brutal sweatshops

About the first week of class Professor Sanghvi mentioned sweatshops to our class. Now, I know that I can be naïve, but I really didn’t know that this type of inhumane act is still practiced around the world, let alone in America! As a person that strongly believes in fair and equal treatment among all humans, I instantly had a passionate opinion about the use of sweatshops. They should not be tolerated!
Now, one might ask me, “if you are in retailing, don’t you want to have clothes made cheaply?” There are people who try to justify this inhumane treatment of people by saying “In developing countries sweatshop workers are paid enough to survive! They should be thanking us for their job!” Well, my answers to those question is yes, I am in retailing and yes, I do have a passion for fashion, but not at the expense of poor women being sexually harassed in a hot, unairconditioned factory, and forced to wear diapers because they have no bathroom breaks. I believe in being successful without having to step on people to get there. My success should not be done at someone else’s expense.
My definition of success is owning my own boutique, with one of a kind pieces, that were hand made by a designer that has a passion for making unique garments. I do not want to own a boutique that sells a major label because otherwise, it immediately is in competition with a large department store. Therefore, for my boutique, there will be no need for sweatshops. As an owner who controls the inventory, I will refuse to sell ready-to-wear, dime a dozen, cheap clothes. It will definitely take more than six seconds to make a garment that will be part of my boutique!
My conclusion is that sweatshops are inhumane, unnecessary and should be shut down But for this to happen, people must take a stand and not use sweatshops, or buy from stores or lines that use sweatshops. People must start thinking beyond their own pocketbook. By buying sweatshop items, we are directly contributing to the injustice of these shops. Plus, right now people are very concerned about our economy. Wouldn’t it help solve part of the problem of increasing unemployment if the sweatshop jobs were bought back to the United States? I believe that the question of whether sweatshops are good or bad boils down to this: money and greed vs. fairness and righteous.

picture from xanga.com

fashion: art or usability

In some cultures, people don’t wear clothes at all while in other cultures, people wear clothes out of necessity. In western culture, clothes have gone from being a necessity into being an art form, through which one can describe and express their feelings. One can easily tell the mood of the person, or their personality, by observing their clothes. In this case, clothes would be considered an art form. Fashion, in this case, is an art form.
In our society, it is unacceptable for people today to not wear clothes, and in act, one would be arrested if they were to show public nudity. Also, clothes are worn for protection from the weather, environment, or bad spirits. Furthermore, clothes are worn as recognition of authority or religious purposes. In these cases, clothes would be used as an utility.
According to Wikipedia, “art is the process or product of deliberately and creatively arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions, especially beauty.” Fashion design is all about arranging elements (fabrics) in a way that is appealing. We especially like to appeal to a person’s senses and emotions, and in the end, we want to hear that each design is beautiful. When one puts on clothes with the intent to make others see the beauty in the outfit, clothes, by definition, becomes an art form.
In the Milan fashion show for the spring/summer 09’, I feel that fashion was used as art. Of course, one could use the clothes as a utility, but the clothes were designed as an expression of feelings, therefore making the fashions an art form. I believe that if one dresses themselves with the intention to make a statement, or an expression of one‘s feelings, it is a art. If one gets dressed with no intention of making any kind of statement, then it is just clothes, just a utility. So I guess that in the end, art truly is in the eye of the beholder.

Picture from style.com

what inspires me

There are many different triggers that inspire me to create, buy or wear certain fashions. Music is a tremendous inspiration to me. I usually listen to classic rock, so clothes with lots of layers and a long necklace with bell bottoms and flowing blouses come to mind. When I listen to classical music, long evening dresses with strappy shoes and elegant earrings that dangle just a bit are formatted in my head. And when I listen to jazz, cocktail dresses, cocktail rings and stilettos is the outfit I create.

Another thing that inspires me are vintage photographers. My favorite is Horst P. Horst (who was b.f.f. with Cocoa Channel btw). The way he understood the female body and photographed it, while keeping the body’s total femininity is amazing. I love that his black and white photographs are so simple, yet they have such a deep meaning to them. When I view these photographs, glamour immediately becomes my inspiration. I think of Billie Holliday or Marilyn Monroe in the 50’s. The glamour images in my head are truly magnificent with short sequined dresses, high heels, diamond stud earrings, short curly hair and red lipstick.

I am also inspired by nature. Natural colors are so bright and vivid. I love the fall (maybe because I am a Virgo?) because when the leaves change colors, that is a true inspiration! The fiery colors and the cool, crisp sky bring warm bulky sweaters worn with a favorite pair of jeans and boots to my mind. Flowers are also a inspiration to me. Not only are the shapes intriguing, the colors are too. They set a great foundation for a color pallet. When I see colorful flowers, I think of summer dresses using not only the color but the shape of the flower.

There are many inspirations all around us daily. One just needs to take the time to stop, look around and appreciate the diversity of the landscape. Every object has its own shape and color, and that alone is enough to inspire.


The Beatles picture courtesy bringbackglam.com
Horst P Hosrt photo courtesy art.net
Flower picture courtesy flickr.com