have shown she was really ready to use color.  Nothing wrong with sticking with what you love and are good at but it obviously wasn't what the judges were looking for.

Exactly!

A  dark muted purple would be have worked really well. It shouldn't be bright red or royal blue, but a moody, saturated, dark color would continue her "universe" and provide a little visual interest. Even print that is mostly black but has a little bit of dark color running through it.

On 5/10/2020 at 5:18 AM, Klaw said:

Sander looked like he was going to punch a bitch out when he heard he wasn’t in the finale... can’t say I was sorry to see him knocked down a peg or 2 as I sometimes found his arrogance grating. He’s talented for sure but he still needs to grow up...

I try not to care for TV people enough to feel strong emotions about them, but this. I thought he was even younger than 24 based on his attitude. Also, he could stop calling people skank and biatch.

[EyesGlazed]

I quite enjoyed this show, more than I expected.  This was definitely more hardass than the other P.R.s, these candidates had to be business people and merchandisers, not just be able to sew a garment.  The trajectories of the different designers were interesting.  The last 5-6 of them were consistently talented enough that I really looked forward to seeing what they created.  The judges were generally good though I could have done without the social media influencer whom I'd never heard of.  I enjoyed the visits to cool areas of Paris and Tokyo.  And I'm buying something from Esther right now (truly - I am emailing with her about a jacket).

My suggestions for future seasons:  1.  Show the damn clothes more.  Don't rush the runway, let us enjoy the looks.  Show the judges examining the clothes, or at least the top and bottom looks, up close after the runway.  (I always enjoyed Zak Posen's comments as he eyeballed and touched the top and bottom looks).  2. Agree with other posters, tone down the music and stop using 6-second snippets of songs continuously throughout each show.  3.  Stick with Carine as a judge, or another experienced fashion magazine editor.  

And this:

On 8/27/2020 at 7:59 PM, scarlettudor said:

How unfair it was to send the final 3 to work like dogs on a 14 look collection then reduce them to two before showing the collections.  They should NOT do that in the future.  If they're made to work so hard on a collection, they should be able to show it.

[incandescent]

Late to the party, but I really find it so funny that after they kept the seamstresses in Paris these faceless, voiceless, mysterious entities to hide the reality of even high-end, boutique fashion brands exploiting the labour of economically disadvantaged women from Asia... Making The Cut had no problem showing Jonny scoot on over to his "family-owned" Bali sweatshop and presenting it as a great asset of his brand.