Book Review Finale

The last factory that Timmerman visited was in America.  The garment manufacturing industry in America has rapidly declined over time.  Now factories are much smaller and focus on specialized garments.  The workers here in America enjoy fair pay and their working conditions are comfortable. 

            I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  With outsourcing and globalization becoming increasingly popular and a growing number of our products being made in foreign countries, it is important for us as consumers to be aware of the places and people that are making our clothing.  As a fashion student, I feel that I am in a unique position to make major changes in the world, helping human right and the perception of the fashion industry.  As consumers is it important that we use our pocketbook power wisely.

Book Review Part Deux

Cambodia was the next poverty stricken nation that Timmerman visited.  After a communist insurgency, NGOs and humanitarians flooded the country and replaced communist farms with garment factories.  Now many garments, which are shipped all over the world, are made in Cambodia.  

Most of the people that work in these factories are young women, sent away from their homes to work and send back money to support their large families.  Although conditions are not ideal, NGOs and humanitarians are working to protect workers’ rights.  The International Labor Organization is working hard in Cambodia to help protect workers, big brand images, and consumers’ conscience.

            Timmerman explains that with companies looking to create garments as inexpensively as possible, many are outsourcing to China.  China has better developed roads and transportation systems than most developing nations and a huge supply of cheap labor, making it very attractive to companies looking to manufacture goods at the lowest possible price.  However, in China, workers have no labor rights and NGOs are not allowed in the country.  

Workers work an incredible amount of hours every week and are rarely compensated fairly.  One of the factory workers that Timmerman spoke with explained that many times workers are told to clock out and then come back to work- if they refuse they loose their job and their livelihood.  As in the previous cases, workers send their earnings back to their families far away in the villages.  Much of the Chinese population has been lifted out of poverty in this way, but they still do not enjoy the rights that many often take for granted.

Book Review

So I thought that I would sometimes write about books that I read or am reading.  Here is one of my favorites.  I'm going to break it into sections so its not too horribly long to read. 

Where Am I Wearing by Kelsey Timmerman deals with globalization in the garment industry.  In the book, Timmerman chronicles his travels to the countries in which a handful of his favorite garments were made, to speak with factory workers and view life from a different perspective. 

            

The first  country that Timmerman wrote about was Bangladesh.  There, two million people live as garment workers.  The cheap labor available in the country is fueling the growing economy.  The inflow of money to these garment industries from foreign investments is helping to stabilize the  economy in Bangladesh.  Most of the workers in the garment industry are woman and children.  These workers are a key factor in lifting the country out of poverty.  While in America it is not common for children to go to work, in Bangladesh it is.  

Unfortunately, working in the garment factories is one of the safest jobs that an uneducated person can attain.  If not in a garment factory, children would most likely work at a much more dangerous job or beg on the streets.  Working in factories allows children to send money back to their families in villages to help them survive.  Timmerman emphasizes the culture of poverty in Bangladesh, which is unknown to many in America

            

davidelfin

Whoa i think i may have a new favorite designer.  look at these images from the spring collection.  so clean. so fresh. and so clean. clean. The perfect combination of fun and seriousness.  I want everything. And I want everyone else to want everything.

New Banksy Work in London

Enchantée Sarah Burton

Before posting my favorites from the Alexander McQueen collection, I would like to take a minute to discuss Sarah Burton.  Can you even imagine the tsunami of emotions flowing over her at this moment?

When I saw this photo of Burton, I was reminded of a TED talk that Elizabeth Gilbert gave after the success of her novel, Eat, Pray, Love, in which she discussed the enormous pressure to create and the difficulty in knowing that her greatest achievement might be behind her.  Now think about Burton and the added dimension of pressure- she has found herself on the shoulders of a giant with millions of eyes waiting to see if she fulfills their expectations.  McQueen’s untimely death left Burton with difficult shoes to fill.  How does one know the perfect balance of following in her predecessor’s footsteps and breaking away to showcase her own creativity?

                     

The collection was the perfect balance.  Burton managed to keep theatrical elements of McQueen’s designs, but executed them in a, dare I say, wearable, way that was all her own.

I'm going to L.A. next weekend!

Black Bird

I find this photograph of Leonor Fini taken by George Hoyningen-Huene inspiring and reminiscent of Lagerfeld's designs posted below.

Chanel

These are my favorite looks from the Chanel show.  Karl Lagerfeld is incredible; a true master.  I love the idea of feathers becoming spring time fur.  

Photos from WWD

Power Dressing

Alber Elbaz gets its.  I mean he really fucking gets it.  His 2011 Spring collection for Lanvin is it.  Every single piece that came down the runway was beautiful, sensible, totally wearable and completely breathtaking.  These are the clothes that I want to wear.
Elbaz is quoted as saying, "The whole idea of fashion is to make women fly and to make women beautiful and to make women glamourous."  With this collection he achieves just that.  The muted colors and strong lines make a resounding statement about power and constraint. These pieces are empowering and would make any woman stand up straighter and strut a little more deliberately.  However, the best part is that with all of this beauty and empowerment, comfort is not forfeited. The pieces are wearable and sensible-note the flats the models are wearing.  With this collection, Elbaz proves that you can have it all. [photos from WWD]