Michael Dupouy, the visionary talent behind this work and author, was finally able to meet and greet our entire Community for the Italian launch of what "Highsnobiety called the Bible of Streetwear."
Chat with a special friend: Michael Dupouy
After a two-year wait, All Gone is back in style at Black Box Store for two extraordinary events in our Naples and Rome stores, on Friday March 25 and Friday May 6.
ALL GONE“The finest of street culture” is more than a book. It is the unique testimony that for over 16 years has accompanied all true lovers of streetwear on a visual and cultural journey that traces the past year through a selection of iconic products that have marked the path of time, and that will forever remain etched in memory.
Michael Dupouy, the visionary talent behind this work and author, was finally able to meet and greet our entire Community for the Italian launch of what Highsnobiety called “The Bible of Streetwear”.
On the occasion of the All Gone book launch in Naples, the author answered some of our questions:
SO LET’S START WITH A CLASSIC AND SIMPLE QUESTION, WHAT’S THE MISSION OF ALL GONE BOOK AND HOW IT STARTED?
Michael:ALL GONE was born with the idea of documenting in the most beautiful and efficient way possible the best of street culture, every year, like an encyclopedia.
At the time, about 17 years ago, people were predicting the death of magazines, and of paper in general. As a journalist, and passionate about fine objects in general, I stood up against this idea of programmed disappearance and decided to prove that the emergence of social networks could cohabit without conflict of interest with books and magazines.
My book ALL GONE had for supreme goal to document the past, to sublimate the memory of all these collectors’ objects which form our culture, whereas the web is ideal to promote the present moment and anticipate the future.
17 years later, ALL GONE is probably more efficient, practical and playful than Google and Facebook to remember what the year 2006 was like.
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF TOURING WORLDWIDE AND BRINGING KNOWLEDGE TO PEOPLE WHO LOVES STREET CULTURE, HOW DO YOU FEEL THE EVOLUTION OF THE SCENE NOWDAYS?
Michael: We have gone from a niche culture to a mass culture. This cannot happen without collateral damages. There is inevitably a negative side to seeing the unlimited normalization of a culture that has gone from a subversive spirit to a purely industrial and lucrative logic. From a pragmatic point of view, it is necessarily a victory to have gone from a culture that concerned a small number of individuals to the most consumed culture in the world.
The scene has been totally democratized. Street culture is everywhere, to the point of having become Pop culture. Some people see it as a great triumph, an apogee, others regret the time when everything was more rare and less commercial. The debate is open, I think that if you look carefully, if you don’t follow the masses and the trends all the time, there is always a strong effervescence and young labels that energize the scene; revitalize it and create the “new cool”.
LAST QUESTION: WE WITNESS EVERY YEAR HOW ALL GONE HAS THE POWER TO UNITE AND CONNECT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURE AND GENERATIONS, WHAT’S NEXT HOW TO SEE THE FUTURE OF ALL GONE BOOK SIGNING TOUR?
Michael:You know, we just survived the biggest health crisis in the history of the modern world. Just being able to go back to places and meet my public, without a mask, and shake hands and talk face to face is already a huge step forward compared to the last few years.
I don’t want to go sign books in the metaverse right now, but to continue to enjoy moments of communion with the public like last night in Naples, with smiles, an amazing DJ and an energy that will make me memories for the rest of my life.
Many thanks to Michael Dupouy for the good vibes and his friendship
