You Can't Afford This Gym
2024's defining image, On's Innovative shoes, Ultra-elite gyms, the best Wimbledon looks, and a Japanese concrete home.
GM everyone.
In Today’s Newsletter:
Trump’s Defining Meme
On’s Spray-On Running Shoe
Ultra-elite Fitness Clubs
Best Wimbledon Looks
Burberry’s Executive Shakeup
A Japanese Concrete Home
Sorry for missing Friday’s newsletter. I went to go see ‘Longlegs’ the evening before and didn’t go to bed until 2am. I set my alarm for 6am to write but slept through the alarm. Oh well!
Quick thoughts on the film: this brooding, noir-horror mix was intriguing and well executed by writer-director Osgood Perkins. I preferred the procedural, detective focused vibe for the first 2/3 of the film, as the ending strays far into the occult. The performance from lead actress Maika Monroe was incredibly good. The marketing for the film has been superb, with out-of-home billboards to call a phone number where a recording of Nicolas Cage’s haunting character playing, or a synced video of Monroe’s real, rising heartbeat during a tense scene in the film. And its brought real results, the film was Neon’s highest opening of all time, bringing in around $20M.
NEWS
Former-president Donald Trump was nearly assassinated over the weekend. The number one story in the world is the assassination attempt that occurred over the weekend at a Trump rally in Butler, PA. The tragic event, which claimed the life of one of the attendees, was visceral to say the least. Its one of the those moments in American history you’re going to remember where you were when you heard the news. While I don’t want to use this newsletter as a place for political discourse, the way in which the events unfolded, and the photographic coverage are truly remarkable to me, and defining of this perilous moment in the country. AP’s Evan Vucci, and the New York Times, Doug Mills, captured the exact moment the former President was nearly killed, and the aftermath in which he rose and put his fist defiantly in the air. The image created was oft-meme’d over the weekend, and Chris Black put it well in his GQ column—
It was, in true Trump fashion, some WWE shit. And it spawned an image we will see for the rest of our lives. — Chris Black
We came hauntingly close to a very different reality, and the moment and its implications are something we will all be processing for a long time. The fact this photo exists in insane on a number of levels.
On’s Cloudboom Strike LS may be the most revolutionary shoe on the planet. In the history of running shoes, there have been several seminal innovations: Nike’s Air tech, carbon plates, vaporfly, etc. Now, On, believes they’ve cracked the code on a new defining technology.
Their Cloudboom Strike LS is crafted from a singular single semi-translucent synthetic monofilament, wrapped around a cushioned midsole, and woven by a robot arm. The shoe is light, less impactful, and features significantly less ‘parts’ than traditional running shoes, which often boast hundreds of components. The Cloudboom features only 7. Its set to make its performance debut at the Olympics, and comes at a time where On’s star is rising, while Nike’s is falling. I am very curious to try this shoe, and may give it a go when I run the 31mi perimeter on Manhattan in about a month.
The ultra-rich are flocking to luxurious, exclusive fitness clubs. Just as high net-worth individuals trust their portfolio to wealth managers, several exclusive, high price fitness clubs are hoping they’ll do the same with their health. There is a growing market of $10,000+/mo fitness clubs popping up, offering comprehensive testing, curated training and dietary guidance, and luxurious spaces with amenities typically reserved for professional athletes. Equinox’s $40,000/yr membership launched last Spring, and Continuum ($10,000/mo) recently opened up shop in Greenwich Village. Longevity and lifespan have become buzzwords, and these exclusive clubs are offering their clientele the ability to slow their aging and dial in on their health in ways a traditional gym or trainer simply cannot, by focusing on prevention. Out of the trillions of dollars spent on the American healthcare system, currently only 3.5% are spent on preventative procedures. While this trend is beginning at the highest echelon, I’ll be curious how it trickles down to more affordable alternatives.
What were the best Wimbledon looks? Carlos Alcaraz stunned Djokovic to retain his Wimbledon title. But the actual game is just one part of these major tennis championships. We also care about who attended and what did they wear? Here are some of my fav looks —
Alexa Chung 
Sienna Miller 
David Beckham
Hard to go wrong with a perfectly tailored grey suit.
Burberry is ditching their CEO amid a sales slump. I wrote last week about Burberry’s disastrous Q1, in which the brand’s sales slumped 20%. The fashion house announced layoffs, but I didn’t expect one of those to be their CEO, Jonathan Akeroyd. He’s being replaced by Joshua Schulman, formerly at Michael Kors and Coach. We’ll see if they can right the ship…
I love this concrete home. Designed by Studio Cochi Architects and located in a residential development in Okinawa, this home is created out of concrete slabs. I love the brutalist aesthetic, and the juxtaposition between the wooden furniture and the grey concrete. This reminds me of Kanye’s Tadao Ando designed home in Malibu. Hopefully these owners take better care of it than he did.
Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, and designer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio