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Showing posts from March, 2022

Haute Couture: Fashion's Exclusive Club

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In the fashion industry today, many terms are overused. One in particular is the word “couture”, or “haute couture”. Translated to English, “haute couture” means high dressmaking, with haute being French for high, and “couture” being French for dressmaking. Worldwide, this style of fashion only has around 4,000 clients, due to its exclusivity, and high prices.  In the industry, this is one of the highest levels of fashion, and is difficult to attain. In order to be considered ““couture”,” companies have to apply to the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, which is essentially the governing body of “couture”. While this seems simple, applications are invite only, and undergo a strict vetting process. So how can a company be considered “couture”? Well, in order to be awarded the status by the Ministry of Industry, there are strict rules. The first rule of “haute couture” is a company must create made-to-order garments. In each of these collections, a company must present at leas

Fast Fashion: Killing the Environment, One Shirt at a Time

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It is without question that the fashion industry is a major contributor to the world's pollution problem. A major reason for this issue is today's obsession with "fast fashion." "Fast fashion" refers to methods of rapidly producing large quantities of clothing. In recent years, a large uptick in "fast fashion" can be attributed to the rate at which trends change. In the past, trends were dictated by magazines that came out once a month, and even still, trends didn't change at the same rate. In today's world, trends change faster than ever. With the emergence of social media, and "influencers" trends have been changing at an astronomical level. This, coupled with an increase in consumerism, has made "fast fashion" ramp up its production to a level we have never seen before. So, with this major increase in production, there have been many increases in the world's pollution. One of the major issues in production is the

Nigo: Kenzo's New Man

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  With Fall 2022 shows starting up, we are bound to see some incredible clothing. So far, perhaps more incredible was the crowd at the Kenzo show in Paris. In his first show with the brand, Nigo managed to attract some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. From classics like Kanye and Pharrell, to the new crop, like J Balvin, Gunna, and Tyler the Creator, this was one of the most celebrity studded crowds in recent years.  What some people may not know is that Kenzo’s new artistic director, Nigo, has a foothold in the streetwear, and celebrity fashion scene. The Japanese born designer originally founded BAPE, a street wear company, in 1993. The label had become synonymous with celebrities throughout its time. Some of the more prominent wearers of the brand include Kanye West, Lil Wayne and perhaps one of their biggest supporters, Pharrell. BAPE was a streetwear brand that focused on the community’s love of logo heavy clothing, with bright colors, and the company’s branding