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Michaela After 4 Months in NYC

When I was a little girl, way before I ever knew I was going to go into fashion, I saw New York City as a shiny place where dreams come true. Fast forward to my final year in high school when I was on the track to becoming a professional dancer. After touring and auditioning for several schools in the city I realized that life moves way too fast and I wasn’t ready to be here, I wasn’t ready to move so fast into an unstable career, and my body was past the point of allowing me to continue with that journey. Fast forward again 4 years into the future and I found myself back in NYC, but this time I was here to take classes and intern in fashion. This was a completely different world I found myself in than how I perceived New York City years before. This was no longer the city where you go to put on layers of stage makeup and escape from yourself. This was now a city for me where I would realize so much about the fashion industry and what I want and don’t want when I graduate. The ‘way more mature but still just as anxious Michaela’ showed up, paid some of her dues, and is more than ready to leave New York City. 

Before I go ahead and spell out all of the hard learned lessons from this short time in the city, I have to say that there really are some things that I find spectacular about it here that you can’t find anywhere else. It is AMAZING to me that no matter what time of day, or where you are in the city, you will likely be able to find any kind of food you want. This was the semester that I became addicted to ramen. Not the cheap instant kind, but fresh bowls filled with creamy miso broth and hand pulled noodles. I’m definitely going to miss having such easy access to all of that soup! Besides food, I am also going to miss the subway. When I first got here in August the subway terrified me. I would sit there trying not to touch the people next to me, jumping if I was bumped into, and constantly checking the map to make sure I didn’t miss my stop. Now when I have to go home and drive, I am going to long for the accessibility of the trains to take me up dozens of blocks in just a matter of minutes. AND, I’m not excited for my carbon footprint to skyrocket when I have to start buying gas again :(. 

Now, as for what I am excited to leave behind.... this list could go on for days but there are definitely some things that stick out the most. I am excited to have some peace and quiet again. Of course, it would be different if I lived farther up or downtown, but the convenience of living in affordable housing in Midtown was just too good to pass up, so the noise is what you get in return. I am also excited to live in a less populated area. It definitely puts you in your place as one person out of all 7+ billion of us when you’re living in a city that feels a little like a sardine can. It feel like it sounds snobby and privileged to say that I really miss my own space, but growing up in a city of 10,000 people, I am used to having a lot of space, and not a lot of noise, which is definitely something I am craving. Lastly, I am not going to miss the way I smell when I come home after a long day of running around the garment district and taking the subways. Every night when I come home my hair smells like the smoke from the food trucks, I don’t even want to know what kind of germs are on my shoes, and I have lost faith in the power of deodorant when it comes to sweating underground when you are already wearing a thick coat. To put it simply, New York is really dirty, and I’m wicked excited to be in a clean little city again.  

I’m at a time in my life where I feel like I am constantly changing. When that phase was mixed with a huge change in setting, it sparked a lot of valuable changes within myself that have helped me to realize things about myself that I wouldn’t have without this experience. From a professional standpoint, I have learned so much about the loops of the fashion industry and what I see as right and wrong. I am interning with a company that focuses on vegan outerwear, while using mostly sustainable and recycled materials. I came into my internship with the thirst to learn and help out with their entire process, but what they said I would be doing on paper isn’t exactly what I have done there because of just how unorganized there are. I feel like the most valuable thing I have taken from them is exactly how not to run a business, and exactly how I do not want to be treated once I find a real job in this industry. I have seen how many different factors go into running a small business with local production and sustainable materials, and from witnessing their struggles I have seen so many ways in which they could have made things go more smoothly. On a personal level, I feel like I have grown to understand the type of life I want to live once I graduate. Being in New York City away from my family, my friends, and my partner, I have come to realize that although I shouldn’t let people get in the way of my career, I value family and a balanced life over monetary success or status. I would much rather work for a small business closer to my family and make a humble wage, than to work around the clock here and make a lot of money, but be away from the people I love. The people in my life are who I consider to be my home, and when I am away from them for a long time I get more anxious and just long to be back with them. I have realized that although I love fashion and I am probably addicted to working, working isn’t everything and there are so many more important things in life than fashion, and I want to spend my life in a balance of these two things. 

In two weeks, I am not going to cry as I leave New York City. It has been a fun time getting to experience life here, and live within this culture on this crazy little island. I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned here and for how much I have grown, and I am going to remember those things forever. And if I ever do come back, then I will wish future Michaela good luck, she’s gonna kill it!

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Something Up-lifting...

One of the most inspirational people in my life is my older sister Alie. She is 23 years old, a recent graduate from the University of Maine with a degree in Nutrition, and she has set out on an amazing journey that I find so inspiring. 

In September Alie moved to Benin as part of the Peace Corps. In the months leading up to this she had to learn French fluently, and also learn basic general healthcare treatment, as that is what she is volunteering to do there. When she first got there for her two month training period, she was assigned to a family, with 6 younger siblings, and a momma and poppa. She was in the capital city, Porto-Novo, and during her training she was working in a school teaching children about nutrition, basic health, and HIV prevention. In the capital city she was pretty intimidated because there is a lot of racism against Americans there and also a lot of disrespect towards women in general. After her training she was given her two year assignment and was moved to a small village 10 hours north of the capital.

When she got there the culture shock kicked in. The village she lives in now doesn’t speak any French, so she has to learn their tribal language, which I think is really cool, but she is overwhelmed because it’s not a written language so she has to learn it all verbally. She now lives with a family that has 20 children so there are a lot of little ones running around, which I’m sure she loves because we come from a big family, although no where near that big! The job she is doing there is working in the hospital with mothers, teaching them about pre-natal, and newborn care and nutrition. She told me that the first thing that happened to her when she arrived was that she was handed a baby who was born only hours before. 

I can tell she misses home a lot, and she is realizing her privilege more than anything right now. All the children there are malnourished, and she has to sanitize her water before she drinks it, so sometimes at night if she runs out of cleaner, she has to wait until the morning to drink even if she is thirsty right then. She also has to eat whatever is placed in front of her because there is not a lot of food, and from growing up eating no meat besides chicken and fish, she has been faced with having to eat whatever meat is served, because if she doesn’t she won’t be eating.

Everyday I am just so proud of Alie. I think that what she is doing is great not only for her, but for everyone else involved. It’s small steps like these that are going to build our world community stronger, and I think that the more we are exposed to, the more understanding and wise we become. I know that she is going to come back such a changed person, and her world view is going to be so much wider than it was before. She won’t be coming back to the United States until 2020, but she is allowed to have visitors, and I am definitely considering going because I would love to see where she lives. Everything she describes with the nature and wildlife there seems so beautiful! 

There is a lot of bad in the world, but there is more good when you look for it, and the positive light is always going to outshine the bad. The world needs more Alies in it, especially now! Alie is documenting her journey on Instagram, with the handle @alie.in.benin, the Peace Corps just started giving everyone phones so she is able to access the internet, and with no access to electricity, she has a portable solar panel to charge her device! 

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Picture Me

Picture Me was an eye opening documentary about the lives of high fashion models and the gritty, not so perfect stuff that goes on behind the scenes. Sara Ziff created the documentary with her partner, Ole Schell, by simply filming he life, and interviewing the other women she works with. Through this documentary they accidentally brought to light all of the issues surrounding the way models are treated in the industry, and the often times harsh conditions they are put through by both themselves, their agents, photographers, and directors. For me, this documentary really changed the way I view this part of the industry. I feel like being in fashion gives us a lot of responsibility with making sure people are being treated humanely, from garment workers, all the way to models. It has definitely been a recurring theme in this industry that money and fame is held above well-being, and that people have the mindset that fashion comes before anything else. This needs to stop. How can we sleep at night, proud of the work we do, if 14-year-old girls are being sexualized and harassed, starving themselves, and worked to the point of exhaustion? It made me realize, that as fashion insiders it is time for us to stop saying, “well that’s just the way things are,” and start standing up for people who don’t have as strong a voice as we do. 

After creating this film, Sara founded The Model Alliance, an organization whose mission is to create a more fair work environment for models by making their voices heard and giving them the rights they deserve. This isn’t just a group of ex-models who are fighting back. This is a group of models, educators, designers, and lawyers, just to name a few, who are seeking goodness over fame, and are fighting for a nicer industry. 

The other day I was having a conversation with my mom about fashion. I was telling her how tired i was because of how much design homework I had, and how I was staying up well into the night and waking up early, even on the weekends. I said this phrase that I think can apply here too; “Your generation is moving at a sprint pace, and my generation wants to move at a marathon pace.” I think that when money gets to a person’s head, they can become so obsessed with that image that the human side of them starts to fall apart. Because of this, a lot of people think it’s okay to treat people below them in a way that isn’t human. This is where sexual assault, overworking, not fulfilling contracted promises, and other unjust things come into play. This is where we need organizations, consumers, and insiders to stand up and say that’s not okay, before things get to out of hand.

Unfortunately just last week, we saw a situation like this get pushed too far. 14-year-old Russian model, Vlada Dzyuba collapsed backstage at a show during Shanghai fashion week, and died shortly after at a hospital. Her official cause of death was deemed “multiple organ failure” but now authorities are investigating her death as being caused by overwork. The first thing that came to light with this case was that Vlada had refused to go to the hospital earlier in the week when she first became ill because she didn’t have insurance, which was required in her contract. Her death was unnecessary, but sometimes people need a tragic event to happen so they can wake up and see the reality of how bad things might be. 

The discrimination and unfair treatment of models is not just particular to the modeling industry. The sexual harassment and unfair treatment in the workplace that is imposed upon them can also be tied to many other industries. Just recently all of the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein that came to light opened the entertainment world’s eyes to what might be happening behind closed curtains. The reason this was allowed to continue for so long was because no one spoke up because they were told, “that’s just the way it is.” If people would just lose this stigma and speak up for themselves, and others would speak up for others, these kinds of things would be stopped sooner. Also this week we got news of Zara garment workers sewing labels with pleas of help into garments. This uncovered that these workers were not being paid, and added to the long list of bad press Zara has gotten for how their garment workers are treated. As a woman in the arts, all of this news saddens me because it is our responsibility to look out for our sisters. We cannot continue to let sexual harassment and workplace mistreatment go on when we know it is happening. I think that with the new generation of fashion insiders coming onto the scene, we have to rewrite a lot of rules. This isn’t going to be an easy battle to fix, but it is a big one that needs our attention right now. 

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/style/teenage-model-death-vlada-dzyuba-china.html

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Texture Review and Favorite Fashion Apps

In today’s digital world, media companies have to stay on their toes every second so that they stay up-to-date with what’s trending, and how to best reach their readers, against the current of instant digital media. If you’re like me, you hate the news, and prefer to read independent magazines that have a very specific focus. I really enjoy going to the book store and filing through the magazines, artfully choosing which one to bring home. This ritual of slowly picking out my magazines is so that I am able to have a collection of magazines I will read again and again, and those which will stay relevant even when the trends have changed and new stars have replaced the old ones. The way in which I use the media, especially print and fashion journalism, isn’t incredibly applicable to an app. Although, while trying out the new app Texture, which allows users to access dozens of magazines for one small subscription, I found some things I did like about accessing media in that style. 

My hands-down favorite thing about Texture is that you can select your favorite magazines, so that they are readily available for you, saving you time. From here, you are able to download entire magazines, or just specific articles so you can read on the go. I imagine this must come in handy for New Yorkers, as we have probably all experienced long delays in the tunnels where there is either no, or very little service. Something that I thought was useful was that there was also a page where you were able to see the latest news stories, and choose which sources you see them from. It also will give you an estimate about how long it takes to read each article, which is handy again, especially during commutes, or if you choose to read them during your free moments throughout the day. My least favorite part about the app was that they only had very mainstream magazines. I prefer indie magazines so not much of the content was intriguing to me, nor was it what I would reach for if I were in a store. Also, the app was very slow, which I don’t think was just my connection, but because it has so much content on it, it just creates a slower system, which seems counter-active to what the purpose of the app is, to get media to viewers as fast as possible. 

Fashion is always current, which means the media in which it is represented needs to be current as well. Since everyone is glued to their phones these days, it makes sense that so much of the fashion we see it through different apps. For me, I prefer to use apps as a resource for my designs and fashion inspiration, rather than just trying to find things to buy. The top three fashion apps that I use the most are Vogue Runway, Making, and Polyvore. Vogue Runway is my top fashion resource. It is a free app that is updated every time a new show is released, so daily, and even hourly. Basically, you are able to check out the latest looks in real time. It is also a massive collection of many collections, all organized by designer and season, so it is easy to navigate and the photos are high-resolution runway images. Making is an app by Nike that allows users to compare different fibers on a basis of sustainability. It takes a little while to get used to the set up, but once the user is comfortable, they are able to select a fiber, and compare it to others following different criteria such as water usage, chemicals, or amount of energy used to produce it. This is helpful in giving designers an insight on their impacts, so they can make the most sustainable decisions for their products. Polyvore is a shopping app that allows you to mix and match different outfits to create your new look. This company has been around for a while, and I remember using it before it was even an app. 

I am currently interning with a small outerwear company whose mission is to be 100% vegan and sustainable. We try our best to source recycled materials, which are of course, also vegan. The most useful app for them out of the three I enjoy the most would definitely be Making. I have been able to do some fabric sourcing with them this semester, and from working in a company that is mindful of where their fabric comes from, I can see how hard it can be to choose one fiber over another. This app would definitely be useful in helping them to organize their sourcing, while also making sure they stay true to their values. 

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Dear.....

Dear Alex Hunting,

My name is Michaela. I am a fourth year Fashion Design student at Kent State University. Recently, I have become aware of another area within the creative field that has sparked my interest; editorial design. 

This came about during a group project for a class about fashion media. For this project we were each assigned a different editorial role within a magazine, and tasked with completing a media kit for the magazine. Me, being as creatively wired as I am, chose the role of “production manager/designer.” I went into the project not expecting to gain much personally from it. That is how it started, but later on my attitude completely took a turn for the better, and I became so inspired by the role I had taken on. As the production manager/designer, I set out to create the artistic layout for the magazine. In doing this I realized two things. 1: This takes a very VERY long time and copious amounts of creative energy. And 2: This role is vital to the survival of the magazine. 

Visuals run the world. You don’t really notice this until you start looking around at how visual our world is. Remember the saying, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover?” A really bad author with really boring covers must have said that because it seems like the biggest reason people choose one thing over another, especially in this fast paced digital world, is because of the visuals. So yes, when I am at the newsstand and I am picking a magazine to read on the train, I am 100% going to judge it based on it’s cover. So who is in charge of this creative force that quietly drives consumers? It is you, and for a brief moment it was me too. 

Before this project, I had minimal experience with creating graphics for editorial layouts. I currently work as an illustrator for a student run newspaper, which does include some graphic work, but these are features. Designing for a magazine is a whole different gig, with the confines of keeping the theme consistent throughout everything, but also keeping the visuals exciting from one page to the next. I have to say, now that I have dipped my toes into this world, I applaud you for your sophistication and energy in design. As the editorial designer for one of my favorite magazines, Kinfolk, I look up to your abilities at keeping the theme and style of Kinfolk consistent throughout your work while keeping the graphics fresh and fun the look at. The work you do is inspiring to me on levels I am only just beginning to understand. Before this project, I never thought I would consider this as a career option, but designing the media kit for Vignette Magazine has given me a taste of something, and now I want a big bite. Being a production manager/designer allows you to explore your creativity and create art, while making practical decisions to get inside readers’ heads, creating intrigue. I have inserted an example from the media kit I helped to create, which I hope you see as a work in progress with potential. Who knows, maybe one day we will be collaborating. Until then, thank you for your beautiful contributions to this world.

Admirably,

Michaela Courtney

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Global Trends: the do’s and dont’s//Ashish Spring 2018

We are in the midst of fashion weeks all across the globe which means it’s time to see the trends the mass markets will be selling in Spring 2018. This also means that it’s time for us to pick our favorite and least favorite trends, so we know what we will be totally wearing or wishing never would have happened for next season. London fashion week for Spring 2018 was a lot more innovative and creative to me and NYFW this year. Not meaning this as a slam to New York, but I feel it is 100% relatable to our current political situation in America and the national dread and depression that everyone is feeling in reaction. London on the other hand was booming! My favorite trend this season was silver metallic! What could be a more exciting way to liven up everyone’s wardrobe and life?! This trend came in many forms such as gowns (Ashish), leather jackets (Versace), and shoes galore (who didn’t do them?). I don’t know if I will buy into this trend for next season, as I am usually very bland in my wardrobe and have a huge fear of anything that will draw attention to me i. e. color and shine, but I am in full support of anyone else who does want to sport it!

The trend that I am so not on board with is the infamous drawstring. Just a week before in New York it seemed like every collection was just one huge drawstring trying to suffocate America, (or maybe to tighten our hoods over our faces so we don’t have to watch this country burn anymore?). This trend resurfaced again in London and it wasn’t handled any better. I believe that there is a time an a place for drawstrings, and I do not believe that any form of non-functional, diagonal, coming out of the side drawstring is a good idea. I will not be participating in this trend in the Spring, and I hope that fast fashion brands do not take a big liking to it either... seems like a waste of material to me. 

Clearly I am a cynic about drawstrings, but totally IN LOVE with metallic silver. Ashish is an Indian/British designer who handled the use of metallic silver in the most beautiful and inspiring way I could imagine. I was first drawn to Ashish last fashion week when his Fall 2017 collection was completely sequined with power phrases such as “Pussys Grab Back” and “as often as possible be gentle and kind.” It was clear that Ashish understood the current political situation and pain that the world was facing during this tough season, and stuck his middle finger high into the air towards the administration. I love fashion as a means of protest!!!! This season though, it was clear that the designers emotions were taking a different turn. The mostly black and white collection, with red accents, was made up of relaxed silhouettes, and celestial embellishments. This collection was definitely less “loud and proud” as the last one, but was certainly just as dreamy to look at and did not lack the signs of resistance. The first look on the runway was a sweatshirt embellished with the phrase “good mourning.” Words later returned as a graphic with a top that said, “a heart is a heavy burden.” This collection seems a lot more personal to the designer than the statements made in his last collection. The lack of color definitely alludes to a change in attitude for the designer that can be related to the mourning happening across our attitudes towards politics, but could also just be a singular issue. Regardless of this, the elegant silhouettes and enchanting embellishments definitely made this show stand out among a sea of drawstrings. 

Sources: 

vogue.com

https://fashionista.com/2017/09/london-fashion-week-spring-2018-trends

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Nylon vs. Achtung Mode

I believe that traveling is one of the best ways to open your mind about fashion. When you grow up in one city, you are always going to be surrounded by the trends that are influenced specifically by the lifestyle of that city. The style you will see walking down the street in New York City is completely different from what you will see in any other major city like London, Milan, Paris, etc. It only makes sense that the same will go for the way fashion media is presented to us. 

When comparing fashion media from different countries there are several areas where the differences may be quite distinct. Of these include the cover, advertising, content, and imagery. Take, for example, the differences between Nylon Magazine (USA), and Achtung Mode (Germany). In American culture, I feel that the easiest way to sell a magazine is by who is on the cover. Musician, St. Vincent, graces the October 2017 edition of Nylong Mag, a recognizable name for many millennials, the main audience of this magazine. On Auchtung, there is an action shot of a man in sportswear, but it is unclear to the viewer if this man is famous, a model, or a normal person who lucked out for their 15 minutes of fame. It would definitely be surprising to have an unrecognizable figure on the front of a fashion magazine in America, since our culture is so obsessed with celebrities and magazines use this to their advantage. 

Advertising is a major way that magazines make money, so it is important for both the magazine and the company being advertised that this is done in an affective way to increase consumerism. Nylon is a very small independent magazine, likely with a lot less funds than larger America fashion publications. I see this as an advantage for them because they have a lot more content than ads, since I believe their focus isn’t on making as much revenue as possible, but to actually put out their message and create art. This being said, this magazine is not stuffed full of ads. Out of the ads, they are mostly geared towards women, advertising makeup, feminine products, or perfumes. There are also the classic fashion ads with an artful shot, and then just the name  of the designer brand. This form of advertisement is clearly universal as the same type is featured in Achtung. The main difference is that in Achtung, there brands are all very high end fashion brands, while Nylon focuses most of its advertising content on more mass market items like makeup and food brands. 

As with most fashion magazines, the content stories in both Nylon and Achtung focus on things such as product reviews, interviews with artists and designers, and beauty and health. Again, I feel as though Achtung is directed towards a wealthier market than Nylon, as it’s interviews are with emerging high end, German designers, while Nylon focuses on independent tattoo artists, writers, and other artists whose art is easily accessible via social media. Another stark difference between the two goes to show America’s materialism. Nylon focuses on makeup trends, while Achtung has an entire article and fashion spread about not wearing any makeup, and in some cases there is nudity. I notice this difference a lot in the imagery between the two magazines. Nylon showcases beautiful women, but they are all very done up, and it is clear that a lot of the time and money during production went into making the women look a certain way. As with Achtung, the women featured are hardly women, but portrayed more as younger girls, and they are not wearing any makeup and have natural hair styles. This photography style is a bold step towards an aesthetic that the magazine sticks with throughout the entire issue. It is definitely refreshing to see such natural beauties with no focus on what type of makeup they are wearing. Another big difference between the imagery in the magazines are the colors used in the spreads. Nylon uses a lot of color, and is not afraid to turn that saturation up to showcase the artificial content of the images. Achtung, on the other hand, has several beautiful spreads, shot either in black or white, at night time, or in very natural settings created a muted color palette. I see this as just another attempt to market towards a specific audience, which is done successfully for both magazines. 

Overall, if there were no words in the two magazines at all, it would be very clear that they were from different countries. The cultural differences in media from country to country are so obvious that it feels really exciting to know that the entire world isn’t thinking the exact same way. The world is so colorful, and fashion is so supportive of this! 

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This Week in NYC

It was such a busy week in the city! From running around between uptown and downtown for my internship, to making it to all my classes on time, visiting with family, and still finding time for enough homework. Even with the weeks being so busy I try to fit in things for myself every week. Whether this be going to cozy coffee shops, new stores, or checking out one of the many art museums. I’m trying to take full advantage of having all of New York City at my fingertips!

This week I was able to find a collection of lifestyle and fashion trends that I think are really happening right now. Staying up-to-date on everything trendy is what so many New Yorkers try to achieve, and what I found this week was certainly in that category.

Embroidered Denim

It seems like everyone I know is buying old jeans from thrift stores and DIY embroidering them. This is such a huge trend right now, especially on denim, and many people have figured out how to do it at home, which certainly saves money, but also makes your style unique. I have even bought a pair of jeans and some thread that I just haven’t gotten around to tackling yet. I see this trend fading out by next season, but it is really fun now that it is here. It seems like the go-to embellishment has been flowers, but some people are getting really creative and adding cute feminist slogans like, “girls bite back,” or “GRL PWR.” This could certainly have started as an allusion to the traditions of women completing the embroidery work, and how such an activity has almost become a symbol of feminism. However it started, it has certainly stuck and can be seen all over the streets. Now every millennial who wishes they remembered the 90′s can live out that dream with their embroidered, high waisted distressed denim.  

Uniqlo Fridays at the MOMA

From now until the end of 2017 the MOMA is free on Friday evenings because of sponsoring from Uniqlo. This makes my poor little student heart sing! I went later in the evening so the lines wouldn’t be as long and there would be more room to wander around the exhibits. This was my first time at the MOMA and I was very impressed. There was a huge exhibit all about architect, Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. It gave me an eye opening experience about the process of architecture from concept to execution. The permanent exhibits were so lovely! I have always been very drawn to impressionism and I gasped out loud when I walked into the room containing one of Monet’s water lily panels. This museum is definitely going to be worth several visits since the few hours I had in one evening was not enough time to enjoy everything fully. 

Purl Soho

Purl Soho is a knitting and craft boutique in Soho. I have been following their blog, The Purl Bee, since high school when I started to become serious about knitting. Their focus on craft made, handspun yarns in interesting fibers and delicious colors really drew me to their work. They also have a collection of patterns and kits to help beginners get started on knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, and sewing projects. I could get lost in this store! There are so many colors and the yarn is so inviting that you just want to touch everything. My favorite thing about this store is that there is a display table with swatches of all of their yarns knit up in exactly 1 skein. This is so helpful because sometimes it’s hard to visualize how far 1 skein is going to get you, and it’s important to know your yardage when you are knitting garments so you make sure you buy enough of what you need. On top of this, when you purchase yarn they offer to wind it into a ball for you, which is so nice! Personally I find this part therapeutic to do on my own, but it is definitely a plus that I might take advantage of in the future. I have been to several yarn shops in New York City and this one is hands down my favorite. Although a bit pricey, their selection is just so good that I always just plug my ears and look the other way when handing over my credit card.  

Nike’s New Recycled Leather Shoe

Last week was New York Climate Week and Nike, a leader in sustainable innovation, has broken the mold one more time. Last week they released a brand new shoe made with a recycled, manufactured leather textile made from the scraps of traditional full-grain leather. Leather is famously bad for the environment and very wasteful since it creates a massive carbon footprint with the care of the animals, has ethical issues, and creates a lot of the waste as many times the animal hides are uneven and unusable for products that need a uniform production quality. Nike developed this textile they are calling FlyLeather to solve some of the issues around sustainability, while still giving consumers the leather look and feel they want. To produce the FlyLeather they grind up scraps of leather from previous production, then they bind that with high pressure water to a polyester screen. They also add some other materials for performance and treat the textile to make it more durable. The result is a leather look-alike that uses 90% less water to produce and is 5 times more durable. I see this as a great innovation to create better textiles, while not taking anything away from the consumers. Also I think that millennial audiences will be more inclined to buy this since they know it has a smaller carbon footprint than other leather shoes. Way to go Nike!

McNally Jackson Books

This week I was in need to a visit to a cozy bookstore where I could let my mind wander. Life has been pretty stressful lately and sometimes you just need to escape into a book utopia for an hour or so before getting back to the real world again. I stumbled upon McNally Jackson Books in Soho and am definitely going to be a regular to this place. They have everything you could imagine a Soho bookstore to have. The books are all divided by section. On the ground floor they have an extensive collection of cookbooks, art, design, photography, travel, fashion, and poetry books. They also have a few racks of fancier magazines that are beautiful to look at but cost around $20-$40 so are best to keep on the shelf instead of taking them home. Downstairs they have a huge children’s section complete with fun wall hangings and colorful displays. Their fiction section does not disappoint and they are sure to display the most popular books in the front. They also had a fiction section that was written in different languages. I feel like as Americans we often don’t think about this since many of us only know English, but New York has so many immigrants and tourists that it is definitely a great need here to offer books in many different languages. Besides all the books, they also have a coffee shop in store where you can grab your much needed caffeine before you browse. Another cool part is that they have a book press where you can publish your own small run or personal books. I didn’t look much into this since I had no need, but it would definitely be helpful to any artists or writers in the city who need to present their work professionally. This is marking top of my list for bookstores I have every been to!

Sources:

http://streetstyleplatform.us/post/158136000920/denim-jeans-with-details (denim photo)

http://www.asos.com/only/only-embroidered-denim-jacket/prd/7448096?iid=7448096 (denim photo)

https://qz.com/1080357/nikes-flyleather-tennis-classic-feels-like-premium-leather/ (Nike photo and story)

[michaelafashionmediablog-blog]

I’m ready for the 90′s to die

I was born in 1997, meaning that my time in the 90′s was short and I don’t remember any of it... and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m not bitter about the trends of the 90′s, I love denim, stripes are always fun, and the baggy silhouettes allude to androgyny which is totally up my alley. I definitely appreciate the dramatic risks taken with fashion in the 90′s, but I feel like current fashion trends have been stuck in this decade for toooooo long. This dream of the 90′s was the loudest thing that the Fall 17 NYFW had going for it. Think denim, khaki, baggy pants, plaid suits, and primary colored stripes everywhere.

My expectations were high for this fashion week because I was expecting a lot of brands to follow in the footsteps of some of the most politically active brands from last season that used the runway as their platform to take a stand against the current administration and offer a welcoming space for people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and religions. I was disappointed to find less of this activism this time around, and I wish that more brands had taken the opportunity. Now is a time more than ever that we should be using our art to stand up for the truth, and not taking advantage of that seems to be a loss.

Out of the shows, two stood out to me the most as exploring exciting new concepts in design, but also adding psychological elements that made the collections personal, and more than just a collection of clothes on a runway. Public School will always get a round of applause from me. Last season their fierce models stomped the runway as if they owned the world, clad in red “Make America New York” hats and sweatshirts with the bold statement, “We Need Leaders.” This season, the brand did not step down from their active role in the fight against hate. They also did not step down from the current efforts to bring back the 90′s. Baggy, loose silhouettes graced more models than not in this collection, and the looks that were more fitted, gave a reference to the beginning of athleisure in the 90′s, before the term was created. One of the most obvious looks was the denim shirt and pant set which was half bleached and hung loosely off the models shoulders to reveal a shirt that looked like a plastic bag. This plastic bag is a symbol of hispanic immigration, coming from the bags given out at NYC bodegas. A symbol of the welcoming nature that America always has, and always will have, as well as a figurative middle finger to the Trump administration for dismantling the DACA program. This also relates perfectly to the 90′s, since Mexican immigration increased rapidly in the USA during the 90′s, following an economic crisis. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mexican_Americans) 

Rag & Bone also stood out to me for the conceptual integrity of the collection. This season the streetwear brand was focusing on creating a collection of wardrobe staples, instead of ephemeral trends just to create a show for. To exhibit these pieces, they opted out of a show, but rather hosted a party/photoshoot, inviting their guests to model the collection in that setting rather than more formally. The photos from this perfectly capture the spirit of the brand and collection. Plaid, camouflage, and denim are the biggest ways that this collection translates the 90′s int more current styles. Some dated silhouettes compliment these factors; high waistlines, off the shoulder, and slouchy jumpsuits are the standout 90′s “cool kid” pieces of the season. This exploration in creating more classic pieces, but adding the fresh perspective seen from history may have something to do with the recent split of the designers at Rag & Bone. Since now all of the pressure is set on Marcus Wainwright to turn out these collections, he is slowing down and breathing in new air to the brand. That was very much the spirit of the 90′s as well with the colorful fashion, influx in urban culture, and overall joy of the decade. This spirit of wrapping up loose ends while exploring new beginnings can definitely be seen throughout this collection with the fun details and bold colors. With these two brands in particular creating a refined direction for both their brands, and where the fashion industry is moving, I am interest to see what the upcoming fashion weeks bring us!

Images: Vogue.com

[michaelafashionmediablog-blog]

A SALUTE TO SEPTEMBER!

I have always enjoyed flipping through and cherishing the September issues. I have a collection of September Vogues stacked away in my childhood bedroom, cut up for collages, some so worn you could barely call them a magazine anymore. For everyone in the fashion industry; from the top editors and designers, to consumers and even little girls who do not yet know their futures in fashion, the September issues are just as nostalgic and delicious as the universal icons who grace the covers. The September Issue (2009) was an eye-opening film inside the blood, sweat, and tears that bring the September issues to the fame status they hold. As a designer, I don’t often think about everything that goes into bringing this art into print. The attention to detail in every shot, placement, and order of appearance is evaluated and pondered as close to perfection as possible. The job of the editors that create the September issues, and every other issue, is more demanding and important than ever. With digital media being the main form of advertising, and every consumer having an infinite collection of content at their fingertips at all times, keeping the print industry alive is a daunting task. It is a task of creating a time capsule of images and art that perfectly define the age, while reaching out to consumers of all ages. With this task at hand, my favorite September issue of 2017 is Vogue’s 125th anniversary edition featuring America’s sweetheart, Jennifer Lawrence. For this landmark edition, 4 covers were created featuring the internationally renowned icon. It is important nowadays for magazines to offer content that is going to appeal to a wide audience. Every teen today has a smartphone and access to endless digital media, so placing a star such as Lawrence on the cover is going to grab in younger consumers. Lawrence’s recent fame in The Hunger Games series, as well as other notable films make her a versatile and timeless candidate to represent not just Vogue, but American consumerism as a whole for the 125th anniversary. I think this cover is successful because not only is it a visually pleasing and captivating portrait, but it also alludes to current social conflicts in America’s political climate. Lawrence is timelessly styled in a long, flowy dress with natural makeup and a windswept up-do. In the background of the image is the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of American freedom and the immigrants that built this country. With all of the political drama that is happening with the current state of the Trump administration, using fashion and art as a form of protest is going to appeal to a wide audience and stand out as an iconic piece of symbolism. The one aspect of this cover that could be controversial is the fact that it is symbolically protesting an issue that is specific to minorities, but Lawrence is a white, American born actress. As discussed in a Women’s Wear Daily article about the September issues, the consensus about this topic was that, “Only two of the covers feature people of color. Still. In 2017. I think media is forgetting that there’s a really diverse audience out there. I think it’s a problem in media, and we need to come together as an industry to be more thoughtful about it.” It seems that this is an issue that is starting to be tapped into in the print publication industry, but could still use some tweaking as these political situations develop. Source: Bloomgarden-Smoke, Kara. “September Issues: Experts Call Out the Winners and Losers.”WWD, 16 Aug. 2017, wwd.com/business-news/media/september-issues-experts-call-out-the-winners-and-losers-10961918/.