Casa Magazines, Pink Clouds, Ana Andjelic

Preserving man in the era of machine

An Evening with Ana Andjelic and William White at Casa Magazines

Last night was perfect!!!! Pink clouds, a light breeze, and a rare burst of happiness across the city. Pre-golden hour, I went to Casa Magazines to listen to a conversation between Ana Andjelic and William White for the launch of Ana's book "Hitmakers." WW also provided a cool zine/lookbook. (I am SO tempted to post photos of that here, but it feels antithetical to the sexy mystery of the brand and so will refrain.)

As this is her home, Ana mentioned wanting to do her New York book launch differently and more authentically. The evening was refreshing and had none of the uptight insignia that follows most brand events—the glitz, stuffiness (meanness) that almost always inherently ruins a vibe. Plus, it was a perfect spring night. I lucked into a front row spot with the crisp audio required for memory. These insights on cultural power blend Ana and William's perspectives into one amorphous blob, so don't attribute any specific thought to either. Hopefully you find them nice, like I did :)

Going Slow

Whatever you're building, don't hurry through the foundation. Arriving at a resting place—that inflection point where you're ready to go out into the world—takes time. It's "radical" now to resist the urge to rush, but moving quickly inherently jeopardizes what you're creating. Feel comfortable toiling in obscurity. Focus on the art; the commerce will come. Or it's more likely to come if you remain focused. Billion-dollar fashion labels start small, refined, are tightly held until outside money comes in... Bootstrap it, hone your story/work, be patient. The marketing blow-up in Times Square is only necessary if you take PE money and want to IPO. You (thankfully) don't need it otherwise.

Start with the story; everything else stems from there. Build something real. Have a reason for every decision.

Extreme Discipline

Creativity, in its proper form, really only exists outside of the fashion industrial complex. The only way to (possibly) get around it is through discipline. Everything has to be justified. If you're a creative person trapped within a matrixed organization, discipline is the only thing that enables proper freedom in this efficiency-obsessed world. Example: You have to know your hero product, your tertiaries, how much you need to move of each to justify play elsewhere.

Maybe Your Brand Doesn’t Need A Cafe

Explanatory. But maybe a pop up with l’appartment 4f?

Be Invisible to Algorithm

Perhaps my favorite thought of the night. If Instagram/TikTok don't find and amplify you, if your taste is so nuanced it can't be simply diluted and replicated, that means your brand / what you are creating is properly original. Leverage the mystery that's so gone from our modern world. Send a handwritten invitation on great paper, invite a select few. Rely on the physical.

Refined taste is the New "Signal"

Anyone can "own" a Prada triangle; not everyone goes deeper. The quiet luxury trend was misappropriated—what it really means is that materiality is back. People seek actual craftsmanship and story over labels recognized by the masses. Niche is the ultimate cool again, especially as the world grows flatter. People are now signaling through depth, or to put it another way, through the perfectly tailored linen jacket, not through yet another Barbour. Or, take Casa Magazines: to an uneducated customer, it's just words and images; to a discerning person going there for something specific, it’s a chance to connect with a real community who shares your same worldview/inspirations. For example, for someone who reads/writes like me, they carry everything from niche lit tabloids like On The Rag (shout out sammy!) to the The Paris Review (shout out cami!). “Taste” is now currency, as it requires actual cultivation and perspective, it’s not bought from Tiktok Shop.

Very Important Customers

Sure, you could see that Americana is trending digitally and manufacture hype around it, but what’s better is to organically participate in culture through the people you bring into your world. Who are your VICs that will drive your relevance? Set the tone rather than chasing whatever trend might be hot as of now. You should naturally be living in subcultures.

Word-of-Mouth

Forget omni-channel, OOH, and beyond—the most powerful way to grow whatever is is still one trusted person telling another, "Hey, you will like this." (I think this is true for books too. Shout out to Frances who told me to read Ex-Wife.)

You Can't Stop the Machine

These luxury brands will never silence the genie. They won't tell shareholders, "Sorry, less money this quarter." Know what you're getting into if you enter that world. Most are looking for growth beyond cultural power and they’re never going to roll back the manufacturing engine (no, not even with tariffs.)

A Real Hit Can’t Be Predicted

Hollywood likes a sure thing. It's why we have Nicole Kidman in every movie. It’s why we have 10,000 Marvel films. Sure, we can game out to a certain extent what will make money, but that’s markedly different than proper creativity and art. Really, no science will every predict a hit. What’s going to really influence our culture? Something that can’t be gamed into creation.

Prada Can Do Anything

Prada is one of the few brands setting trends, not following them. Why? Miuccia feels like she can do anything she wants. She's efficient, sure, but she isn't serving at that altar like everyone else. What's killing our culture now is the relentless focus on speed.

True creativity can only exist when you feel free. Art commerce art commerce. Ah.

Happy Spring XX

Read’s Ana’s substack

See William White’s Brand