A New Way to Enjoy Vitamin Water

When I first heard about the compact challenge, I though that it was going to be pretty hard to not buy things. The compact challenge made me realized how much I buy when I don’t necessarily need it. Like my mom always said, “Is it a need or a want?” But since, the challenge has been introduced I haven’t really bought anything except for food and things that I actually need.

The only thing I have gotten is a new bag. I didn’t buy the bag, instead I made it. And what did I use to make it? Well, I tend to drink Vitamin Water at least once a week and so last year I saw these bags that were made out of old candy wrappers and they looked really cool, so I decided to make one out of the labels that I would have just recycled. "The sociological understanding of fashion involves an analysis of consumers who adopt fashion and their consumption behavior because the consumers participate indirectly in the production of fashion." (Kawamura, 89) Just as I made an eco-friendly bag. It seems like many companies are trying to design and create products that are eco-friendly. They are trying to cater to the needs of the consumers knowingt hat they want to have products that are better for the environment. I thought it was going to be an easy thing to do, but the technique that is used is pretty time consuming. This is the site I found that had step by step instructions: http://candywrapperpurse.blogspot.com/.

The bag I ended up making is quite awesome. All I had to buy was some string and a zipper to finish it off. It’s water resistant and pretty sturdy actually. So how does this relate to the compact challenge? The bag I made is environmentally friendly because the primary material used was old labels. But, what I did get from those labels was a fashionable and extremely stylish clutch. (Below is the bag that I made.)

I then found out that these bags can sell for quite a pretty penny. Check this site out: http://ecoist.com/. On there site they state that "they develop unique gifts and fashion accessories for the eco-minded individual. [There} objective is to merge design with social and environmental consciousness..." I don’t plan on selling mine because after all the time I spent measuring, cutting, FOLDING (around 840 pieces), and sewing; it wouldn’t be worth it for me personally to sell it. (But I have given away the one I made out of newspaper.) I plan to make more bags in the future and especially want to make a clutch out of soda can tabs.

So far, the challenge is going well, and I hope to continue to not buy things. =)

-Jasmine Lim

Where Did You Come From?

So last night I showed up at one of my weekly dance practice in an American Eagle striped blue long sleeve button down shirt and a tailor made black trousers/slack. Excuse my descriptive details but I feel it's needed since we're in a fashion class and have been discussing the idea of fashion and identity for the past few weeks. This is not, however, in any way how I "brand" myself. Nonetheless, here's the conversation that followed:

Team member: Damn, man, where did you come from?
Me: ... From work? ... Why? (something about my clothes?)
Team member: Nothing, you look all dressed up...
Me: (knew it)
Team member: ... spiked hair and sh1t.
Me: Oh yeah? I was a cashier.

I was puzzled, a little bit. To me it was nothing close to what I would call "dress up." If we relate back to the question asked at the beginning of the course, "How do you dress?" and the common answer of "Whatever fits me," then we'll see a contradiction. If it is true that we don't give much thoughts about what we wear, then why do we have certain "critique" or comments or assumption of what other people wear? To be clearer, to be able to put on clothes without giving any thoughts, it is required that we disassociate clothing (materialistic) from "identity branding" (conceptual). But the fact is, we are opinionated of what people wear (including ourselves). I have never given it much thoughts before but clothing, as the materialistic manifestation of fashion, speaks to one's personality, social status, occupation, self-confidence, etc. (Kawamura). And I realized people DO judge what one wears, and that I too am looked at by other people (duh!)

Do you not have any comments on Vic's dress?

Another note on the compact challenge, at first I thought it only applies to fashion (which comes down to clothes), but it seems like it challenges consumerism as a whole. Not so bad I suppose. Ever since going to college, I only shop (clothing) once or twice a year. Most other time, it was handed down to me by my older brother, the ones that are perfectly fine but he's just got bored wearing them (he shops every month or so, checking the stores regular for deals). Maybe I should talk to him about this, but I would no longer get 'free' clothes :O.

Anyhow, I think I'll be fine in the clothing department. On the other hand, I've been thinking of buying a new gaming/graphics design rig. My three-year-old laptop is doing quite well, except for the much outdated graphic card. Even when my excuse for buying a new rig is to do graphics stuff more efficiently, I can do just as well on my current laptop. And it all comes down to fighting that urge of buying because of "wants" and not "needs." But the good news is I've put off this plan for more than two quarters I'm doing fine in this department too.


Sources:
Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology. 2005
Image: from the dailymail.co.uk site.

Blog #1

- Nghia Trinh

Unnecessary Baggage

Paper or plastic? Well if you asked me six hours ago, I would have said, “Plastic please.” But since I have officially started the Compact Challenge, my new answer is, “Neither.” Part of the Compact Challenge is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. And after looking at several websites, it can clearly be seen that plastic and paper shopping bags are quintessential counters to the ideal goals of this challenge.

I visited two websites. According to http://www.worldwatch.org/system/files/GS0023.pdf, the production of plastic bags utilizes “less energy and water” compared to paper bags. Also, the production generates a smaller amount of air pollution as well as solid waste. On the downside, plastic bags are excessively consumed. According to http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php, over 500 billion plastic bags are expended globally each year. In addition to being consumed excessively, they are also not properly thrown away once used. Instead of being recycled, they are found in places such as the creek of our very own UC Davis Arboretum. Another reason why plastic bags should be avoided is because they serve as a potential threat to wildlife as well as human beings.

“WARNING: To avoid danger of suffocation,keep this plastic bag away from babies and children.”

As for paper bags… According to http://blog.greenfeet.com/index.php/paper-vs-plastic-the-shopping-bag-debate/reducing-your-footprint/121, the main concerns as to why we shouldn’t use paper shopping bags are:

A.They require chopping more trees down.
B. Like plastic bags, they are not being recycled. And as a result, they once again become litter.

Collectively, these facts show that although they help to carry our bought goods and random paraphernalia, paper and plastic shopping bags are evil, and they sure aren’t eco-friendly!

Thus, rather than using paper and plastic shopping bags during these next twenty-eight days, I will TRY to use canvas bags (or tote bags as they are commonly called). I have to admit that my overall past experience with using canvas bags is not very good. For instance, I bought two eco-friendy bags from Costco two years ago. The only time I ever used them was on the day that I actually bought them. One bag is currently stashed somewhere in the closet. Meanwhile, I use the other to stash all of my books and school junk in. I am hoping that things will be better the second time around. I must say though, only five hours into the challenge, and so far I am doing well. (I went to Raley’s and bought falafels a few hours ago, and I walked out of the store without a bag! :D)

For those of you who are interested in trying out canvas bags for the Compact Challenge or for the hell of it, purchase them at any nearby supermarkets near you. You could also find them here:

Link 1 and Link 2

Some are quite pricey for my pleasing. (Over twenty bucks for a grocery bag? What?!?!) But I guess it’s worth buying for the sake of going green.

I would also like to include this video in this blog because it has some tips on shopping bags in general.

The part that struck me the most when I first saw this clip is the part where the lady talks about canvas bags. While advertising them, she states: “Some are actually very trendy now.” “Trendy” and “in fashion” are two words that are intertwined as one to me. So when I first heard that statement, it made me think about how Yuniya Kawamura said that something is not “in fashion” unless it has been adopted by the majority of a society (2006). Honestly, I do not see a lot of people using canvas bags unless it's Trader Joe's or some store of that sort. So I would love to see what’s “in fashion” in the eco-friendly bag world. In addition to that, this clip sparked my interest in asking those who use eco-friendly bags why they started using them. Is it because someone inspired them to go green? Or is it pure competitive imitation to gain equality/respect as those who already have gone green (Kawamura 2006)?

That is all for now. Happy Belated Earth Day!!! And till then, take care.

Fashion or Garbage Moguls?

Since today is Earth Day, ABC 7’s Good Morning America did a special report on Living Green and talked about the show “Garbage Moguls” on the National Geographic channel, which offers new ways to look at our trash. This new fashion of being eco friendly and going green has spread and is a good way in which to educate future generations on creativity and repurposing products. The show “Garbage Moguls” follows the employees of the company TerraCycle, who use only garbage and used equipment to run their business. The following link shows a school tour they did but also explains about the innovativeness of the company that has been around since 2001. They are a great example for the compact challenge since we can save money and eliminate our waste from the little we do choose to purchase by repurposing—even encompassing our garbage into our fashion. The compact challenge focuses on changing our consumption habits and this company is trying to reform the habits of America by showing creative ways to repurpose items we deem trash—and they are making a profit.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/garbage-moguls-4314/overview#tab-Videos/06558_00

Also, YouTube has a video of “Garbage Moguls” that is related to the future of fashion-repurposing trash into wearable, useful outfits. Check out these two videos as creative ways to start off our compact challenge. We should not consume as much as we do, but for the items we do consume, we should repurpose and reuse them in creative and inventive ways to receive the maximum benefit and make a statement in the process.

The most recent episode of “Garbage Moguls” is on tonight on the National Geographic Channel at 9 PM I believe, but I unfortunately do not have that channel on my cable plan but anyone who does, I encourage you to watch and blog about any new ideas you learn.

Another creative idea from the website: Make a wallet out of a cookie wrapper!

In Fashion-ology, Kawamura explains the origins of fashion as he tells how it began with the "institutionalization of exclusive custom-made clothes known as Haute Couture" and how "the fashion industry is not simply concerned with the production of adequate or pleasant clothing but is concerned with the production of new stylistic innovations that satisfy the image of fashion" (Kawamura 45). All things considered, I believe the reuse of trash such as seen in the making of the poncho by the Garbage Moguls, could be seen as a form of Haute Couture and it is a new stylistic innovation. Whether or not it satisfies the image of fashion can be determined by society as a whole, but at least it is a start in a eco-friendly direction.

Heather Crane

Don't Consume, But when you do be a Garbage Mogul

In Fashion-ology, Kawamura explains the origins of fashion as he tells how it began with the "institutionalization of exclusive custom-made clothes known as Haute Couture" and how "the fashion industry is not simply concerned with the production of adequate or pleasant clothing but is concerned with the production of new stylistic innovations that satisfy the image of fashion" (Kawamura 45). All things considered, I believe the reuse of trash such as seen in the making of the poncho by the Garbage Moguls, could be seen as a form of Haute Couture and it is a new stylistic innovation. Whether or not it satisfies the image of fashion can be determined by society as a whole, but at least it is a start in a eco-friendly direction.

Easy or hard?

When this whole compact challenge was introduced in class, i thought it was going to be easy. but i must say not shopping for stuff is going to be hard for me. even though i am a broke college student i just cant help but spend money. i would rather buy something new than something old, that may seem excessive but that's the way that i was raised. my mom didn't like second hand things especially if you can by a new item cheaper online or a few dollars more than a used item. Like in Mai Yamani's article, she stated that "dress suggests where a woman lives, what her status is, and if she is under any kind of circumstance" and so being a second hand shoppper isnt me. even though i haven't shopped or gone to a mall for a long time I'm still shopping. now i do it online, so its even lazier than before. however i do buy items cheaper than at the store. like I'm looking at eBay and amazon a lot more than i used to. i created my eBay account last year so college just made me more economically efficient, in a sense. i remember freshmen year where i bought all my books at the bookstore, and it robbed me. then i found out about uloop.com, and man is that a money saver, and its a great way to sell books, which i highly recommend.

overall this challenge is going to be hard on me. i don't rally like buying second hand things even if it is cheaper. i would rather wait for the item to go on sale or find it cheaper online new than by it used. i don't really know why but that's just how i am. for some reason its just not possible for me to not buy anything when shopping, but i guess i just have to restrain myself for this challenge.

-Jennifer Ma
Mai Yamani article "changing habits of a lifetime"
Uloop.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_2107996_spot-shopaholic.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

Repurposing: First New Post for Spring 2009 (sample)

Here we go again. Last year, along with my fashion class students, I participated in the "compact challenge." I learned then that I am a wasteful individual and it was a much welcome lifestyle change that followed. Since then, when I decide I need to purchase something, I first think of craigslist.org or one of the other sites that sell used items. I also stepped up garage sale shopping. These sites and venues even have FREE stuff! Re- programming my mind about consuming reminds me of a million years ago when the Internet began. I had to get into the mindset that for random inquiries, I can google instead of physically going to the library or checking the yellow pages.

Another rethinking process involves how I look at clothes. Before, if something didn't fit right or I was getting tired of it, maybe I'd sell it or give it away. These are still good practices but now I also repurpose my clothes to make new outfits. Like the more creative youth street fashion designers, I began saving clothing items with potential and plan to purchase a sewing machine to rework them into one-of-a-kind pieces (Kawamura 2006). I'm certain this plan will allow me to keep my unique style instead of following trends in a hopeless game of catch up with designs from fashion capitals (Kawamura 2005).

Let's see how my plans work out and what I learn from the compact challenge this year. -Kieu Linh Valverde

http://www.nylonmag.com/?parid=2335&section=article
craigslist.org