#buy promotional apparel

[fusionandfashion]

Fusion of Fashion and Function: Waterproof Ladies Eclipse Jacket

Get ready to accentuate your style with Abit of You. Check out our selection of the most professional and high-quality uniforms designed to meet all your needs. From stylish jackets to comfortable hoodies and fleeces, we've got all your active and work-wear needs. Whether you're in hospitality, healthcare, or any other industry, our stylish polo shirts, tank tops, and t-shirts are sure to impress.

[homestuck-archive]

HOMESTUCK: BEYOND CANON 6/12 NEWS POST

Hi, James here. Happy American Karkat day. European Karkat day, of course, being on the 6th of December. That’s how birthdays work. Don’t look it up.

Some of you may have noticed I am going to be on a stream with a “Virtual Tuber.” Depending on when exactly this goes up, that might actually be going on right now. If you are coming from over there it is very likely you are just now learning we are still doing Homestuck in 2024. Welcome back. You missed a lot but don’t look any of that up either.

What news for the birthday boy? As you may have seen across various platforms we’re partnering with Makeship, and launched a petition for a Highly Marketable Karkat Vantas Plush! The way this works is, they gauge interest by seeing if we can get 200 people to pledge they’ll buy it before the company commits to producing anything. Their business model allows them to do this at no up-front cost to us which is good because it takes a lot of money to manufacture and ship things. Once we reach our initial goal they then move forward with production and do design revisions, prototyping, etc. They send us a little sample and once we’re all approved and on the same page they do a limited pre-order run. For the first 399 pre-orders we get a 10 percent revenue share, which then changes to 30 percent once it hits 400. You might be thinking “Hey man, that's not very much!” and you’d be right, but they cover all manufacturing and fulfillment and shipping costs. And I don’t own a warehouse. So. This is fine with me.

I did promise to try and be more transparent with what's going on behind the scenes, even when it is boring. The thought process here is that, while less lucrative overall than producing and shipping ourselves this will allow us to try out more merch options. We’ve designed some apparel, and are working out something with Andrew and the usual merch guys. This might take a while, I am still new to this. That Vinyl is still on the back burner as we wait for a few holdouts that sort of make or break things. (There are people who are notoriously hard to get in contact with, so it is taking a while and I overestimated my ability to get this done in a timely manner while in poor health. That's on me.)

The whole idea here is to get you guys some cool stuff, and to pay my team more. Right now the Patreon is doing alright, and we’re trying out some new exclusives over there. Music previews, merch previews, and things like that for paying members. Nothing required to enjoy the comic, and things people will all see eventually. Since I’m trying to pay my team as fairly as possible I split everything we make evenly. Right now, for each team member it comes out to a few hundred bucks each per month which is pretty nice for getting to work on Homestuck, but isn’t exactly a liveable wage. And you see how much work they put into it. I want to give them the world, short of that at the very least a fair wage for all the work they do. Also I don’t know if you’ve noticed but a sandwich costs $19 now for some reason. That in mind if you are a company or private individual and want to pay me to promote your product let's talk. We can work something out. I will put it in Homestuck. I will make Rose Lalonde say she loves the bold refreshing taste of Diet Mtn Dew G’raha Tia Blast. I am not joking. This is my solemn vow. Maybe it's time to bring back the “Your Fantroll Gets Put In Homestuck” deal.

Anyway, two updates this month. I Like this schedule, so it looks like we’ll be keeping it up for the near future.

So to Summarize the key points so there’s no room for confusion:

Karkat Plush Makeship petition (the pre-pre-order, even) is now live

Trying out this style of limited run merch to see what's possible

Apparel incoming, not sure when

Still trying to work out details with musicians, sorry.

Fun new Pateron exclusives, including music and merch previews. Maybe more?

Open to more collabs

Sticking to shorter, more frequent updates for now.

Ok, thanks everyone have a good one.

[handmadehazefromtheheart]

I've been promoting my trans pride apparel, but there are still lots of other items for sale at MASSIVE discounts for my inventory-dump transition sale!

For example, this tiny little fella:

Please buy and/or boost! It's very important to me that I get this out there!

[mariacallous]

Earlier this month I complimented a friend on her new Bottega Jodie bag. She had recently got a promotion at work, and is now a senior manager at a respectable record label earning six figures. The bag was a celebratory gift, she told me, only it wasn’t Bottega—it was a dupe.

As someone who has a closet full of designer labels—and who could certainly afford to buy the real thing—her admission surprised me. My face must have given that away. “It’s real Italian leather,” she quickly followed up, “and their website says they manufacture in the same factories as some luxury brands. You couldn’t tell the difference, so why would I spend thousands more for basically the same thing?”

It’s a question many have been asking since dupe culture went supernova over the last few years. A shorthand for duplicate, dupes are cheaper alternatives that are basically the same as the real thing. Think of it as a cousin to counterfeit culture, but instead of being a cheap knock-off that infringes on a brand’s trademark, they’re uncannily similar imitations—promising the same qualities of the product at a fraction of the cost.

It’s not just my friend who loves them either. Roughly one-third of all US adults have intentionally bought a dupe, according to Morning Consult, with that figure rising to almost half for Gen Z shoppers and 44% for millennials. In the UK, research by Mintel shows 47% of consumers are now open to buying luxury lookalikes in 2024, compared to just 12% in 2016.

“The shame of buying these things has gone,” says Alice Sherwood, author of Authenticity: Reclaiming Reality in a Counterfeit Culture. “Luxury prices have skyrocketed while the trend cycle has rapidly accelerated. People no longer want to spend upwards of £4000 on the latest ‘It’ bag that might be out of vogue within a year.”

Add their proliferation on social media into that mix, and the dupe culture has been normalised in ways that “knock-offs” from Canal Street never were, she says.

Just one scroll on TikTok would affirm this. At the time of writing over 260,000 posts have been made under the #dupes hashtag, with the majority featuring creators sharing their best dupe finds across fashion, beauty, lifestyle and homeware. Most of the time they’re from fast fashion retailers like Shein, Amazon and Temu, but more recently, a new crop of companies have been dominating dupe culture by offering quite a different proposition.

Low-Price Luxury

Take my friend’s new favourite brand, Quince. According to their website their mission is “to create products of equal or greater quality than the leading luxury brands at a much lower price”. To do so they’ve sourced factories used by “well-known luxury brands” to manufacture their goods, but by cutting out the middlemen and hefty markup, they can sell them at far more affordable prices.

They’re not the only ones. Leather goods manufacturer Sitoy Group Holdings regularly uploads videos on social media showcasing how the quality of its $100 handbags is almost identical to those sold for upwards of $1000, all the while advertising that they use the same production lines used by Prada, Tumi and Michael Kors. Then there's Chicjoc, one of the largest Chinese fashion apparel brands on Taobao and Tmall, claiming it uses the same fabric manufacturers as those used by the likes of Chanel, Valentino and Louis Vuitton.

This shift towards high-quality dupes puts luxury brands in a difficult position. For decades, they’ve justified their high prices with the promise of superior craftsmanship and materials. They've even poked fun at these imitations. But when brands are offering near-identical goods allegedly manufactured in the same factory as luxury brands for much, much less, that justification starts to crumble.

Another brand that has gained significant traction online this year is Los Angeles-based premium basics brand, Italic, with many consumers on Reddit expressing their satisfaction with the quality of the products. “Most of our products take 5–10 sample runs and 6–18 months, sometimes even longer,” says Italic CEO Jeremy Cai. “Our sourcing process involves rigorous vetting and ongoing quality controls, including factory certifications, samples, and production quality.”

This meticulous approach stands in stark contrast to what many might expect. Italic contacts 20-30 potential suppliers, evaluates 5-7 factories, and ultimately works with just 1-2 of them for any given product category, visiting each factory on-site.

The key difference between Italic and the high-profile brands using the same factories, Cai explains, is in the pricing: “Most of our factories' clients sell for 2-4x more than our SRPs (Suggested Retail Prices), often much higher.” By cutting out the markup typically associated with luxury goods, Italic offers high-quality products at a more accessible price point.

Cai is quick to point out that Italic does not market itself as a “dupe” brand. However, that hasn’t stopped consumers from drawing comparisons to more expensive luxury labels. In contrast, competitor Quince leans into dupe culture, positioning itself more overtly as a challenger to high-end brands. On Quince's website, woven intrecciato handbags, which resemble Bottega Veneta's iconic designs, are showcased alongside price comparisons to their luxury counterparts.

Quince also frequently analyses luxury competitors’ best-selling items to identify opportunities for replication. “Data collection is crucial in our product development process,” says a Quince spokesperson. “Our team uses a variety of sources, including Google Trends, social media, and customer feedback, to understand the market and ensure we’re delivering what people want.”

Quince’s strategy is built on the belief that luxury can—and should—be more accessible. “Our founding team, with years of experience in luxury and DTC (direct-to-consumer) retail, knew that competitors add a 40–60% markup on similar products,” continues the spokesperson. “As costs in the luxury market become more transparent, consumers are less willing to accept these inflated prices.”

To that end, Quince works globally to source manufacturing partners that share their commitment to transparency, while innovating to keep costs down. Every product page on their site includes detailed information about materials, country of origin, and certifications for working conditions along the supply chain.

Luxury brands, on the other hand, have traditionally kept their manufacturing processes shrouded in secrecy. William Lasry, founder of Glass Factory, is working to change that.

Lasry travels the globe, visiting and spotlighting factories with superior craftsmanship and ethical practices across his social media platforms. While not all brands are doing their very best, he is sceptical about some companies' supposed connections to luxury factories, pointing out that these dupe brands frequently exploit this ambiguity for marketing purposes.

“There are many instances where a factory will produce a sample for a luxury brand,” Lasry explains. “Luxury brands often request samples from hundreds of factories, but in many cases, nothing materialises beyond the sample stage. The factory might then turn around and claim, ‘We’ve made samples for Gucci,’ even though no production deal was ever finalised.”

Petros Analytis, head of research at Glass Factory, agrees that it’s hard to draw the line. “Unless they let us come into the factories and see for ourselves, it’s hard to ascertain.”

Premium Tax

While transparency might be slowly improving, one thing the luxury market has always clung onto is its appeal. Conglomerates like LVMH and Kering built empires on the foundation of an alluring narrative—one that combines centuries of heritage with modern-day prestige. By blending Old World craftsmanship with the new-age glamour of celebrity culture, they made handbags, shoes, and clothing a gateway to an elite, exclusive world.

For a long time consumers were happy to pay big bucks to belong in this world. Perhaps unknowingly, they were buying not just a product but an experience. The true value of a designer label wasn't simply measured by the stitching or material, but by the feeling it evoked—the confidence boost, the social status, the feeling of exclusivity. “It’s a real skill to make a handbag into an object desired by millions of women, one that has so much meaning and can do so much for your self-confidence,” notes Sherwood.

Yet, behind the curtain of glamour, the reality of some products was very different. While consumers believed they were buying the pinnacle of luxury, what they were often getting was a product only marginally superior to midrange alternatives—and occasionally no better at all. The excessively high margins were less a reflection of quality and more a tax on the brands' appeal.

“They are the architects of their own problems,” continues Sherwood. “By making so much of their products not about the tangible product, but about the intangible aspects of the brands - those sexy ads, the celebs who carry your products, the stores, the glossy ads, the slogans, the heritage backstory, all that stuff that isn’t actually the product itself.”

In turn they’ve created an enormous gap between what consumers are actually paying for and the real value of the product. As these companies have increasingly pursued the ultra-wealthy, they’ve left a gap in the market that other brands, eager to capitalise, are starting to fill. “They know that the prices at the very top of luxury are too high to reflect the actual value,” Sherwood says. “But have turned these notable silhouettes and styles into desirable items that a dupe brand can free ride off of.”

Then, recently, the veneer began to crack even further. In March, Italian luxury brand Loro Piana became embroiled in scandal after an investigation revealed the material behind their $9,000 sweaters was sourced by low-paid workers in Peru. Just a few months later, in July, Italian prosecutors alleged sweatshop-like conditions in factories supplying certain products for high-end labels such as Dior and Armani. The revelations triggered outrage among consumers, many of whom had long trusted these brands to uphold the highest standards of craftsmanship and ethics.

Across online forums like the r/handbag subreddit, once-loyal customers voiced their disillusionment. For many, these scandals revealed that the luxury brands they idolised were not living up to their promises. Both Loro Piana and Dior have denied the allegations. However, The Business of Fashion revealed that Milan's public prosecutor said in a court document that they had found “an illegal practice so entrenched and proven [that it could] be considered part of a broader business policy exclusively aimed at increasing profit.” Neither company has been charged in relation to the probe.

Such reputational damage couldn’t have come at a worse time for luxury brands. Coupled with the rise of dupe culture, these scandals are forcing consumers to rethink their relationship with high-end goods. If craftsmanship is no longer exceptional, and ethical practices are called into question, what exactly are people paying for when they buy luxury?

Rebuilding the Dream

Recent sales figures underline just how far demand for luxury mega-brands has fallen from its post-pandemic highs. In July, some of the industry’s biggest players reported disappointing revenues for the second consecutive quarter. LVMH, the world’s leading luxury conglomerate, missed sales estimates, while Gucci’s parent company Kering, experienced a decline of 11%. Other major brands like Richemont and Burberry also reported disappointing figures, with first-quarter sales plummeting by a staggering 20%.

At the heart of luxury’s current struggles is the erosion of the very dream that once propelled the industry. The disconnect between the marketing mythology and the reality of production has left consumers feeling disillusioned, meaning the days of blindly paying a premium for a logo may be at risk.

The democratisation of information and consumer power through social media has played a huge part in this. Platforms like TikTok and Reddit are filled with conversations that challenge the industry's value proposition, which has made it so much harder for luxury brands to control their narrative.

To regain their position, Brittany Steiger, principal analyst of retail & eCommerce at Mintel says they will need to focus on what once made them so desirable—authenticity, superior craftsmanship, and a narrative of prestige that feels both aspirational and attainable. Some experts suggest that embracing more transparent practices and truly living up to their ethical and quality promises could also be the way forward. Brands that fail to do so, may find themselves increasingly irrelevant in a world where high-quality dupes continue to gain ground.

It’s clear that the old model of luxury has been disrupted, and it’s no longer just about price anymore. In the battle between heritage and value, consumers are asking more questions—and luxury brands must have better answers. And if they don’t, there’s a whole industry on the sidelines who do.

[ladysisyphus]

I like to use Pride Month as an excuse to buy stuff from queer artists. I've already way overspent my budget this year, but just in case there's something else I need still lurking out there: Please share the links here of any queer/queer-adjacent artists who do small art -- and by small I mean stickers and tiny (like, postcard-sized) prints. I'm making basically every flat vertical surface in my office into a beautiful collage, and I've got way more small spaces than large ones.

And to share back, here's links to just a couple of the (non-Etsy, since they're harder to find) places I've already hit up this June:

[sheydgarden]

fair print-on-demand for artists?

i'm making this its own post for more visibility - feel free to reblog, i'm primarily looking to hear from other artists rather than from customers.

quick definition: a print-on-demand service (POD) is a company that allows you to upload your designs (that you retain full rights to) and have them printed on a variety of products - usually t-shirts & other apparel, stickers, mugs, etc. - by the company itself or a subcontractor. the key here is that you're not ordering a supply of products to sell yourself (or not) at a later date, you're offering customers the ability to go to this website and select a potential product which is then printed on demand, and the company handles all the interaction with the customer (shipping, quality & returns, etc.). because they're doing the manufacturing & shipping, they take a significant cut, but different companies have different pricing structures & some are more fair to artists in terms of profit margins than others.

TLDR: i'm looking for a new POD service to replace my Redbubble account, which i deleted after they decided to severely undercut creators (especially small artists). more details below, please read before you rec!

so the nice thing about POD is that it's passive income - you made the work, you put it up & leave it, people buy things when they want & you get a bit of money when that happens. i also - infrequently! - run an Etsy shop where i sell things i've either handmade or ordered from suppliers (mostly stickers). i get more money from that, yes, and also it's a lot more work on my end. i primarily work as a freelancer illustrator, i've started selling at (COVID cautious) in-person events again, & i'm disabled - this is why my Etsy has been empty all year.

i am very lucky to have enough of a following to be able to regularly sell all my stock when i do put it on Etsy, and (when I had an account) to have a smaller but steadier trickle of income from POD. i do not have enough of a following for it to make sense for me to order large quantities of apparel-type products & sell them myself.

it's frustrating to see that many alternatives to Redbubble (like Bonfire or Spring) have moved to a "campaign" model where you release a design in a time-limited campaign with a selling goal, aggressively promote it on social media, & then all the products (shirts, whatever) are shipped at the same time. i understand why it exists - larger batches mean lower manufacturing costs & higher profit - but for someone like me who doesn't have a massive social media following or really even a big presence now that Twitter is dying, i'm not sure it could work. for me the point is that i put it up, i leave it alone, i direct people towards my shop & the small handful of beautiful weirdos who vibe with my work can buy what they want on their own time (i adore you, weirdos! there are so many more of you than i ever expected, but i am not, as the kids say, an "influencer")

i've been researching various companies & i keep finding that Redbubble, prior to their nasty fee restructuring, seemed to have some of the fairest profit margins due to the ability to set your own pricing above the manufacturing costs. what i want to hear from other artists is where you sell & if you feel like different systems (Society6's 10%, for example, or Threadless' artist cost-setting vs. letting them manage your shop & offer discounts to move more products) work or are ripping you off.

thanks so much for reading & solidarity to all the other working artists who are struggling to stay afloat as various social media collapses & corporate greed continues to cut our opportunities in half!!! for the love of fuck just let me make things & get paid

[saltminerising]

Things Lioden has the right idea about that would be really nice to see in FR, but won't for [insert reason]: - Having an "official side account" (i.e. an account linked to your main and you can quickly switch back and forth from your side to your main, but you can have only one) - Having every Friday have an update of some kind, with 1 Friday a month (or was it every other week? every 2 weeks?) being dedicated to a big update - Official site raffle with big name items except everybody can only buy one ticket each (can't recall if this extends to side accounts, but in general since side accounts are a Site Promoted Thing, you probably can technically buy two tickets so everybody has a theoretical 2 chances to win something) 1/2

Things Lioden has the right idea about, etc etc. (2/2) - Custom apparel (decor), but you have to at least *try* to match the site artists' style. Custom apparel goes through the same vetting process as skins would on FR. - A 'giving tree'-type area where people can throw out or leave things from their hoard voluntarily and other people can pick them up - User-made shops you can still see items from in the "auction house" equivalent on Lioden but you can also get to them through the user profile

NOTE: Posting this bc it's about ways FR could improve. Asks solely about other pet sites will not be posted. -Secretmin

[thestylesindependent]

X

Harry Styles’s longtime stylist, Harry Lambert, and his creative director, Molly Hawkins, have had a lot to do with crafting the pop star and actor into one of the era’s top fashion icons. When they joined Styles in launching a company called Pleasing a year and a half ago, they achieved something even more significant, although no flashbulbs were around to capture it. Pleasing’s debut collection, a line of $20 nail polishes inspired by Styles’s own affinity for colorful manicures, was one of the first nail polish to be nearly 100% biodegradable.

Traditional nail polish is made from plastic polymers that break into tiny fragments of microplastic, contributing to pollution. From the start, Hawkins and Lambert were committed to making a version that would naturally decompose. They spent two years finding a laboratory able to work with them on devising a biodegradable formula, and then, in November 2021, they flashed the logo for Pleasing on the wall of the arena outside one of Styles’s concerts in Glendale, Arizona. Days later, when the Pleasing website went live, its first four polish colors—in trendy shades like inky black and bubblegum pink and with quirky names like Granny’s Pink Pearls—sold quickly. Six subsequent collections have launched every few months since then and have seen hero items sell out rapidly as well, while lines have snaked around the block for holiday pop-ups in London, New York, and Los Angeles.

As Pleasing expands into new categories (such as serums, eye shadow, and apparel), Hawkins and Lambert are continuing to push to make products even more eco-friendly, including making brush bristles from castor beans, a renewable resource, rather than petroleum. “We’re incentivizing our partners to keep moving forward,” says Hawkins. “If they can commit to developing a product for us, we can commit to purchasing a [large] quantity of it.”

Still, what makes Pleasing’s products so covetable among fans is that they just look so good. Lambert and Hawkins led the design process for the brand’s signature glass nail polish bottles, which feature globe-shaped tops in metallic and marble colors. “To succeed, the packaging needs to be interesting and exciting,” says Lambert. “We want the products to be so gorgeous that they live on your shelf, not inside your drawer.” To promote each new collection, the duo taps emerging artists to create attractive, color-saturated photography and illustrations. William Waterworth shot Pleasing’s first-ever campaign, for example, while Marisol Muro created the bright, ’70s inspired artwork that accompanied the recent nature-inspired Shroom Bloom nail polish line. Styles himself isn’t intimately involved with product development and doesn’t promote the brand heavily on social media. That’s by design. “At this moment, there are a lot of celebrity brands on the market,” says Lambert. “Pleasing is part of Harry’s world, but we also don’t want to rely on him to be the only reason people buy this product. We want to actually solve problems.”

[hary-designs]

We Break the Rules but not Hearts - Quote T-Shirt.

Trending T-shirt

We Break the Rules but not Hearts - Quote T-ShirtCelebrate rebellion with empathy through the text design "We Break the Rules but Notarts." This bold and expressive typography emphasizes individuality while promoting kindness and respect. Perfect for those who defy norms with a compassionate heart, this design can be applied to various mediums, from apparel to posters, as a reminder of the power of rebellion tempered with empathy.

Buy Now and get 25% Discount Click Link

Buy Now

[haggishlyhagging]

"Some enchanted evening, you will see a stranger. . . ." The music came up at the MK Club in New York, and the buyers and fashion writers, who had been downing drinks from the open bar for more than an hour, quieted as rose-colored lights drenched the stage. Six models in satin panties and lace teddies drifted dreamily into view and took turns swooning on the main stage prop—a Victorian couch. The enervated ladies—"Sophia," "Desiree," "Amapola"—languorously stroked their tresses with antique silver hairbrushes, stopping occasionally to lift limp hands to their brows, as if even this bit of grooming overtaxed their delicate constitutions.

The press release described the event as Bob Mackie's "Premiere collection" of fantasy lingerie. In fact, the Hollywood costume designer (author of Dressing for Glamour) had introduced a nearly identical line ten years before. It failed then in a matter of weeks but the women of the late '80s, Mackie believed, were different. “I see it changing,”Mackie asserts. "Women want to wear very feminine lingerie now."

Mackie got this impression not from women but from the late-80s lingerie industry, which claimed to be in the midst of an "Intimate Apparel Explosion." As usual, this was a marketing slogan, not a social trend. Frustrated by slackening sales, the Intimate Apparel Council—an all-male board of lingerie makers—established a special public relations committee in 1987. Its mission: Stir up "excitement."

The committee immediately issued a press release proclaiming that "cleavage is back" and that the average woman's bust had suddenly swelled from 34B to 36C. "Bustiers, corsets, camisoles, knickers, and petticoats," the press kits declared, are now not only "accepted" by women but actually represent "a fashion statement." A $10,000 focus-group study gathered information for the committee about the preferences of manufacturers and retail buyers. No female consumers were surveyed. "It's not that we aren't interested in them," Karen Bromley, the committee's spokesperson, explains. "There's just limited dollars."

In anticipation of the Intimate Apparel Explosion, manufacturers boosted the production of undergarments to its highest level in a dozen years. In 1987, the same year the fashion industry slashed its output of women's suits, it doubled production of garter belts. Again, it was the "better-business" shopper that the fashion marketers were after; in one year, the industry nearly tripled its shipments of luxury lingerie. Du Pont, the largest maker of foundation fabrics, simultaneously began a nationwide "education program," which included "training videos" in stores, fitting room posters and special "training" tags on the clothes to teach women the virtues of underwire bras and girdles (or "body shapers," as they now called them—garments that allow women "a sense of control"). Once again, a fashion regression was billed as a feminist breakthrough. "Women have come a long way since the 1960s," Du Pont's sales literature exulted. "They now care about what they wear under clothes.

The fashion press, as usual, was accommodating. "Bra sales are booming" the New York Daily News claimed. Its evidence: the Intimate Apparel Council's press release. Enlisting one fake backlash trend to promote another, the New York Times claimed that women were rushing out to buy $375 bustiers to use "for cocooning." Life dedicated its June 1989 cover to a hundredth-anniversary salute, "Hurrah for the Bra," and insisted, likewise without data, that women were eagerly investing in designer brassieres and corsets. In an interview later, the article's author, Claudia Dowling, admits that she herself doesn't fit the trend; when asked, she can't even recall what brand bra she wears: "Your basic Warner whatever, I guess," she says.

Hollywood also hastened to the aid of the intimate-apparel industry, with garter belts in Bull Durham, push-up bras in Dangerous Liaisons, and merry-widow regalia galore in Working Girl. TV did its bit, too, as characters from "The Young and the Restless" to "Dynasty" jumped into bustiers, and even the women of "thirtysomething" inspected teddies in one shopping episode.

The fashion press marketed the Intimate Apparel Explosion as a symbol of modern women's new sexual freedom. "The 'Sexy' Revolution Ignites Intimate Apparel," Body Fashions announced in its October 1987 cover story. But the magazine was right to put quotes around "sexy." The cover model was encased in a full-body girdle, and the lingerie inside was mostly of Victorian vintage. Late-'80s lingerie celebrated the repression, not the flowering, of female sexuality. The ideal Victorian lady it had originally been designed for, after all, wasn't supposed to have any libido.

A few years before the Intimate Apparel Explosion, the pop singer Madonna gained notoriety by wearing a black bustier as a shirt. In her rebellious send-up of prim notions of feminine propriety, she paraded her sexuality and transformed "intimate apparel" into an explicit ironic statement. This was not, however, the sort of "sexy revolution" that the fashion designers had in mind. "That Madonna look was vulgar," Bob Mackie sniffs. "It was overly sexually expressive. The slits and the clothes cut up and pulled all around; you couldn't tell the sluts from the schoolgirls." The lingerie that he advocated had "a more ladylike feminine attitude."

Late Victorian apparel merchants were the first to mass-market "feminine" lingerie, turning corsets into a "tight-lacing" fetish and weighing women down in thirty pounds of bustles and petticoats. It worked for them; by the turn of the century, they had ushered in "the great epoch of underwear." Lingerie publicists of the '80s offered various sociological reasons for the Victorian underwear revival, from "the return of marriage" to "fear of AIDS"—though they never did explain how garter belts ward of infection. But the real reason for the Victorian renaissance was strictly business. “Whenever the romantic Victorian mood is in, we are going to do better,” explains Peter Velardi, chairman of the lingerie giant Vanity Fair and a member of the Intimate Apparel Council's executive committee.

In this decade's underwear campaign, the intimate-apparel industry owed its heaviest promotional debt to the Limited, the fashion retailer that turned a California lingerie boutique named Victoria's Secret into a national chain with 346 shops in five years. "I don't want to sound arrogant," Howard Gross, president of Victoria's Secret, says, "but . . . we caused the Intimate Apparel Explosion. We started it and a lot of people wanted to copy it."

The designers of the Victoria's Secret shop, a Disneyland version of a 19th-century lady's dressing room, packed each outlet with "antique" armoires and sepia photos of brides and mothers. Their blueprint was quickly copied by other retailers: May's "Amanda's Closet," Marshall Field's "Amelia's Boutique," Belk's "Marianne's Boutique," and Bullock's "Le Boudoir." Even Frederick's of Hollywood reverted to Victoriana, replacing fright wigs with lace chemises, repainting its walls in ladylike pinks and mauves and banning frontal nudity from its catalogs. "You can put our catalog on your coffee table now," George Townson, president of Frederick's, says proudly.

The Limited bought Victoria's Secret in 1982 from its originator, Roy Raymond, who opened the first shop in a suburban mall in Palo Alto, California. A Stanford MBA and former marketing man for the Vicks company—where he developed such unsuccessful hygiene products as a post-defecation foam to dab on toilet paper—Raymond wanted to create a store that would cater to his gender. "Part of the game was to make it more comfortable to men," he says. "I aimed it, I guess, at myself." But Raymond didn't want his female customers to think a man was running the store; that might put them off. So he was careful to include in the store's catalogs a personal letter to subscribers from "Victoria," the store's putative owner, who revealed her personal preferences in lingerie and urged readers to visit "my boutique." If customers called to inquire after Ms. Victoria's whereabouts, the salesclerks were instructed to say she was "traveling in Europe." As for the media, Raymond's wife handled all TV appearances.

Raymond settled on a Victorian theme both because he rise renovating his own Victorian home in San Francisco at the time and because it seemed like "a romantic happy time." He explains: “It’s that Ralph Lauren image . . . that people were happier then. I don't know if that is really true. It's just the image in my mind, I guess created by all the media things I've seen. But it's real.”

Maybe the Victorian era wasn't the best of times for the female population, he acknowledges, but he came up with a marketing strategy to deal with that problem: women are now "liberated" enough to choose corsets to please themselves, not their men. "We had this whole pitch," he recalls, "that the woman bought this very romantic and sexy lingerie to feel good about herself, and the effect it had on a man was secondary. It allowed us to sell these garments without seeming sexist." But was it true? He shrugs. "It was just the philosophy we used. The media picked it up and called it a 'trend,' but I don't know. I've never seen any statistics."

When the Limited took over Victoria's Secret, the new chief continued the theme. Career women want to wear bustiers in the boardroom, Howard Gross says, so they can feel confident that, underneath it all, they are still anatomically correct. "Women get a little pip, a little perk out of it," he explains. “It's like, ‘Here I am at this very serious business meeting and they really don't know that I'm wearing a garter belt!’” Gross didn't have any statistics to support this theory, either: "The company does no consumer or market research, absolutely none! I just don't believe in it." Instead of asking everyday women what they wanted in underwear, Gross conducted in-house brainstorming sessions where top company managers sat around a table and revealed their "romantic fantasies." Some of them, Gross admits, were actually "not so romantic" like the male executive who imagined, "I'm in bed with eighteen women."

-Susan Faludi, Backlash: the Undeclared War Against American Women

[fusionandfashion]

Embracing the Elements: The Versatile Utility of the Waterproof Lady's Eclipse Jacket

At Abit Of You, we pride ourselves on offering a quality range of waterproof Lady's Eclipse Jackets. Crafted with durability and style in mind, our jackets are designed to withstand the elements while elevating your look. Stay dry and fashionable with our sleek and practical Eclipse Jackets, perfect for any outdoor adventure or urban excursion.

https://thewion.com/read-blog/149743

[twostepstyless]

I need to know what those thoughts are!!!!!

Lmao it depends on how you feel about pleasing how you’ll feel about my thoughts tbh. Let’s get into this though. This is probably going to end up under a cut because I'm just going to word vom and see what happens lol

First for a quick wee thought on the actual product, so I own three polish sets (perfect pearl, shroom bloom and hot holiday), I also have the pleasing pen, I had the hot holiday spritz and I own two apparel items, the pink shroom bloom frog tshirt and the original black pleasing sweatshirt. The nail polishes I'm a bit ropey about, I don't use them that much because I do my own extensions and gels, but when I do I find they chip easily, which could also be a me issue because I use my hands in all of my work so they take a bit of a beating, colour pay off is great, some colours need a few coats but decent enough. What I will say about the nail stuff though, Pleasing nail stickers are some of the best nail stickers I've ever used, but I need to hit someone over the head whoever keeps deciding to make full coverage nail wrap stickers, that's not what the girlies want and if anyones using them, you're lying to yourself. The wee illustration ones from Shroom Bloom and I suppose the wee letters from Perfect Pearl and my gals! I have burnt through them and I would love to be able to buy more of just the stickers they're so feckin good! Apparel is good, I appreciate the sustainable practices, they wash well, I've never had any fit issues with them, yeah 10/10. I'd like to own one of the lambswool jumpers from a curiosity point of view but not sure I'm in the headspace to drop 260 on it without feeling it first. The pleasing pen is good I'm a big fan of it, it sometimes reacts a bit iffy with at least one thing in my skincare routine for the under eye but its not bothered me enough for me to actually look into what's reacting with it. I'm a slut for a lip oil so I love the lip end. I also loved the toner spritz from Hot Holiday and if I ever make another Pleasing purchase I will be adding another one of those into my order. Idk if it ever really done anything life changing, I just liked it.

What I'm going to say first, I do think Harry still has a sufficient level of say on what's being released etc. Do I think he's sitting in all the creative meetings coming up with the story of the next drop? No, but I do feel like he's in the loop and could say no or "how about this" and have some form of creative control. I think what they're selling and the brands target market versus their actual current customer base, don't completely match up. I think what needs to be said, Pleasing do not want to sell to Harries, and when I say "Harries" I mean like Harries ™️©️ . The gals with Harry in their profile picture and Harry-coded social media handles, Pleasing do not want to use you to promote the brand, but who is Pleasings biggest consumer currently? Harries. I think the push back of that is really evident, have you ever noticed when Pleasing repost consumers content on their instagram story and occasionally their grid, its from peoples social channels who appear to have no visible connection to being a fan of Harry on their socials or if they do its very understated. Pleasing want to be a luxury brand not a singers merchandise. Next time you see Pleasing repost consumer photos, have a look and pay attention who they are reposting and you'll notice it, because we all know fan accounts are buying it, posting it, and tagging pleasing in it, but they won't see the light of day of Pleasings feed. By them pushing these “non-fans” (and that’s not to say they’re not fans of Harry, they probably are they just don’t look like the fan girl Harries the brands trying to hide) photos it sells a story of "look this isn't just fangirls buying it because it's Harry Styles, look at all these normal people buying our products!!" to entice normal beauty and apparel consumers to consider shopping with Pleasing the brand and not Harry Styles' brand Pleasing.

Their price point is proof of this also. Pleasing is expensive, we been knew. What I will say first though, sustainability is fucking expensive. I can't speak about price points of sustainable materials in the cosmetics industry because I know nothing about that, but I do know about sustainable textiles, and they're incredibly expensive, and pleasing are truly doing the most they can do in their apparel to create it ethically and sustainably, and that comes at a cost. Sustainably sourced cotton can be priced up to four times the price of more accessible cottons. Then of course they want to be deemed a luxury brand, so that comes with a luxury mark-up. Mark ups are a thing that’s how brands make money. When I first started studying fashion and textiles I had a professional development course that had us create and cost a single garment and the mark up percentage was set at 200% that’s just how it is. Now we all know that Harry fans come from all walks of life, age range, economic backgrounds, what jobs and careers we have etc, that's all obvious to us who are involved in that. To the boomers and big wigs behind the desks however, they think that the people who run the fan accounts etc are still the teeny bopper gals who have to get their parents to take them to the concert and ask for the concert tickets for their Christmas and birthdays etc (which fyi there is nothing wrong with but this is all hypothetical etc) and therefore won't be able to afford Pleasing with their own money if they even have their own money. So if they can price those people out they won't have to deal with the Harries ™️ looking like their only customer base. When as I said before, that's not the case, the gals running the fan accounts aren't just the 13 year olds with their dads card and a dream any longer. I'm a 26 year old woman with my own disposable income and a Tumblr blog who happens to own some Pleasing products.

So I think Pleasing try to distance themselves publicly from Harry as they can, but they still need to involve him at some base level to get the ball rolling with sales etc. Hence he uses the apparel publicly, he appeared in the fragrance advert because that was a new venture for them, not that I'm saying he's forced into that, that makes me sound like one of those mad conspiracy people and that's not what I'm getting at. Of course he likes his own product, he would be mad to put out something he doesn't wholeheartedly like, that would cause more damage than good, but if he's involved visually, that triggers the Harries TM to buy into the product spiking the sales therefore garnering the interest of their actual target market, they start reposting "normal" consumer photos therefore causing more "normal" customers to buy into it. I think they would love to cut out that "Harries TM" stage but that's not going to happen just yet.

However, I think the fragrance launch is the step in the right direction for them to get to that. Firstly, fragrance people are mental, they love buying into new fragrance brands, reviewing etc. They were who was at that Selfridges launch that first day. They connect with other fragrance consumers and collectors, not the "Harries," if they like the product, they bring in the fragrance lover demographic, which is who Pleasing want. As a quick aside, I think the price point of the fragrance is actually pretty fair, for 100ml bottles, decorative bottles, sustainable for both the perfume and the packaging and it was made with a legitimate perfumer.

Next, they choose to launch at the corner shop at Selfridges rather than the ordinary London pop-up shop they've done previously. Why is that important? Did you know there are only four Selfridges stores. That's a level of exclusivity Pleasing are after. Harrods would be another level but as far as I'm aware Harrods don't have an equivalent space to The Corner Shop in Selfridges therefore don't do things like pop-ups etc its more permanent brands within the shop. If Pleasing were an apparel only brand I could see them doing something similar in Dover Street Market, and I wouldn't write that off as something that won't happen in the future because I think it could. People who regularly shop in Selfridges are also the people Pleasing want to be buying their product, who have a bit more of a frivolous disposable income. The U.S doesn't have the equivalent shop I don't believe to do a similar style of launch hence they've had to go with independent pop-ups in LA and New York, where they already know that it's likely that the majority of customers visiting those pop-ups are going to be Harry fans first rather than the luxury consumers they can pick up from just having a visible presence in Selfridges. If they were to do an in-store launch in the U.S, maybe Bergdorf's perhaps but I think they inch towards a more Harrods level and Pleasing aren't there. Places like Bloomingdales and Macy's are also not exclusive enough for the launch Pleasing they want. They are a small scale luxury brand and I truly believe they want to stay that way for the time being anyway, hence they're launching in a shop that only has four physical locations.

To cut a long story short ig? The product is decent but who they're making it for and who's actually buying it doesn't quite marry up right now and I think the still have to rely on Harry being Harry and being liked and likeable outside of his own fans and have him involved visually to generate sales rather than the brand being able to stand on its own two feet in the luxury market.

[donngqmerch]

Article: Sigma Excellence, Unveiling DoNN GQ Brilliance

Introduction to DoNN GQ Merch

What is DoNN GQ Merch?

Importance of Merchandise for Brands

The Journey of DoNN GQ: From Idea to Reality

Vision behind DoNN GQ Merch

Development Process

A Sneak Peek into DoNN GQ Merch Collection

Exclusive Designs

Quality Materials

Why You Should Get Your Hands on DoNN GQ Merch

Show Your Support

Limited Edition Items

Where to Find DoNN GQ Merch

DoNNGQMERCH.com

DoNNGQMERCH.etsy.com

DoNNGQMERCH.myshopify.com

Join the DoNN GQ Community

Benefits of Being a Part of the Community

Connect with Like-Minded Fans

The Significance of Sigma Excellence in DoNN GQ Merch

Upholding Standards

Delivering Quality

Unveiling DoNN GQ Brilliance: What Sets Us Apart

Unique Designs

Commitment to Excellence

Stay Updated: Follow DoNN GQ on Social Media

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Exclusive Launch Offers and Discounts

Early Bird Specials

Limited Time Promotions

How Your Support Empowers DoNN GQ

Fueling Creativity

Making Dreams a Reality

Testimonials from DoNN GQ Fans

Real Stories, Real Impact

FAQs About DoNN GQ Merch

What makes DoNN GQ Merch unique?

When will the merchandise be available?

Can I customize my order?

How can I join the DoNN GQ community?

Will there be international shipping?

Conclusion: Join the Excitement!

Recap of Key Points

Inviting Readers to Explore DoNN GQ Merch

DoNN GQ Merch Coming Soon: Explore DoNN GQ Merch at DoNNGQMERCH.COM

Hey there, fashion enthusiasts and DoNN GQ aficionados! Are you ready to take your style game to the next level? Well, hold onto your hats because something truly extraordinary is on the horizon – DoNN GQ Merch is launching soon, and it's going to be epic! 🚀

Introduction to DoNN GQ Merch

Let's kick things off by introducing you to the world of DoNN GQ Merch. So, what exactly is DoNN GQ Merch, and why should you care? In a nutshell, DoNN GQ Merch is the official merchandise line of the one and only DoNN GQ – a symbol of style, sophistication, and unapologetic flair. But why is merchandise so important for brands like DoNN GQ? Well, it's all about connecting with fans on a deeper level, expressing individuality, and spreading the brand's message far and wide.

The Journey of DoNN GQ: From Idea to Reality

Ever wondered how the idea of DoNN GQ Merch came to be? It all started with a vision – a vision to offer fans something more than just music and entertainment. It was about creating a lifestyle, a movement, a statement. And thus, the journey began – from brainstorming sessions to design workshops, every step was fueled by passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

A Sneak Peek into DoNN GQ Merch Collection

Now, let's talk about the good stuff – the merchandise itself! Get ready to be blown away by our exclusive designs crafted with love and attention to detail. From stylish apparel to accessories that scream sophistication, our collection has something for everyone. And rest assured, only the finest materials have been used to ensure both comfort and durability.

Why You Should Get Your Hands on DoNN GQ Merch

So, why should you bother getting your hands on DoNN GQ Merch? Well, for starters, it's a fantastic way to show your support for your favorite artist. Plus, with our limited edition items, you'll be owning a piece of history – something truly special that sets you apart from the crowd.

Where to Find DoNN GQ Merch

Ready to shop till you drop? Head over to our official website, DoNNGQMERCH.com, where you'll find the full range of DoNN GQ Merch waiting for you. Prefer browsing on Etsy or Shopify? No problem! We've got you covered there too. With multiple platforms to choose from, getting your hands on DoNN GQ Merch has never been easier.

Join the DoNN GQ Community

But wait, there's more! When you become a part of the DoNN GQ community, you're not just buying merchandise – you're joining a movement. Connect with like-minded fans, share your passion for style, and be the first to know about exclusive offers and events.

The Significance of Sigma Excellence in DoNN GQ Merch

At DoNN GQ, we don't just settle for mediocrity – we strive for excellence in everything we do. That's why our merchandise bears the mark of Sigma Excellence – a symbol of our commitment to quality, innovation, and impeccable taste.

Unveiling DoNN GQ Brilliance: What Sets Us Apart

What sets DoNN GQ Merch apart from the rest? It's simple – our unparalleled creativity and dedication to pushing boundaries. With designs that are as bold and fearless as the man himself, our merchandise is guaranteed to turn heads and make a statement wherever you go.

Stay Updated: Follow DoNN GQ on Social Media

Want to stay in the loop with all things DoNN GQ? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest updates, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and exclusive content.

Exclusive Launch Offers and Discounts

Excited to get your hands on DoNN GQ Merch? Well, you're in luck! Stay tuned for exclusive launch offers and discounts, including early bird specials and limited time promotions. Trust us, you won't want to miss out on these incredible deals.

How Your Support Empowers DoNN GQ

Last but not least, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support. Your support not only fuels our creativity but also makes our wildest dreams a reality. Together, we're unstoppable.

Testimonials from DoNN GQ Fans

But don't just take our word for it – here's what some of our fans have to say about DoNN GQ Merch:

"DoNN GQ Merch is the epitome of style and sophistication – I can't wait to get my hands on it!" - Sarah M.

"Finally, merchandise that reflects the true essence of DoNN GQ – bold, fearless, and utterly brilliant!" - James L.

Conclusion: Join the Excitement!

In conclusion, the launch of DoNN GQ Merch is not just a momentous occasion – it's a celebration of style, creativity, and individuality. So what are you waiting for? Join the excitement, show your support, and explore the world of DoNN GQ Merch today!

DoNNGQMERCH.COM

[healthguidenow]

👗💃🕶️Why Fashion Matters: The Importance of Self-Expression, Confidence, Culture, and more 💄👠🌟

👋 Introduction: Fashion has always been a prominent aspect of our lives. From the way we dress to the clothes we buy and the trends we follow, fashion has the power to influence our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. While some might dismiss fashion as frivolous or superficial, it is important to recognize that it serves several crucial functions. In this blog post, we will delve into the reasons why fashion is significant and explore some key points to consider.

💃🌈 Blog Body: Self-Expression: As human beings, we all have a need to express ourselves. Fashion is one way to do just that. The way we dress can speak volumes about our personality, interests, and mood. Whether you decide to wear bold prints, vintage pieces, or a mix of both, fashion is a tool for self-expression. It allows us to communicate without having to say a word.

🌟 Boosts Confidence: It's no secret that what we wear can affect our mood and self-esteem. When we look good, we often feel good too. Fashionable and well-fitting clothing can boost our confidence and how we present ourselves to the world. It can give us the courage to take on challenges and pursue our dreams.

🌍 Cultural Expression: Fashion is deeply connected to culture and heritage. It is a way to showcase our identity and traditions through clothing and accessories. From traditional dress to modern interpretations, fashion allows us to celebrate diversity and the richness of different cultures. It can also be a tool for fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

💰 Economic Impact: The fashion industry is a significant contributor to the global economy. It provides employment opportunities, drives innovation, and generates revenue. From designers and manufacturers to retailers and marketers, many people rely on the fashion industry for their livelihoods. It also plays a role in global trade, with textiles and apparel accounting for a large percentage of goods traded between countries.

🎨 Creativity and Artistry: Fashion is a form of artistic expression. Designers use fabric, colors, patterns, and textures to create wearable pieces of art. Runway shows and collections are often celebrated not only for their fashion but also for their creativity and innovation. Furthermore, fashion has the power to inspire and influence other forms of art, such as music, film, and photography.

🌎 Influence on Society: Fashion can shape and reflect societal norms and values. It has the power to challenge stereotypes, promote inclusivity, and drive social change. For example, the rise of sustainable and ethical fashion reflects a growing concern for the environment and workers' rights. Fashion can also give a voice to marginalized groups and serve as a means of political protest.

🌿 Environmental Impact: While fashion offers numerous benefits, it also has its environmental challenges. The production of clothing often involves resource-intensive processes and contributes to pollution. However, an increasing focus on sustainable fashion aims to minimize these negative impacts. Sustainable practices include using eco-friendly materials, reducing waste, and promoting ethical labor practices.

👚 Fashion and Identity: Fashion plays a significant role in shaping individual and group identities. It can be a form of rebellion, a statement of belonging, or a reflection of personal values. Subcultures often develop their unique fashion styles, further emphasizing how clothing can signify identity and affiliation.

🌟 Fashion and Technology: The fusion of fashion and technology is leading to exciting innovations. Wearable technology, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, has become a part of everyday fashion. Additionally, 3D printing and digital design are revolutionizing how clothing is produced and customized.

👗 Conclusion: Fashion is more than just clothes and trends. It is a reflection of who we are, what we believe in, and how we perceive the world around us. Through fashion, we can express ourselves, boost our confidence, celebrate diversity, drive economic growth, make a positive impact on society, and even address environmental concerns. The next time you put on your favorite outfit, remember that you are not only dressing for yourself but also communicating with the world in a powerful way. 💃🌎👚🌿📱

5 Red-Hot Sex Tips From Real Women

5 Red-Hot Sex Tips From Real Women Unlock with email

[fashiondesign-college]

Discover Your Path: Top Careers in the Fashion Industry

The world of fashion is a dynamic and multifaceted realm, offering a plethora of exciting career opportunities beyond the runway. If you're passionate about style, design, and creativity, the fashion industry has a place for you. In this article, we'll explore some of the top careers in the fashion industry that allow you to make your mark and express your unique talents.

1. Fashion Designer As the heartbeat of the fashion industry, fashion designers are the creative visionaries who conceive and create clothing and accessories. They turn concepts into reality through sketching, pattern making, fabric selection, and garment construction. Fashion designers work for established brands, create their own labels, or design costumes for theater and film.

2. Fashion Merchandiser Fashion merchandisers bridge the gap between design and retail. They analyze market trends, make purchasing decisions, and manage product assortments for fashion retailers. A keen understanding of consumer behavior and fashion forecasting is essential for success in this role.

3. Fashion Stylist Fashion stylists curate outfits and looks for individuals, fashion shoots, editorials, and events. They have a deep knowledge of current trends, fashion history, and an eye for aesthetics. Fashion stylists often work freelance or collaborate with magazines, photographers, and celebrities.

4. Fashion Photographer Fashion photography is an art form that captures the essence of fashion through the lens. Fashion photographers collaborate with designers, models, and stylists to create visually stunning images for magazines, advertisements, and social media campaigns.

5. Fashion Buyer Fashion buyers are responsible for selecting and purchasing apparel and accessories for retail stores or online platforms. They need to have a keen sense of style, market trends, and negotiation skills to make informed buying decisions.

6. Fashion Marketing and PR Fashion marketers and public relations specialists promote fashion brands, designers, and products. They create marketing campaigns, manage brand image, and organize events to generate buzz and engage consumers.

7. Textile Designer Textile designers create fabric patterns, prints, and textures used in fashion and interior design. They play a crucial role in the design process by providing unique textiles for clothing, upholstery, and home decor.

8. Fashion Illustrator Fashion illustrators bring fashion concepts to life through drawings and digital illustrations. They communicate design ideas, sketches, and collections in a visually captivating manner.

9. Fashion Educator If you have a passion for fashion and a desire to share your knowledge, a career in fashion education might be for you. Fashion educators teach aspiring designers and industry professionals about design principles, fashion history, and practical skills.

10. Fashion Entrepreneur For those with an entrepreneurial spirit, starting your own fashion brand or business is a rewarding path. It allows you to create your unique designs, manage your brand, and showcase your creativity to the world.

Unlock Your Fashion Career at IIFD

.IIFD - Indian Institute of Fashion and Design is one of the best fashion design colleges in India and IIFD is your gateway to a successful career in the fashion industry. Whether you aspire to be a fashion designer, stylist, merchandiser, or any other fashion professional, IIFD offers industry-relevant programs, experienced faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities to nurture your talents.

Ready to embark on your fashion career? Join the Indian Institute of Fashion and Design (IIFD) and take the first step toward a vibrant and creative future in the fashion industry. Explore IIFD programs, learn from experienced faculty, and ignite your passion for fashion.

[notaschoolblog]

The Slow Fashion Movement (Week 6)

The fashion industry is one of the most significant sources of pollution (Domingos, Vale & Faria 2022, 2860-1), from the rapid rate at which clothing is produced to how quickly it is disposed of. This is emblematic of the broader issue with fast fashion: its prioritisation of consumerism over ethics, which has become increasingly detrimental not only in pollution, but also notably in carbon emission, landfill (cheap synthetic materials) and poor working conditions (sweatshops). 

‘The goal of fast fashion companies is to produce the most amount of fashionable and trendy apparel in the shortest amount of time, so consumers can keep up with the fast and ever-changing trend cycles and want to consume more products’ (Mehrjoo & Pasek cited in Chi et al. 2021, p. 101).

To counter this, the slow fashion movement has been gaining traction. Slow fashion refers to the ‘change in core values in the fashion industry’ (Domingos, Vale & Faria 2022, 2860-1) to be more sustainable. This is evident through the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility, in which companies ‘help modify behaviour by raising awareness and generating consumer pressure on other companies to follow the higher ethical standards’ (Brewer 2019, 1902-6). For instance, The Common Good Company has a portion of their website dedicated to sustainability, and backs it up with verifiable evidence.

The discussion surrounding sustainability largely takes place online between digital citizens. This includes Corporate Social Responsibility as well as consumers who tend to emphasise the ‘humanitarian’ (Ladstatter 2019) aspect of slow fashion, as they are aware of the consequences of fast fashion. Special focus is placed on the quality and timelessness of their clothing purchases, in an attempt to ensure that the clothes that these consumers do buy will be sufficiently worn and used. A topical way this is addressed is through the ‘thrifting’ trend in youth culture, as clothes are given another chance to be used instead of ending up in landfills. Furthermore, finding long-lasting, quality ‘vintage’ clothing is heralded, as these pieces are often unique—and thus more valuable (Domingos, Vale & Faria 2022, 2860-9).

Hopefully, the awareness surrounding fast fashion and the subsequent push for slow fashion will create a higher standard of ethics for clothing production.

>REFERENCES ARE UNDER THE CUT<

Brewer, M.K., 2019, ‘Slow fashion in a fast fashion world: promoting sustainability and responsibility’, Laws, vol. 8, no. 4: 1902.

Chi, T, Gerard, J, Yu, Y & Wang Y, 2021, ‘A study of U.S. consumers’ intention to purchase slow fashion apparel: understanding the key determinants’, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 101-112.

Domingos, M, Vale, V.T., & Faria, S, 2022, ‘Slow fashion consumer behavior: a literature review’, Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 5: 2860.

Earth.org 2022, Fast Fashion: The Danger of Sweatshops, Earth.org, viewed 14 April 2023, <https://earth.org/sweatshops/>. 

Ladstatter, K, 2019, Thrifting: a growing trend in sustainable fashion. Uloop, Inc.

Sustainable Jungle 2023, Synthetic Fabrics: An Environmental Fashion Faux-Pas?, Sustainable Fabrics, viewed 14 April 2023, <https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-fashion/synthetic-fabrics/>.

The Common Good Company 2023, Sustainability, The Common Good Company, viewed 14 April 2023, <https://www.thecommongoodco.com/pages/sustainability>.