Blog 3
Magnolia Garcia
In Yuniya Kawamura’s Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion, it was explained how
influential teenagers truly are in the world of fashion in Japan. It isn’t unheard of that teens are being
granted the title of designer for a label; in fact, it’s become a tactic, as teenagers are the biggest
trendsetters and are aware of what it is that others teens want exactly (Kawamura). Over the last few
weeks of this challenge, I (although a teen no longer) took a similar initiative as the teens in Japan and
decided that I’d make alterations to some of my older clothing, so that the end result would be
upgraded and would better reflect my identity and newest image of myself.
I was both surprised and pleased with myself upon the alterations I had made. One of the small
projects I took on was transforming (25 cent) thrifted girls’ shorts into a tube top. I was initially
skeptical, but I simply continued to cut as I had nothing to lose. In the end, I gained a new article
of clothing without having made a single purchase, and I extended the lifetime of the original article,
as it would have eventually been tossed out--along with the 21 billion pounds of textiles waste that
the U.S. alone sends to landfills every year (McCarthy).
Another project I decided to tackle was decorating an old plain, white t-shirt. Three years ago, I
had purchased this t-shirt for a few dollars when I was putting a Halloween costume together. I wore
the shirt on two separate occasions and then it merely sat in a bag, tucked away in a closet. Upon
rediscovery, I viewed it as a blank canvas and was tempted to allow my creativity over. Hours of
patience later, I ended up with a “new” embroidered top that has been worn much more frequently.
Moments like these make me thankful for the Be Green challenge; it’s definitely sparked a
creative flare that I enjoy entertaining. It truly is the best feeling receiving positive compliments on
clothing that I’ve created for myself, and I’m proud that I get to express my identity in ways that I
desire, all while taking part in the art that is upcycling.
In Yuniya Kawamura’s Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion, it was explained how
influential teenagers truly are in the world of fashion in Japan. It isn’t unheard of that teens are being
granted the title of designer for a label; in fact, it’s become a tactic, as teenagers are the biggest
trendsetters and are aware of what it is that others teens want exactly (Kawamura). Over the last few
weeks of this challenge, I (although a teen no longer) took a similar initiative as the teens in Japan and
decided that I’d make alterations to some of my older clothing, so that the end result would be
upgraded and would better reflect my identity and newest image of myself.
I was both surprised and pleased with myself upon the alterations I had made. One of the small
projects I took on was transforming (25 cent) thrifted girls’ shorts into a tube top. I was initially
skeptical, but I simply continued to cut as I had nothing to lose. In the end, I gained a new article
of clothing without having made a single purchase, and I extended the lifetime of the original article,
as it would have eventually been tossed out--along with the 21 billion pounds of textiles waste that
the U.S. alone sends to landfills every year (McCarthy).
Another project I decided to tackle was decorating an old plain, white t-shirt. Three years ago, I
had purchased this t-shirt for a few dollars when I was putting a Halloween costume together. I wore
the shirt on two separate occasions and then it merely sat in a bag, tucked away in a closet. Upon
rediscovery, I viewed it as a blank canvas and was tempted to allow my creativity over. Hours of
patience later, I ended up with a “new” embroidered top that has been worn much more frequently.
Moments like these make me thankful for the Be Green challenge; it’s definitely sparked a
creative flare that I enjoy entertaining. It truly is the best feeling receiving positive compliments on
clothing that I’ve created for myself, and I’m proud that I get to express my identity in ways that I
desire, all while taking part in the art that is upcycling.
Kawamura, Yuniya. “Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion.” Current Sociology, vol. 54,
no. 5, 2006, pp. 784–801., doi:10.1177/0011392106066816.
no. 5, 2006, pp. 784–801., doi:10.1177/0011392106066816.
McCarthy, Allison. “Are Our Clothes Doomed for the Landfill?” Remake, 6 Feb. 2019, remake.world/
stories/news/are-our-clothes-doomed-for-the-landfill/.
stories/news/are-our-clothes-doomed-for-the-landfill/.
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