You probably know Ken Stringfellow as the co-leader of Northwestern power-pop all-timers the Posies or as a sideman for R.E.M. or latter-day Big Star. He’s also a solo artist (we’re particularly fond of the soft-rock American beauty that is 2001’s Touched) and is currently preparing the debut by his Norwegian garage-rock band, the DiSCiPLiNES. Each day this week, magnetmagazine.com guest editor Stringfellow will be filing reports from his home on the European continent.
Stringfellow: This clothing brand kicked up from Marseille at some point in the late ’90s. Inspired by cool thrift items, Kulte decided to make its own: satin jackets, worker-guy shirts, MJ-style leathers and so on. Each year, they screenprint/embroider a different set of strong graphic motifs—yakuza, circus, biker, porn—on their goods. A lot of French fashion is either too preppy or just wearable for your MGMT video cameo appearance; Kulte’s well-chosen, colorful take on the classics includes just enough neon to work in a Nu-Rave setting, but it can look vintage enough to retain your cred. It’s hellaciously cheap for Paris, too; during the sales, you can get well-made items for $20. I mean, it’s hard to find a shoe horn in Paris for under $20.
