sweat shops

it is a very gray areia sweat shops , we can use sweat shops but were suporting how poorly they are treat, then if we dont are we takeing away job oppitunities. then they end up dieing of poor life stayle anyway. so when it comes to makeing the distion how to change theway we think of them and if we will use them as designers, i myself will have to wait tell the time comes but it is and issue that i will serious think about it.

When i am a world famous multi-billionaire fashion designer....

I dunno, i spose ideally id like to have all my stuff made by ....like sewing teachers (those sort of ppl) and there will be a factory sort of place, but it would only be 9 to 5, and the workers would get paid an avarage wage, it would be like DT, lol, and they would sew all day, with lots of breaks.
But of course id have to be a billionaire to afford that, but in the mean time, i would make the clothes myself, or hire some one better at sewing than me to do the sewing, and id only make as many as i needed, so less stress on the worker, and less finaincial loss if the garments arnt sold (like steve does)...

I don't know what i'd do to change the problems with sweat shop workers etc. Like you need to make money in the first place to be able to make decent conditions for your workers... As a designer i feel i'd either have to win the lotto or save till i was 50 just to make decent conditions for my workers. I feel i'd have to do the work myself and only have a small scale operation. but if every designer does that then what will happen to the other people who need the work? It's a vicious cycle that shouldn't have been started in the first place, and though locally we can do small things to fix this... i don't think the conditions will ever fully be satisfactory for all sweat shop work

I believe using third world labour is important as it creates opportunity for people who otherwise would have vey poor living conditions.

However the key issue as a designer is to stay in control of the working conditions and pay your workers receive. It is vital that we don't succumb to temptation in order to cut costs meanwhile sacrificing the welfare of human beings.

Don't allow people to work and live in conditions that you yourself would never work or live in.

Knowing your rights!

I have been working at the same place for 7months only to find out yesterday that the whole time I have been there I have been paid under the award wage! now I am aware can take action to get back paid.
But if I am so easilly cheated of my rightful pay what chance does a imagrant with basic or no english have? Not only cheated by their rate of pay but their living and working conditions extreamly poor. The treatment of 'outworkers' and factory workers overseas are horrific, SO what am I going to do as a designer... i guess start small, make sure i make educated choices on the way I source and produce garments. Look into organisations like Oxfam and what they are doing, that can help me become more eco and ethically friendly. other than that i dont know how to make a huge change and still make a profit.

Today we live in a money driven culture with an underlying exploitation of workers behind the scenes of a so called 'glamorous' industry. Between the fibres on the field and the clothing on the rack, someone in the process of production has been ripped off. We may have no control over the big companies exploiting on-shore and off-shore workers but as the next generation of up and coming designers we have control over our contribution to the fashion industry. Personally i have alot of respect for Collette Dinnigan and her choice to design and sell clothes that have been produced ethically which is proof that one person can have such an influence on many to raise questions about our morals. At the end of the day it comes down to each individual designer and the ethics we stand by.

What am I going to do about the exploitation of workers?

As designers we ultimately have the power to change... It is OUR industry after all... I agree with Steve that we can start small and our actions can inturn influence industry but I also think that it will take a global push for people to really become aware on a larger scale. I think that as long as money dominates and these global companies are only concerned with their bottom line then there will always be issues re exploitation of workers, sustainable fashion etc. I agree with Maya and I too feel that this industry should not ALL be about money but the reality is that it is and I think if us, as up and coming designers, are conscience and aware then we can help to make the rest of the industry, population or world aware and possibly encourage change in that way...

Just thinking...

I wonder, if the whole world was to convert back to an organic lifestyle....Would the planet be able to support us?? Or have we out-grown our planet...

jake

jake and his stupid pants should die

forcasting

if forcasting is a way of prodicting fashion were do the prodictions come from is it the kid trying to be diffrent of a group of girls diciding to all were a head scarf to show they are part of a group. really are designers copie cats?

forcasting

What does fashion say about the individual in society?
- we communicate our status, values and religious beliefs.

We dress to be excepted by society, but in doing that we try to be individuals. How do we find a balance between being individual and being excepted?
Re-occuring clothing - its a reflection of a lifestyle. Being individuals why do we want to re-live someone elses life style?

Trend and design vs. drapping and construction? whats more important?

Question to be answered: HOW DO OUR CLOTHES EFFECT OTHERS AND HOW DO OTHERS EFFECT OUR CLOTHES?

forcasting or stealing idea of the public?

if as fashion designers we are trying to sell our designs then its better to inferlised people with our designs but then is fashion taken from forcasting witch is just seeing what is already out there. if it catche on every one will start designing the same thing.
designers are one of the bigest sheeps out as soon as there is one big thing like the flano. with in weeks every store out there is trying to clame that they had the idea first.

fashion in society- can fashion change society?

After our discussion today, as per usual we are all more confused than when we first walked in the classroom.
We researched the idea of the meaning behind fashion changing society and not necessarily the piece of clothing on its own... Fashion is a representation of the story within the wearer and the meaning or sentimentality of the piece i am a stupid smelly head to that person, ie, Jane Shrimpton wore a mini skirt to Randwick races in 1965, caused an uproar and ended up symbolises the freedom and future role and social norms of the mini skirt in modern society.
Other examples of pivotal fashion pieces that have impacted on society include the t-shirt, originally popularized by icons such as marlon brando and james dean. The t-shirt was originally underwear, and again, caused outrage when it was worn as everyday clothing by the screen icons. So, in turn, these aspirational figures paved the way for the rest of society to wear the t-shirt as an acceptable form of outerwear. So is it to make a true difference in the fashion industry, a mediator, an actor? a sportstar? is needed to promote an idea and present it to society, who in turn accept it with open arms because of who has presented it to them?
Is it naive, or ignorant to only accpet fashion that is presented to us, the trend of the time? are we by doing this, conforming and contradicting our constant want to be percieved as individual and 'out there'?
So as Megan pointed out, if we seek individuality, we need to sacrifice our need to belong, and thus to belong must we sacrifice out desire to be individual???
i have no answers....

Conforming is it good or bad???

If you conform to a group for an occasion etc are you insulting it because you don't hold the beliefs which the dress code represents? is that disrespectful?
OR is it a sign of respect because you are opening your mind to what this group believes in, and not standing out and communicating your opinion.
Is the degree in which you conform important?

So confused!!!

I feel that fashion can change society... but as we brought up, society changes fashion so which comes first the egg or the chicken?!? Fashion only changes as society is ready for it... but certain aspects of fashion can change peoples views and feelings on society... dammit steve why are we going around in circles with this?!?!?!?!?!

Also with fashion, it doesn't create individuals in society... that is why it is a fashion... people can style all they want but collectively they always end up as a part of group in society cancelling out the individuality of a person in their fashion choices. Individuality is shown through personality and as much as personality can affect a persons fashion choices we're limited to whats available therefore also cancelling out the individuality within a persons clothes.

I feel so confused.... dammit!!!

Why are we constantly judging people through what they wear and who they are as a person? Is it because we are jealous and desire to look like the person in which we are judging, or is it because we think we a better and see them as inferior?

xoxo

Gossip Girl

Emo kid rant...

I no a guy, super emo kid, Who thinks he's a victim, yet, he considers being a drummer in a band "a carreer choice"! Now this makes me very angry, i think if he was truly a victim, he would be selling himself on the street trying to get enough money to keep from starrving!
I think modern day kids (not just the emos) have NO idea how good they have it. I no im not that old, and things have been worse for other generations, but i remeber when u had to hand write and rewrite and rewrite assignments with information from books and it took ages and ages to find a book with anything good in it. (ps, very weak example( but times were tough) now days u can find totally relevant and upto date info in a second using the net, and get pages and pages in hard copy in seconds with ur new laser jet printer.
Back in the day, my grandmother moved out of home (after she left school in about yr 5) at 16 to be a nanny for the ppll down the road because her parents couldnt afford to keep her in thier house and it was super exciting to get a single orange for christmas (as opposed to yet ANOHER xbox).
I dont think kids today realise how wonderful their life is....

P.S My grandma could still touch her toes from standing position at age 83...from all that potato picking experiance when she was a child. And some ppl think they have it tough...!

To conform or not to conform........

In order to move forward and beyond the idea that fashion follows, we need to become non conformist. We need to explore ways in which we can produce fashion that uses techniques and principles that haven't previously been explored. Maybe we need to turn to science in order to create materials that have properties that would not normally be associated with fashion.

Personal or public fashion

I'm confused about whether we are supposed to design for society or whether we design for ourselves... Is it an art form that has to be understood by the public or is it personal? I would like to design personal fashion but which communicates to the public clearly...

Week 4 Sand C topics

Fashion and Society,

1. What does fashion say about the society it is worn in?

2. Can fashion change society?

3. What does fashion say about the individual in a given society?


Don’t forget to give examples and look at issues e.g.: childlike models

Green Soy Beans ((and Bamboo) and Mitch Dowd)

Mitch Dowd is a designer who specilizes in underware and sleep wear. His "green range' (available from Myer) I though was made from soy bean fibre (im sure thats what it said on the label), but after i reserched it i think its made from organicly grown cotton and bamboo fibre. But anyway, i looked into soybean fibre and it sounds like really cool stuff, its comfortable, and breathable and feels like silk, holds its colour, is moisture absorbant. The only downside is it looks like the brazilians are knocking down their forests to grow the soy beans...
However, I think its very interesting and encouraging to see a range made form organic fabrics being sold in mainstream stores.

http://www.mitchdowd.com.au/green.htm
http://www.swicofil.com/soybeanproteinfiberproperties.html

every little bit adds up

Fridays lesson was a real eye opener for me. I didn't realise the fashion industry was rated so highly in terms of waste production, and I had no idea my suburb was so wasteful.

I left fridays class with inspiration to plant a veggie patch and make a conserted effort around my house to reduce my carbon footprint. It is so so easy to fall into the trap of "I am one person in a population of 22 million I am not going to make a difference" However every little bit really does make a difference, and the only way to change the future is if we act now.

We have so much power as young designers to make people aware. The best thing we can do is take a risk with our designing and create controversy about issues that have the potential to save our beautiful planet.

Fast Fashion

Clothes are a fundamental part of our lives. Trends come and go so fast the clothes we buy are considered 'fashionable' for a short amount of time. I was shocked to discover the negative impact fashion is having on the environment. But at the end of the day it comes down to each individual consumer and the choices we make that may or may not benefit the environment. Whether we buy 'fast fashion' frequently, recycle our unwanted clothes, purchase second-hand clothes, or simply send it all to landfill. We live in a disposable culture with too many options

'canberrans the most wasteful"

A report from ABC news on the 7/8/08 claims that canberrans are the most wasteful in the entire nation. Discussion turned to what we can do as individuals to reduce the impact our lifestyle choices have on the environment. Can obvious things such as growing our own personal produce (fruit and veges) make a positive change on the environment, a noticeable change?
Plastic bags are another issue contributing negatively to the environment. Is it a positive thing that at certain outlets customers are asked to pay for plastic bags or alternatively bring their own eco-bags from home to carry their puirchases. As pointed out by Megan in class, she has accumaleted numerous eco-bags which she now has no use for, so are we doubling the problem by still producing plastic bags and also introducing and trying to encourage the use of these eco bags??? do we not need to reduce the production of plastic bags and gives consumers no option so they are forced to use eco friendly bags and hence help the environment?
Jeff pointed out that such companies that produce these plastic bags will not cease production since they are making money, so doesnt it need to a unanimous decisions between these corporations to abolish plastic bags completely and only offer eco-bags to consumers, hence eliminating the plastic bag and making room for a more eco friendly society in the future?
is this even a possibility??

Environment

Ruth convinced me to start growing a vegetable garden... I like the ideas we discussed regarding communities that have systems of bartering with home grown foods and produce etc. I think this would be an interesting notion to explore on a large scale. Would it be sustainable? I don't think it would be easy to implement immediatly and a lot of time would be involved in making it an efficient way of life. The issues of money, power and greed would also be difficult to overcome. Ultimatly I belive that it's the mindset of the people that need to be changed before any real physical change can occur...

waste of canberra

in our discussion today about wastefulness we discussed how bad canberra is in its level of waste. Because we have a pretty shotty transport system people are more likely to drive rather than catch a bus to get from a to b. i know i massively contribute to this when i am spending up to $100 a week on petrol to get around. This is not just me burning money but also me adding to the deterioration of the ozone layer. ontop of this our lives are now about convenience. take away stores are popping up every where, fast fashion is mainly the only fashion we have access to in canberra. no wonder we are so wasteful... but it takes the people to break the cycle... and humans are creatures of habit. once we have decided to accept and run with the wastefulness its very difficult to break...

Slow Fashion the next trend??

Slow fashion is designed to be benifit all of those involved including the enviroment. Constructed by well paid workers and and made to be worn year after year, they are classic designs produced locally and with love :). But is this just the latest fashion craze? do designers converting to slow fashion have good intentions or is it a money maker? will big companies forfit profits to join the trend?

double dressers and more

http://sarahrabia.blogspot.com/
This is the blog of Sarah Rabia, she is the author of double dressers and is an interesting thinker

Chinese Fur farms.. inethical? may be not...

Watching a video on the Peta website showed me just how controlling the western world is when it comes to fashion. Peta is a western organisation and they seem to like to pick on organisations from all over the world over the killing of animals for their fur. Though we in the western world do take some level of offence to seeing an animal skinned half alive (chinese fur farms video clip) in china they are brought up with a whole different bunch of ethics... so who is to say what is ethical in fashion and what is not? Yes people are killing innocent animals for fashion but in china these people probably haven't recieved a proper education, most likely perceieve the skinning of a half live animal as a normal every day practice at work and don't have the same ethics as us westerners. Though i may feel it is wrong to kill a half alive animal whose to say that some of the things i perceive as normal practices may be inethical???

ideal body look

why is it porn modles larger than fashion modles are they the real ideal look as they are what is desiered or do we iderlise to look like fashion modles beacuse they are wareing cloths that we like and there for we wish to look like them?

Thinspirations

So, it seems there is a movement among people to see being ultra thin as something to aspire to.
http://blogs.healthcare.com/medusa/category/thinspiration/
http://www.freewebs.com/ana-beauty/
are examples, take a look and tell me why this is going on...

intens convos every week this class drains me.
i think i will just design for someone eles and they can deside if they wont to be ethical or not
oh and no one say any thing about my speeling

Fur in Fashion

After reading the PETA websites page on Fur in Fashion I was astonished and thought it was very wrong. However after going to a not so biased website (the British Fur Trade Website) I realised that it isn't bad IF it is done legally and ethically.

However on the PETA website I found the following quote:

"It is hard to fathom that anyone is still wearing fur. It is so plain to see that killing animals for their fur is completely barbaric. The only purpose is vanity." —Joaquin Phoenix

Is this a fair statement, when in countries such as Iceland fur is essential to survive the below zero temperatures.
Luv ME

Source: http://www.peta.org/feat-fatalfashion.asp and http://www.britishfur.co.uk/

As a designer I believe we have the ultimate power in the way we advertise and produce the clothing we design. We have the option to choose our models, ranging from size 0 to 20+. Do we choose the thin models in which make the clothing appealing? Or do we use + sized models which make the clothing more realistic? We have the option to choose where our clothes are manufactured, be it in Australia or Asian countries. Producing our clothing in Australia reduces our profit, yet the workers are treated fairly. If the clothes are produced in Asian countries, profit is increased, yet the workers are treated worse then those exisiting in Australia. Regardless, no matter what we do there will always be a level of negative/positive criticisim brought upon us by our actions. It comes down to our own ethics and morals which will determine the way in which we design and produce our clothing be it sellfish or genrous.

xoxo

Gossip girl

Child Labour

An estimated 158 million children ages 5 - 14 are exploited in child labour. These children are forced into poor working conditions. In third world countries it is common to hire children to annually labour in plantation fields, sweatshops, and domestic homes because it is financially efficient for companies. Fashion labels such as Levis, Nike and Gap have been associated with an unethical production process.

These children are forced to work between 10 - 14 hours a day and earn the minimum wage which is deducted if they don't work hard enough. They are left weak with insuffiecient food and do not recieve any form of education.

If child labour cannot be stopped then it can be imporved by increasing wages, providing better working conditions and supplying education.

- How else can fashion be produced efficiently without exploiting children?
- As consumers, would fasion that has been produced unethically make a difference to our purchasing habits?
- Are we supporting child labour if we purchase fashion that has been unethically produced?

Source: UNICEF (online) 'Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse' 2008

< http://www.unicef.org/protection/indexchildlabour.html >

Picture: < http://www.ejfoundation.org/page141.html >

Ethics

The role of the designer...

As up and coming designers what are our responsibilities? Should we be aware and address issues such as Anorexia in models, Offshore production and working conditions, Climate Change etc? Are we required to have an ethical stance? There are so many different issues to think about and to consider that at times you think what's the point? Why is it my responsobility to change these things or to make others aware? Am I responsible?

Perhaps the reality of the situation is that without change there will not be a fashion industry of which we can be apart of? Will it at some stage become obsolete and we will once again be wearing nothing as first man once did? Is this something we need to consider?

Does anyone have any answers?

Ethics and Society

I think alot of ethical issues are heavily influenced by the values and norms of the society we live in.eg, to use a sweat shop? hireing size 12 models? only realeasing limited collections to cut down on waste?

Because modern society vaules money, status and looks, I think its difficult for one individual or designer to break away.
For example, If i use size 12 models on my cat walk to represent the lifestyle im selling, i will sell less that the size 6 model designers. Although! I am being ethically sensitive, all the other designers are doing better because i am going out side what society sees as desirable, therefore presenting a weaker 'advertisment' of my label.
So unless there is a legislation that says no super thin models, ppl with weaker ethics will still have a foot up in the market unless new societal ethics are formed, unlikely...

ps im not saying being individual isnt possible, but in a compeditive, money-making, image orientated feild, its difficult to achive whilst still making money...

Models!

In terms of underage and anorexic models... I think a worldwide a set of worldwide guidelines needs to be set up about a healthy lifestyle. But how can we make changes when our society is obsessed with being skinny but not necessarily healthy.

Why do designers not wear the clothes they design??

The designer represents the label, yet there are not many that are always seen in their own designs. do they need to if they create a desirable lifstyle through their through their catwalk shows and other advertising means? Is this because designers work so hard generating ideas/ concepts and how others dress..
Is Karl Largerfled just lazy wearing practically the same style of suit everyday, or has he found a way to promote a profesional image for himself; representing a label whilst not having to worry what he will wear each day after a staying up or night working on his latest collection??
Vivienne Westwood hmmm, she does not promote a typically desirable image, or is it good representation of what her label is about, raising controversy, causing intrege?
Are designers to busy to think about what they wear or do they think too much and is it all just a marketing ploy.....

ethics

i beleive that it is wrong to use supper skinny models on the cat walk. designers should use there ability to promote "the norm style" to show awareness to people about the dangers of anorexia. fashion designers have a lot of power to change the world and its views on certian things. people need to become aware and realise that there is alot more to looking good then being skinny and designers need to get behined that too!!

p.s i cant spell :)

ethics

Ethical fashion is an up and coming issue within the industry. Do we as designers have the responsibility to make these decisions and thus influence society and consumers? Is it necessary for us to fully practice the issues we are representing? or is it acceptable to raise awareness and leave the 'changing' to society as a larger force?
An ethical issue that I was interested in is the living and working conditions of workers, those who produce our garments. Is it ethical for us, as Australian desginers to ship our designs off to developing countries for cheap labour, and in saying that, are we exploiting the workers in these factories? Or, on the otehrhand, are we helping these developing countries by providing work and job opportunites for them?
Personally, I believe the issue is driven by money, so we, whether is be knowingly or unknowingly, send off for production in foreign countries because it is cheaper and our profit margin is larger. therefore workers work longer hours for less money and we still get the same result.

What does everything else think about this issue???
leave comments guys!
not you gossip girl.. aka jakecro

Eating disorders

Eating disorders in fashion models - Do we have the power as fashion designers to change the 'ideal' body image?
The society has made the sterotypically thin image famous and popular - Can we change the way the society thinks?
Whats the normal body image?
As designers we should be promoting a healthly image. But in reality, whats healthy?....

Week 2 Ethics

Ethics

What are some of the main ethical concerns facing fashion designers today?

Is it ethical to design clothes for consumption?

Does the impact the fashion industry has on the environment alter what and how you design?

Can design change peoples minds? And the way we see waste? Cradle to cradle rather than cradle to grave

When does fashion design stop being just clothes and start becoming a communicative social tool?

Is it ethical to produce fashion overseas? Pay and conditions and credit

Is it ethical to produce fashion in unsafe working conditions in Australia? Pay and conditions

Pesticides and crops, are they harmful to people?

Animals often suffer for fashion is this ethical?

Is it ethical to portray unattainable body shapes in fashion? (Anorexia and Bulimia)

When is young too young for a model?

Do we over sexualise children in fashion? Look at tweens (9-13)

Child labour friend or foe? Small hands work fast

Is it ethical to use someone else’s intellectual property for your own profit?

Can designers use the “fair go” principles or is it not profitable?

Double dressing or twinning, do we want to dress alike as a primal need to belong? (follow on from last week)