Cover Story

The Geometry of Refusal

Why minimalism failed fashion, how Rick Owens proved subtraction is just another form of excess, and what comes after the end of taste.

By Mara Castillo 22 min read Photography by Harley Weir

Fashion

What Does Post-Luxury Even Mean?

The Row charges $3,900 for a cotton t-shirt. Miu Miu sends models in underwear. Somewhere between these poles, a new idea of value is being negotiated in real time.

Juno Whitfield 18 min Issue 037

Stylish woman in pink suit poses by a vintage train outdoors

Ideas

Against Curation: Notes on the Death of Taste

When everyone curates, nothing is curated. An argument for chaos, accident, and the beautiful failure of algorithmic aesthetics.

Theo Morales 14 min

Trendy woman holding fashion magazine with bold cover in studio

Music

The Sound of Nowhere: Ambient Music and the Loneliness Industry

Brian Eno built airports for your ears. Now Spotify builds background noise for your existential dread. Where did we lose the plot?

Kira Nakamura 11 min

Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life. I don't think you could do away with it. It would be like doing away with civilisation.

Bill Cunningham street photographer, 1929 -- 2016

Young man in summer clothes sitting on a wall

Photo: Fernando Valero

Conversation

24 Hours in Harajuku with Nigo

Nigo

Creative Director, Kenzo / Founder, A Bathing Ape

"Streetwear was never about the clothes. It was about belonging to something the mainstream couldn't buy its way into. Now the mainstream is the customer. So what do we make next?"

Read the full conversation

01 Film

A24 Bought a Movie Theater. Here's Why That Matters More Than You Think.

Reva Chandra / 6 min

02 Art

The Serpentine Pavilion Goes Underground. Literally.

Marcus Webb / 4 min

03 Music

Why Every New Band Sounds Like They Grew Up in a Mall

Ines Alvarez / 8 min

04 Ideas

The Philosophy of the Fit Pic: Hegel, Desire, and Getting Dressed

Kai Nakamura / 12 min

Volume

About Volume

We believe culture deserves longer sentences, harder questions, and the refusal to be algorithmically pleasant.

Volume is a digital magazine at the intersection of fashion, music, art, and ideas. We publish essays, interviews, photo stories, and criticism for people who think about culture the way architects think about space: structurally, obsessively, and with the conviction that it matters.