[UPDATE BELOW] For the past six years, one of the highlights of the fall season has been the Corduroy Appreciation Club's celebration of all things corduroy, wherein corduroy aficionados from around the world gather for an event that's one part parody of secret society rituals, two parts fashion fetishism, and three parts drunken circus. But it appears that last year's Grand Meeting, held on 11/11/11—the date most closely resembling corduroy in our lifetimes—was the LAST.
It was clear at last year's gathering that the club's creator, Miles Rohan, was running out of steam: All those in attendance were asked to vote on whether to continue the club or disband once the historic 11/11/11 was behind them. The results of that vote were never publicly announced, but judging by the passion on display during the meeting, we find it hard to believe that any motion to disband would have passed. And yet, the website for the Corduroy Appreciation Club is kaput, and Rohan appears to have gone into hiding.
Rohan has not responded to repeated requests for comment, and has not made a tweet from the official Corduroy Club Twitter account since November 15th, when he ominously observed:
Odd mix of feelings about 111111. Relieved in ways, sad in others. Mad I forgot to reveal Cord whale and get fully dressed. Thanks to all!
— Miles Rohan (@Corduroyclub) November 15, 2011
Reading between the lines, it's safe to say Rohan has turned his back on the fabric he once hailed for its power to "unify." We can only assume that after all these years, Rohan finally succumbed to what radio host Jesse Thorn described as "louche, lude, lascivious velvet." Somewhere, no doubt, Rohan is seated on a velvet throne dressed head-to-toe in silk, reading this story on an iPhone ensconced in a slick, soulless crochet case.
Update 2:02 p.m.: Rohan at last breaks his silence with this statement:
The Corduroy Appreciation Club Project is retired. The time had come to stop. As an expression, I felt it had said as much as it could. Ending on the date which most closely resembles Corduroy, ever, seemed like a good place to finish. I do hope and encourage people to continue to appreciate Corduroy. I know I always will. I am happy that the club made people laugh and smile.
I don't know what to really say. I am a bit sad about it ending. I still don't quite know what it even was—an experiment, a real club that brought people together and made them laugh, a meddling with culture, a very serious joke, but not a joke?
