Oh, George! 19:1 Winter 2022-2023

 Our latest issue launched December 5, 2023. Click to view the flipbook version!

Potential Feature Articles December 2022

• Coverlines & Table of Contents:  Camille Humphries & Kaiysa Rattray
• Letter from the Editors: Nidhi Shah & Kaylee Gaines
• The Crystal Business: A Look Into Rebekah Price by Camille Humphries
• Technology helps the fashion industry grow... by Leah Fikre
• The Freedom of Being Yourself (Kingi Carpenter) by Camila Torres Diaz
• More is more: How Vintage Clothing Has Elevated... by Kaiysa Rattray
• Max - Eat Up: Discover how maximalism influences... by Nidhi Shah

• George in the City: Sustainable or Maximal: Fashion's biggest conundrum by Keely Mackenzie
• Back Page: The Post-Human Extension: How two designers from Montreal... by Camille Humphries
• Where to find back issues note: Editorial co-ordinator

Maximizing Opportunity with Daria Ghairat

Being a George Brown Fashion student, I get the chance to meet a lot of people, hear the stories of their journey and career, and the opinions they share on the world of fashion.

Daria Ghairat is a particular student that peeked my interest in a the way of how she integrated herself into the fashion world, and how quickly she acted on it. She started off her career in a non profit organization centering a tech company where she taught kids from the ages 8-10 how to make websites, and basics of coding. This then lead her interest to graphic design, which she did until grade 12. After graudtaing high school, she steered into psychology, but a special field of psychology that focuses on fashion, per example colour theory and how people react to colour.

After realizing she did not want to be a psychology major, she took the fashion aspect and carried it to George Brown College, where she took the Fashion Management program to pursue her interest and get her foot in the door to bigger things, and started doing fashion full time in January 2022.

Her first job in the fashion industry was a 5 day fashion show in richmond hill, hosted by the brand KH Luxury Boutique, in March 2022. This is where she learned the wants and don’t wants from her career. She wanted to be a leader rather than a follower, she wanted to host her own fashion shows rather than work in them, but she took this opportunity to make connections and start networking with people in the fashion industry, and expanding her knowledge.

After networking and putting together a client list based on her connections from her previous position at the fashion show, she began freelance styling and gaining more insight on the fashion industry. Daria worked with people like the Fairview director and the team of the event coordinator for Saks 5th Avenue. She also ventured into the music world and did styling for some music videos. With these connections, she continued her networking at the events she was invited to, where she met the creative director of Sacri.

Sacri is her guarantee in the fashion industry. With her insight on non profit organizations and marketing skills, she will become a shareholder of the company after graduation. She currently holds a position at Sacri on probation until she can devot her time to growing the company and becoming a large part of the brand. Taking everything shes learned so far in her past experiences, and applying it to a new career in her preferred field.

If we look back at her career records and schooling choices, Daria has integrated maximalism into the way she has moved forward and pursued her interests. Building up all her separate skills to maximalize and excel at her soon to be position at Sacri, and then up and onward with new companies in the future if she so chooses.

Maximalism is not only a concept that derives from fashion, but also applies to everyday life. It means everything coming together to make a cohesive piece by layering, adding, and complimenting pieces and colours with each other, or in this case with jobs and opportunites.

A Fashion Lover to a Boutique Owner in Toronto

Not being a celebrity or a well-known person, Borislava Marinov, just an ordinary person, who loves fashion, has finally succeeded in setting up her own clothing store in Toronto despite the Covid pandemic.

Being an employee for 18 years at “Your Clothes Friend" clothing store in North York, Borislava marked one of her greatest milestones in her life when she received the ownership of the boutique transferred by its old owner - Ms. Wendy, especially during the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic. That was when Borislava officially started owning a retail clothing store for women, which suits her passion: being in the fashion industry and the opportunities to meet new people every day.

She has since then managed the store with her partner - Sally, who's in charge of the store manager position now. Even though there are very few people running the store, they have done a really good job by bringing exclusive international brands, most of which are from Europe - also her homeland, to the Canadian market.

One of the key reasons why their imported products have always been on the best-seller list is that they are 100% made of authentic cashmere, which is known for being one of the softest and most luxurious fibers in the world. Furthermore, the prices of those high-quality items are quite reasonable for a handmade and unique progress item. Most of their customers have felt that they have been getting their money’s worth from their purchases so far. She proudly said, “I have been trying to offer Canadian people the opportunity to use high-end product with more affordable prices”.

When asked about her favorite brand, she answered without hesitation: ‘Marc Cain’. It is quite obvious that ‘Your Clothes Friend’ has also distributed Marc Cain’s products from Germany, which was launched over 45 years ago. This German company provides special knitwear designs, extraordinary prints and radiant colours, and creates high-quality garments. It has been Borislava’s understanding of the local market ranging from consumer preferences to local households’ income and her intensive experiences in the fashion retailing business that has helped her secure the deal with the reputable German brand for the past years.

To be a trusted and long-term partner with Marc Cain and other international brands, she’s gone through a great deal of difficulties and challenges. One of the challenges this female entrepreneur has faced during her day-to-day management is how to provide consultancy to some kind of specific customers about what will work best for them. “The challenges I have to face sometimes is to serve more specific customers which really don't know what exactly they are looking for, to find the right way which works for them and our store”, Borislava said. For customers, her boutique is not only the support team, but they're also their stylists. She grasps their likes or dislikes to help them discover more about themself and their sense of style.

However, like every owner of other businesses in the fashion industry worldwide in general and in Canada in particular, she’s had to deal with the most severe obstacle, the Covid 19 pandemic, which she also called one of her most important lessons till now. Although most stores in the fashion industry had to be closed due to Covid, she still tried her best, along with Sally, to manage the store well at that time with a positive mindset: “When you have a belief and work hard, you will succeed” she said. And indeed, Borislava succeeded in making people feel good about themselves through her knowledgeable advice and also through her extensive experience of almost 20 years. Along with her favorite quote: “Clothes aren't going to change the world, the women who wear them will".

Lastly, in the interview with her, she pointed out two important pieces of advice for those who have a dream about being a retail owner like her: “You have to love fashion and people - and “love” here is not just a simple “love", it requires your commitment and means how much effort and responsibility in which you need to put in. Hopefully, these inspirational and helpful messages may motivate certain young students studying fáhion business, who might not be unsure about their chosen career path, to continue to have faith and move forwards to achieve their goals.

To conclude we can say that almost everything related to fashion has played an important role in parts of Borislava's journey so far, and it is still gradually bringing her joy and success so that's why she still decided to attach to it. With all of her effort since she first being in the industry, we can believe now that she is already willing to input everything she could for her store and bring it closer to people, especially middle-aged women, like her store name: "Your Clothes Friend".

How Fashion Goes during the Pandemic and After the Pandemic? Fashion Designer Manish Malhotra

Manish Malhotra is one of the successful Indian fashion designers, costume stylist, couturier in Mumbai, India. Since childhood, he shows interest in sketching and painting and was fond of colours. First, he met with a renowned photographer, Rakesh Sreshtha in India the way to fashion industry. He designed the first outfit for Juhi chawla but the response was not good.

Then, the Rakesh Sreshtha gave the work for his modeling shoots. In between this, Manish Malhotra met with Sunny deol, a bollywood actor and many other celebrities and gained knowledge and work. He started design outfits for bollywood actor and actress such as Priyanka Chopra, Pretty Zinta, Sonam Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, and Kareena Kapoor, Imran khan, Sharukh Khan and many more. Moreover, he is also created outfits for Hollywood celebrities such as Demi Moore, Reese wither spoon, Kate Moss. Finally, he got the success and become a wanted designer when he designed the costume for the heroine of the film ‘Rangeela’. He is such an amiable and hard work person ,as, he was spending his time in understanding the script, the characters ,roles and thinking about the outfits which suits them according to play then discuss with actors and then he designed the costumes for them.

The eminent designer Manish malhotra already completed his thirty years in the industry and that was the fifteen year of his label. He was running around the starting of the year because he loves to work in films, fashion shows and for brides. He wants to show his ravishing collections worn by models on a big platform by doing modelling sections and take a pause which attracts the audience and judges. But the COVID-19 came which affects his work because he had to pay a huge salaries to his workers like tailors and embroiderers. The Pandemic changed everyone’s life at a global level which was burgeoning rapidly. Due to this, the changes occurred in the creative designing of the designer Manish Malhotra which turns to E-commerce. As, in this fast paced life, technology has been advanced. So, he started online fashion shows viewed by millions of people from anywhere through devices like mobile phone, laptop and so on. 

Moreover, at the same time, audience gave reviews through like, share or comment on videos which is a conducive way to know the reactions of viewers. From worldwide, He got the good response in his work. Furthermore, he got the chance to launch his collections ‘Ruhaaniyat’ in fashion films during different fashion shows like Lakme Fashion week, couture fashion week via online. Then, he started design the clothes and directed his collection by himself. His experience was so good and he enjoyed the new style of digitalizing their designs so much that he planned to do like this with his upcoming collections. 

In addition to this, minimalism takes place in fashion world instead of Maximalism during the wave of pandemic which changed everyone’s lifestyle to simplicity and, not spending too much money on luxurious outfits. As, this brought the numerous changes in the ways he designed, showcase or market his clothes because brides did not prefer to wore heavy lehenga choli in an intimate wedding during pandemic time. So, Manish Malhotra started design ornate and embroidered lehenga for the weddings which are not heavy as it. Moreover, he came out with an idea of sustainable Ruhaaniyat collection which is reasonable and wonderful colour combination. He did everything from designing to showcasing his collections by his own in such a brilliant way. He is using his skills of designing in a hard time with an excellent way.

After the end of Corona virus, Maximalism plays a crucial role in each and every generation outfits which changes everyone’s lifestyle in a new normal that is playing with full of bright colour apparels, bold silhouettes, intricate patterns and motifs is one of the considerable factors to happiness. After the long time, we all are excited to fill our wardrobe with prints, colourful dresses which are in trends and want to wear latest vogue trends which looks pretty to us because spending a huge time in home clothes has made everyone board. As, everyone is going back to their work with the good looking outfits to feel confidence as well as comfort. This is the way to overcome from pandemic.

Nowadays, new style and variations was designed by many designers in such an innovative way in which people enjoys and express their fashion freely. In addition to this, adding more layers, lush colours, prints and accessories like hats, scarves, jewellery, gloves to outfit gives a ravishing look with the taste of Maximalism.

As fashion goes like a river, it never stops. Each and every generation try plenty of colours and unique style variations for an outstanding look which suits them. So that you feel confidence and comfort every time.

The Crystal Business: A Look Into Rebekah Price, The Swavorski Crystal Shop And The Woman Behind It All.

I had a phone interview with Rebekah Price about her jewelry business and how it all came to fruition. Rebekah Price sells crystal jewelry in all forms. Her successful collection "Rivoli" takes a maximalist approach with many colour options. She coined "Rivoli Revolution" regarding this beautiful collection. Price and I discussed fashion in her upbringing, the beginning stages of her career, her creative process with the brand and designing her jewelry. "Rebekah Price" can be seen in Neiman Marcus, Indigo stores and many boutique shops. Price's jewelry has been featured in magazines and publications like Refinery 29, Vogue Italy, Vogue UK, FASHION Canada, Who What Wear, The Oprah Magazine, Weddingbells, WedLuxe, and NYFW.

Making "Rebekah Price."

Rebekah Price grew up in Los Angeles, California. When I asked about her professional background, she explained, "I think I was born a professional in the industry. It was in my veins. I was always a very hard worker. Growing up in LA, you're allowed to work at 15 years old. I had a worker's permit. I remember my first job was at the Gap. It was actually when the Gap just introduced their jewelry line.".

After High school, Price took a year abroad in Isreal and participated in a fashion event that then led to her attending "Yeshiva University" and after taking a course in New York at the "Fashion Institute of Technology" (FIT). She then dove into why she decided to start a jewelry business and spoke about her childhood growing up with her grandmother and said, "Going way back to my childhood, my grandmother was really a fashion icon in my eyes, and she was in the fine jewelry business, and so when I was a little girl I used to go to her house everything from feather hats to oversized emerald cocktail rings, trying on her heels.". Price continued by saying jewelry always intrigued her even though she was primarily interested in pursuing a career in bridal couture. What inspired her were vintage stones she was enamoured by, and she decided she was destined to start a jewelry business.

The Start Of It All

Rebekah started her business at 26, 9 months pregnant with her third child and a single mom. To say the least, she hustled to start "Rebekah Price," like everyone else would ask, "how did you succeed?". Rebekah told me, "3 months after my son was born, I got on a plane to a factory in the Middle East. They would not service me unless I was in person, and I crazily took my newborn and developed a relationship with the factory for years". Rebekah then had the gems and other parts to make the jewelry sent to her and made the pieces overnight with a few other women she hired.

The first piece that came to fruition was a single-strand light azure necklace, which she described as light blue with her signature red stone near the clasp. Price had a fantastic idea with this necklace. She said, "When I made it, people would ask me about it on a regular basis, and I kept a piece of paper in my purse of names of the woman and their phone numbers. When I got to 26 women, I decided that I was going to go forward with this, and I remember calling each of them and letting them know I had jewelry for sale. I then asked her how she came up with the concept for "Rebekah Price."

She explained, "The name Is my name, and I felt it was indicative of the brand because the mission statement of my company is to empower women and I wanted to represent that because I myself was in a situation where I had to empower myself, I was a single mom shortly after I started the business and I wanted our jewelry to be an inspiration for woman all over the world." Rebekah then proceeded with her aesthetic. She gave me the best Rebekah Price answer "I remember very distinctly sitting in an office nursing my child with a pair of light peach Ferragamo heels on and I made that the colour of my brand.".

Price's Creative Mind

Rebekah Price designs her jewelry and has many ways of finding creative inspiration. She told me, "It can go down to the old lady walking down the street." She finds inspiration in every aspect of her life, mainly travel, she explained. Price creates mood boards when designing her line to keep a consistent theme with her collection. I asked Rebekah what advice she would give others wanting to start a business; she explained, "I never really thought things through, and maybe that's a good thing. If I really knew how hard it is to be a business owner, maybe I wouldn't be where I am today. If you believe in what you're doing and have a purpose, then you just have to keep going, and there will be a ton of obstacles in the way, and you just have to stay laser-focused.". Rebekah Price was incredible to meet, and it was great getting to know how she ended up with this beautiful crystal jewellery business.

Fashion's biggest conundrum: Can you be sustainable and maximal at the same time?

There has always been talk about fashion’s harsh impact to sustainable and ethical production, however in recent years there has been a bright spotlight on the production issues of fashion and its impact on the environment especially by the young generation of consumers. At the same time, fashion is reaching new heights in terms of design, trends and how much of it is being produced. As of right now, maximalism fashion is huge trend seen in every magazine and while walking down the streets of an urban jungle such as Toronto. While sustainability promotes the idea on cutting down on buying and maximalism focuses on excess, can the maximalism trend be sustainable? In short, yes! Riley Walsh, a 26-year-old fashion designer who co-owns the streetwear brand “Everything’s Fine” weighed in on the sustainable maximalism conversation as he believes in sustainable/ethical fashion while being a participant in the maximalism trend.

While the term maximalism is usually associated with excess of items, maximalism fashion is the trend of having an aesthetic of excess, not necessarily having actual excess. Unofficially, maximalism fashion is all about putting your own unique style on display for the world to see. Mixing and layering bold prints, colours, fabrics and accessories at any time, regardless of what trends are currently taking place. Riley emphasizes that he loves dressing in the maximalist style because it gives him the opportunity to really showcase his personality through his outfits. Undoubtedly, anyone can be a maximalist fashion dresser while caring about how their clothes are made and who made them. 

While the term sustainability has been said and heard many times over the past decade, what does sustainable fashion mean? Sustainability in fashion means producing products with the least amount of damage to the environment as possible. Another part of sustainable fashion is ethical fashion, meaning the clothes are made in safe work conditions by labours who are getting paid a fair wage and who are being treated well by employers. It’s no secret that the fashion industry as a whole, has ignored issues of sustainability and ethically manufacturing for decades. In fact, McKinsey & company, a global consultancy firm reported “the global fashion industry produced around 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases emissions in 2018, equalling 4% of the global total”. Unethical and sustainable production is changing with consumers being more aware of where their clothes are coming from and companies are responding by changing their production methods. With the rise in sustainability, came the trend of minimalism fashion, having very basic timeless pieces such as a white t-shirt or blue jeans that are always in style and can be worn, in other words a “capsule collection”. While minimalism fashion is the preferred way to dress for some, for others it’s too boring and does not allow for any uniqueness. Thus, there are fashion conscious consumers who think they are caught between having to be sustainable or dress the way they would like. The answer to this dilemma is sustainable maximalism. 

The benefit of maximalism fashion is that it’s not about following trends and having to buy new clothes every month to keep up with the current trends, rather showcasing your own personal unique style even if it’s not what everyone else is wearing. Therefore, there’s no need for an over consumption of clothing, a common feature of fast fashion. Instead, focusing on investing in more statement pieces is the way to go, for example instead of buying 5 different jackets, buying 2 unique standout jackets that will make everyone stop and stare when you wear them. Another part of maximalism is working with what you already have access to, shopping in your parents or grandparents’ closet is a good place to start! I went on a shopping spree in my grandmas closet and now I have beautiful vintage pieces that were not created by fast fashion and would have gone to the donation box. I also have a friend who started wearing a childhood skirt she loved into a top which she proudly wears now as a 22 year old. Upcycling clothing is great way to practice sustainable maximalism as well. Riley upcycles his own clothing to fit is eccentric style, he’s taken a pair of jeans and adding rhinestones and studs instead of buying new jeans for himself. 

Second-hand shopping is the easiest and most effective way be a sustainable maximalist. According to Riley “vintage shopping is great because your saving clothing from eventually getting thrown out and sitting in landfills and it’s a great way to explore your style preferences because there is such a broad spectrum of clothing at thrift stores”. Giving old clothes a new home as opposed to them being thrown out is helping the environment. Furthermore, Riley believes Vintage shopping is the best way to find one-of-a-kind pieces and recommends it regardless of anyone’s style.

Ultimately, maximalism and sustainability can co-exist for the fashionable and sustainable conscious consumer. Investing in clothing that reflects your personal style while thinking about where it came from and how it was made is essential to being a sustainable maximalist. Upcycling and shopping second hand are both easy and affordable methods to dress maximally while staying sustainable

Is sustainable fashion the only future for the fashion industry?

 The Oscars red carpet has always been a barometer of fashion trends and a showground for top stars. Strangely, this year, unlike in previous years, there were six stars wearing hand-me-downs, something that would have been unthinkable in the past.

One of the primary concerns of the world in the twenty-first century is climate change and environmental degradation and pollution. These problems are rooted in the insatiable needs of billions of people on Earth for food, clothing, shelter and transportation during the more than 200 years since industrialization.

Of these, "clothing" never elicits the same kind of reflection as energy, transportation and construction, yet fashion is a vast global industry that, like other value chains, affects the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants at every turn, from environmental impacts to labor standards.

Do you think sustainable fashion is the only future for the fashion industry?

My idea is that in the current fashion system, the rules of sustainability are already naturally built into the design. The role of schools is fundamental: to train conscious designers, who are naturally inclined to design beautiful and interesting products, in which sustainability should not be an added value but an intrinsic feature.

Have you ever bought cheap clothes? Whether after wearing it a few times to find its quality problems, and in the angry regret because of their covet to buy cheap clothes in quality brought to their unhappy mood. Have you ever bought expensive clothes? When I see it again after two years, it's still hanging in my closet like new clothes, and I think it was worth the money.

Fast fashion: Monsters in our closets

Fast fashion constantly emphasizes the illusion of expression and aesthetics. We're stuck in a vicious cycle of overindulgence, quick gratification, constant discarding, and re-spending. Greed has become a symptom of The Times and has completely changed the emotional connection between people and things.

Wearing the same thing more than five times has become a challenge. Why is that?

The quality of clothing deteriorates every year. So our clothes quickly become faded, distorted or worn.

Fashion trends are changing so fast now that we can't keep up. But we continue to buy new clothes in order to keep up with The Times.

This is fast fashion! Mass-produce cheap, disposable clothing. Countless new collections each year make us feel constantly out of date and encourage us to keep buying more.

The environmental impact of fast fashion.

In most clothing producing countries, untreated toxic waste from textile mills is dumped directly into rivers. Waste water contains harmful substances such as lead, mercury and arsenic. These substances are extremely harmful to aquatic life and the health of millions of people living along the river banks. Wastewater also makes its way into the oceans and eventually spreads around the globe.

Another major source of water pollution is the use of fertilizers in cotton production, which severely contaminated runoff and evaporating water.

What can we do about it?

Choose clothes made in countries with strict factory environmental regulations (e.g. Eu, Canada, USA, etc.).

Choose organic and natural fibers that do not require chemical production.

Support Slow fashion.

As opposed to shoddy, low-price, low-quality fast fashion. Slow fashion is the pursuit of classic lasting, quality and design of clothing, slightly higher price but value for money.

We all have this feeling, many cheap clothing, relatively poor quality, wear a few times frequently, problems, can only be discarded fate. The so-called buy cheap, throw away easily. Rather than blindly follow the trend and buy countless fast fashion items at low prices, only to end up in the trash or in the closet.

Choose a few slow fashion pieces that are of exceptional quality, unique in design, elegant in taste, and will stand the test of time, giving you unique style, confidence and enjoyment in no time.

Sustainable design must be the only future of fashion, if even the basic living environment is lost, how can fashion?

Nowadays, more and more clothing brands have begun to really pay attention to the impact of fashion on the environment and create a new fashion that combines beauty and social responsibility.

For example, SHOKAY, the world's first yak cashmere clothing brand, has designed and produced a series of fine yak cashmere clothing, transforming the local industrial chain and directly driving the sustainable development of Tibetan areas.

For example, Stella McCartney, founded in 2001, takes sustainable fashion as the tone of its brand, perfectly combining high-quality fashion with environmental protection. All knitwear is made of biodegradable materials, bringing sustainable fashion to the end In conclusion, following the trend will not give you true style, and abandoning it after the season will only give you an infinite burden. When you get rid of blind consumption and so-called fashion, you will find your true charm from the inside out.

Want to start second hand fashion? Fashion flipping, sustainability, is the future trend

When it comes to fashion, a major concern of people in the industry in today’s day and age is sustainability. With the climate crisis in full swing and a leading cause of the rising CO2 levels being mass consumption, it is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate the ever-changing industry while the guilt of over-consumption and the undoubtable blame the industry has on the state of the world. For many, upcycling and recycling clothing has become one of the many ways people are utilizing to cope with the detriments of the industry while still being able to explore their personal style and express themselves through fashion. Be that "one of a kind" in the fashion industry.

In Canada you will find many second-hand clothing stores. The ladies of Shopcoat, a vintage retailer located in the heart of Dundas West, have made a name for themselves in the Toronto vintage market. After countless weekends of selling out of their upcycled and curated stock at the Toronto Vintage Crawl, the Shopcoat ladies - Camilla Marler, Amanda Julian, and Sandra Wiseman - made the move to open their own brick-and-more store just steps away from the market that put their name on the map. Showcasing their latest and greatest finds on a weekly Instagram story drop, Shopcoat offer a handpicked, curated collection of wardrobe staples from 90s basics, to reworked denim for all body types, to intricate and unique vintage finds - covering all bases when it comes to wardrobe staples. Combining Julian’s expertise in photography, with Wiseman’s design skills, and Marler’s hands-on experience in the fashion industry, the ladies have come together to create the vintage powerhouse that we now know as Shopcoat.

The used clothing market is becoming a global phenomenon, not just in Canada, and it is set to grow more than twice as fast as the global apparel market. According to research by the consignment company thredUP, 41% of consumers say that when they buy clothing, they look at used items first. 61% of Gen Z and Millennials say they look for used items before buying new. Another 46% of Gen Z and Millennials consider the resale value of clothing before making a purchase. This indicates that the secondhand clothing market is growing and has become a future trend, and that its boom is helping to address the sustainability crisis in the fashion industry.

There are two main categories that make up the used clothing market, vintage stores and resale platforms, and these two main categories have driven the boom in the used clothing market. For a long time, used clothing was perceived as old and tainted, mainly by bargain hunters or treasure hunters looking for it. However, with time and a shift in consumer attitudes, this perception has changed and many consumers now consider used clothes to be the same or even higher quality worn out clothes. A trend of "fashion flipping", especially among young consumers and its popularity.

This trend has led to a particularly hot market for second-hand clothing for children. Many parents will have this distress, children grow up day by day, leaving a lot of things that can not be used, such as cribs, fences, strollers, some even brand new, throw away and very unfortunate, because the purchase also spent a lot of money. In response to this problem, there are a number of second-hand clothing markets for children, where you can buy not only good second-hand clothing, but also books and toys. Canadian winters are cold and long, and skiing is a great outdoor sport, but every year parents need to buy new ski equipment and ski clothing, here you can not only buy good quality ski products at low prices, but also solve the problem of waste.

Tina is a floor manager working at OAK+FORT. She came to the brand on the recommendation of a friend and was promoted from sales assistant to floor manager in a short period of time. She loves her job because it allows her to talk to different customers about fashion trends and learn more about fashion from conversations. She says that for a fashion company, retail is the first line of communication between the customer, the company and the merchandise. So in my opinion, being a floor manager is a good position to understand how retail works and organize people in different positions. The brand has not only apparel, but also jewelry and home products. For the products, more and more customers are considering the useful life of that product, because more and more people are becoming concerned about fashion sustainability.

In the store, you often see customers coming in wearing products they bought three or even five years ago, and they choose to match it with some decorations or other clothing to reflect their fashion style. This is a very good trend. At the same time, as a floor manager, I need to pay more attention to some fashion trend information to provide better assistance to the guests. In my opinion, I support sustainability because there are many people on the planet. We need to find the best and greenest fashion for the environment, and there are many companies that recycle used fashion items, such as H&M. There are also some recycled brands that are sold at Nordstrom. In the business view, sustainability brings us more attention, people think it's new and interesting, and they're willing to pay some money for it. Companies also get more money and a better reputation.

Technology helps the fashion industry grow at lightning speed, but can we keep up with the consequences of the outcomes?

The fashion industry relies on technology to enhance design, manufacturing, and customer experiences. The results have propelled the industry into greater profits, precision, and convenience, but some of the unintended consequences can be hard to identify.

Fashion is a language of creativity and serves as a reflection of the times we live in. The newest trends, technology, and ideas constantly feed the fashion industry, which is ever evolving. As is the case with many industries, technology has changed many aspects of the fashion industry for the better – and in some cases for worse. The industry has used tech to roll out robots that sew and cut fabric with increased precision, artificially intelligent (AI) algorithms that predict style trends, augmented reality (AR) dressing rooms for convenient at home shopping experience, or to gain more insights into customers and increase repeat business. However, thanks to advances in tech, fast fashion brands have taken over the market with their low prices and constant new arrival, pushing out many small and independent brands. Underrepresented groups, particularly people of color, struggle to gain entry into the industry, and those who do frequently don't feel welcomed. Robots are replacing humans in the workforce, negatively affecting employment opportunities for people hoping to work in the industry. The increased reliance on technology poses an important question – how can ensure the positives that technology brings to the fashion industry will outweigh the negative consequences?

The fast fashion industry

Technology has made manufacturing and production processes in fashion more efficient. With advances in technology, companies can produce products faster and at a lower cost. However, fast fashion has its drawbacks, it is not environmentally friendly, it creates a culture of immediate gratification, and it pushes small and independent brands to close. In the search for speed and efficiency, companies use a lot of cheap labor and environmentally damaging materials. A lot of waste is produced by the ongoing manufacture of products to keep up with new fashion trends which is in part fueled by impulse buying – often leading to the purchase of lower-quality products that don’t last long and end up being thrown out.

Diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry – appropriation vs. admiration

The world is a melting pot of people and ideas. With increased globalization, propped up by the onset of increased connectivity through advancements in media and technology, comes and increased flow of information across geographies and cultures, bridging the gap of understanding and openness. However, western fashion often borrows very heavily from eastern cultures in the ongoing quest to spot the latest fashionable trend. This inspiration has brought eastern influences into the mainstream, but there is a fine line between admiration and cultural appropriation.

Women’s Wear Daily puts things into prospective in their column on cultural appropriation in fashion, “cultural appropriation, on the one hand, can be a celebration of that cultural exchange when done respectfully and tastefully. But it can also take from cultures and people’s heritage, often leaving them out of the story entirely.” For the increase in eastern influence brought by technology and globalization, there should be an increased presence of designers and creatives from underrepresented cultures brought into the fashion industry spotlight.

Customer data for an enhanced customer experience

In this day in age, data, customer data in particular, is at the heart of most modern businesses. In an interview for a business case study done on rue21’s customer loyalty software, Lauren Pearson, Senior Manager, CRM and Loyalty at rue21, said that the company has a “customer-obsessed culture, and Oracle CrowdTwist enables us to strengthen new and existing customer relationships.” The Oracle CrowdTwist tool grants rue21 access to real-time data, allowing them to reward loyal customers. It provides an enhanced customer experience through personalization and real-time engagement, all of which is meant to lead to repeat purchases.

According to a 2020 Mckinsey & Co. article, the insights gathered from customer data “can help to develop new products and services, as well as to personalize advertising and marketing.” On the flipside, there’s a spike in consumer worry about data privacy and the collection of personal data. The Mckinsey article goes on to share that “consumers are becoming increasingly intentional about what types of data they share—and with whom.” On one hand companies collect customer data to provide a personalized experiences for consumers, on the other hand there are some concerns about how much information companies are collecting and how they are gaining access. The issue of customer data is not unique to the fashion industry, but its increasingly important for companies to prove to customers that they are handling our information with care.

Technology in fashion design and production

You’ve probably heard about the mind-blowing AI generated art created by groups like DALL-E. AI and other technology have the potential to drastically change the fashion landscape. For example, there is the invention of vegan leather which is meant as an alternative to leather produced from the slaughter of animals. Unfortunately, as highlighted in The Good Trade article from March 2021, “the most common leather alternative is petroleum-based plastic, called polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It’s made with fossil fuels, can be harmful to human health, and is not biodegradable.” This is a classic case of a noble and novel idea that results in unintended negative consequence. Most innovative tech like these are meant to solve challenges around efficiency and sustainability, designed with a greener future in mind and preventing the harm of animals. Then there’s the case of AI and robots taking over the creation of designs and other process in the fashion industry. Technology is mostly great, but we need to make sure that we are asking the right questions and getting input from all the right stakeholders. What will be the consequences of losing the human element in fashion and art? How can the industry ensure that negative unintended consequences can be mitigated with the introduction of new technology? The answers to these questions are complicated but we need to dwell on them and invest in the unbiased search for answers.

The future of technology and fashion

Many of the advances made in technology have led to creative innovation that address challenges in the fashion industry. As with any new technology, there are always some unintended consequences – some negative and some positive. Business and consumer behavior will become increasingly responsible for shaping the use of technology. Consumers have an increased responsibility to keep brands and companies accountable on how they use technology, and in return brands need to continually invest not only in technology, but in research around the sustainable and ethical use of technology to prevent unintended negative consequences.

A new perspective on the second-hand market: Is the second - hand fashion market different from the regular retail?

The question that has always been in my mind is, are the means of sales in a second-hand fashion store the same as in a basic retail store? When I walk into a second-hand fashion store, I can feel the difference. The sales of second-hand stores are very relaxed, and they do not take the initiative to introduce their products to customers, while the sales of conventional retail stores will take the initiative to talk to customers and introduce their products. Although the attitudes of both parties are very friendly and enthusiastic, for customers, second-hand stores seem to be more relaxed and casual. I met a Nordstrom salesperson whose name is Harrison during a job opportunity. We discussed a lot about fast fashion and second-hand fashion.

When I asked him what do you think is the most important ability in nordstrom? And he said : “ The basic skills of sales in addition to you have to have good sales skills, at the same time you have to understand the latest trends, because you are the pioneer to lead the trend, part of the customer is from the network to understand the latest trends, and part of the customer is from the sales to learn.” When I asked Harrison what he thought of the second-hand market, he said : “ Second hand now occupies a large part of the market. There is a growing concern for the environment, and sustainability, and we can see that many brands are starting to use recycled materials to make their clothing, thus reducing the environmental pollution from the fashion industry.” So far, second-hand seems to be a new trend and popular. Lots of people are following second-hand fashion, because they think the second-hand is more green, cheaper, and more unique.

For the current fashion environment and market, second-hand and even recycling are big money-making gimmicks, so when I went to Yorkdale last week, I found a new vintage store. When I walked into Nordstrom's At the same time, I also saw that many brands started to have recyclable clothing labels on their clothing labels, such as vero moda. This is enough to prove that the current mainstream is the sustainable development of fashion. Harrison also expressed that Nordstrom is introducing more sustainable brands, especially local Canadian brands, that are committed to fashion sustainability and reducing pollution to the planet.

For example, Mackage is using recycled materials for all of its products this season, making them stylish and functional at the same time. Sustainability is important for the used market. They need to ensure quality, adjust prices, and at the same time cater to market trends. But the focus right now for me is how do customers know what they really want? Customers are increasingly considering the practicality of the products they buy, and during the sales process, we find that customers are very interested in products made from recycled materials. Not only that, consumers are also increasingly interested in second-hand products, and the price of some second-hand clothes is even higher than that of a brand-new product. In the process of chatting with customers, we learned that consumers will redesign some old clothes and add some of their own style in it to make themselves more unique. When it comes to sustainable fashion, Harrison agrees. Because he thinks that the recycling of used clothes program is a good trend, it helps consumers to solve the problem of disposing of used clothes to some extent. At the same time, the environmental impact of the fashion industry can be reduced through this program. Finally, for the second-hand market, sustainable development is very important. After all, fashion is a cycle. If you can ensure the quality and control the price, the development of the second-hand market will be very good. Of course, I think the rise of the second-hand market has also made a good indicator for fast fashion.

Recently, on the advertising screen of the h&m store in yorkdale, I saw that they began to recycle, recycle second-hand clothes, and start secondary use. After all, the harm of fast fashion to the environment is irreversible. When a greener and more environmentally friendly fashion becomes the mainstream, human beings will be the first beneficiaries. When I talked to Harrison about it, he was shocked, he thought it was a good start, he hated the h&m brand, but he said if they could do it well, He is willing to start buying h&m again. because he feels the recyclable used clothing program is a very good trend that somehow helps consumers solve the problem of getting rid of their old clothes. At the same time, the environmental impact of the fashion industry can be reduced through this program.

The Freedom of Being Yourself (Kingi Carpenter)

Maximalism was never meant to be about having a lot of stuff, it’s all about being yourself and forgetting what everyone else tells you you should be. Peach Berserk’s renowned maximalist Kingi Carpenter gives a peek into what the world looks like through her eyes.

There have been many times when I’ve heard people of all ages tell me how much they wish they had been more true to themselves. There has always been this stigma of following trends and blending in with the crowd. We are only human and wish for acceptance from other humans, it’s a natural survival need but let’s not think about surviving and focus on thriving. Whether you genuinely like the minimal sleek look or find yourself growing a collection, what truly matters is how happy you feel from the things you surround yourself with and the paths you lead. You might think those two don’t intertwine but Kingi Carpenter gives some great insights on how the maximalist mindset makes for a more creative life.

During our long awaited reading week I hopped into a pickup truck Uber and listened to a chill country music playlist the whole ride over to Peach Berserk on Queen Street West. When I got there I met with the famous Kingi Carpenter while she finished printing some designs for her next project. Having already seen some photos online I was ready to see her full collection but the photos do not do it justice, in person it’s so much more extravagant! Every wall is a different theme covered in paint by numbers all collected and found in thrift stores by Kingi herself. It was really interesting to see the duplicates and to realize everything is made by different unknown people. The ceiling even has a big mural and vintage velvet couches, chairs, and display hair dryer seat all were printed with silk screens. Kingi’s gallery/studio was a complete representation of herself and what inspires her.

Kingi says that “no one becomes a maximalist, you are born one and it just shows more as you grow”. She was always someone who enjoyed making things and began by making dresses from pillowcases. Being able to make things has no limit and can extend to making a business, making a family, making friends, or making a home. In a maximalist mindset you always see every part of your life as something to create. While studying art at OCAD she had her A-HA! moment of becoming a silk screen clothing designer. When she became a silk screen teacher she got the idea to start her own classes.

She started her brand Peach Berserk in April of 1987, the year she turned 25. From there it grew to having her own store in the fashion district on Queen Street W. After 20 years of having the landmark store she wanted a change and moved to a new home where she still taught and sold pieces until a horrible fire in October of 2019 destroyed everything. She had to start over again and opened her current studio/gallery a month before the pandemic began in 2020. Now Peach Berserk is open to silkscreen classes and parties. Kingi is a representation of never giving up on your dreams. To always be true to yourself and never let someone tell you what “normal” is or what measures success.

Being yourself does not mean you have to be either a maximalist or a minimalist; you are free to be something in between. Minimalists are seen to be more calm and serene but boring with no personality while maximalists are thought to be loud and extravagant but materialistic. There’s a big misconception that maximalism is just a fancy word for a hoarder. Kingi clears that idea by stating “the difference between a hoarder and a maximalist is you collect with intention and only keep the things you actually like”. A maximalist enjoys being surrounded by the things that reflect their inner world. Whichever you feel gives you more power is up to you but when you physically live among everything that represents you it's easier to find your brand.

Maybe while reading this you’ve had this lingering thought in the back of your head that you’re tired of white on white. You want something more… YOU, but how do you do it without a big budget or without falling into over consumerism. Kingi talks about how “maximalism can co-exist with sustainability when you buy used things, most maximalists don't buy new and appreciate things”

Appreciating things because people made them is different from appreciating it for simply existing. You can breathe life into anything and make it your own. You can even upcycle old pieces that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill.

Fashion today is very much inspired by the past but it doesn’t mean we need to buy new pieces that look like old pieces. Kingi mentions how we live in a time where we have the freedom to wear ANYTHING. There may be Instagram trends that tell you what you should be wearing, but if we were to cut that out and you choose what to wear the choices are limitless. “You can easily wear something made in the 1970’s and no one would know. The only way they could tell is if they paid very close attention to the stitching of the piece”.

In a maximalist mindset you can see the creativity that this life has to offer. I know not everyone will love an extremely decorative life but no matter what path you take, remember you are free to be who you wish and practice appreciating what already exists. Take time to reflect on who you are and who you want to become.

As Kingi said to me on my way out of her maximized world “Be yourself, everyone else is taken”.