Communication cool
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Jeff H and Skim.com have your number
by RUPERT BOTTENBERG
Some folks wear their hearts on their sleeves. Others, like those sporting threads from Swiss label Skim.com, only go as far as the access code. Combining a highly interactive Web site, a frenetic, postmodern magazine and a line of tastefully utilitarian clothing, Skim.com heralds itself as "communicating fashion."
"I was reading Details," says Montreal-based Canadian representative Jeff H, "and there was something there on Skim. It sounded innovative, the clothes looked good and I've always liked computers, so I got in touch to see if they wanted someone here to take care of the line."
They did, which puts the former music promoter in a whole new bag. "I'm just starting to learn how the fashion business works, but I'm enjoying it."
Skim clothes come clearly but tastefully emblazoned with unique serial numbers, which double as e-mail addresses and pass codes to a rapidly evolving mini-community. Already available and moving briskly across Europe, Skim.com can also be found in Japan, India, Turkey, the U.S. and now our own Juan & Juanita stores. And in cyberspace, of course.
"A lot of people will see it as a flirting service, but there's a lot more to it than that. The average person walks past thousands of others every day, without saying a word to them. Say you see someone you find interesting. This way you can contact them and let them know what you think of them.
"Especially today, when everybody's fusing everything with technology, putting fashion and e-mail together makes sense. It's not for everybody, though. A lot of people will have trouble walking around with their e-mail address on their shirt. You don't have to activate your Skim address, though, and several articles don't have numbers. You can wear the clothes just because they look good."
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