The Best Authentic Stuff is Fake
By Tom Purcell, published October 18, 2025
It's called "messy authenticity," and it's the latest trend to clearly demonstrate America has lost its collective mind.
Examples of this trend include a Maison Margiela sweater with unfinished threads and gaping holes, a designer purse with fringed eyelets, frayed material and uneven seams, and a "Rag Chair" for the living room stitched together with discarded fabric scraps, priced at $4,000.
The author first documented the "designs made to look imperfect" trend nearly 18 years ago, with distressed furniture being one of the first examples, where people would intentionally damage and paint new furniture to make it look old and worn.
Author's summary: America's latest trend is embracing imperfection.