Zazzle: you’ve never heard of it. One of thousands of designer nonsense words necessitated by online commerce, invoking within the reptile mind something ugly, pointless and incredibly popular. And Zazzle is in fact more pointless than Twitter, more popular than Blingy, and it’s ugliness is only exceeded by it’s total, major importance. Not because it is the world’s leading platform for quality custom goods, or for whatever reasons lead Google investors John Doerr and Ram Shriram to pump 16 million into it in 2005, or TechCrunch to name it as 2007′s best business model. Zazzle is important because it has as a platform for design, fostered, or at least allowed to fester, modes of production, and millions of objects, belonging squarely to the future.

Zazzle is not the first online resource for applying your own graphics to manufacture-on-demand crap, what makes it different is it’s proprietary framework: Zazzle kind-of owns anything you make on Zazzle and will keep on selling it to anyone who wants it, until the end of time. The effect of this is that Zazzle itself, as a brand, currently holds an inventory of over 20 billion unique products! This astronomical figure is tempered slightly by the fact that none of these things actually physically exist, and explained to some degree by Zazzle’s EZ-create web interface, which automatically applies every uploaded design to every one of the hundreds of template-objects Zazzle has on offer.

EZ-Automation also accounts for some of the more pedestrian, but still mind-boggling, perversities regularly generated on Zazzle: Anal Queen infant onesies, gang-related German beer steins, painfully touching memorial mousepads, and white people wearing things that say “Nigga” on them. All of which are really, really funny, and infinitely valuable—if not as actual garments, then at least as jpegs. But even these works of art do not account for what is truly groundbreaking about Zazzle.

There is an entirely different order of product being developed here, far beyond the outer reaches of irony. I first started seeing them in Google Image searches; the most random queries were returning pictures of t-shirts, trucker hats, and especially ties that were truly uncanny. One could not, by looking at them, decipher how they had come about, what possible thought process lay behind them, who they were for, or why anyone would want them. They had something akin to the lost-in-translation weirdness of Chinese Shanzhai culture, but what was being lost was in a language far more distant than Chinese; one got the impression the “designers” of these pieces were speaking strictly in ones and zeros. I had visions of design-bots, data mining for user patterns, instantaneously designing products based on trending search queries, generating t-shirts like predictive text and graphics through some kind of visual auto-tune. Amazingly, it turns out I am not totally wrong.

Most people on Zazzle are actual people, making products, one at a time, for themselves, as gifts or to make a modest buck. Trolling through Zazzler forums, one reads again and again the hard-learned lesson of techno-capitalism that a hundred terrible shirts invariably will make more money than ten good ones. Here arises a mutant breed of Zazzler—representing a tiny minority of its members but a disproportionately large number of products—marrying the production line and the bottom line with the command line and developing programs that to varying degrees automate their design process, producing tens of thousands of products with little or no human oversight or labor.

LifeSphere

“LifeSphere has great great unique designs will keep you looking special with your one of a kind designs.”

LifeSphere currently offers more than 90,000 unique products and is more than likely run by one person in a suburban bungalow in Phoenix. As far as I can gather their process consists of ALPHABETICALLY(!) applying every single image in the Public Domain photography archive to every object Zazzle offers. Amazingly almost everything they make is amazing. From doggy clothes featuring macrophotography of Chex Mix, to “Thanksgiving Shrimp” skateboard decks, LifeSphere proves 90,000 times over that rigorous process-based design yields infallibly fresh results.

ShroudedLake

“A collection of images that take the mundane to a new level and give it a new life.”

ShroudedLake is unique in that its vendor description accurately describes what is in the store; ShroudedLake DEFINITELY takes the mundane to a new level. Like a corporate stock photographer on a meth binge, ShroudedLake basically arranges miniature versions of a fairly limited number of everyday objects in a seemingly endless number of combinations: square of grass with a tiny shoe on it, square of grass with a golf tee on it, square of grass with a golf ball on a golf tee on it, square of grass with a golf ball next to a golf tee on it, etc. The high quality of the photography and consistency of aesthetics would make the deadpan inanity of ShroudedLake seem almost self-conscious and ironic if it weren’t for the sheer scale of their inventory (40,000 items!). FIA? MoMA? Costume Institute? It’s time for a retrospective!

believe_in

“What do you believe in? Express yourself with these unique Believe in designs. Some are serious.. some are funny. Available on shirts, stickers, binders, buttons, postcards, totes and so much more.”

believe_in pairs the words “I believe in” with a picture of a thing. Its only redeeming quality is in the quantity and insipidness of its designs in contradiction to the inspirational implication of its theme. Bizarrely, believe_in has forgone the great variety of nominal concepts that would seem proper to “belief” (love, hate, fear, truth, justice, freedom, doubt) for a din of completely random and innocuous household objects: I believe in Nails, I believe in Nail Polish, etc. Without a doubt this was done because the collection of copyright-free clipart they are basing their process on had a lot of pictures of things that go on desks and in drawers than things anyone might ever actually believe in. believe_in also runs Animals for a Cause, an equally inane vendor which through the power of… combination, pairs animals with health problems in over 20 thousand variations. It’s true: Prostate cancer does totally stink.

These vendors are admittedly modest proof for a historic paradigm shift in design, and they do not fully articulate the logics they imply. Conducting research on Zazzle itself epitomizes the disturbingly quantum logic of our times: You can only find things in as much as you search for them, so what exists depends essentially on what is queried. Moreover, Zazzle is so well integrated into Google’s ranking algorithms, that finding anything out about it is next to impossible, as any search with the word Zazzle in it will return hundreds of pages of crappy Zazzle crap.

Nonetheless one sees in Zazzle’s machinations a new horizon for a capitalism in decline. In a twist on the trends of globalization, Zazzle inadvertently outsources, automates, and disperses not only the concrete labor and manufacture of goods but also the intellectual labor that engenders them. By analogy, one sees in Zazzle the the contours of the oft-misquoted misquote by Marx on the conditions that precede the death of state capitalism: The government of persons is replaced by the administration of things and by the conduct of processes of production. The state is not “abolished,” It dies out. Ironically, by way of mass-customization, Zazzle may represent the final spasm in another long-protracted demise—the death of the author.

Credits

Janos wears Capezio shrug with Nike Pro-Combat shorts. Cesar wears Capezio shrug with Under Armour shorts.

Cesar wears We Love Colors sports bra, Nike skapris and 2XU compression sleeves.

Janos wears Capezio halter top and Nike skapris.

Cesar wears capris, tank top and t-shirt by Dirk Bikkembergs and Nike sneakers. Janos wears UnderGear onesie and Reebok sneakers.

Janos wears UnderGear thong onsie.

Cesar wears Capezio pants and Nike sneakers. Janos wears Adidas sports bra, Under Armour shorts and Nike sneakers.

Cesar wears gloves by We Love Color.

Janos wears Stella McCartney for Adidas tennis dress.

Cesar wears Stella McCartney for Adidas tennis skirt.

Janos wears Dirk Bikkembergs blanket and Capezio underwear.

Credits

Credits

Ruth wears fishnet, dress, tights, and boots by Yohji Yamamoto.

Emilie wears half-sheer/half-wool sweater, pants and shoes by Alexander Wang

Analisa wear Missoni fur, Givenchy belt. Shoes model's own.

Emilie wears Dolce & Gabanna dress and bag belt. Shoes by Alexander Wang.

Rachel wears skirt by Givenchy, wedge by Alexander McQueen. Blouse stylist's own.

Rachel wears sweater, shorts, shoes, and metal hand brace jewelry by Alexander Wang.

Courtney wears Christopher Kane dress, Givenchy heels.

Rachel wears puffer jacket by Marios Schwab, , underwear by Victoria's Secret, and wedge heels by Alexander McQueen.

Analisa wears dress by Christopher Kane. Shoes model's own.

Credits

Cora wears dress by Hérve Léger.

Divya wears cargo sari by DIS

Noriko wears TELFAR shorts, Old Navy shirt and shoes. John wears Mulberry dress as skirt, Old Navy shirt, and Airwalks. Cora wears Mulberry dress.

Rodrigo wears vintage military suit. Justin wears Walter Van Beirendonck jumpsuit and Doc Martens.

Sanae wears Y3 jacket, CK Jeans skirt, Fogal socks, and Isabel Toledo for Payless shoes.

John wears UFO pants, Yohji Yamamoto for Adidas shoes, and a Lidz visor.

Mey wears Capezio bodysuit and pointe shoes, and Issey Miyake hooded scarf. Justine wears CK Jeans pants on a Muji mat.

Par wears Dickies scrubs and Keds. Charlotte wears Maidenform, 42DDD "Fit For You" bra.

Kelly Graylien wears Issey Miyake dress and coat. Mey wears Fendi dress and Mullbery bag. Cora wears coat and skirt by Christian Wijnants.

Rodrigo wears American Apparel pants as shorts and Doc Martens.

Rodrigo wears American Apparel pants and Yojhi Yamamoto for Adidas shoes. Irina wears Issey Miyake shirt and pants, Timberland shoes.

Mattheus wears Calvin Klein suit, Hugo Boss shirt. Noriko wears Anne Klein suit.

Patrick wears skirt and tie by Walter Van Beirendonck.

Jaime wears Y3 Pants, CK Jeans shirt, Zana Bayne harness and Doc Martens. Queintin wears CK jeans, Zana Bayne harness and doc martens. Dina wears vintage jacket, American Apparel pants.

Venus wears Fogal Dress, Daryl K leggings, and Uggs.

Credits

Featuring Cora at New York Models, Divya Ranganathan, Noriko, John B at Request, Rodrigo at Next, Justin P at Red, Charlotte at IMG, Matheus Strappasson at Next, Gabi Lima, Sanae Marilla Ueyoshi, Mey Bun, Par Parekh, Kelly Graylien, Simon Marty, Irina Cocimarov, Robert Hayden at Djamee, Patrick Oldweiler, Jamie Imanian-Friedman, Quentin Belt, Dina, and Venus Iceberg.

Special Thanks to Khalid Al Gharaballi

Founded by Mark Hughes in 1980, Herbalife is now the number one health and wellness multi-level marketing company in the world. Herbalife is the premiere commercial cult with it’s Nutrition, Weight-Management, Energy-Fitness and Personal Care products available exclusively through more than 2.1 million independent distributors in 75 countries.

Herbalife Essay
by Alaina Claire Feldman

The performance itself was a project of DIS magazine. DIS was invited by Josh Kline, the curator of the Skin So Soft, to submit a performance piece to the exhibition. I helped organize the event, and therefore hope to offer you some insight.

Five girls, all of the tween demographic, tricked out in outfits sponsored by Sketchers and Danskin were offered the opportunity to dance in front of a live audience to the Herbalife theme song. A professional choreographer spent time teaching the girls the Herbalife dance as it is performed and published on various youtube channels dedicated to upholding the image of the Herbalife brand.

I had initial doubts about turning the young girls into spectacles, but after meeting with them and their parents, it was very clear to everyone involved, the girls and the parents, that this was a performance that commented on tween fetish in late capitalism and not a personal attack on the dancers themselves. The parents were perfectly pleasant and it seemed they were just there to support their children, no absurdist theater whatsoever. Art meaning that it was an interpretation, not a parade. That the dancers themselves weren’t subjects because I don’t generalize like that, and I also don’t think you can fault a child for metanarratives that may sway their consumerism and social habits. The subject was the phenomena of Herbalife aligned with young impressionability.

That being said, I interpreted DIS’s idea to use the image of the tween as something similar to the “Young-Girl” as defined by Tiqqun. “Young Girl” (or tween, if you will) is not gendered here in the sense that you might assume, but she/he is the contemporary model citizen. She or he is a relation, a tension, alien. Tweens are so commonly reduced to blueprints constructed exclusively out of dominating rules, representations and values. The Young Girl is a figure of a total merging of one into a social totality that’s falling apart. Social power emanates from a relatively invisible force- the world of the authoritarian commodity. Understanding the Young Girl brings about questions of life forms and lifestyles and how humans conform to them today. Herbalife is a great example of one of these lifestyles where the social and capital become one. I think this performance is about severe power and severe vulnerability. That’s what DIS is good at: evaluating the realities that they and others make visible. When you read the piece in context of the exhibition it begs to question where are we going? How are these ideas about happiness and youth culturally fabricated and what does it leave for the future? Who, rather than what, is the product of Herbalife?

Credits

Project by DIS
Choreography Richard Kennedy
Featuring Chase AJ Clark, Samantha Cuomo, Danielle Standifer, Adriana Maiella, and Hayden Busch.
TextAlaina Claire Feldman
Editing David B. Field

This event, was presented in coordination with Alaina Claire Feldman and as part of the group exhibition Skin So Soft, organized by Josh Kline for Gresham's Ghost.

ReTween Idols

The following tweens have openly shared their stories of reincarnation with clarity and honesty. Their journeys are well documented and include extraordinary detail; a previous personality diary to die for.

Fast facts on Reincarnation

Running out of time? Catch up on the science of reincarnation.

Credits

Tucker, Jim B., M.D., Life Before Life: Children's Memories of Previous Lives. New York: St. Martin, 2008.
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/personalitystudies

Stevenson, Ian, M.D., Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation. Charlotesville: University Press of Virginia, 1980.

Thanks and favorable circumstances to Dr. Jim Tucker, Ryan Hammons, James Leininger, Cameron Macaulay, Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, and Nong Namfah

"If time is a great river of chance encounter, Kelly is a spawning salmon, tirelessly swimming upstream."—Fashion Leaders Summit

"The difference between genius and insanity can only be a measure of success in Kelly's world."—WWD

"Akin to the endowed mosquito, she is on the go and going everywhere fast."—American Retail Association

"Fall, winter, spring, resort—she is ubiquitous from Palm Desert to Taipei, and never on vacation."—United Swimwear Association

"Though birthright greased the wheels of the milk truck, Kelly never counts her eggs before they hatch."—Vogue Barbados

"The stranger is strange, the worker is callused, and the captive conspires; Kelly is focused."—UK Style Council

"She is the unknown unknown, grazing the field of uncertainty. Kelly flies like a halcyon in the eye of every storm. She is resolute."—Fashion World Weekly.

Credits

n•a•p® Massaging Bed Rest and n•a•p® Luxe Foot Comforters available at Brookstone. Capezio shrug, shorts and bra.

BodyForm Total Fitness Platform available at Brookstone. Workout look by Fit Couture. Sneakers by Skechers.

Workout look by Fit Couture, sneakers by Skechers

Wedge by Athena’s Home Novelties. Swimsuit by Eres.

Wedge by Athena’s Home Novelties. Swimsuit by Eres.

Quad Action Percussion Massager available at Sharper Image. Swimsuit and visor by Eres.

Swimsuit by Eres, sneakers by Skechers.

Fog Free Shower Mirror with Radio and Reader from Sharper Image. Swimsuit by Eres.

Shorts by Capezio, tube top by KD Dance.

Sari Meditation Cushions by ABC Home. Top and shorts by Capezio.

Green jumbo cord cushions by The Conran Shop. Contour® Memory Foam Leg Pillow. KD Dance tube top and shorts.

OSIM uCrown, top by KD Dance and Stool by ABC Home and Carpet.

Credits