Individual Agency in the Determination of Fashion Culture

Eddie Truong

Blog #5

It's week 5 and I'm starting to cave into pressures to start buying something. I think it was a bit arrogant of me to think that my life wouldn't change that much during the challenge. I was working on a student government elections campaign and I needed to buy ink cartridges to print out the flyers we needed. Instead, I bought ink refills, but I had to spend hours refilling each ink cartridge to be able to print out the number of flyers we needed. It was definitely a challenge to learn how to do ink refills, but it was definitely worth the time considering that I saved hundreds of dollars by attempting to refill the cartridges myself. I'm quite proud of myself for surviving this week.

I also started eyeing some clothes that would have looked really good on me. I had to go into my closet, look for clothes I didn't wear often, and wear different combinations of clothes to see if I could create a new style from them. Unfortunately, I'm not very stylistic so I just stuck to my standard uniform of shorts and a sweater. This reminds me of the way young, Japanese teens work to create their own brand of fashion that is highly revered in Asia (Kawamura 2006). In this way, Japanese teens developed a way of creative mixing and matching of contrasting eclectic styles (Kawamura 2006). I wish I had the talent or the eye for this kind of creative endeavor.

I'm so surprised at the many levels that fashion can enrich the lives of others. I loved watching the video of the Harajuku Fashion Walk since it introduces multiple levels of fashion frameworks that I don't normally see in the United States. I think that one needs to have a certain kind of daring nature in order to push the limits of fashion.

Inside Source 

Kawamura, Yuniya. "Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion". Current Sociology. Volume 54(5): 784-801. September 2006.

Outside Source

Harajuku Fashion Walk #11 - Kawaii Japanese Street Fashion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK5irL9s5Z8

Nation-Building through Dress

Eddie Truong

Blog #4 

In the fourth week, I expect that this will be one of the more challenging experiences for this challenge. Because of the proximity of Black Friday and the hype of buying products, it may be difficult to keep this challenge if I find a good electronics deal somewhere. It might be best to just hide out this week and leave the house as little as possible.

On another note, the clothes we wear is a statement to others about a certain status or symbol. If I choose to wear shorts and a bro-shirt to an interview, it demonstrates the lack of respect that I have for the interviewer. On the other hand, if I choose to wear formal clothing, it also demonstrates how much I value the individual by taking the time to dress nicely for them. In the same manner, a dress or costume can be used to represent an entire nation. "It is sometimes said that the Vietnamese ao dai exists so that poets can read the wind. This saying captures the power of garment to evoke a mood, a mindset, and movement. The movement of cloth responding to natural forces. The movement of people courageously adapting their culture to historical circumstance" (Ao Dai Catalog, preface).

As a costume is used to represent the nation, the two become inextricably linked and connected to one another. In the video below, you can see the many different ways in which countries choose to represent themselves through the costume and the unique flair of each country is always captured by the costume.

Inside Source

Ao Dai: A Modern Design Coming of Age Exhibit Catalogue.

Outside Source

Miss Universe 2010 National Costume Presentation - Opening. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7CTcSQHq2k

Global Slave Networks

Eddie Truong

Blog #3

During the period of the challenge, I've started to wonder about my previous reflection and why certain products are so cheaply made. In "Global Commodity Networks and the Leather Footwear Industry: Emerging Forms of Economic Organization in a Postmodern World" by Miguel Korzeniewicz, the author discusses the implications of multinational corporations that draw resources from one country to be produced in another and exported to the final destination. In particular, multinational corporations target the cheapest methods to draw resources, assembled the product and sell them in another country to gain the most profits. In this way, corporations are able to target the cheapest locations to cut costs and gain the most profits by selling them in a country that can pay for the finished goods. In this way, countries that need the monetary investments of the corporations often turn a blind eye to the human rights violations committed in order to earn a pretty penny; a strong example of this was exposed by the No-Nike campaign in Viet Nam where sweatshop workers were being forced to work in inhumane conditions (Valverde 2012).

These processes are transnational in nature and involve many stages of production across various countries (Rodrigue 2012). What is interesting to consider is that these processes are cheaper than having all of the modes of production be centered in one country. In this way, we need to look at the political economy and culture of each individual country in order to examine the influence of the global commodity networks (Korzeniewicz 1992). Valverde points out that these commodity chains hold a neoliberal form of domination, through multinational corporations, over third world countries (Valverde 2012).

Once I understood the implications of global commodity networks and how it links the fates of countries to each other, I was able to understand how multinational corporations were able to navigate the politics of each country in order to find the cheaper sources of raw materials and labor to achieve the greatest profit, often at the expense of others through human rights violations. It's a insidious process and I will think twice about buying knockoffs or products assembled from other countries.

The video is particularly interesting because it reveals that multinational corporations serve to decapitalize a country's resources, create inequalities around the world, exploit poor workers/communities/countries and creates dependence.

Inside Sources

Korzeniewicz, Miguel. Global Commodity Networks and the Leather Footwear Industry: Emerging Forms of Economic Organization in a Postmodern World. Sociological Perspectives. Volume 35, No: 2, pp 313-327. 1992.

Valverde, Kieu-Linh Caroline. “Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture and Politics of the Diaspora”. Philadelphia: Temple UP. 2012.

Outside Sources

Rodrigue, Jean-Paul. "Commodity Chain Analysis". The Geography of Transport Systems. . Accessed December 15, 2012. 

Consumerist Yearning: How Knockoffs Make it Too Easy to Consume

Eddie Truong

Blog #2

It's week 2 of the "Be Green" challenge and I don't feel like my life has changed too much. I suppose that it's because I've never had enough money to buy extra items that I don't need to change my lifestyle too much to meet the challenge.

When I do buy something for the holidays, however, I realize that I often go for the cheapest clothes in a department store so that I can look like I'm wealthier or at a higher status than what I actually am. I have fake, leather jackets that look relatively expensive and more than what a college student could probably afford. When products are so cheap, I have an innate yearning for more of the same items or to stock up on that particular item. It feeds into the consumerist mentality whenever those desires become reality and my money is used to buy these knockoffs, cheap imitations of original products. In "Knockoffs of Knockoffs: The Global Implication of Fashion Piracy" by Melissa A. Decker, we see that cheaper imitations of original products are so well-made that it's often difficult to distinguish between the real deal and the copy. There is a strong trend of cheap, affordable imitations that is easily accessible to more people with modest incomes. Decker reveals that fashion piracy has strong implications in the way that we destroy entire economies, continue to exploit more cheap labor, and decrease the overall quality of products worldwide due to the prevalence of globalization, the increasing interconnectedness of nation-states and global economies.

"Often the temptation for consumers can be too strong to resist, with many not understanding the risks and ramifications attached to this illicit industry. Buying a counterfeit handbag or pair of jeans, for example, might not be regarded as an illegal transaction - simply a cheaper way to wear the latest fashion goods. However, often little thought is given to how the money may ultimately end up in the hands of organized crime groups or how the industries that rely on legitimate sales suffer" (UNODC 2012). It's time for us all to be more conscientious of our purchasing decisions and how it affects not only our lives but the global economy.

This video has an interesting argument about the ways in which copying can actually be beneficial to the economy under certain conditions.

Inside Source

Decker, Melissa A. "Knockoffs of Knockoffs: The Global Implication of Fashion Piracy". 2004

Outside Source

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. "Counterfeit Goods: A Barain or a Costly Mistake"? http://www.unodc.org/toc/en/crimes/counterfeit-goods.html. Accessed December 15, 2012. 

It's Time for a New, Green Beginning

Eddie Truong

Blog #1

It's the beginning of the "Be Green" challenge and I'm not particularly concerned about the challenge because I often do not buy merchandise or participate in consumerist culture. I hope that I will be able to learn more about the effects of consumerism and be more conscientious of my purchasing decisions in relation to the global economy. Because it's the middle of Fall and it'll be cold, I'm saddened by the idea that I won't be able to buy more clothes to be warm; I think this is the time for me to be creative about my clothing options and learn to resist consumerist culture on different frameworks.

Whenever I think about fashion, I think about the ways in which symbols and ideas are translated into textiles and clothing. Most people buy clothes in order to represent themselves in a better image, perhaps one of wealth and luxury. In "Creating Identity, Defining Culture, and Making History from an Art Exhibit: An Unfinished Story: A Tribute to my Mothers" in Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture and Politics in the Diaspora by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde, the artist Chau Huynh uses her imagination and history as the primary motivation in her art creations. In one instance, she uses the flags of North Viet Nam and the former South Viet Nam to stitch together a new creation which represents her own life experiences mixing the two cultures together. In the same manner, I hope to be able to be more creative about my own desires to express my ideas through clothing without needing to buy more goods. I need to learn to be more creative on my own and express my ideals through reusing materials/supplies.

On the other hand, I've been trying to read up on more interesting ways to reuse my clothes so that I don't need to buy any more items. With the internet, there are so many different ways that I can learn about being more self-sustainable and there are plenty of resources that I can depend on to help me get through this process.

Chin up! It's time for the "Be Green" challenge to begin!

Inside Source

Valverde, Caroline KL. "Creating Identity, Defining Culture, and Making History from an Art Exhibit: An Unfinished Story: A Tribute to my Mothers". Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture and Politics in the Diaspora. Philadelphia: Temple UP. 2012

Outside Source

How to Reuse or Recycle Old Clothes. http://www.squidoo.com/Reuse-Recycle-Old-Clothes. Accessed December 15, 2012.

Your Definition of Shopping

Racheal Rhee

Concluding Blog

inside source: Class time

Outside source: Field Trip

                     Fighting against Consumerism. Sounds so easy yet so hard to follow through. There were many temptations through emails contained with exclusive sales code, opportunity to shop til I drop with free shipping which would save me 'so much' money. But passed by those sugar coated temptations came reminder of Professor Valverde's strict reminders in class. " DON'T BUY ANYTHING". Yes ma'am, order has been taken. After a month of fighting against consumerism, it is eye opening to see how much the marketing system has developed their own ways of making the general population to feel like they have to be the consumer without any other option. Putting a price tag onto anything and almost everything was the beginning point. The exclusive sale deals on online shopping site (yes, i did go eye shopping..) was not so much different from regular day prices. At this point, it is obvious that clothing companies habitually attract consumers by the word 'SALE' with bright red color. Then came the Black Friday after Thanksgiving dinner. Online, outdoor stores.. They were ridiculous. As i posted on earlier blog about black Friday, it seemed as if the companies had price tags separately ordered only for black Friday. In modern terms.. Am I trippin? All of the commercials and photo shoots, blogs and journals in fashion industry and media entertainment subconsciously screams at the audience to go buy the clothing and material that are needed to catch up with the most recent looks. Oh you have the same looking coat? Why not buy two different color to match with your boots AND sneakers for different seasons? Oh you don't know what to get as a present for your friend? Why not get them fashionable scarf or shoes to make them happy?

                 When did world become a place where people have to be satisfied with materialistic products and presents? Even when I was ten years old, I remember family and relatives giving flowers and cards to each other during holidays. Yes it was very satisfying because getting something '$expensive$' was not always the point of giving a successful gift.

                 Shopping for self. Depending on who we are, we all individually have different perspective about shopping for self. I always thought that shopping meant going out to SF downtown, or big malls to find something that follows recent trend. However, my definition of shopping turned around after the be green challenge. For the last class of Fall quarter 2012, Professor Valverde and our class went thrift shopping. Say what? yes. THRIFT SHOPPING. There were many clothing that looked out of style and sometimes worn out. However, looking through the clothing forced me to trim down the selection to find that suits me perfectly, with 1/8 of the price I would have to pay in outlets or malls. It was an eye opening moment for me, appreciating the process of fight against consumerism. Not only was I saving money for the month, but I figured that I was able to save money in the long run thinking back to this challenge every time I go out shopping.

                  Dear Shoppers who love to spend money on products that you don't know will last you for life time but shop anyways because you feel like you NEED to shop! I suggest you try to follow up with the be green challenge. Not only your perspective will change, but your definition of shopping will also change. :]

Blog 6

Hue Thao

ASA 141

Today's blog concludes the challenge and the course Asian American Studies 141. During the last day of class, we attended a small field trip to All Things Right and Relevant over at East Davis. The purpose was to teach us to shop at places that doesn't involve all the tragic topics we learned in class such as labor intensive work. There was nothing in particular that I liked at this thrift store so I continued my streak of not consuming items. Although, we can't say everyone succeeded in this challenge because some people, if not most people ended up buying something throughout the challenge. It was difficult because of Black Friday Shopping, but at the very least, I did not fall victim to consumerism. For me, I won't buying anything unless I extremely need it. Most of the stuff I have now is all that I really need. Who cares about having multiple jeans or multiple sweaters and jackets? It really isn't needed. For those who does have multiple items, please be considerate for the lucky opportunity that you guys have. People complain that, they need more jeans, shoes, etc. all the time. However, in reality, they don't need it; they just want it. The one's who truly needs those items are those living on the streets of Africa walking barefoot and having one pair of rags for close. All I am saying is that people needs to stop taking things for granted. Stop complaining how you wore your shoes once and need a new one because you don't want to go out wearing the same shoes twice. Instead, you can donate a pair for those poverty children that are in need of shoes. Other than that, I end this discussion and blog by saying that I don't like blogging. Just kidding. All in all, ASA141 was a fun class as well as educational. But its time to move on and study for those finals so this is all that I am giving to you Professor. My essay is already completed and I will turn it in today, but I would prefer you revise it or look at it one last time so I can really turn it in. I already had tutors check over my papers so there should be less errors as there was last time. Take care and enjoy your Christmas Break. Thanks for everything.