Fly Kicks, How Much?

This past week has provided a great release from the consumer pressures of society since its focus was main on our research project that was due today. Now that the stress of that paper is now behind me, I can now direct my attention to this challenge and reflect on my thoughts on consumerism.

As I continue to participate on this compact challenge, I noticed that I find it easier to consumer less goods and question more about the product itself. I guess the latter is a great idea since I put a lot more effort in understanding the origin of product, how it's made and to what extent are its utilities. Backed up by Kawamura , "Clothing production and fashion production are both collective activities which require large numbers of people to produce the finished product." When I look at all of the clothes and products I have, I now take into large consideration how they are made. In a specific case that most of my colleagues have already touched upon are sneakers. However, my focus will be on a specific shoe I have, the Jordan I. The reason why I chose this shoe is because of the sneaker culture that revolves around it despite the knowledge that these shoes are made a lot cheaper than they are sold. It's hard for the common consumer to understand that the shoe that they purchase at such high prices is produced at such a low price. In addition, the process of creating the shoe from design to mass production is often subcontracted to less-developed countries. In the example with Nike, the process of creating a sneaker is first designed by in-house designers in American and then subcontracted to be created in Vietnam (Valverde).

My job in the compact challenge is now not only to submit myself to being consumer friendly and knowledgeable, but to also share my knowledge about consumerism and sneaker culture with others around me that way more people are aware of this good cause.

For further enjoyment and understanding of the process of designing, I have posted a video that explains the process.



Christian Borgonia BLOG #4

Works Cited:
Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology An Introduction to Fashion Studies (Dress, Body, Culture). New York: Berg, 2005.
Valverde, Prof. Caroline. Asian American Studies 189B. Lecture 15 May 2009
Video: The Shoe Game: TheShoeGame.com - Todd Jordan Nike SB Sneaker Design Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b_rO-GHYo4

Splatter Speaks for Individuality?

In the process of finishing up my research paper, one of the things I began realizing is that much of the reason behind the extravagant paint work that is portrayed on Japanese denim is merely for individuality. Although in our culture, seeing paint splatter and arbitrary images scattered along the leggings of jeans seem messy and unappealing, it is one of the few remaining ways on how urban street wear can develop character in denim. Essentially, though these kinds of styles go for hundreds of dollars when stamped with a "limited edition" tag on it, they are an expression of individuality that can be done by anyone - or as Kawamura describes it, the teenage consumers are the designers of their own style (Kawamura, 2007).

In addition, synonymous to Kawamura's idea of teenagers designing their own style, many of the designers of the more flamboyant designs of Japanese denim also do it to remain fluid with the styles and trends of urban street wear, used to convey their type of lifestyle in the pursuit of shifting from class fashion to consumer fashion (Kawamura, 2005). With this in mind, it puts an interesting spin on the idea of the Compact Challenge. Rather than having to buy clothes that are necessarily synonymous with today's most popular styles, simply using arts and crafts to redo the ones you already own in your own unique voice not only speaks for individuality but also pushes toward innovation. Something that as a hypocritical consumer I can learn a great deal from.


Hugo Da Rosa - Blog #5
Sources: Yuniya Kawamura - "Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion"
Yuniya Kawamura - "Fashion-ology, Chapter 6"
Image Sources: http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o38/davykids/clot-fragment-kazuki-levis-denim-fe.jpg
http://www.hypebeast.com/image/2009/04/kazuki-clot-levis-505-kzklot-silver-preview.jpg

Green Capitalism

Consumerism has taken many forms. I'd like to think that anti-consumerism can stay that way but it certainly seems like corporations are able to put a twist and exploit anything. Take the eco-chic movement for example. I was watching Zoolander the other day and weas watching the scene where models are dressed up in garbage. The scene itself is pretty hilarious; Blue Steel Has nothing on me. Companies are now using this eco approach as a means to boost profits. Steve Nash on the Phoenix suns now has a contract with Nike and is a head of Nike Trash Talk. The shoe is made from manufacturing waste. No longer is recycling only for hippies and do-gooders;basketball players are getting in on it too. I suppose the closest thing I came to recycled fasion was a shirt made with bottle caps covering the entire outside. I never really wore it; it was awful. It is strange how being eco-friendly has become a means for profits.
Many companies have used this ploy for years. Patagonia for example makes sweaters from recycled bottles as the plastics are weaved and turned into clothing. The question is whether this exploitation of nature and the environment is justified or not. Surely many individuals would be less passionate about the cause, as it simply becomes the thing to do. However, in general, it would increase the overall quality of the environment, thus the ends justify the means.
The eco-chic is an interesting phenomena. Unlike the Kawaii and many other trends, the trend setters are somewhat disguised. They are not mainstream. They are not trending. They are not the majority. Fashion here has its roots outside of actual style; it finds its home in a cause. Eco friendly people are not "teens" or "gatekeepers". Rather they are everyday people who are representing what they feel is important.
It is interesting to compare these trend setters. Are eco friendly individuals actually setting the trends? The importance of environmental preservation probably outweighs the impact an individual makes getting dressed in the morning. The eco-chic fashion industry falls under the cause. Japanese Teen trend setters seem to be the opposite. They decide what is important; they decide what dictates the masses.
As much as being green is trendy, it seems somewhat disappointing to see it marketed and transformed into a commodity. Next time, be green in your own way!!! Below is a link to make your own tote bag with old clothes! I'm still working on mine but try it out!


Make Your Own Tote Bag Here!

Evan Wong
Blog #4

Sharon Kinsella. Cuties In Japan.

NikeTrashTalk. http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2008/02/13_Nash.html

Emotional Graduation or Emotional Consumption

I am sure most, if not all of us have attended a graduation before. So try and recall that feeling you had walking into yours or a close friend’s graduation ceremony. Did you get really emotional seeing all the people and the excitement around you? As if you are overwhelmed with emotions and can not hold it in for long? Yup that’s the feeling I experienced today…but it wasn’t really for the ceremony itself. It was actually from the money I had to spend on flowers. Having to buy flowers and leis for graduation is expensive but of course I couldn’t help it! I am so used to graduation being an event filled with flower of all kinds. Let’s just say that I spend all the money I saved from not spending on money on random things in the last four weeks on flowers instead.

The consumer culture of buying flower and flower leis for graduation has become a norm. So normal and important in the US that news of flower scarcity to make leis makes the news! Here is a link where you can go read about more about it if you want Leis on the News.




According ABC news, there is a scarcity in flower this year to make leis for graduation. Apparently, shop owners who would order 4,000 flowers would only get 600. I guess this would confirm why I couldn’t find Dendrobiuhm orchid blossoms at Raley’s or Lucky’s. I figure instead of buying the already-made leis for 22 at Raley’s, I could buy the flower on the stem and string them myself. However, there were none! At all. I mean sellers are smart! They take away all the flowers and make the leis and then charge hecka for them. So what did I do?



Or course I didn’t buy them at first; I made my own lei, out of other materials!

Now during this process, I experienced what Kawamura meant by “Production influence consumption and consumption influence production.”(pg89). Without graduation and the need or I shall I say want for flowers leis there wouldn’t people producing them. So I guess it’s my problem for trying so hard to fine them. This proves that controlling consumption is not easy and for that reason I am emotionally overwhelmed. I spent 12 at first buying materials to make leis. Then I get to graduation then realized I forgot to make leis for 3 people. So what did I do? I went outside of UC Berkeley’s Greek Theater and bought 3 flower leis from students for 25 dollars each! Um…this is why I spent so much, it’s because I always feel buying things one person and not the other.

Here are the candy leis I made and the people I made them for! Its hard to see but at least you can see how many flower leis people buy during graduation.


Congrats Class of 2009!


Phung Kim Vo

Blog #4


word cited

Fashion-ology

http://www.kitv.com/news/19445484/detail.html

Fashionable to the Fingertips

Over the weekend I was watching parts of the American Idol finale with my younger brother. There were a lot of performances, including one of “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas.

While I was watching them and the trippy-dressed dancers in the background, I noticed that part of Fergie’s costume were these long cone-like extensions on her fingertips. Surprisingly, the first thing I thought of was PCN. A dance that is sometimes included in the Muslim suite involves girls that dance while wearing janggay – long metallic fingernails.

Fergie’s looked just like them. I watched the music video and she sings wearing similar nails in one scene. Seeing her wear those nails made me think of re-appropriation and Asian culture. The whole vibe of the performance – from the lyrics to the costumes – was futuristic and innovative, but those nails threw me off. Maybe to everyone else they were a crazy, ultra-modern accessory, but all I could think of was the traditional, restrained movements of Muslim suite dancers. I also know that there’s a Thai dance that involves similar props. I don’t know a lot about it, but I do know they don’t dance it to “Boom Boom Pow.” As Kawamura states, “Meaning is constantly flowing to and from its several locations in the social world, aided by the collective and individual efforts of designers, producers, advertisers, and consumers. Contemporary culture has been associated with an increasingly materialistic or fetishistic attitude, and the symbolic dimension of consumption is increasingly becoming important” (Kawamura 94).

I can’t be sure what exactly inspired Fergie to wear those nails, but it’s very possible that it was a form of re-appropriation. Fergie is a fashion-forward, pioneering woman, so it’s likely that she came across the fashion, adopted it, and re-invented it. One of the other members is part Filipino – maybe she found out about janggay through him. Fashion is always about novelty and, as a celebrity, Fergie is expected to set herself apart with unique, ground-breaking fashion. However, she is probably consuming without carrying the original meaning of the fashion. As a celebrity she sets trends for numerous consumers, who adopt the trends and consume the same fashion without the original meaning attached to it. It’s a process that happens all the time with countless other fashion trends. It’s a different look at the consequences of fashion-following consumer culture.

- Carmel Crisologo

[blog #4}

WORKS CITED

Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology An Introduction to Fashion Studies (Dress, Body, Culture). New York: Berg, 2005.

It's a style because they [White] wear it

Reading Maira's article really intrigued me, especially the section about Indo-chic. While originally, henna is a "practice done by and for women, particularly for wedding ceremonies in South Asia..." it completely loses its meaning when appropriated by the Western cultural consumpotion (Maira 342). Merely two decades ago, South Asian community was still threatened by racist violence, namely the Dot Busters of New Jersey. As most of us are already familiar with the incident, it is not necessary to reiterate the facts. Nonetheless, it amazes me how strong the power of the "majority" and how big the influence of "superiority" are. While henna and bindhi are not the same, the popularized commodifications of both speak volumn to the Dot Busters incident. The victims of the Dot Busters were wearing the bindhi as it is supposed to traditionally. They wore it as a symbol of their cultural heritage, yet they were discriminated against. However, as soon as Madonna and Gwen Stefani incorporated the henna and bindhi onto their body, those symbols carry an entirely different meaning. It became trendy to spot a henna design that is marketed as "temporary tattoos" (Maira 343). Even the marketing itself alters the meaning of the cultural symbols. Henna was not a style of tattoos to begin with. Yet the West decided to commercialize and advertise it as an alternative to tattoos.

However, even though the cultural meaning is lost with the Western appropriation, it is still intact when worn by South Asians. Now this is a troubling fact that is also expressed in the video that we saw in class. There is no distinction between American born South Asians and foreign born South Asians; as long as they wear the symbols they will be looked at as foreigners and that it suits them as an ethnic symbol. On the contrary, when worn by White Americans, they are reduced to elements of exotic ethnic decorations. Other than that, there is no preservation of cultural significances. The only time I've seen it preserved is in an independent film titled "Chutney Popcorn".

In the movie, the main character is a young South Asian lesbian woman who is in a relationship with a young White American woman. The main character is also a henna artist and she does a lot of designs for her partner and the design actually symbolizes their relationship. The appreciation of her partner is one that truly take into the cultural heritage of the practice into consideration. She did not wear the designs simply as decorations that enhance her beauty but as a symbols of her love for the South Asian artist that is her partner. Nonetheless, that is a movie example. I might not know but have yet to come across a real life scenario.

The sad thing about the appropriation is that those who are bought into the idea of consumerism will now have to pay great amount of money for a henna design while ethnically, it is made at a very "low price" or even without cost. Consumer culture does know how to rake profit, just like what happened to the Hip Hop movement.



An trailer of the movie from youtube.com

Entry #4

by Nghia Trinh

Sources:
Maira, Sunaia. "Henna and Hip Hop: The Politics of Cultural Production and the Work of Cultural Studies." 2000.
Chutney Popcorn. Direct by Nisha Ganatra. 1999.
1st image from alwaysfabulousevents.blogspot.
2nd image from biwriters.livejournal.
Trailer from youtube

A Bright Idea

Light bulbs. It's hard to imagine something so simple and commonly used in our everyday lives can have an impact on your wallet and the environment. If you haven't heard, CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs) are rapidly replacing their inefficient predecessor, the incandescent light bulb. Some CFL facts according to Energy Star:

• If every American home replaced just one of their light bulbs with an Energy Star qualified CFL, the energy saved would be enough to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to 800,000 cars

• While the price of CFLs are generally more expensive than incandescent light bulbs, the average CFL pays for itself in about 6 months and will save you about $30 over its life time

• The average lifetime of a Energy Star qualified CFL is approximately 8,000 hours
• In 2007, the amount of energy saved from Americans switching to Energy Star qualified CFLs is enough to power all the homes in a city the size of Washington, D.C. for 30 years
• Changing to CFLs has the potential of removing greenhouse gases equivalent to planting 2.85 million acres of trees or taking 2 million cars off of the road each year

This information was found on the Energy Star website which is run by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. The government has been encouraging Americans to switch to Energy Star CFLs for some time now because of the benefits not only to the consumer but also the environment. As mentioned in “Adoption and Consumption of Fashion” in Fashion-ology, a style can be acknowledged as fashion if it is recognized by certain people. In fashion, style is recognized by the gate keepers, celebrities, other designers, etc. When it comes to something that is mutually beneficial to society and the individual, having the government recognize and promote it greatly increases awareness and desire for that product.

Sources:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies. New York: Berg Publishers

Images from: http://renaissanceronin.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/cfl.jpg

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/5339490/2/istockphoto_5339490-compact-fluorescent-lightbulb-cfl.jpg

Samantha Ng

Blog #4