The Trickle Down Effect

America is currently in a recession, which means that most individuals are losing jobs, can't afford their house, car, and other notes and are shopping less. Since many individuals are losing their jobs they are having a hard time paying mortgages or finding other jobs which can help them afford their houses. With our economy looking as if it will not get any better within the next year individuals are beginning to save there money and only purchase the necessities. Not only are jobs filing bankruptcy but so are banks. Without the help from banks many Americans feel uneasy about there purchases. When one begins to feel this way he/she tends to not purchase the items he/she used to because there is no security. With all this being said, home fashion retail is also seeing a decline because many people can't afford there home, so the last thing on their mind is furniture, clocks, etc.

Challenges in Apparel Retailing

The apparel industry is constantly changing and growing. One challenge this industry faces is the constant need to appeal to its target market. Styles are always being invented and recycled. Retailers have to figure out a way to please their customers as well as stay true to their brand.

Another challenge in retailing is to make clothing affordable for the public. For instance, Forever 21 will never produce a shirt that costs over $30.00. However Fendi may create a shirt that costs $1,000.00. If suddenly Forever 21 or Fendi decides to increase their cost of clothing, they may lose many customers.

Recently the economy has been the biggest challenge in retailing. With our economy in recession many brands are going bankrupt or losing lots of money.

SWEATSHOPS

I am pro-sweatshops. This is because if these individuals were not working then they would not be going to school, or have a way to support thier family. Although child labor is wrong in America, we have a different economy than other countries. Alot of children have to take care of brothers and sisters, and or sick parents and the only way to do that is by working in a sweatshop.



On an American stand point I know that I would not want to spend $30.00 on a shirt that I could buy for $15.00. Also if I owned my own clothing line, outsourcing and creating sweatshops seem to be the most inexpensive way of creating my clothes.



Although I am pro-sweatshops I don't agree with the conditions of the workers. I think that the workers should be granted leave, given health insurance, and most of all paid more. The owners of brands such as Nike, and Wal-Mart are rich. Clearly 5 cents and hour is enough to at least get by in these economies, but they should be paid at least a dollar. Even 25 cents higher would make these individuals live a better life. I believe that these brand owners need to make it a policy to treat thier workers the way they would want to be treated.



http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/en/web/article.php?article_id=50304

Paris Fashion Week

I enjoyed Paris Fashion Week 2008. I feel as though it lived up to expectations of having wild, exciting outfits, yet most of the pieces were wearable. I could see entertainers wearing these items to award shows in efforts to make a statement.

It seemed as though many designers wanted to make statements within their shoe collection. Most shoes had to be at least six inches. I loved the wild designs of the shoes, however I could never picture myself wearing these shoes because they were too high!

I loved John Galliano's shoes as well as his choice of hair and makeup. The choices he made, made the models look like cartoon characters (they reminded me of fafi characters). Another one of my favorite Paris Fashion Week designers is Alexander McQueen. I love the animals on set and I loved how the designs resembled animals, but was still futuristic.

MY INSPIRATION

I am not much of a designer but when it comes to putting outfits together there are certain things that I prefer to go together. When I think about putting together outfits the first thing that comes to my mind are colors that compliment each other. I love shades of gold and pink, so when I came up with this design I knew I would want to incorporate those colors into my outfit.

I love the singer Janelle Monae and the feminine touches that she incorporates in her masculine outfits. For instance, in the figure to the right, she has on high waisted pants with a cumber bun, a tight white shirt and a bow tie. I love this look because it makes her look sophisticated and powerful. This is not a look that you see everyday that's why it caught my attention and inspired me to create the look for my outfit.

The design I have created contains black high waisted straight leg pants which are made of cotton and spandex fibers. I love the high waist look because it accentuates the legs as well as gives a business look. The shirt is made of rayon fibers and is a soft peach color with ruffles around the neckline and chest area. The shirt also has about 2/4 length arms which is a perfect shirt to wear in the fall when its not too hot or too cold. To make the outfit more masculine I added a black cotton racer back vest. I love the racer back vest because it makes the outfit masculine but the back resembles femininity, and I want my outfit to reflect a strong woman. To put finishing touches on the outfit I added a black bowtie.

(Picture from:http://www.ticketreports.com/images/janellemonet.jpg)

Ethnic Influences on Apparel Design

Apparel design is heavily influenced by ethnicity. Depending on climate, comfort and beliefs, ethnicity dictates how an item is designed. When designers produce a design or a concept for a design they have to do research. Every designer considers thier target market and then makes designs which revolve around that (target market). If a designer was trying to produce items of clothing to a Muslim target market, they certainly wouldn't include tennis shoes and halter tops. They would more likely include shawls and dishdashs.

In some Islamic traditions women wear burqa's, which are outer garments which cover the whole body including the face. The only time a women can remove her burqa is when she is in the household. Women have to wear the burqa because of Taliban beliefs of modesty.

Not only does religion inspire clothing but a lot of designers incorporate different religious elements into their clothing. For example many individuals wear beaded sandals and slippers, this is originally an Indian concept. Many shirts, dresses, and skirts are also influenced by African kente cloth. All in all all apparel design is influenced by ethnic values because every designer has a target market, and every individual has an ethnicity.

(picture from http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h224/cinna07/02-8.jpg)

New York Fashion Week

Personally, I enjoyed all of the Spring 2009 collections. This is because it seemed as though mostly all of the designers had collections that were either wearable in the streets or I could see entertainers wearing them at awards shows. Although some collections did have outfits that were "outlandish" I enjoyed the neutral color outfits that were enticed with a splash of color.

The designer I enjoyed most was Oscar De La Renta. His Spring 2009 collection, in my own words, was "simple, sexy elegance." I could vision this line, in particular, being worn by many celebrities at different awards ceremonies, parties and charity benefits. Although Oscar De La Renta has been around for a very long time, I could see individuals from ages 20 to 60 wearing his clothing.

I love the chic elegance of the tops and bottoms. This collection gave a business look to outfits that you could wear while shopping on Rodeo drive or 34Th street in New York. If this collection would be worn by a middle class individual, the items of clothing would give the individual a look of higher class and sophistication. The clothing would make you feel like your someone of importance.

I love how Oscar De La Renta spiced up certain looks with big sunglasses and high beehive like hair-do's. Although some outfits were simple chic, others reflected a more edgy look, like an outfit with yellow, black, and blue stripes with a skirt with yellow and black splashes of color. More simple outfits were made interesting by the addition of belts, broaches and edgy cuts.

Overall, Oscar De La Renta's kept my interest because there was no single theme. He had outfits that were simple, like black and white, and outfits that were colorful, with floral and stripe designs. His use of accessories, like belts and necklaces, gave a clever touch to his outfits because they added texture and uniqueness to the line.

Organic and Environmental Friendly Clothing

I believe that everyone should wear organic and environmental friendly clothing. This is because most of the clothing our generation wears is full of chemicals and pesticides. I don't want to contract cancer from wearing a cute cotton shirt if I can wear an organic cotton shirt and have less chances of contracting it.

The one problem that I have about organic and environmental friendly clothing is that it is very expensive. Stores like Walmart, Target, and Forever 21 sell clothing for reasonable prices. However, if I went to an organic clothing store I would spend $25.00 on a shirt that I could get for $5.00. Also, some organic fibers irritate my skin, such as hemp and wool.

Even though I believe that everyone should wear organic and environmental friendly clothes, the reality is that everyone won't. Most people, including myself, cannot afford a $25.00 tank top or would rather spend their money on a $5.00 tank top and take the remaining $20.00 to purchase food. When it comes to thinking safely most people would rather take the cheap route, and with gas prices at a all time high I would rather spend money on a tank of gas to get around than a irritating hemp shirt. All in all, organic clothing is the safer option but with my unemployed college student salary, I am going to have to stick with fertilized clothing from Forever 21.