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A Feel for Fashion: Jonah Weiner and Erin Wylie, Blackbird Spyplane

Interviews

There is no place better for “recon” than Blackbird Spyplane, which exists mainly as a newsletter and web site where readers can savour fresh and original insights on culture and style. Published by Jonah Weiner and Erin Wylie, a journalist and design scout respectively, it excels as a trusted voice that makes sense of and/or debunks micro-trends and random zeitgeist moments while sounding hilarious and clever in equal measure. Thanks also to an awkwardly awesome (or awesomely awkward) aesthetic, this project born in 2020 didn’t stay niche for very long, and has since been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The New Yorker and Business of Fashion, which added Blackbird Spyplane to its BoF 500 this year. Wylie also oversees Concorde, which is described as “a ‘women’s sletter,’ except it’s for everyone who is cool.” It’s worth checking out how the duo has put their spin on the art of interviewing, with Tyler, The Creator, Emily Bode, Jerry Seinfeld, Rachel Kushner and Aminé among the talents who delight in answering questions that are unlikely to be asked anywhere else.

What is the most significant change you are seeing in fashion right now? 

People are growing increasingly tired and unsatisfied with e-comm. They want to buy clothes in person, at small shops, run by interesting humans with great taste. Relatedly, people are less interested than ever in clothes from big, corporate brands, and they’re more interested than ever in connecting with independent labels who work at very high levels despite — or, actually, because of — their relatively small scales.  

Where do you look for new ideas or voices in fashion? 

We’re eternally inspired by the outfits that oldhead real ones wear to the supermarket here in Northern California, where we’re based. There are few better arguments for how good you look when you build a long-term relationship with your clothes.  

When was the last time you marveled over something in fashion? 

Last December, visiting the breeding nursery where Sally Fox develops her color-grown FoxFibre cotton. It’s miraculous: organic, soft, long-fiber, and it grows in beautiful greens, browns and reds despite being totally free of dyes. Sally is an undersung legend.  

There seems to be more overlap between fashion/entertainment and fashion/sports than ever. Thoughts?  

You should ignore the way 99.5% of actors dress, ignore the way 99.4% of athletes dress, ignore the way 96.2% of musicians dress, and ignore the way 100% of “influencers” dress. Pay close attention to how directors, photographers and artists dress.  

Who or what is generating the greatest influence in fashion today?

The past. 

 

This interview has been lightly edited. 

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