In September 2017, GQ took down a wonderfully reported story on the proliferation of CARTIER sunglasses in DETROIT. SPLINTER reported the story's removal, with GQ saying that the story hadn't gone through proper channels and was inadvertently published. Cached versions of the story were subsequently removed, and some readers speculated that the story had been taken down due to pressure from advertisers. Unfortunately it never resurfaced, until now. RACKED published a version of the story Wednesday, outlining how Cartier sunglasses became a symbol of style and status in Detroit, their mythos and desirability spreading through local culture, with hip hop lyrics carrying the message beyond city limits. Pursuit of the glasses sometimes ended in violence, with Detroit police estimating that in 2010, 15–20 homicides were in some way related to the Cartiers. But beyond the association with crime, I’ve found the story to be as much about people's desire to be recognized—to communicate through style. These stories should be told. Hats off to Racked for picking up the story. Would love to see more reporting on the phenomenon, and for that matter, more reporting on local style in general… In another story about clothing culture, EVELINE CHAO wrote about people's memories growing up in and around Chinese laundries in the US, and it's a fantastic read for how it sheds light on the immigrant experience across generations... Briefs: TERRY RICHARDSON is under investigation by the NYPD, and BRUCE WEBER denies allegations of sexual harassment... DIOR HOMME’s denim collection… BOLT THREADS closes series D.