Sustainable Fashion or Just a Trend?

Going Green seems to be the ‘it’ thing for designers to take part in this fashion season. Do you think it is a societal responsibility for all designers or is it a trend, just like flared jeans? Many designers such as Stella McCartney who has designed a private green label for Barneys, Phillip Lim and Marc Jacobs are all taking on the challenge on designing a green label. Maybe these designers have a concern for the environment and even if it is a trend, it is helping out the world but are these designs sustainable fashion?

We look at our leaders in fashion for pieces that are fashion forward, pieces that we can feel great in and pieces that will last for years. Are green collections as good of quality as other collections made by the same designers? Some designers have been heard calling their collections “sustainable fashion”, but what does that mean? And why is it that word’s like ‘green’, ‘eco’ and ‘organic’ have been seen in front of or following this unknown term. When you think of ‘sustainable’ you think of long lasting, good quality but not necessarily green. So tell us designers, are you’re collections ‘green’, ‘sustainable’ or both!

Or is it that none of that even matters, as long as the environment is being helped? After the climate change outbreak and everyone became aware of our desperate state, the immediate need for change was known. Whether or not these environmentally friendly lines are sustainable or a ‘trend’ may be completely irrelevant. Societal responsibility should possibly come before worrying about trends and luxury fabrics, and rather then worrying about the designers intentions, we should be proud that we have come to a point in fashion where we can, as a group help heal the environment.

Green products seem to be more expensive as well, so what if we, the students can’t afford this new trend? As bamboo t-shirts seem to be double the price of a cotton t-shirt, are we going to be blamed for not supporting this environmental revolution? Just like ‘green’ food, all good comes with a higher cost.

Stella McCartney has always made her lines free from any animal materials, and has now been extremely proactive in supporting green clothing. She has recently partnered with Barneys New York with a private green collection, which will be seen in stores this summer. Jil Sanders, Marc Jacobs and Versace, to name a few all displayed eco-friendly, recyclable collections at the 2010 Spring/Summer New York Fashion week. Gotham Mall in Manhattan also held a fashion show displaying ‘sustainable’ and ‘green’ collections from Michael Kors, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Venetta. As many designers have taken the pledge to “Go Green” are we getting the same name with different materials and lesser quality?

Ideally we will come to a time where ‘green’ products are the norm and are not overly priced or limited to certain fabrics and the environment will be in much better conditions. It is everyones societal responsibility to take care of the world we live in, although the extreme designs by many top designers by limiting themselves to only a couple fabrics limits their creativity and making an impact of the fashion industry.

Creating a sound ‘green’ fashion industry will need many new factories and manufacturers as well as new sources of fabric. Many jobs lost and many companies will not be able to survive. Although having these designers ‘do-their-part’ in our climate crisis is a noble thing, if this is not a trend and here to last we need to make gradual changes to get there. The fashion industry will need to create those timeless pieces that Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Dior could show us in every single runway show, and the technology to create those luxurious fabrics and designs are not yet developed with ‘green’ fabrics.

Going green in the fashion industry is a fantastic accomplishment and one that will hopefully last as long as it happens on a gradual incline without loosing the integrity of fashion and extraordinary designs and fabrics. Everyone would love to see a healthier, more sustainable work to live in, but it takes time and have designers begun to cash in on this new trend? Perhaps they should start to use only ‘green’ threads or try to incorporate many pieces that are eco-friendly. “Going Green” is the new it statement, are we buying into these designers buzz words or is this the start of a new revolution?

The Island of Misfit Clothes...No More!

Where do unwanted clothes go? In light of the recent media attention about clothes dumping, a Wal-Mart employee opens up about her job that up until recently included this common industry practice.

In the classic Christmas movie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Island of Misfit Toys was a place where unwanted, rejected toys went to live. However, few know of the Island of Misfit Clothes. This is a place where unwanted, unsellable, and sometimes unfashionable clothes go to live, or more appropriately, go to get dumped.

Earlier this year, on January 5th, there was an article by Jim Dwyer in the New York Times that created a scandal for the Swedish retailer H&M, who sells women’s, men’s and children’s clothing. According to the article, discovered behind the 34th Street New York City H&M location, were garbage bags full of unworn clothes that were slashed. In the city that never sleeps, where poverty is prominent, this bag of unworn clothes could have provided warmth for many people during the cold winter nights. These garbage bags of clothes were first brought to attention by Cynthia Magnus who has not only found destroyed shoes, winter coats and gloves from H&M, but has also found bags of hole-punched clothes from a Wal-Mart supplier.

This article caused an uproar by consumers and a slew of bad publicity for both H&M and Wal-Mart. Even though both companies have addressed that this isn’t their usual practice and have taken actions to stop it, the question of whether these actions are happening close to home inevitably arises.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to an employee of a GTA Wal-Mart to find out if this was happening in our own neighborhood and if there were, if any, downsides to donating clothes. Marissa, whose name has been changed to protect identity, has been working the same Wal-Mart for almost 6 year as a Claims Associate and is aware of all the media attention regarding H&M and Wal-Mart. She describes to me what Wal-Mart does to unwanted merchandise and a very interesting recent change in policy.

So what is the Claims department responsible for?
Electronically adjusting on hand inventory counts, preparing, maintaining and organizing inventory, shrinkage, recalled and claimed item reports.

What do you do on a typical work day?
I process customer returns and “shop worn” items. These are items that are broken, destroyed or damaged in the store, items that have every day wear and tear, items customer brake, and have damaged packaging.

Where do these items come from?
Customer service sends down the customer returns and I process them and each department brings down their own shop worn and recalled items.

So what happens when the items come to you?
There are three different options available when items are brought down. First is Claim and Destroy. The vendor gives 100% credit for that item that is claimed or a predetermined percentage of the cost of the item is charged against its vendor. Then the item is destroyed at the store level

And by destroyed you mean thrown away?
Yes.

Please continue.
The second option is Claim and Return: It’s the same as Claim and Destroy but we send the item back to the vendor. The last is called Markdown and these items are in the shopworn or damaged category. For the most part they are thrown away and are considered losses from profit

And apparel items, what happens to them?
They fall under the Markdown option.

How do you dispose the merchandise?
For the most part, 95% goes in to the garbage. We have our own compactor truck.

Do you know where the truck goes?
Probably to a land fill somewhere.

What doesn’t get thrown out?
All shoes, unless soiled, clothing, again unless soiled, hazardous materials like fireworks, batteries and paint.

What do you do with your clothes?
We donate them to the Salvation Army.

Is it just your store that donates to them?
I think all Wal-Mart stores donate to the Salvation Army.

What condition are these clothes in?
They are in good condition. Some of them are customer returns. Most of the time they are brand new but out of season or slow moving merchandise, stuff that we can’t sell.

Do you do anything to the clothes before you throw them out?
We cut off the tags and logos and cross out the names.
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How about shoes?
Just our store is picked up by a local charity.

Has this practice changed over the duration of your time working for Wal-Mart?
Shoes were always donated to charity. Up until a year ago, we use to just throw out these clothes.

Only a year ago? That’s quite recent. What changed? Why did you start donating them?
There was just a sudden change in policy. I just got a memo.

Did they give a reason in the memo?
No. They never give a reason for anything (laughs).

Why do you think they started donating?
Well, it definitely started before the article came out about H&M clothes slashing. I think Wal-Mart was becoming more aware that throwing away the clothes that could be given to the less fortunate, was irresponsible and unethical.

You said your store has always donated shoes. Did you donate anything else before the policy change?
Previous years we’ve donated sleeping bags, hats, gloves that were out of season or not able to sell.

Is Wal-Mart losing money by donating these clothes?
I’m not sure what kind of tax credit Wal-Mart gets from donating to these charitable organizations, but they are not really losing out since under previous practices we just threw them out.

Do you think there’s a downside to this practice?
We are losing productivity because our associates spend time preparing the merchandise according to our policies so they can be donated.

What do you think of this policy change?
I think me and many of the other Wal-Mart associates are happier with the fact that the merchandise is being put to good use by those in need rather than them filling up a landfill.

Like Rudolph and his friends who try to save those from the Island of Misfit Toys, Wal-Mart continues to do the right thing by donating their unwanted clothes to needy charities. Here’s to hoping that other retailers will follow suit and that Island of Misfit Clothes turns out to eventually be just a fictional place.

The Red Carpet Room

The purpose of this interview was to delve into The Red Carpet Room and find out how it compliments Amanda Brugel’s career as a Canadian actress. It’s purpose was also to provide a general understanding of the Canadian fashion industry and how it has reached high profile personalities in the entertainment world.
Of the many films and TV series Brugel has done, you might have seen her in Da kink in my hair, Splice, and Paradise Falls. She has worked very hard to come this far being involved with acting from a young age. Acting brings with it entertainment, fashion, and all the glitz and glam. Brugel saw the opportunity to expand her horizons by conquering the fashion world using Toronto as her stronghold.
A wealthy handful of talented Canadian designers come from Toronto such as Lida Biday, Pink Tartan, Shawn Hewson, and Sunny Choi from Project Runway Canada just to name a few. Supporting the Canadian fashion industry, actress Amanda Brugel has opened up a boutique called The Red Carpet Room. It’s Canada’s “exclusive and comprehensive style showroom,” which allows actors, musicians, TV hosts, and high-profile personalities access to a wardrobe of entirely Canadian designers.
After continually being asked “who are you wearing?” at 2009’s Emmy awards, it finally hit her as Brugel realized “I HAVE to wear a Canadian tailored garment next time I walk the red carpet to help promote Canadian designers.” Brugel and so many other Canadian entertainment personalities never knew where to locate hot, quality Canadian clothing and accessories, so she created a space that answered the call.
Brugel got into bed with the fashion industry when she obliged invites to shows, and made a relationship out of it through the showroom. She claims that it is “now my sister career.” She will soon be the face and spokeswoman for Jessica Biffi’s (Project Runway Canada) new accessory line. Brugel strongly believes it’s important to promote our own designers from Canada. This helps create a little self-promotional machine and teaches influential personalities to bring other artists with them on their rise to the top. Brugel has appeared on dozen’s of “Best Dressed” lists and has been admired for her loyal support to her fellow Canadian designers.
Balancing acting as well as a successful business can be hard for anyone. Brugel states that “one always overshadows the other and it is a constant game of balance”. Lately she has been dedicating endless hours to one or the other which has enabled her to move forward with both. For someone just starting out in the fashion industry it’s a fair amount of responsibilities. If the drive, passion, and love for fashion is there to pursue this particular career than there should be no problem succeeding. Brugel needs a lot of inspiration to be able to get up and do this everyday. She claims that she “loves when a client looks in the mirror and has that moment when they feel truly beautiful. They light up the room and immediately she feels their contagious high.”
Already being in the Canadian show business, Brugel understands how important fashion is and how little exposure Canadian designers get; “I would not have been able to recognize the lack of support between the two worlds without having been so heavily immersed in the entertainment business” adds Brugel. She would be at parties and noticed that the “fashion crowd” and “music/entertainment crowd” barely acknowledged one another. This was not due to an unspoken rift between the worlds; it was just the fact that certain crowds tend to stick with what they are familiar with. Brugel noticed while working in L.A. how virtually everyone would intermingle and cross-promote one another, and since then she saw a massive opportunity to teach out communities to do the same.
With exposure such as Entertainment Tonight Canada, Brugel finds that it definitely boosts her business. After every appearance she receives emails, calls and texts mentioning the company or inquiring about the service. Usually high profile personalities and people in the entertainment industry watch ET Canada to see what’s hot and what’s not. Being on ET Canada is the best method of advertising for Brugel as she discovered that any publicity is good publicity.
Some of Brugel’s biggest clients that have used The Red Carpet Room’s service are Grace Park (The Cleaner, The Border), Wendy Crewson (24, Air Force One), and Measha Brueggergossman (Opera Singer) to name a few. Brugel also just recently finished dressing fifty actors for the Actra Awards, including all of the female nominees. This was a huge step for Brugel’s The Red Carpet Room, and with complete success the business is booming with popularity. As nice as this all sounds, The Red Carpet Room is unfortunately not available to just anyone attending nice events, it is strictly exclusive as the designers use images of the celebrities in their designs to promote their label and brand.
With the Canadian entertainment industry expanding and bursting buttons off, The Red Carpet Room continues to grow as well. Brugel’s future plans may include opening up a showroom in Vancouver and Montreal to further her conquest as Canada’s fashion ambassador.

Celebrity kids are they too overrated?

A few years back, celebrities like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden and many more had one thing in common.  It became more frequent and not surprising to hear about a celebrity who walked around with a baby bump and not wonder whether or not they were expecting or whom with.  Now that these children are a few years older, they have become the “celebrity kids”; the media has kept an eye on these kids closely, including what they wear and how they wear it.  Pictures of Suri Cruise, the Beckham boys, Sparrow Madden and many others have been taken and posted on different blogs where people have commented on all their different designer garments, which costs no less than a thousand dollars!

The hype of celebrity kids has grown, and materialism is beginning to become natural amongst kids at a very young age.  Children are starting to become more interested in fashion sooner than they used to.  Marketers are now targeting a newer market for “tweens”, or children ages 8-12, when they are just gradually going into their teen years.  Different lines of children’s clothing have also become more widespread amongst different retail companies.  The trickle down fashion theory has started from celebrities and high-end designers who target mainly celebrities with their cute and adorable accessories and clothing that are adult-like for their children.  Fast fashion companies like H&M and Gap quickly follow the footsteps of these major designers adding an additional line especially for children. 

Do you feel that the media should take a step back in promoting and praising these celebrity children with their fancy and exquisite designer clothing?  Online blogs allow readers to participate in different polls and vote for which they feel are the most “stylish” celebrity kids.  Suri Cruise again beats the others with her adorable style, following with the Beckham’s children.  Right after UK clothier Adams conducted this poll, bloggers shared their opinions in negative ways about these children commenting on why they feel that each child should not have won their place because they are not dressed well enough.  Industry research has said that companies allow children to become independent so that they can remove the “barriers” (parents) between the child and the companies that are selling the products.  By doing this, children become more aware and acceptable with different images in their minds about body, sexuality and relationships. 

Controversies have risen about whether or not children are growing up too fast especially with the industry that is already fast paced.  Styles go in and out in a matter of seasons, and the children’s apparel industry has done a great job at keeping up with these trends.  Has this made children become more materialistic?  Or has this made parents more willing to go along with the idea and follow celebrity trends?

Not only has this made children grow up sooner, it has also made us forget about traditionalism with children’s clothing.  Before the popularity of manufacturing fashionable children’s wear, the idea of a celebrity’s children having a wardrobe of designer clothing worth over $2 million dollars would not be as accepted as it is today.  Because children do grow so quickly and so much at this stage, hand me downs or a mom sewing an outfit for her children was the common thing in many households.  Children today have the say in what they want or do not want to wear, parents are just the ones paying the bills.  They are willing to pay high prices to look “cool”.  What is the extent of these marketing messages to tweens?  When the media portrays different images of children similarly to how they market to adults with images of models that are slim and almost perfect, does this also cause other issues to arise such as developing the healthy body image?  Because this is the stage of maturity and growth, children’s minds become more complex, therefore marketers should send out the right messages in their advertisements. 

Perhaps the idea of convenience and fast paced merchandise has taken over most of us, not only children but parents as well.  Parents are the ones who are able to control what they feel like their children should be exposed to.  Because everyone is now time-starved and money and status oriented, paying top dollar for their children’s wardrobe is more common amongst society.  A mom’s hand made baby doll dress for her daughter is not fast enough to keep up with the style anymore.  If parents are able to control what is appropriate for their children, and make sure they receive the right ideas from the media today, the media will not be able to take over as fast as they are doing today.  Developing the right body image and idea for children whether they are tweens or young adults is important; therefore the media should consider this and scan the different things that they are marketing to this young market.  

An Asian Invasion

The topic of apparel and accessories being made in China has been a controversial topic for a very long time. For several years now, people all around the world have expressed their opinions about manufacturing in China in regards to an ethical, economical and financial point of view. More people are going in to retail stores every day and asking where the clothing items were made. There have been many cases where people have decided against making a purchase because the item of clothing or accessory was made in China or a third world country. This has shown a growing awareness among consumers, proving that we are no longer turning a blind eye to what inevitably affects us personally, those around us and our country. This is a good and bad thing for retailers, the Canadian economy and China’s economy.

An upside to purchasing items made in China is that the consumer is getting a product at a generally well priced item. With our recent recession which affected millions of people around the world, people have become far more frugal with the way they shop. This is also beneficial to businesses that do thrive on selling inexpensive goods. Unfortunately, the less expensive the product (whether it being a shirt or piece of jewelry), the less of a chance the product will hold up for as long as the customer would like. Another benefit (only to some people) to buying clothing/accessories made in China is that they feel as though they are helping a developing economy. This being said, many companies that are developing in North America are more eager to turn to China because they will have the opportunity to turn more of a profit for their business.

The downside to purchasing clothing/accessories made in China is that although people believe China is still developing, they have already taken over the world! If you Google the phrase “is China taking over the world”, you will find over 1 billion websites which relate to that topic, which just goes to show how many people have already been wildly concerned. It may seem as though America still holds all the power, but China has spread itself into every country in the world. This causes a great deal of pain to the Canadian economy because generally products that are made in our own country are priced higher due to labor costs. Unfortunately in China, people are willing to work longer hours for less money. This is where the ethical debate generally begins. Many people find China to be the centre of mistreatment of workers in factories as well as child labor. Brands such as Nike, The Gap and Wal-Mart are some of the companies to have been caught with using child labor as well as unethical treatment of workers in their factories. The frightening thing about this is that those three companies alone are some of the most high grossing, popular companies in the entire world! Unfortunately, because many people who run businesses are often money hungry, they continuously contribute to the downfall of Canada/America by moving their manufacturing warehouses elsewhere. It is important to keep jobs in our own countries as well as provide fair wages and a good product due to it being made in a well maintained factory. If we continue a trend of making good clothing and accessories in our own home country, we will have a more satisfied consumer that will be more eager to purchase more goods that were also made in Canada.

Unfortunately, each party has a different stand point on whether or not continuing more labor in China is a good thing or not. Especially with the mass amounts of clothing and accessories made on a day to day basis, there is constantly a high demand for fast fashion and enormous amounts of clothing in short periods of time. The world is constantly consuming, and with the growing male fashion industry, there is even more of a demand from retailers. I believe that every retailer in Canada should always consider carrying goods made in Canada. Not only will this increase an awareness among even more consumers, this will potentially create more jobs for people in Canada, boost where we stand in the economy and add more pride in the articles of clothing and/or accessories we wear.

CHEAP THRILLS: Are designer diffusion lines helping or hurting the fashion industry?

Let’s face it, in today’s economy, it can be hard to be a fashionista. As much as we would love to be able to shell out the money on the latest designer duds, for many fashion lovers, that is just not possible. However, in recent years, several high-end designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Jean Paul Gaultier, and even the late Alexander McQueen have been jumping on the trend of designer diffusion lines. In essence, a diffusion line is an accessible collection produced for the masses that is inspired by the designer’s high-end couture, but at a fraction of the cost.

Hordes of women have been lining up to get their hands on these inexpensive garments and sales of these lines have been through the roof in chain stores such as Target and H&M. However, many fashion critics argue that this cheap, mass access to designer fashion is stifling the desirability and exclusivity of the designer’s high-end lines. Can these dual lines coexist in harmony? Or does it have to be one without the other?

For many of us, this huge surge of diffusion lines is like being in fashion heaven. It’s not every day that a 20-something-year-old student can say that she has a dress designed by Karl Lagerfeld or shoes by Jimmy Choo but these lines are making that possible. H&M has seen massive line-ups when premiering new collaborative collections, many of which sell out within their first week of being on the shelves. These frugal fashion lovers are buying in huge volumes and giving these lower-end lines exclusivity all on their own. You can even see some of these pieces up for auction on EBay for sometimes up to double their retail price, which is exactly what happened with many of the Stella McCartney for H&M garments.

These lines have also proven to create a mass amount of buzz for many designers and get their names and products available to individuals who would not have otherwise known they existed. Even women living in small towns across North America can now buy quasi designer goods. Designers have realized that, in this economy, it makes perfect sense to broaden their horizons and create for the masses, as opposed to the niche market of couture shoppers. This creates a way bigger market for designers and allows women who would normally be intimidated by the aspect of trying to purchase items by Vera Wang or Marc Jacobs the opportunity to own their favourite designer’s creations without breaking the bank.

On the flip side, even though saving money is a smart idea these days, with fashion it doesn't always work that way. The fashion industry has always maintained a certain level of exclusivity, which adds to the glamour of it all. The ability to possess a high-end designer piece that very few else will own adds a certain level of connection and exclusivity that true fashion followers feel towards a designer.

By introducing these new lines through mass chain stores, many fashion gurus argue that it is taking away the true meaning of "fashion". Many believe that fashion is an art form that is not meant for the masses. There are certain women who thrive off of the elite designer labels. The fact that anyone can go to their local Target to pick up something that these women pay thousands of dollars for could possibly hurt the high-end market.

These diffusion lines can possibly be taking away from the rarity of some historical fashion releases. Coco Chanel would never sell her designs at a store where you can also buy toilet paper! Chain stores also produce massive amounts of the same garment, whereas if that was a true "designer" item, the numbers would be limited, and therefore make the design one of a kind. Famous shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, was recently approached by H&M to do a diffusion line for the retail outlet and turned them down. He believed that “it’s an interesting idea” but he is ultimately happy with his current customer and has no intention of pursuing a diffusion line in the future.

Many argue that, to have massive assembly lines stitching these supposed “designer” pieces makes them no different from any random item that you can buy at your local mall. The reason all of the high-end fashion swag costs so much is because it's rare and not available to everyone. So much intricate detail and thought gets put into each high-end piece, unlike some of these diffusion lines. Purity is a huge deal in the fashion world, and it will always be that way. Critics believe that these lines are slowly erasing the history and artistic form of fashion, which helped so many extraordinary designers spread their views and opinions. Now it will be everywhere, and possibly not so intriguing.

So what does the future hold for these designer diffusion lines? If the rapid sales are an indication, there are only going to continue to grow. The masses clearly have a desire to own some designer duds without having to pay the typical designer price. However, it’s key for designers to be very picky when it comes to choosing where to sell their items and who is representing their name. Fashion is an art form and designer collections represent a certain allure and exclusivity that needs to be maintained. In order for both diffusion and high-end collections to continue to co-exist, designers must find a balance between the elite aura that their high-end collections represent and their desire to reach mass markets.

What Is The Right Size?

What is the Right Size?

Do we really want to see plus size models on the catwalk or in a fashion magazine photo spread?

Most of us are aware of the persistent criticism put on the fashion industry for using super thin models. The fashion industry is under constant assault in the media for promoting an unhealthy and unattainable image of women. The industry has been blamed for causing untold damage to the self-esteem of women everywhere. Images in fashion magazines are often linked to serious conditions like bulimia, anorexia and depression in women young and old.

No one would question that fashion models are radically different than the average Canadian woman. The average Canadian woman is between a size 12 to 14, while a runway model is typically a size 0. On average, a fashion model will weigh 23% less than the average Canadian woman.

The fashion industry is widely accused of manipulating what is considered normal for a woman’s body all in the name of selling more and more beauty products. Countless articles have been written about how women are seduced into believing that the only way to feel good about themselves is by trying to reach that ultimate ideal of beauty presented in the pages of beauty and fashion magazines. Ironically, stories criticizing the use of super thin models often appear in the same magazines that run multiple pages of fashion ads depicting those very models.

By using models with such dramatically different sizes and shapes than the average woman in advertisements, women conceive that they can only achieve this idealistic image by purchasing more lipstick, more eye shadow, more shoes, more hair products, more of everything. It is believed that only through the purchase of these products a woman can start to feel and be perceived as beautiful.

The recent public reaction to a photo of plus size model Lizzi Miller in the September 2009 issue of Glamour magazine seems to suggest that women are desperate to see more realistic depictions of women in the fashion media. Despite the photo in question being buried on page 194 of the magazine, Glamour magazine’s editor in chief, Cindi Leive wrote that the day the issue hit the newsstands, her inbox was flooded with emails that “were filled with such joy--joy at seeing a woman's body with all the curves and quirks and rolls found in nature” Woman from across North America wrote in with comments such as “This beautiful woman has a real stomach and did I even see a few stretch marks? This is how my belly looks after giving birth to my two amazing kids! This photo made me want to shout from the rooftops."

Even though the fashion industry is under constant scrutiny, the use of plus size models is not without controversy within the industry itself. London’s Daily Mail reported on February 20, 2010 that, when Canadian designer Mark Fast announced to his staff that three women who wore sizes 10 and 12 (UK sizes 12 and 14) would be in his show, two members of his team apparently quit in disgust. This incident sparked a heated debate in the fashion community.

The result is that outside of a few isolated photographs and runway shows, there has been no significant change in the body types of models used within the industry. There is also little evidence to suggest that change is coming anytime soon or that it is even truly desired by society. Flip through the pages of any recently published fashion magazine and you will see that its pages are still dominated by super thin woman in fantastical surreal surroundings.

Karl Lagerfeld is one fashion insider who has little time for the plus model debate. In October 2009 he told Focus magazine that the criticism of the use of thin models comes from “mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly." He went on to say the fashion industry is about "dreams and illusions, and no one wants to see round women."

Although Karl Lagerfeld is known to be very outspoken on this issue, he does make a clear statement that fashion is not reality. Does the public really want the fashion industry to be a stark reflection of our day-to-day life? Or is the public looking for fashion to be an escape from our day-to-day reality?

Should it be the responsibility of the fashion industry to promote a more realistic image of women? Other visual media are not held up to the same standard as the fashion industry. Far more distributing and challenging images are regularly presented in film, painting, sculptor and photography. Are these images seen as more acceptable because they are considered somehow less real and more fictional than fashion photography? Is there anything more fictional than an Haute Couture runway show?

As this debate continues, women continue to buy magazines like Vogue, Elle and Glamour whose pages are still adorned with images of super thin models. The truism of seeing an average to plus size model on those pages appears good in theory, but too harsh for most in reality. While most women understand and can rationalize the unrealism portrayed on the glossy pages, there is still a glimmer of hope that they might somehow grab a piece of the beauty, if only for a fleeting moment.

Which Styles are in, and Which Styles are out?

What Project Runway Canada – Season 2 contestant, George Brown College graduate, and fashion icon Camille Prins has to say about the Spring 2010 collection!

One day here and the next day gone. Fashion styles are in and out and back in and back out. Which trends have come back for their vengeance and which new trends are here for a surprise for the Spring 2010 collection? Who better to ask about the Spring 2010 trends than one of our very own George Brown College graduate: Camille Prins. You may recognize Camille as one of the contestants from Project Runway Canada – Season 2. I had the pleasure in interviewing Camille to ask her about her involvement in Project Runway Canada – Season 2, her collection Dutch Blonde, and of course, what she has to say about Spring 2010 trends!

On the Runway. Project Runway Canada gives Canadian designers the opportunity to compete in design competitions while showing Canada their amazing talent. Graduating from the Fashion Design program, Camille used the skills she was taught at George Brown College to compete on the show. She describes the experience to have been “exciting and amazing” and that it has always been “a dream” of hers “since watching the American Project Runway.” Although Camille did not win, she describes her time on the show as being “a blast” and that all the contestants were “all supportive of each other”. She still keeps in touch with other contestants from the show such as Jeff MacKinnon, Brandon B. Dwyer, and Jessica Biffi, whose design show she attended. Camille’s thoughts of Sunny Fong, the winner of Project Runway Canada – Season 2: “He used great fabric choices, and has a wonderful talent”. I congratulate Camille on her accomplishment on the show!

That’s so “Dutch Blonde”. Camille started her collection Dutch Blonde in 2004, one year after graduating from George Brown College. Her collection was launched in 2008. She credits the Fashion Design program at George Brown College, saying that the program helped and that it is relevant. She said: “You start from a vision, to choosing your fabric, to the execution.” Her designs of cocktail dresses are fantastic. Most of the detail is on the back of the dresses, and as stated on the Dutch Blonde website, Camille says: “I decided to create a vision that I could grown into: When I design for Dutch Blonde I’m designing for the women I want to be in the future ~ successful, calm, charitable, nurturing, caring but always wearing the most amazing piece!” Her collection also features a maternity line which she explains to be designed for women to be able to “look good and feel comfortable as well”. Her photo shoots of her collection display the campaign and runway look, and the vintage broaches used led Camille to her headband collection line. She is currently working on her Fall/Winter 2010 collection which can be seen at Alberta Fashion Week.

Flash Back, Fresh Forward. So what does Camille think about old and new trends? I asked Camille: Which old trend do you miss? She responded: “The destruct/dirty look”. I then asked: Which old trend don’t you miss? She responded: “The neon look!” which I quickly agreed with. But which trends are in store for Spring 2010? Camille says that there is one person that had a big influence on the fashion trends this year. It is someone with an outrageous style that is not hard to miss. If you are thinking of Lady Gaga, you’re right. Lady Gaga thinks of extreme when it comes to fashion that’s for sure. Designers are using her “dirty look” as inspiration, adding details such as studs and bullet spikes to their garments. Moving away from Lady Gaga, Camille also mentions that Spring 2010 collections are full of ruffled sleeves and draping of garments over leggings. In the accessories and fabric department, Camille says the Spring 2010 collection has many different headbands in, and the fabrics are full of patterns and floral prints. The collection this year is very over dramatic, and I guess we have to give a bit of thanks to Lady Gaga and her crazy eye for fashion!

Experiment! I can’t express in words how amazing it was to interview Camille Prins! It is great to speak with a George Brown College graduate who has had such great success after graduating from a program that many of us can relate to. Camille’s collection in stunning, and every women would love to look and feel good wearing a Dutch Blonde dress! She has great insight in the fashion world and is a very talented designer. Her advice for upcoming fashion design graduates: “Jump into the industry right away. Even if you are doing an unpaid internship for three months, it is a great way to learn and to develop your skills. Experiment with everything you do to learn who you. Experiment from every piece you design and every fabric you use.” The motive for Camille’s headband collection started when she and experimented with the use of different headband accessories during her photo shoots! Camille had her preview of her Fall/Winter 2010 collection show on April 3rd, so be sure to check out her website for more details on her previous and future collections! The website for the Dutch Blonde collection is: http://www.dutchblonde.ca, and the website for the Dutch Blonde Blog is: http://iamdutchblonde.blogspot.com.

ECO-FASHION: a sincere attempt to save the world?


“Be Green!”, “Save the environment!” – how many times have we found ourselves reading logos like these in the subway, on the streets, on the pages of our magazines, on some t-shirts in the stores? Eco-friendly lifestyle has become prestigious and desired by almost everybody.

Sustainability has been a big issue in the world of fashion for a couple of years now. And the reason for that is global warming. Believe it or not, it is bona fide. The evidence is there all year long. Look at the past year. First of all, there’s been a definite raise in the seasonal temperatures. We all have noticed. There wasn’t that much snow last winter, was there?! Secondly, the crazy weather behaviour all over the world: winds, snowstorms, floods. Thirdly, earthquakes: Haiti, then Chile! Aside from that, diseases like cancer, asthma, or allergies clearly have to do with chemicals in our food, clothes, and air, because such diseases were not common in the early 20th century. It gets scarier every year. The result of the human activity is that the sea level is rising, and the land might eventually get covered with water!

As a result of these concerns, a new concept “Eco Fashion” has evolved which is basically fashion made of environmentally-friendly materials. With the whole Eco Fashion concept, there is an easy way consumers could potentially help the environment: by buying eco-friendly clothing and makeup. Nowadays, there’s so much to choose from: numerous popular brands like American Apparel, Giorgio Armani, Levi’s, Patagonia, Roots, Stella McCartney, and Timberland, have incorporated the idea of Eco Fashion and started working with organic cotton, linen, hemp, and bamboo.

Organic cotton is grown without the use of chemicals compared to conventional cotton. That is why organic cotton is the number one eco-friendly material. Linen fabric is strong; it also provides the coolness and sheer. Hemp is very durable; it grows fast and leaves the soil in excellent condition. Bamboo grows fast and absorbs carbon dioxide. It is also hypoallergenic.

As for cosmetics, Stella McCartney unveiled CARE by Stella McCartney, the first luxury organic skincare line, containing 100% organic active ingredients. Brands like Juice Beauty, and Pangea Organics offer moisturizers made with organic ingredients.

So as we can see, top designers have really absorbed the “Green” idea. Marketing is going great. Just flip through the pages of monthly magazines like Elle and Flare – and you’ll see the environmental ads and articles pop up here and there. Buying eco-friendly clothes has become a prestigious lifestyle desired by everybody. As consumers, we strive for what’s trendy. How do we know what’s trendy? We read ads. Ads talk about organic cotton. Well, then it means it’s trendy! We feel that buying eco-friendly clothes proves that we belong to some exclusive group of people, establish some sort of status, are respected and admired by society.

Promotion really is a fantastic thing. The question is: what lies behind it? Is it an honest attempt to help our environment? Or is it another way of attracting more customers and making money?

A lot of people do get sucked in by fashion trends. Some even get a shopping addiction. Eco Fashion is quite expensive. But in our minds “expensive” usually associates with high status. So let’s face it, when people are purchasing a luxurious item, they unconsciously want to show the world “I am buying this because I am rich or cool like that”. So when it comes to Eco Fashion, do consumers really buy it for the sake of the environment? How many of us actually think of helping our planet when we buy that organic cotton T-shirt? Do we think of global warming when we go for that Stella McCartney raincoat? Probably not. The question in this case is whether we, consumers, are being sincere about helping fight the global warming by purchasing eco-friendly clothing.

This is the question of ethics. It is in human nature to be selfish. It is natural for marketers to advertise Eco-Fashion for the sake of increasing their budgets. It is natural for consumers to shop for organic clothes as a way to establish high status. I’m not saying that nobody cares about the future, I’m saying it is questionable whether everybody is sincere about helping the Earth when promoting or purchasing Eco-Fashion.

The problem of global warming is terrifying in the long term, but it seems that so far people are neglecting it. There are still cars that emit gas; there is still garbage on the streets. Seems like the big “Be Green!” or “Save the environment!” logos haven’t done much yet.

Personally, I’d rather do something as small as recycling my plastic bottle, than walk around in a T-shirt with a big logo saying “GO GREEN!” Because knowing I did something for our planet would make me feel good about myself. And wearing a branded T-shirt wouldn’t change anything.

It feels good to be a part of a great cause. It doesn’t mean that you should spend money on what some ad in the magazine tells you. It means doing the simple things like recycling bottles, not littering, giving away unwanted clothes, saving the energy, using subway instead of a car. Things like that could make a huge difference. Things like that would make you feel good about yourself as a human being. Things like that should really matter now.

Family Jewels

Two heads are always better than one, and with sisters Tara and Courtney the proof is in the design.

            Twin sisters Tara and Courtney Neray started their company Slashpile Designs two years ago selling their intricate and imaginative jewelry designs. Now, a mere two years later, these ladies are experiencing success through online sales at the Slashpile Designs website and through word of mouth from their customers. I got a chance to interview these two masterminds as they were getting ready to design their latest collection for their site.

E: When did you both realize that jewelry was what you wanted to do? Was there a specific moment you can remember?

T: I realized in [the] second semester of my second year at OCAD. My program (material art and design) had three streams; fibre, jewelry and ceramics. I thought that I would major in fibre, but after one semester of jewelry making I realized it was more challenging and fun, so I started taking more classes in that.

C: I studied industrial design at OCAD. In the long term, I would like to be an industrial designer, but in the meantime, we realized that we’d make a great team of jewelers! I can use my product design skills (the user/market needs, branding and design) in the field of jewelry and learn about running a business and bringing our products to market.

E: What does jewelry mean to you?

T: Jewelry is a personal expression – wearable pieces that tell stories about an individual.

E: Is it hard working with each other all the time?

T: It can be hard, but for the most part we get along really well. We have divided up the tasks of running our business so that it is clear what each of us is responsible for. This has made it much easier – we are siblings after all, and sometimes we argue over silly things. For the most part, we get along really well and our areas of study compliment each other very well. Some of our jewelry lines we work on as a team, while others we work on separately.

E: Is there a certain talent that each of you specializes in to make your company successful?

T: Yes. Because of our education backgrounds, Courtney specializes more in the business stuff (she built our website, and does most of the graphics and packaging), and I specialize in the craft of jewelry making, although we both do both. We collaborate on most of the designs, and we both give input on everything. We also both do silversmithing and fabrication.

E: Who is your market?

T: Women, aged 21-50. People who have a sense of humour and like to wear fun, quirky and clever jewelry.

E: Do your designs reflect the current trends in the fashion industry or are they more synonymous with how you both are feeling at the time?

T: Our designs follow some fashion trends, but are more synonymous with current events. For example, our H1N1 pendants that we came out with over the holiday are more of a reflection of world events. We definitely have our own style, but we try to keep up with current trends in colour and theme.

E: Where can we buy your pieces?

T: In stores: Six in Toronto, one in Ottawa. On the web at www.slashpiledesigns.com. Also at Upcoming craft shows and from our ebay shop or by emailing up directly at designers@slashpiledesigns.com

E: Where do you see your company in five years?

T: In five years, we see ourselves possibly selling from our own storefront. We would like to have so much demand that we need to hire people to help fill orders.

E: Were there any moments when you felt like giving up? What would you say to someone who is trying to start their own line but feels like giving up?

T: We never felt like giving up, but it’s tough starting a business. We had originally hoped that we could do this full time and be able to support ourselves with this. After a year with no other jobs, we both got additional part time jobs to help out. Now we’re not as stressed out about it  My advice to someone starting out is that you should go for it and stay persistent. It’s ok to have another job that allows you to continue work on your own business – we have been making profit, but have found that its better to put the profit back into the company so that we can continue to grow to a point when we can support our company and pay ourselves proper wages.

E: What inspires you to design your pieces?

T: Our inspiration comes from personal experience. Most of our designs are based on concepts and stories that we have been a part of. For example, the Slashpile pieces we use as a kind of trophy for completing a season of tree planting. I worked at a planting camp for two years and had to stop because of a shoulder injury (the inspiration for our Injury Series) and Courtney was the best planter in her camp last year.

E: Will you try to sell your brand internationally?

T: Yes, we plan to participate in wholesale shows in the future, where buyers come from all over to seek out new designers, and would like to expand as much as possible. Currently, our work is available internationally through Etsy (ebay store).

E: Does the Canadian market support your pieces or are you finding more and more buyers are from the States, etc?

T: Most of our buyers are from Canada (customers in stores or at craft shows), however most of our customers on Etsy are from the United States. We even had one customer from Ireland purchase on Etsy!

E: Finally, can you give us a hint at what your designing next?

T: Upcoming for spring, you can look forward to our “Plant a tree series” our “What I want to be when I grow up” necklaces, and more molecules!

Service Pieces for Next Issue

The following five pieces have been chosen for the upcoming issue of Oh, George!

• "Through the Looking Glass" by Corey Kingston
• "Haven't We Met Before?" by Emily Barr
• "In with the Bold..." by Nikki Strachan
• "A Common Thread" by Lisa Steele
• "Extreme Minimalist" by Tannis Reddy

Beautiful Disaster


Here’s a tragic tale for you. Please brace yourself. I always knew it was coming; it was my inevitable departure from early twenties to mid twenties. My 25th birthday was quite major for me; it was a realization that sparked both interest and fear. I knew I couldn’t fight it so I willing accepted it with grace. My fears and reservations turned to delight once the presents began rolling in. My biggest surprise came later that night when my friend unknowingly surprised me with the biggest shocker ever. A shoe-sized box was sitting pretty on his coffee table as I walked into the condo. Eager to open it up but still keeping my cool I casually walked over to table and tore through the box. I mean the shoebox was a dead giveaway and all but it wasn’t the Aldo pump I was expecting. It felt like I was in a dream, all I saw written across the velvet bag was Christian Louboutin. You know that feeling you get as you’re on the roller coaster about to go over the big hill. Well that was I times ten over. I was that kid in the candy store. It was love at first sight. I slipped my foot directly into my very first pair of designer shoes. It was all that I thought it would be.
The following weekend was party night; I choose a sleek all black outfit to highlight my new black Louboutin booties with of course the signature red sole, and a red clutch to tie it all together. Not to take anything away from the beautiful evening my boyfriend had planned my shoes were the highlight of my night. He understood just as much as I did.
The night indeed turned out to be beautiful with Kai throwing me a surprise party at one of our favorite restaurants Harlem. After many laughs and many Sicilian kisses I was ready to go, as were my feet. New real leather feels so good, but is extremely tight so my feet had had enough. As I walked back to the car I put on my last strut for the evening, which proved to be worth it, because I was asked where I got my shoes. I gladly responded, its not where I got them, it’s whom they are. Christian Louboutin for my 25th thank you. I turned around, smiled and got into the car. Just as quickly and eagerly as I wanted to put them on, I wanted to take them off even faster.
Instantly my feet felt better however my eyes began to tear up and shake as I noticed the scuffed bottoms. No longer was it a smooth red sole, but an abstract variation of red and gray. The concrete had ruined my shoes! In my despair and sadness I thought of ways I could repair my shoes, and shockingly there was no way to repair them because Christian Louboutins are hand painted with a specific type of red paint. Upset and frustrated at the lack of direction when it came to these shoes I promised myself I will save what little sole is left by never wearing them outside again. I also promised myself that I will spread the word to any guy or girl interested in buying or currently have Christian Louboutins, please, please, please wear them on carpeted surfaces only. Suck up your pride and wear another pair of shoes outside, and change into those red soles when you get inside. The strut down Yonge Street isn’t worth it; I only hope to save you from this traumatic situation.