Ethnicities and Their Influence on Apparel

Let's use our imaginations for a bit. Envision two different ads, for two completely different stores. First ad, a black woman stands on the street at night, wearing stillettos, leggings, and a long satin tunic. She is accessorized with a huge bronze belt and bronze sandals. In the second ad, there is a 40-something white female. She is dressed in a white skirt and polo shirt holding a tennis racket. These two ads portray two separate lifestyles, with different goals, and different ambitions. These are two completely different people, portraying two completely different ethnic markets entirely. A strong, sexy, confident African American woman would prefer to wear a brand like Baby Phat. A conservative 30-something white female would step out in something more similar to a Talbots ad. Market researchers and merchandisers work hand in hand to study and figure out how these women think and how they want to portay themselves through fashion.
The apparel designers take this valuable knowledge and show it in their runway shows. Baby Phat is operated by Kimora Lee Simmons, for example. Her ex-husband, Russell Simmons is an extremely influential character in the hip-hop world. She, as a designer, catered to women who she saw herself as. She wanted to target her designs to a strong independent black or Asian woman. A woman who embodied the hip-hop lifestyle.
The woman in the second ad that we mentioned, is a woman of the upper middle class. She is probably a republican who attends bridge games and garden clubs. A store such as Talbots would cater to a woman of this particular lifestyle. A merchandiser working for this store would want to know what is hot in the world that she lives in, which is by far, at the opposite end of the spectrum from ad number one. All the women in the world don't look the same, and we don't like to look like everyone else. How we were raised and the environment that produces us, influence how we decide to dress ourselves. With such a plethora of communities and races and ethnicities, it will always influence the way the designers dress us.

Fashion shows make me HAPPY :)

It's an election year, the United States is on the verge of a major depression, and then it's time for the Sring 2009 Fashion week. What a fantastic way to take our minds off current troubles at hand! :) There were so many designers and so many different trends to take in, that it would be crazy for me to try to hit every single designer. However, there were a few recurring trends within the shows.
So, a major trend for spring is going to be hard structured garments, or all the way in the opposite direction, soft, flowy, romantic type fabrics. Carolina Herrera and Donna Karan's shows were both display flowy, soft feminine fabrics. Fabrics that made you want to touch, and feel. Fabrics that make a girl feel girly, which is what we all love. Hard, structured type garments made their way into the Calvin Klein show. It was almost a magical way the fabrics just stood out from the clothes. Structured, strong-woman type outfits subtly located throughout all the shows. Pencil skirts were also all over the place, especially the high-waisted ones.
Anna Sui's show is the one that stands out most in my mind. She being my absolutely favorite designer, I adore her designs anyway. However, for Spring 2009 she decided to take us to the Oriental. There were influences from India, Japan, even a little Hawaiian? She used bright, jewel toned colors. All the fabrics were very, very heavily detailed and eye catching! The heavy neckwear was also apparent in about every outfit. It was just all about the tiniest little details. The fabrics spoke for themselves
Overall, the designers were trying to pull America's eyes away from all the negativity. The use of bright colors, texture, structure, or romanticism; Spring 2009's fashion is definitely going to make us all smile.

recycled clothing

Organic clothing has become a huge market in the past 5 years. What is organic clothing, exactly? For an article to be labeled organic it has to be approved by the Organic Trade Association. The fibers for the fabrics have to be grown on an organic farm, No pesticides or chemicals may be used in the growing process. However, because it is more expensive to grow cotton this way, it is very costly to buy organically. People want to help the environment, but it can be costly in this time where recession is evident and inflation is crazy.
Hemp is a fiber that is grown entirely without chemicals, naturally. the fibers in hemp can be blended with cotton to make fabric that is shown to be more durable that cotton alone. However, because hemp is outlawed in the United States, this fiber can't be grown here. It is outlawed because the cannibus plant that produces hemp is related to the marijuana plant, the US outlaws all growth of the plant here. It can be used to make apparel, bed linens, even boots!
Hopefully, with more people looking to help save mother Earth, more research can be done to look for other ways to grow in more environmentally friendly ways. Don't forget about recycling your own clothes as well! Shopping at second hand stores, mending and patching up your torn clothing, or even converting old socks to dust towels! Shopping in your friend's goodwill piles is a good way to save a few dollars as well. :)

Ed Hardy and Anna Sui are my homies

To post a blog saying what, or better yet, whom my favorite fashion designer would be is a difficult task. I am not what would be considered a "fashionista" in the least. I am not really a sucker for big labels, expensive clothes, or outrageously priced handbags. I regularly read Glamour, however as far as haute couture fashion goes, it just doesn't ring with me. However, there are a few designers that catch my interest, and do influence the way that I dress myself.
Ed Hardy is a big one in this area. Body art and piercings are two artistic forms of expression that greatly intrigue me. Ed Hardy, being a tattoo artist, has brought this art form to clothing. With his vintage T-shirts and hats, it gives a 70's style feel, with a modern twist. His designs have greatly influenced young adult's clothing greatly in the past two years. Almost every retail store now carries some form of t-shirts with these vintage prints.
Another designer that I love is Anna Sui. The way that she brings the punk rock look with a tailored feel, is a way to catch some attention! Her designs are so unique, and to pull off an Anna Sui look, you have to have a certain personality. A confidence with a rock and roll edge, that I hope someday that my line will draw.