The Fashion Industry Is Becoming A Joke...
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 лис 2023
- In today's video I answer questions about a range of fashion topics from Kylie Jenner winning the Wall Street Journal brand innovator award (including the Betsy Johnson saga) to my favourite Ann Demeulemeester sunglasses piece and why luxury fashion has seen insane price hikes (including Phoebe Philo & Daniel Lee's Burberry price increases + the Pharrell Williams Louis Vuitton Millionaire Speedy Bag)
Valentine's Day Gifts Under $25 at Nordstrom bit.ly/3OyflHb
Bags Under $750 at Vestiairecollective bit.ly/49nrfM8
Gifts Under $50 at Katespade bit.ly/42nVW1v
Free Roses candle (35g) with all orders of 130€ and more. Code: ROSE bit.ly/42rjfHv
Let there be live Your next best-night-ever is waiting. And we have the tickets bit.ly/3SKu18v
MY FASHION E-BOOK (Effective Ways To Learn About Fashion): www.thefashionarchivemag.com/...
SUPPORT THE CHANNEL & GAIN ACCESS TO BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON: / fashionroadman
SOCIAL MEDIA: linktr.ee/fashionroadman
#kyliejenner #fashion #anndemeulemeester - Розваги
One of my sister’s best friends is a fashion designer from Mexico and is based in New York. Kylie’s team reached out to her because they wanted to use one of her designs as an option for Kylie’s VMA outfit maybe two years ago. The team refused to pay for said dress (mind you, the designer is a single woman who hand makes these garments by herself). They said they expected it to be free because she would make money off the promotion. My sister’s friend decided to turn them down because it wouldn’t be financially feasible for her.
It’s a great thing she didn’t because people reached out and showed her that Kylie’s team has a record of reaching out to independent designers of color, getting samples for free with the empty promise of promoting the brand on IG, only for her team to make a dupe and sell it off as a product in one of the Kardashian sisters’ stores for their many brands. It’s so blatantly exploitative but I’m shocked she would actually do that to Betsey Johnson, a literal fashion VETERAN 👀
What's your sister bestie ig ???
Wow, what's the brand called?
I've heard inside rumors that the Kardash-jenns reaches out for free stuff to small designers/brands. It's sooooo ridiculous!!!
@@Sew_OzzyWar_Made_This Naomi Cannabal and BlackfeminityTV have done videos breaking down the KaTRASHian/Jenner theft from black creatives.
That’s awful for your friend 😢 I hope this doesn’t put her off reaching for her goals. The Jenners and Kardashians have a very long history of copying and/or stealing ALL their inspiration…remember the lip logo for Kylie Cosmetics…literally copied from a smaller artist. There was even legal repercussions. The Betsy Johnson in question is a different one. She is from my neck of the woods, born in Grimsby in the UK. Which it is SUPER hard to get noticed from or become someone of note as it plagued by poverty when the fishing industry in the UK was forced out by the EU back in the 70’s and 80’s. This makes me even more angrier about the whole situation.
This is why I get mad when Kylie has the nerve to call herself a self made billionaire. It is a joke.
Join the club..!! She's soooo insulting. Self-made is being thrown around extremely loosely.
No one is a self made billionaire. It's a logical fallacy, and kind of a sick joke.
People need to understand that the fashion industry is broader than it looks. It's not just the luxury brands and fast fashion brands. There are a lot of independent designers, thrifty sewers, menders, tailors, dressmakers, textile designers etc. The overhyped stories around Kylie Jenner, LVMH is not all what fashion is about. If you really want to love fashion, look outside the mainstream. Instead of Vogue, look at an independent magazine, instead of Chanel, look at an independent designer. Instead of buying luxury items, thrift flip or make your own clothes. Fashion is a great industry, but there's too much focus on the big names.
Yes!!!!! Couldn’t have said it better myself!!!! 🎉
this is perfect. were at a point now where fashion subgenres have greatly homogonized, so the only way to stay unique is to find the designers that work for you! theres plenty of amazing darkwear altiers rn, while theres also funny guys on instagram wearing balenci and vet, and so on
I have very little knowledge about the fashion industry. Where should I look to find the independent magazine or designer ?
100%.
My sister works in hermes and they HATE LVHM. That conglomerate has been trying to buy up hermes shares and get control of the company for years in the sneakiest rat ways. Luckily as a French company there's a lot of laws protecting them but LVMH is like a disease, in my opinion, buying up luxury brands and seeing worse made products at a higher price. I'm not a suck up to luxury brands and they're all guilty of overselling shit that's not worth that much, but LVMH takes it to a whole other level...
Hard for real designers that put their sweat and tears into getting their brand noticed while there’s people like Kylie getting recognized because of her clout
Yeah. It sucks but hey...that’s how the world works. The reward system is broken.
Taylor swift of fashion 😒
@@MayorSom Taylor Swift is problematic as hell, but at the very least she writes her own songs and doesn't steal from smaller artists. Can't say the same for Kylie Jenner, or any of the Kardashian-Jenners for that matter.
@@aliceramenhead She does create her own art yes, but wasn't that shady thing she did where she made Olivia Rodrigo credit her in one of her songs and take a massive cut of the profits over claims the song was inspired by hers' when it's totally different.
Imagine you study at fashion school while doing a part time job just to paid your tuition and this nepo babies just stealing your ideas
It's crazy!
Bbyyyu you hit me right in the spot. Not to mention that these Kylie Ideas, might not even be Kylie’s but some person like us who secured a job at hers. But was forced to sign an NDA and not have any claims. Nothing new in the fashion and media industries. And Kylie as a brand is know to copy all short of designs and artistic pieces from small artisans.
Nepo babies rely on coasting on the ideas of others or outright stealing them: Elon Musk, Sam Levinson, and many more. They want to appear smart/creative instead of actually being smart/creative.
yes yes yes yes yes!!! EXATLY! if you don't have the $ or connections, going to design school doesn't really get you much, it's so crazy and cutthroat to be successful within the industry.
I understand the French revolutionists more and more every day lol
She bought that award. Plain and simple. 😂
So many rich people buy awards, get awards they don't deserve, or have unfair advantages in gaining awards.
Awards are a scam for rich people to make their accomplishments seem legitimate, pat themselves on the back, or build their portfolio. When you're rich, you can control the narrative of what's good.
Most people buy whatever award they get. Somebody always gets a pay off.
That's actually so sickening that big brands literally could getting away with stolen design and ran with it
It’s because it’s very difficult to successfully trademark your designs unless it’s like a logo or a brand signifier (e.g 3 stripes for adidas) so fashion brands always exploit it because they know they will always get away with it legally
This is why I can't take Kylie seriously. It's like she has no distinctive identity of her own so she just puts out whatever. Because if she did she wouldn't need so many contrived PR puff pieces to legitimize what she's doing so early on. It always feels like she's not truly interested in gaining her legitimacy through merit of her own work over time. I don't see consistency & refinement on a chosen path she's on. The Olsen sisters are a great example of two young women who went into fashion for passion & they've solidified their place in fashion & earned the respect of the fashion world & as well as their customers that they are serious fashion players & a force to be reckoned with. They have a clear brand identity.
Sometimes I wonder if these celebrities pay for all these honorary awards and such, like I wouldn't be surprised the highest bidder is who gets the award, probably the same thing happens with the Oscar's...
It could also be the influencer effect, it's not about talent these days...
regarding khy, i think another downside of nepotism is the lack of patience. kylie wants everything now. she doesn’t want to wait for the brand to build hype organically and then win awards. she wants awards now and that will hurt the legitimacy of khy if there was any to begin with.
So Luxury market is just like the art market but with less exclusive pieces got it.
You got it. 🥲
Years ago you could see the differences of each designer, now it all looks the same. A lot of the people who dress well you never see instead all these influencers have taken over. There is not much that’s new out there, department stores here in the US are the worst they don’t have a point view. Years ago we had retailers in the US that were always finding new talent and there was mor innovation
The Black Americans are that. These people are antagonistic to Native Black American People. They will reap what they sow.
In a way I am Glad for this homogenisafion at the upper end of fashion, because as someone with a limited Budget, twenty years ago I’d walk through the designer level of a high-end mall and feel distinctly poor, the pangs of desire would sink down hard into my heart as I passed by windows filled with gorgeous merchandise I knew I could not afford, and at the time the High Street hadn’t caught up yet, it was either the real McQueen, Galliano or Westwood or nothing at all. Nowadays I walk through most boutiques and I just feel.. nothing. ‘That was it?’ Is the general emotion after seeing the hundredth 1000-dollar oversized logo item. That feeling of desire however, has shifted to vintage boutiques and many independent instagram creatives who do absolutely stunning one-off pieces. I think that’s where the new experience in buying fashion lies - online with the independent makers. Instagram robbed luxury mainstream fashion of its sheen by ensuring that the look rather than the feel of product took precedence, but it also gave an outlet to a whole bunch of artists who would otherwise need to find boutique or gallery representation.
To be honest, dressing well is an art. Either yo know how to or you don’t. 90% of celebrities don’t dress well, even with their glam teams and stylists.
After Highschool I wanted to work in fashion and became a dressmaker. My first bigger fashion event was a disaster because it was all about looks and nothing about quality: fabrics, craftsmanship or even good cuts did not matter. The bestselling stuff were basically Chanel dupes and everything with a big enough logo. The people there congratulated each other how great they were and how they’re so invested in fashion… But no one had individual style. Every small town crafts fair has more creativity, innovation and appreciation for craftsmanship that that big city multi million (probably) event. I decided then and there to do something else with my life.
Everything is becoming a joke these days. Even the grammy's award show is a joke. I think people are realizing how much these things are constructed and they don't really mean anything.
I appreciate fashion awards but I wish people were being rewarded based on those who are actually killing it in fashion instead of focusing on big names for PR purposes
Never been this early! Happy Sunday!
100%!
Fashion in dead thanks to social media, ridiculous expensive fashion and endless amounts of influencers who make it look not special at all.
Lol I just watched a try-on haul for Kylie’s brand, everything was so cheap-looking and unflattering, it was sad to see.
12:08 YES! They Don’t Care About Level Of Quality They Care About Flexing A Price Tag Which Is So Funny Because It Doesnt Make Them ANY DIFFERENT From The People That Buy Solely “Luxury” Leather Goods To Flex On People In The Offices They Work In..
I agree that the fashion system is broken in many ways with the ridiculous demand of having to put out so many collections per year. There's no time to really be creative due to the revolving door speed of turn out. There needs to be a slow down of production and also more focus placed on quality.
As for designers, a lot of these new so-called designers these days aren't old-school style designers, but are people who have gotten into the fashion industry and deemed themselves as designers. It would be nice to see more of various designers of different ages who more recently came out of design schools be able to also show their collections. There needs to be a balance instead of focusing so much on celebrities doing fashion design and especially at high-end price points.
I agree about Ann Demeulemeester and the Antwerp 6 in general. I've bought their pieces since back in the late 80s, but mostly in the 90s and 2000s. I wear and have worn Ann, Dries, and Dirk Bikkembergs. I'm still a big Dries fan and go to the flagship Dries boutique here at home.
Greetings from Los Angeles
Thanks for being transparent and truthful. We need more real ones like you in the industry on the lookout for us!
Luxury fashion is almost necessarily exclusionary. I'm a bit surprised people are shocked by prices getting out of hand, these designers never *really* wanted the masses to have them.
I’m with you on Ann Demeulemeester too! The interview with Walter Van Beirendonck is an absolute must-watch! Those glasses… wow what an amazing gift: an important moment in fashion history!!😎💥👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The sad thing is this is every industry now. It's all fake and a show for the few at the top.
As a creative person, it's so disheartening to see how creative circles only celebrate and uplift the rich. And creativity as a whole will suffer because its not a meritocracy.
Thank you for pointing these things out-people are so superficial and devoid of creativity
The desperation people have for validation is what is the ultimate market
The attention economy 💹
You are such an inspiration. I've followed your channel for a while and it's such a joy to witness your growth.
On a separate note, I notice the same trend in architecture and design awards.
Enjoy your passion, which results in being critical and staying true to the promises the industry makes.
The CFDA for me used to be a lot more credible in the past. Maybe it's due to the industry changing, but nowadays, their credibility isn't what it used to be.
I do agree with the reasoning and sentiment behind the price increase to several brands' pieces. But, I always wonder, just how many people are actually buying a coat for 10k? Are there actually that many rich people in the world willing to spend that. I mean, I suppose there are - I just don't know any!
Evidently Phoebe Philo only made/offered 100 garments in each SKU for this A1 drop. Explains why it sold out so quickly.
you hit it on the nail with the clear objective of the majority who buys the luxury pieces with inferior quality and beyond braindead design or rather no design. It's a status symbol and they could care less nor do they give a damn about style.
Can we please talk about her KHY items she demonstrated being clearly all leather. Her version vs the one people reviewed are clearly different to the trained eye.
I just found I my archive a beautiful Ann bag I've had for 20 years
Arnt all the biggest names in the industry like old French Italian shops from like 100 years ago bought out by one guy who then just owned them all and made them into big businesses…. It’s always been about money first
I left a long career in the design industry this year because I simply could no longer handle it mentally. People just dont understand the amount of work and sacrifice it takes. Its financially, creatively, physically and spiritually draining but we do it for the passion within us. Seeing these influencers hijack and bypass all the years of studies and hard work to call themselves designers and shortcut the industry is an insult. Seeing these uninspired influencer brands recognized at industry events is a joke. To all the other brands and firms who put in countless hrs for even not much pay sometimes so just maybe get their brand is given credit. Im sorry but just because you got fame from posting glorified selfies and nepo luxury travel doesnt qualify you whatsoever as a designer. They do have some role to play in the industry to bring attention, but keep it at that. And if they do want to break through, put in the work, but as I see it they are nothing but a face for a shell of a brand that brings nothing new and stands for nothing. And us in industry have to just smile politely and pretend this is ok but its a joke.
I love these videos so much, and I always agree so much with what you say. Khy is such BS, Burberry is interesting changing (though I loved Prorsum) and the higher price increases have been on the horizon for a long time
Re:prices… so much for all the “democraticization of luxury.” How cynical and manipulative of certain luxury brands to do this and then “change their minds” and hike prices. Honestly any rich person could have told them 25 years ago, if you do that we’ll lose interest. And how shallow that the only way these former Houses, now brands, can recapture the rich is by raising prices to insulting levels. Gone is the customer who truly cared about quality. It’s all oligarchs and Kardashians now.
Just discovered your channel - soooo good ! Really well put together commentary-Liked and subscribed!
I love the point you made about the price point of luxury fashion almost becoming too accessible, it's something I've thought about a lot. Luxury fashion has become kind of common, it's not this unattainable thing that only wealthy people can afford. I work an office job earning a below average salary but I could afford to buy myself a Gucci bag if I wanted to which almost makes it no longer seem like a luxury thing. It's crazy seeing the price increases but I think in a way brands are just trying to restore that exclusivity that has been lost. That LV millionaire speedy is kind of ridiculous but for a person with money they know that owning that item separates them from the average person with an LV neverfull for example. I don't see it as a bad thing because that's the point of a lot of luxury fashion, rather than being about exceptionally made, long lasting quality products it's about perception . That's why people will spend 8k on a Chanel bag, it's never that they're looking for a high quality leather handbag.
Luxury is attainable because things like buying a house and university are more like dreams. We can save up for a bag but it's never enough for a house deposit. The brands know that.
@@annabarr1304 that's a good point!
Thank you for raising awareness ❤
Great video! Very informative. ❤
This is how you know there is something fundamentally wrong with human beings.😮 And once you let messed up musicians and celebrity in to design, then it's down hill from there😢
I didn’t know that happened to Betsy . I’m a fan of her designs. I think Stealing ideas I happens in many areas as well ( music , dance etc)
Also do people actually spend that much money ? I thought the rich and famous people get gifted most of the items for promotion
Famous celebrities / influencers get gifted stuff, less famous but just as rich / richer people do all the buying. Also, certain brands barely do gifting e.g Hermes. (that's the super expensive stuff)
The rest of us make the brands the most money by buying their fragrances and accessories.
@@FashionRoadmanthus totally make sense to support and buy small independent brands
@@FashionRoadmanthis comment reminds me of fashion merchandise class. How most luxury brands make their coins on small ticket items 🥲 how sad and ridiculous is that?!
Just to let everybody know the Betsy Johnson they are talking about is not the "cart wheelin" crinoline prom dress Betsy, but a European designer with a very strong,striking silhouettes .
A lot of the cause of this, in my opinion, is the amount of new money and massive transfers of wealth to the top .001% at least in the US. Taste is out the window and most people who have naturally "good" taste are just trying to pay their rent.
Also the big labels are going after the China and Middle East markets where conformity through visible labels and garishness are big sellers. I would add the democratization of pop media has played a role. Online, the loudest and most showy stuff gets promoted which is leading younger people to equate conspicuous luxury with good fashion sense.
Wait thanks for featuring my question hehe!!
And super cool glasses! Super interesting history and personal experience with them
I collect homme plisse issey miyake, and their prices have DOUBLED in the last 6 months 😭 WHYYYYY
If there's any publications who get paid off wallstreet is definitely one of them 💀
Great points & explanations :)
I doff my beanie 2u sir ;)
💖💖🦋🦋
Really neat informative disillusioned content, subscribed 👍
I like all those inside view. Thanks
hi sir , great video❤
I didn't even know Khy was a thing. Also didn't know the WSJ awards were a thing.
That's why I make my own clothes and people always think I'm wearing designer lol
😊yep yep yep. As long as you get the pattern and learn some sewing skills. And you get to enjoy the time making it too❤
None of this is in any way new. The sad history of corporations stealing ideas from less powerful artists.
I was just on Prada website looking at handbags, , most of the structured leather bags are close to $10,000 CND
Those glasses are so cool ❤
It’s dynamic and cyclical at the same time, if the common majority doesn’t spectate at the brands the people who buy it for attention desire increases. For example gentrification, city is ghetto then city is modern urban, than ghetto eg
On a another note - maybe you can do a vid about the most respekted Awards and the positive sides and companys of the industri?🥰
They actually look nice on you
Merci! They are very tight on my face though. Feels like the sides of my head are being pressed inwards haha
innovation? where? where? where?
the award actually happened before the brand even dropped like the next day or sumn 😭 i was like ohh i guess that was purchaséd 👀
SHE WON WHAT?!?!!?
1:11 Hahah, I love the message you put on the screen. Khy looks like what I would picture Glad making black garbage bag inspired trench and faux leather clothing. 🤢
3:10 OMG?! I would honestly never have guessed this, how effed up is that?!! I would be furious, they deserve the credit, money, recognition.
Yes! Too many collections is like when Anastacia Beverly Hills had like 10 new eyeshadow palettes one year, overwhelming release timing and watered down quality, smh. 😑
3:30 Another interesting point! I've learned so much in less than 5 min haha.
I actually I would love to come up on your show and talk about the development of kimono to skims.. I was a product developer for a large intimates company and the low key did the same thing to us as Betsy Johnson 😫😫. I didn’t know this happened till you said it 😅😂
There's a lot of disscussion below about the overshadowing of independant designers by the larger fashion houses, as well as the relevancy of mainstream fashion media, but at the same time I think this provides the needed gap for smaller designers. I've definetly noticed an uptick in the fashion world alligning with "steahouse" type fashion, think of fast fashion as mcdonalds and brands like Kylie and Skims having yes a higher quality, but not to the point of justifying the price or being inovative for that matter, like a steakhouse. These types of brands seem to cater to people who want moreso to show off their wealth in the easiest way possible, and interact with fashion only to that end. On the flipside, while people like the Kardashians and wives of sports players will always gravitate to a certain look and fashion philosophy, I find there is a rich and ever growing catalogue of independant designers within a price range that is more affordable. Brands like Mirror Palais, Poster Girl, Dilara Findikoglu and others have seem to taken hold of our imaginations, frontlining many of the "micro-trends" and aesthetics within the past five years. Many of these independant houses are still made up of a majority of pieces one cannot afford within one paycheck, but if given let's say a few months, should be in one's reach without a credit card. I believe we will start seeing a pattern again like post-market crash, in which the newer and poorer middle class will start invest in accessories from fashion houses who's main pieces they can't afford, and match them with their own collection of thrifted and DIY. Also, if any one has any suggestions for independant designers I can spend on my tax return comming soon, please let me know!
I used to think you gotta be orginial and stuffs to make it in the industry. After interning at several brands (they're not big names though) and seeing how things work, it doesn't matter who came up with the idea first anymore. It's who can get the products to the market first, at the most minimal production cost. It's a business sadly, and you gotta be ruthless and well, unethical I guess to win. A classmate of mine straight up copied my ideas for her brand lol, she also ripped off designs from Pinterest . As outraged as I am there's nothing I can do to prove the design was mine, and consumers straight up don't care either lmao. It's a business afterall. Good luck everybody else.
The fashion bubble is long over due for a bust and I dont mean in the sartorial sense.
Companies all increase prices together, so we have no options.
Idea stealing is infuriating. Vomit-inducing. Utterly disgusting.
I know for a fact that many award shows only consider for any award celebrities who confirm they will be there and are actually there.
I discovered this a few years ago. A celebrity in the UK talked about how they were promised the award if they simply turned up
even if the award is for her other brands ( I don't think it is due to the timing) but her makeup line was purposefully and deceptively overvalued 😭 and they would purposefully hold back stock. also the copying of designers that have sent over free ideas has happened multiple times. where is the innovation??????
It's honestly all so disappointing, I hate that people like Kylie Jenner who perpetrate as "self-made" and as a designer are getting awards for things they didn't even do. Nothing about her clothing line is innovative. It's like Kanye West's and Balenciaga's old collections had bubble guts and crapped that out. Her collection doesn't even look wearable. It looks like uncomfortable high-end trash bags. To be clear I'm not saying she didn't deserve the award because I don't like the clothes, I'm saying she doesn't deserve it because this is all clothing we have seen before. Awards like these should go to designers who are pushing the standards not reinforcing the old ones.
I agree with what you said about these award shows losing credibility. The whole industry is infuriating. Even though I love the fashion industry and I want to work in it one day, this crap is just sad. Love those shades though, I think they look rather nice on you.
What Fashion Business news outlets do you read aside from Business of Fashion? I would like to expand my knowledge in the industry. I am not in the industry, I am just an enthusiast who's in the insurance industry.
Forbes, The Financial Times & Vogue Business mainly
@@FashionRoadman I will check them out, thank you!
@@FashionRoadmanbut these are all so mainstream?
Ayo went sway at the end to close it out
Nice Azelia shirt
award for pay
It’s the same in most entertainment driven industries…
Every award show is a joke imo
11:36, a fool and his money will soon part.
I like the glasses
The sunglasses are insane!!!!!
considering to do another book release in the future?
100% just ironing out shipping issues
Not to mention her Khy brand just launched before receiving the award-and I’m not sure if anyone seasoned in fashion could say that clothing brand is innovative whatsoever.
If this isn’t a publicity stunt like her accountants & PR teams inflating the numbers for her to get billionaire status and be on the Forbes front cover in 2018, then I don’t know what is.
To be honest, your sentiment is on par with people who have been in the industry for a bit, but not too long -- by which I mean somewhere between the 5 - 10 year mark. The fashion industry has always been exploitative, that itself is not new.
The crazy part is that its not one person in the family with any integrity or real work ethic. Like Kendall - highest paid model but legit was put in that place without any actual model work. Kim always stealing... Kourtney with those trash gummies... Khloe .... all of them!
When fashion becomes strictly business instead of it also being a cradddle of artistry...
SPOILER: Fashion Roadman turns into Morpheus at the end of the video...
😂
Some of those models look like Nosferatu back out of the coffin!
Goodness me!
Most of these brands look for whales or people who carelessly spend money because they have it. That’s what balenciaga’s been doing for years. It’s not many ppl buying from these brands but the ppl who do are spending insane amounts at once.
Chanel prices? x10
Chanel and Hermes increase their prices every year like it's a sport
Great artists steal
and Khy isn't even popular as a brand because it's not made for anyone who isn't a tall slim model.
whats that?
1:18 yeah she does. Kris's Jenner works HARD 🙄
My work was stolen by Alexander McQueen. Can you provide a few methods to copy right your work?
Sadly it’s all marketing and gullible people
If no one has ever heard of the award show, then why get triggered, you know? It was never important before, so why care when they do some thing. It's neither here nor there for me.
To whomever gave that K creature that WSJ award, She isn't going to sleep with you bro. Nothing involving those people is worth eyeballs. And the Fashion Industry has long been a joke.
What a disgusting mockery of design.
Does anyone truly believe Kim K passed the BAR exam?
😂
Kpop award shows work in similar ways, some idols/groups will win awards just for SHOWING UP or they're bought by the company. it's all a bunch of b.s
8:20 BS!, just like airline tickets. People should pay for you to catch up, the ego.