Spring 2022
Letter from the Editors Welcome to our magazine! Behind the Seams is all about fashion and the intricacies that surround it. We explore the ins and outs of modeling, production, sustainability, culture, and career paths. Our whole team loves and enjoys fashion and we really wanted to shine a light on all of the tremendous effort that goes into it behind-the-scenes. The first thing we looked at when deciding what we wanted to focus on in making this magazine was, what elements are the most important to both learn more about and to share. Fashion is something that everyone has familiarity with at a basic level, so we felt that we could reach a lot of people with the contents of our magazine. There was a lot of time and energy put into making this magazine, and the part we’re all most proud of would have to be our feature stories. From finding people to interview to actually interviewing them all the way to adding the finishing touches to the final story, we poured all of our effort into making our stories come out as good as we wanted them to. We hope that after flipping through our magazine you’re able to learn more about what goes into such a regular part of our everyday lives. Thank you for reading! Enjoy, Sam Low, Dallas Morton, Sadie Cravotta, Maria Ortega, and Allison Bergh
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Table of Contents
Meet the Editors.................... The Clothing Cycle................ Handmade Fashion............... Behind the Picture................. Behind the Camera................ Cultural Fashion................... Threading the Needle............ Global Fallout of Fast Fash The Impact of Fast Fashion... What’s Your Style................. Passion for Fashion............... Crossword............................
4 Spring 2022
Front cover by Dallas Morton Inside covers by Maria Orbega Letter from the editors by Allison Bergh Table of contents by Samantha Low End signs, folios, and drop caps by Allison Bergh Crossword by Samantha Low Back cover by Allison Bergh
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Maria Ortega-Castorena is interested in how an article of clothing is produced along with what it takes to be a fashion designer. She is interested in this because she has always wanted to make her own clothes. Playing the piano, swimming, and just being with her friends are some of her favorite things to do. Maria likes swimming and playing the piano because it is calming. She likes being with her friends because she can be her true self around them. Maria isn’t interested in becoming a doctor after high school. 6 Spring 2022
Dallas Morton is a freshman at LASA. She wants to show the steps and behind the scenes aspects of modeling for our fashion ezine. She enjoys reading, going on walks, and cooking in her free time, and wants to be a labor and delivery nurse just like her mother when she’s older.
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Allison Bergh has enjoyed exploring fashion in Ezine and has spent this semester writing on handmade fashion and clothing in particular. Allison has a personal interest in crocheting as a fun way to pass time and also enjoys swimming. She has always loved the water and is on the water polo team.
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Sadie Cravotta wrote an article about what it’s like to work in the fashion industry and the lives of people who chose this career path. In her free time, Sadie finds it fun to go swimming and hang out with her friends. After graduating high school, she will most likely go to college, hoping to one day start her own fashion or clothing business. It’s very interesting how Sadie has two dogs, just like Sam.
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Sam Low focused her article on fast fashion. She loves running and debate. She has aspirations for higher education. An interesting fact about her is that she has two dogs.
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pick cotton
8 Spring 2022 · by Allison Berg
spin into yarn
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HOW IS COTTON FABRIC MADE?
Graphics by Allison Bergh
bleach and dye
Disregarding clothing itself, the fabrics and cloths used to make garments have an extensive process and journey.
DESIGN 1
A Shirt’s Life Shirts, a vital part of a lot of people’s closets, go through a lot from first being produced to being in your hands to where they permanently end up.
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Designing is important for mapping out the details of the piece of clothing.
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Production allows for multiple copies of the piece of clothing to exist.
4 - USE Selling pays the creator for their hard work and distributes the clothing. Using the clothes helps bring publicity to the designer and also lets people enjoy it!
Reusing clothing is a really good way of giving it a second life.
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The final destination tends to be either the landfill or being recycled for scraps. Spring 2022 · by Allison Berg 9
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Handmade fashion and accesories require an extensive amount of time and energy.
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andmaking clothes and accessories takes way longer than just buying them from a store. It also allows someone to express their creativity and make whatever clothes they want, according to crochet business owner Daisy Hewitt. “I think being able to make clothes for myself and potentially others is just amazing,” Hewitt said. “The freedom I have to create really fun, quirky items of clothing is awesome.” Hewitt, a crocheter from the UK, sells her creations online and markets her work through social media. She loves fashion and making clothing both for herself and others in her spare time. “I am huge on slow fashion and sustainability and the fact that I can
help by creating my own clothes to wear instead of buying is great!” said Hewitt. “My reach online has become huge and so many people have seen my crochet recently and absolutely love it! It’s made me feel so much more confident in myself and my abilities.” There are many different mediums for making clothes and accessories and things like that as well. With some, like Stephanie Pokorny, An alien costume a costume crocheter crocheted by Stephanie from the East Coast, Pokorny for her son’s they’ll go through Halloween costume. many different mediums of art before finding their favorites. “My mom always made our costumes for us,” said Photo Courtesy of Pokorny, “When my two older kids Stephanie Pokorny were younger, I would make them costumes in sewing or gluing or Spring 2022 · by Allison Berg 11
Pokorny. Lauren Johnson, a jewelry creator and vendor from Austin, has always held a love for art in her heart. After switching her major away from art in college, she eventually came back to it and settled on making jewelry and accessories. She started up a business a little over 10 years ago for her craft and it’s been going strong ever since. “I’ve always been interested in art At one of Laren Johnson’s pop-ups, a box of handcrafted necklances awaits their purchase. oriented things, but I Photo by Allison Bergh was at a point where whatever. When the two younger ones were born, I was doing a lot of crocheting. And so it was just a natural progression to use that medium for them.” Pokorny has been making costumes and clothing for ages. Gaining an interest in crochet at a young age from her grandmother’s passion, Pokorny left it behind for a while only to pick it back up again later in life after her kids were born. “When I was 20, I was pregnant with my first son. And when you’re about to have a baby, you want to make all the things and decorate the room and plan this and plan that. And so I started making a blanket for him.” Many people who make their own clothes also sell their designs online as a way to bring in some money with their passion. There are two main ways that people sell stuff online in terms of making clothing: selling items they’ve
12 Spring 2022 · by Allison Berg
made and selling the patterns for them. “I want other people that take something that I made like a base pattern and then
I thought I shouldn’t major in it, because I thought, well, this isn’t practical. I didn’t do jewelry type stuff until I got older. I thought this seemed like a more practical way. To build and sell items that are smaller. It’s a way to do art, but smaller, more expensive items.” Johnson said selling her accessories and jewelry started for her as a little something on the side and later evolved into a full time business. “I decided I wanted to do it kind of as a hobby, learn on my own. But then I thought, Well, I had extra beads and things like that. So I thought, well, maybe I’ll try to start selling them,” Johnson said.
“I also love the idea that all the items I’ve made are currently one-off pieces, therefore no one else on the planet has these pieces.” -Daisy Hewitt
completely take it off and make it their own, like be super artistic with it or express themselves with it,” said
When someone creates their own fashion, it means that it is completely unique. That creates a huge draw for a lot of people. “I am huge on slow fashion and sustainability and the fact I can help that by creating my own clothes to wear instead of buying is great!” said Hewitt. “I also love the idea that all the items I’ve made are
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currently one-off pieces, therefore no one else on the planet has these pieces.” Inspiration is important for any artist, be it motivation to keep going with their things or the spark that lights the drive to create new art. “I draw in a lot of inspiration from all sorts of places, to other designers and creators, seasonal colour palettes,
trending clothing shapes. The idea of sunshine and summer is really up there at the moment,” said Hewitt. It’s also a good feeling to have completed something and seeing the way it turned out, especially when there’s been spent a lot of time on it. “It’s just fun to have that completed process and be like yeah, I made that and that’s the way it turned out. It’s a nice, satisfying, rewarding feeling,” said Johnson. Sometimes, the process of making and creating something can really draw a person into the project, even in ways that get someone so sucked in they lose track of time. “I generally say that they I give myself about a two week period, you know, to to work on the costumes. And it takes probably about 60 or 70 hours, when I know what I’m making and I know my end result. I get kind of manic about it,” Pokorny said. Creative projects get the people making them excited too. “I can’t Stephanie wait to Pokorny’s son wake up models his Halloween costume and start for the year - a working giant Mickey Mouse on it shaped pizza. the next day,” said Pokorny. “I can’t wait to get it out of my head and into my hands.” Spring 2022 · by Allison Berg 13
The Perfect Shot Graphics by Dallas Morton
14 Spring 2022 · by Dallas Morton
Ever wonder what goes on behind the camera? This is an example of what happens on set! Spring 2022 · by Dallas Morton 15
Behindthe Camera
Taking pictures of what goes behind the shutter
By Dallas Morton, Editor
A sight seen by many people as they leave their home cities for New York, along with the opportunities that come with the city. Photo courtesy of Dallas Morton
ome people enjoy having is the photographer’s job to take their picture taken, the picture that can be seen while some enjoy it more than online shopping. others. Most people The photography business will just post pictures is a big industry in large cities of themselves on social media, such as New York, many people but then there are people who who are involved in the fashion make a living out of having their picture taken. These people are called models, and they help promote clothing. Modeling is more prominent than most people think, when ordering clothes there are -Ryan Slack, photographer often pictures of a model with the clothes on, it’s the model’s job to try on the clothes and then it
industry move to these cities for more opportunities, according to Ryan Slack, a photographer who moved to New York as a college student. “I moved to New York, and thought it was just going to be
“I was blown away, I was small fish, it was a real eye-opening moment for me”
Models come in all ages, some models have been modeling their entire life. Such as Vasquez who apeared on one of Breyer’s ads. Photo courtesy of Future Faces NYC
the same,” Slack said. “The photo game in New York was stronger [than] in Texas. For the first shoot of mine in New York, there were about 25 people in that room. And I was like, what are these people doing?” The sets in New York were very different from the sets of two to five people Slack would work with in Texas, but he adjusted quickly. Slack didn’t know what to think when he got his first job in New York, but when we walked onto set he was shocked. “I was blown away,” Slack said. “I was a small fish, it was a real eye-opening moment for me.” Many people who move to New York for work have culture shock due to new competition that they might not have had at their old job. But there are many child models who grew up in big cities and have only been on sets like Slack described. One of these kids is Bella Vasquez, a high school Spring 2022 · by Dallas Morton 17
student and model from New York City. “When I was younger, we went to this barn. It was a photoshoot with these toy model
have models showcase their work. Many famous brands showcase their work at the New York Fashion Week, a bi-annual event to highlight designers’ clothes for
the next fashion season. Vasquez has been one of the models chosen for the New York Fashion Week, only 1,000 to 2,000 models are able to participate in the New York Fashion Week, some of which are famous models “I really liked the New York Fashion Week,” Vasquez said. “I was there for a few days, [and]
“In photography you take your ideas and your feelings and create a body of work that expresses that,” -Ryan Slack, photographer
horses,” Vasquez said. “I was modeling with the horses and in this barn, there were actual horses there. So, I was pretty psyched out over it.” Models often work with photographers who shoot with a wide variety of people. More often than not they are just fashion models. But every now and then photographers get to work with famous models or celebrities. Alex Lopez, a photographer in New York, has gotten to work with musicians on set. “Photographing jazz musicians and meeting some of the musicians that I was working with, was pretty amazing,” said Lopez, ”I met Herbie Hancock. I think meeting him was a special occasion and it was not too much about the picture that I took, but it was just meeting this jazz legend.“ Many designers promote their clothes in Models do more than different ways, showcase clothes. most designers Photographer Alex
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Lopez also has photogrpahs models with nails and jewlery.
Photo courtesy of Alex Lopez
Street photography doesn’t use models, instead it uses people on the street. Alex Lopez likes street photography because it has a more natural look compared to pictures taken in a studio. Photo courtesy of Alex Lopez
the theme was sports gear. I got posted on their Instagram. I went on the catwalk and I really liked that.” The New York Fashion Week is just one example of where many fashion designers are able to showcase their art. Not all designers are as lucky as the people who get to showcase their art in runway shows such as the New York Fashion Week. Many fashion designers have to show their art in different ways to attract attention. “In photography you take your ideas and your feelings and create a body of work that expresses that,” Slack said “You also learn how to talk about it.”
Like Alex Lopez, Ryan Slack enjoys street photography due to how natural the picture seems. Photo courtesy of Ryan Slack
Spring 2022 · by Dallas Morton 19
CULTURAL A women’s flamenco dress from Spain can be worn with eta a small comb, and a peineta, a mantilla, a light lace scarf, depending on the occasion.
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A men’s kimono from Japan is distinguished by the material s it’s made of. This kimono is only made up of nagagi, gi a long, ankle length skirt.
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Graphics by Maria Ortega-Castorena 20 Spring 2022 · by Maria Ortega-Castorena
dia is a A men’s kurta from In goes long, loose shirt which n be past the knees, and ca s. paired churidar pant
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Merhaba A men’s şalvar fr om Turkey is worn with dimiy e baggy troue, sers which tighte n at the ankle, and jubba, a loo se coat which is worn on top.
Ki Kati A women’s gomesi from Uganda is a long, brightly colored dress tied at the waist ga a with a kikooyi or kanga, long ribbon.
Привет A women’s sarafa n from Russia is a long dress which is belted and wo rn over a linen shirt. Spring 2022 · by Maria Ortega-Castorena 21
The costume designs for Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven come to life on stage. Photos and images courtesy of Desiree Humphries.
Threading the Needle Discovering careers in the fashion industry.
By Marijose Ortega-Castorena, editor Humphries’ designs for the play Urinetown.
he fashion industry provides “... a challenge and an opportunity to solve something,” for artists, like Orlandobased seamstress Gina Van Epps, to creatively express themselves through the products they make. With the industry expanding, there are hundreds of jobs to choose from, each varying in range
of salary and experience. Fashion designers have well known careers as they create original clothing or accessories by sketching designs, choosing materials, and deciding how to put their prodcuts together. However, there are other jobs within the designing spectrum which some people could consider underappreciated. A seamstress’ role is to improve the quality of products, because they modify clothing to give their customer a perfect fit. Van Epps, known as the Psycho Seamstress outside of work, comes from a long line of seamstresses. “I went from sewing at home as a side hustle, to stitching for celebrities on tour, such as Justin Bieber and Kanye West,” Van Epps said. “I also won an Emmy for working on Shakira’s dress for the
for my career because I could point to something that proved it,” Van Epps said. Another way Van Epps has received recognition is through her nonprofit organization called the Orlando Fashion District, which was established for charitable and educational purposes, and the goal of creating a community for anyone interested in fashion. “I wanted to create a coop workspace for people who maybe don’t have the room or the money to buy all the expensive sewing machines and equipment,” Van Epps explained. “It’s to help create jobs, give education, and create more self sustaining local based communities of fashion to promote local designers.” While Van Epps created a non profit, other designers
I know a lot of history about different cultures,’” Fairley said. “I started studying them more, so I decided to create my own individual art from these cultures and put it out to the world. I want to focus on fashion as I capsulize the culture side.” Of all the products Fairley has made, his favorite is the jeweled purse, yet to go in his shop. He has only made three purses, but they’re
Gina Van Epps is shown in a behind-the-scenes video, as a seamstress for Shakira’s dress. Photo courtesy of Gina Van Epps.
Super Bowl halftime show, but the have created their own Austinreferral came from working with based businesses to showcase all handmade, and it takes about Kanye West.” their designs on clothing and three weeks to make one purse, Van Epps explained that accessories. Billy Fairley, owner because each jewel has to be put the best way to get around in the of Divine Culture Clothing, is on one by one. The most popular fashion world piece which is by getting Fairley makes recommendations are his t-shirts, from past because they’re employers. She practical has worked with articles of many celebrities clothing. One like Justin Bieber, of Fairley’s Ariana Grande, goals is to Gina Van Epps, proffesional seamstress Kanye West, create t-shirts Shakira, and for people Beyonce. who may not “Being in want to make celebrities behind the scenes video an entrepreneur and fashion a statement, but just want a nice and having a speaking part and designer, creating art based on his shirt or love the logo. talking about what we were doing cultural knowledge. Spring 2022 · by Maria Ortega-Castorena 23 to [Shakira’s] fashion … was huge “I realized, ‘Well,
“That was huge for my career because I could point to something that proved it.”
the characters to life,” I’d say is the biggest struggle Humphries said. “I want to is remaining consistent inspire beyond the stage… [because] I’m trying to inspire that one black kid in the audience, if I can.” Humphries remembered one of the moments she knew her hard work paid off was when someone asked for her autograph after watching a motivation show she had designed for. will really set “An audience member once asked me, ‘Can I get you back,” Fairley your autograph on the said. “I couldn’t do program?’ and I thought, ‘It’s any events during covid just a little show I did, because I don’t have a brickbut yeah!’, so it’s those and-mortar. My job closed down, A jeweled purse takes about three moments that make me so I had zero income coming in.” weeks to make. Photo courtesy of Billy Fairley. feel proud of myself and my work,” Humphries said. “I want my t-shirt to be the Aside from being a t-shirt you wear everyday,” Fairley costume designer, Humphries said, “not necessarily the t-shirt is also a theatre technician, you wear out in public, but it’s the which means she is making comfiest t-shirt for when you’re sure the production runs at home washing dishes, doing smoothly at all times. laundry, those types of things. I “Technicians, that’s where want to create the every day shirt you get those other jobs,” for the every day audience. Humphries explained. “There’s Costume designer and the drapers, the stitchers, the technician working at UT, wardrobe people, the costume Desiree Humphries, believes shop manager, all those theatre can inspire people beyond people.” the stage. Humphries appreciates In and out of the designing the beautiful aspect of fashion, where the creator can inspire The ‘aspire’ design means to always aspire to be more in life. The people with their work. She is hieroglyphs are laid out to resemble a pyramid, also spelling the word aspire. Photo courtesy of Billy Fairley. passionate about putting on shows for young audiences, expanding diversity in theatre, and creating process, there have always been Even designers and artists an all-inclusive environment for struggles throughout the fashion who don’t run a business share a people to work together. industry. One of the biggest common struggle because of how “As a designer, my job is challenges for designers, especially little and inconsistently they can to help realize a world from for business owners, was to stay get paid. just a script, and try to bring consistent during the COVID-19 “That’s the thing when you’re quarantine. a designer, you get paid gig by gig,” 24 Spring 2022 · by Maria Ortega-Castorena “One of the things Humpries said. “I’m very lucky to
have a role in the arts and have regular payment and be able to feed myself. Not to say that other people can’t, it’s just that you gotta hustle.” On the other hand, the pandemic had positive impacts, too. Fairley talked about putting his fashion business to the side for a while to focus on a better paying job, but he was also able to dedicate more of his time to designing and creating products. Van Epps enjoyed the time off which lockdown allowed for as well, and was able to benefit more from it. In and out of the designing process, there have always been struggles throughout the fashion industry. One of the biggest challenges for designers, especially for business owners, was to stay consistent during the COVID-19 quarantine. “One of the things I’d say is the biggest struggle is remaining consistent [because] motivation will really set you back,” Fairley said. “I couldn’t do any events during covid because I don’t have a brick-and-mortar. My
job closed down, so I had zero income coming in.” Even designers and artists who don’t run a business share a common struggle because of how little and inconsistently they can get paid. “That’s the thing when you’re a designer, you get paid gig by gig,” Humpries said. “I’m very lucky to have Designs and photo courtesy of Gina Van Epps. a role in the though the concert tours went arts and have away, it got replaced with other regular payment and be able to clients… I moved everything from feed myself. Not to say that other people can’t, it’s just that you gotta my studio, that I used to have on a soundstage, to my house, and I get hustle.” to work at home now.” On the other hand, the The key to being successful in pandemic had positive impacts, fashion, according to Humphries, too. Fairley talked about putting is working hard and pursuing his fashion business to the something you have a passion side for a while to focus for, while staying dedicated. For on a better paying job, example, for one of Fairley’s but he was also able projects, he stays up late every to dedicate more night designing a video game scene of his time which he isn’t getting paid for. It to designing was difficult to understand why and creating products. Van Epps enjoyed one would spend so much time the time off which lockdown on something they don’t receive allowed for as well, and was enough recognition for. “Being an artist is who I am,” able to benefit more from it. Fairley said, citing his artist cousin. “The pandemic has really put my career, believe “If I never made another penny doing art, that doesn’t matter. I’m it or not, over the top,” Billy Fairley, designer & entrepreneur an artist.” Van Epps explained. “Even
“I want to focus on fashion as I capsulize the culture side.”
Spring 2022 · by Maria Ortega-Castorena 25
The Global Fallout of Fast Fashion
What is the impact of highconsumtion, labor-intensive industries like fashion in developing and low income countries? Graphics by Samantha Low
$11m
$11m
tons of US clothing waste ends up in landfills on average every tons of US clothing waste ends up in landfills on year average every year
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of the worlds largest landfills are in south and landfills are in south and central america central america
26 Spring 2022 · by Samantha Low
Photo courtesy of Sharat Chowdhury
In 2013 over 1,100 died and left 2,500 injured in a garment factory collapse. Concerns were raised about the buildings stability over a year prior
A garment factory fire in Pakistan kills over 300 in 2012
60%
of world clothing exports come from developing countries
In Ghana a landfill has grown so large it forms a “cliff” on the beach. An estimated 70% of it is clothing waste imported back to Ghana. Photo courtusy of Axel Drainville
In Ghana a landfill has grown so large it forms a “cliff” on the beach. An estimated 70% of it is clothing back Production Sources: of Cleaner imported wasteJournal Ghana. to 2022 Spring · by Samantha Low 27
The how’s and why’s of the industry By Samantha Low, editor
28 Spring 2022 · by Samantha Low
Women work in Bolshevichka, a garment factory in Moscow. Photo by Yury Artamonov
hen buying clothes from big-name stores in the fastto-market clothing industry, many do not think twice about the poor wages and working conditions that were endured to get that item into the hands of consumers. Activists acknowledge it is an uncomfortable truth to confront, as these brands have become an integrated aspect of society. Fast fashion is an industry of clothing that produces what a lot of people most commonly wear. It has gained global prominence through the appeal of its low costs and the quick circulation of fashionable styles to meet trends. The industry outsources most of its production to developing countries which are heavily and economically reliant on clothing production, leaving the factories largely unregulated. These practices have resulted in humanitarian disasters that have drawn attention to the ongoing harm to people subject to the working conditions, the harmful environmental effects, and the high consumption culture the industry has helped shape, according to Katherine Caspelich, director of marketing for Remake, an activism program. “One thing to note is that governments, brands, and factories should address issues in sweatshops, but consumers need to be a part of the movement too,” Caspelich said. “We all play a part in shifting the industry for the better.” In the past decade, there has been an increase in reports of dangerous working conditions, including
structural stability of workplaces, fire hazards, sexual harassment, and protests against low wages, Matt Stockamp, with Nisolo a sustainable fashion brand said. “Look at the impacts of the system,” Stockamp said. “93% of fashion brands are not paying factory workers a living wage that covers basic needs: food, water, shelter, healthcare, and other things that could go into an extensive list of things that we take for granted. Experts estimate that less than five percent of people making clothing around the world receive a living wage, meaning
“The biggest corners that fast fashion cuts are human. Cheap clothes are made by underage workers entering the industry as young as 14.” Katherine Caspelich, Remake director of marketing 95% of producers in the fashion industry are being held in systemic poverty, and 75% of them are women between the ages of 18 and 24. This is not a small problem.” The impacts are unequal, affecting people along lines of race and gender. Production hurts people who are systematically disadvantaged most often because poor untrained workers do not have other options besides clothing production, Caspelich said when making the case for reforms.
“Fast fashion disempowers women; it traps a generation of young women into poverty,” Caspelich said. “It takes a garment worker 18 months to earn what a fashion brand CEO makes on their lunch break. A majority of them earn less than three dollars per day.” Fashion is a highly labor-intensive industry. There is no innovation that is the cause of cheaper, quicker-to-market products. It is almost all to the credit of factories cutting down the cost of physical labor, Caspelich said. “The biggest corners that fast fashion cuts are human,” Casplich said. “Cheap clothes are made by underage workers entering the industry as young as 14 to work long hard hours (an average of 14 hours per day in sweatshops) for low wages while dealing with sexual harassment.” The growing severity and size of the issues are the fault of a “race to the bottom” between competing factories according to Ian Taplin, professor of sociology at Wake Forest University. Factories compete with each other to see who can produce a cheaper product, and wages and conditions for workers are often factors which are compromised. “I think where [companies] choose to produce is often just a race to the bottom for who can offer the lowest [prices],” Taplin said, “If you want to have something made, you would talk to an agent in Hong Kong, and say I want 2000 dozen sweatshirts, and this is the specification, and this is how much I want. I want to pay, maybe five dollars.” Caspelich argues that factories’ systems are dependent on what large corporations are asking for. Spring 2022 · by Samantha Low 29
Factories that have higher wages for workers, and by effect have clothes that cost more, are often forced out of business because other factories are on paper better for business. “That agent in Hong Kong will go out to factories and find who can supply that within a certain time period and against that particular price point. And so factories do compete with each other to offer the lowest possible,” Taplin said. Taplin explained this agent sourcing system can be hard to understand and can get even more muddled in the transcription process of brands. Transparency by companies commissioning the production of the clothing, is a key aspect of the growing call for accountability by advocacy groups like Remake, whose mission is centered on ensuring transparency, advocacy for the workers themselves, and education about the harms of the industry. “In the last few years, fast fashion has led to a race to the bottom with even durable brands starting to squeeze manufacturers on price and delivery,” Caspelich said. “This is a nightmare in terms of providing safe and decent working conditions for makers.” Caspelich said that Remake believes that there needs to be a shift in how people look at who is responsible for the issues in fast fashion. They say that blaming foreign agents or manufacturers
30 Spring 2022 · by Samantha Low
is the easiest way for many people to look at it, but that responsibility should come back to the more powerful companies which are turning a blind eye to their own actions. Yet, they argue that the means to find who is responsible is becoming increasingly complicated. “In addition to our clothes coming to us cheaper and faster, the supply chain has become a lot more fragmented, with many tiers and middlemen the accountability becomes diffuse and transparency more complicated,” Caspelich said. Remake argues that accountability is key because it is objectively
other industries with complex global supply chains is via legally enforceable rules that hold brands accountable for what happens in their factories,” Caspelich said, “This is an incredible paradigm shift, as brands have enjoyed and abused three decades of totally unregulated production where any deadly catastrophe like the Rana Plaza collapse or sweatshop scandal, or gender-based violence is blamed on the factory owner or the government in the developing country with no culpability for the brands.” Some brands are not only not a part of the issue, but have taken a role in diametric opposition to its competitors. Nisolo has made education on worker conditions and environmental sustainability a key aspect of their mission. “Nisolo is holding itself accountable by giving the max amount of transparency to consumers,” Stockamp said, “We think Girls work in a sweatshop in Bhilwara, India. Photo by Marissa Orton that this is a wrong for these factory workers fundamental necessity because in developing countries to endure greenwashing is an extremely such circumstances. Since there common issue and concern in is no system for telling who is today’s production culture.” ultimately responsible, brands can Greenwashing is the practice of say they support workers without companies advertising beliefs and following through on commitments their support for climate initiatives to actually help. that do not match its practices. “The practices of large businesses Nisolo is a partner of Remake and are a core driver of labor rights an example of how companies and human rights violations can offer transparency and globally; alongside that, the only simultaneously teach consumers way to strengthen labor rights about why they are better for in the fashion industry and workers and the environment.
“A lot of these problems are caused by fast fashion’s ‘take, make, dispose’ model,” Stockamp said. “We believe in a ‘circular fashion’ approach that takes environmental and humanitarian impact into account at all stages ranging from the initial design products, to the sourcing of materials, to manufacturing, to logistics to the final customer, to the end lifecycle of products postconsumer use, and all steps in between.” Stockamp said the “take, make, dispose” model has become a luxury in everyday life for many. Additionally, Tapin argues that the way that we rely on the conveniences of the fast fashion industry is a cultural norm and a key part of modern consumerism. “I have a class of 19 [and] I said, ‘How many of you have too much stuff?’ And all of the hands went up,” Taplin explained. “I said, ‘How many of you are going to keep buying more stuff?’ and all of the hands went up, so I said, ‘What’s going on here? Why do you want more stuff when you’ve
already got enough stuff?’ and they start saying fashions change.” This is where the appeal of fast fashion comes in, Taplin said. Its model can be argued to be a cause or effect of a consumerist society where trends, new things, and
“The disposal model of fast fashion must end. This is not just a shift in the industries ways. It is a shift in culture” Matt Stockamp, Nisolo sustainability lead
the accumulation of items are all valued. “And the beauty of fast fashion was, you could produce. You’re constantly changing fashions at a relatively low price that would appeal to consumers who want sort of status things,” Taplin said. Fast fashion has a lot of appeal to us as people who live in a
consumerist society. To change the way the fashion industry works, many people argue that there needs to be a cultural shift in how we think about what we wear. “First off, the disposable model of fast fashion must end. This isn’t just a shift in the industry’s ways. It’s a shift in culture,” Stockamp said. “We can’t just preach about sustainable manufacturing and continue to dump our old clothes which incentivizes unsustainable processes.” Stockamp said that people can start by thinking about how they buy. Part of this is thinking about where consumers choose to buy from (something Remake hopes to educate people about through their branding) and thinking about how they dispose of clothes. “We need to consume and manufacture far less than we do now,” Stockamp said. “And when we do consume, it must be from reputable brands who uphold people within supply chains and the planet as core stakeholders in decision making, and who design high-quality, durable products that will last years to come.”
Dandora dump site contains large amounts of clothing waste. Photo by Scott Andre
What’s your style? Graphics by Sadie Cravotta
START
Anthropology
Where do you like to shop? H&M
Brandy Melville
Zara
Coffee or tea?
Gold Silver or gold jewelry?
32 Spring 2022 · by Sadie Cravotta
Silver Alternitive
Find out what style best fits you! Follow the lines and answer the questions to get your result.
Would you ever get a tattoo?
Yes Artsy
No
Tea
Simple
Coffee Preppy
Spring 2022 · by Sadie Cravotta 33
Model wearing Bruce and Olive t-shirt. Photo courtesy of Bruce and Olive.
Passion for Fashion
Running a buisness in the fashion industry by Sadie Cravotta, editor
verybody contributes to the fashion industry in some way, most people are customers, but most people don’t know what it really takes to make everything accessible for the customer. There are so many steps that have to be taken before finally sitting back and running a successful clothing line. Killian Hagen is the founder and CEO of Austin based sustainable clothing company, Bruce and Olive. The company is based
online, and promotes an ecoconscious message. Hagen describes how he made his way into the fashion industry. There are many ways to enter the industry and while fashion school might seem like the most obvious way, it is not necessary for success. “I didn’t go to fashion school. I mean, like most, I think entrepreneurs or even people in fashion, it starts with an idea or like a concept. So for me, it was living in Austin,” said Hagen. The next step is to begin the process. Hagen created sketches and sought out a manufacturer
in order to start producing his designs. “I just approached them with some, like, kind of crude sketches, because again, I’m not like a, you know, trained fashion school person. And so I just was like, Hey, this is kind of what I’m trying to make. This is what I’m interested in doing. Do you think you could help do something like this? And so together, we developed 10 pieces,” said Hagen. Manufacturers often have existing patterns you can choose from. These patterns are what are used to cut out fabric in the shapes needed for the piece of clothing. You can use these patterns as is, modify them, or create something completely original. From there, they do the rest of the work to create the clothing. “And I basically just told myself, like, I’m not going to stop until I have a finished product. And that’s what I did. It was very, very hard and lots of learning. And I felt very stupid, often, because I just, I don’t know, like, there’s just a lot of
Models wearing Bruce and Olive masks. Photo courtesy of Bruce and Olive.
terminology and fashion that you have to know about,” said Hagen. One of the most important aspects of running a business is marketing and promoting it. Social media is one of the best options to advertise these days. However, there are also ways to market businesses in person. “Locally, I’ve just done a lot of pop ups,” said Hagen. “And I started to like drum up, you know, local interests by doing kind of, like, you know, previews of things and teasers and, and, you know, through my own social media, kind of like a Kylie Jenner move, but on a much smaller scale. Basically, promoting it through my own stuff.” It is important to use all possible resources. Oftentimes, friends and social networks can be very helpful especially at the start. “I’ve lived in Austin for over 11 years, like, I have a good network, and I know people that you know, own spaces, or were, you know,
musicians doing shows, and I would kind of just, like, reach out and be like, Could I do a pop up of my stuff here? And if it made sense. And then, you know, you know, you kind of hit people when they’re feeling good and light hearted and happy and having fun. And then they’re like, interested in hearing about your brand,” said Hagen. Covid affected millions of people and was devastating for many industries. The fashion industry was no exception, manufacturing was severely slowed and created a drop in inventory throughout stores. “So basically, there was a lot of demand and very little supply, but also, you know, workers couldn’t work,” said Hagen. “So there was like price gouging and then basically like I kind of feel Like, as a smaller business, I wasn’t really getting prioritized, because, you know, I wasn’t bringing these businesses
huge amounts of money.” While there were many negative things that Covid brought upon businesses, there were some positives as well. Certain opportunities were created with new demands. “I was able to make masks, which was, like, kind of, interestingly, a huge win. Like in 2020, I was one of the first businesses in Austin to have masks ready to go. And so I sold just like an enormous amount of them, like thousands. And had like, a lot of like, wholesale orders,” said Hagen. Incorporating sustainability into a brand can make the process a lot harder. It eliminates most of the easiest options, and often forces owners to take several more steps in order to accomplish the same thing. “So like, there’s just a series of delays. I mean, I have not had new clothing, like shirts, in like over a year. And that is really, really insane. It’s in production. Now
Products sold by Bruce and Olive. Photo courtesy of Bruce and Olive.
Photo of team during photoshoot in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of Bruce and Olive.
again, finally, but like I was able to make masks and hats and smaller things like that. But like, that’s not really the bread and butter of my business. And so they’re not really like huge money making pieces. So it’s definitely stressful,” said Hagen. Before adding a product to a website there needs to have product photos. This could be considered an industry of its own, but is very important in the fashion industry. These photos are the customers first impression, and can make or break a sale. In order to get the best photos possible, brands will conduct photoshoots. “You have like, you know, a photographer, a stylist, typically, I mean, I can always do that. But it’s nice to delegate that a little
bit. Stylist photographer models, someone doing hair and makeup,
“It’s kind of an awe inspiring moment to, again, see something that came from your mind in public.” Killian Hagen
overseeing the shoot and making sure you get all the shots, because that allows you as the owner to kind of like, just, you know, have creative input or say yes or no,” said Hagen. Starting a business takes a lot of work. There are several steps that have to be taken before a company can start or see results. This makes it very difficult to stay motivated, however the end result is very rewarding. “It is an enormous amount of work. So I think there’s satisfaction and it’s kind of an awe inspiring moment to, again, see something that came from your mind in public, you know, like it’s just a very crazy thing,” said Hagen.
or someone doing hair and someone doing makeup. And then what is nice, but not necessary is kind of just like a producer, or someone who’s kind of like, Spring 2022 · by Sadie Cravotta 37
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1. A person who takes pictures 3. Recycling and thrifting are examples of being… 5. Industry of quick production of clothing 7. Items worn on body typically made of fabric or textiles 9. A interlocking fasten used in clothing 11. Personal taste in fashion 13. Something that is popular at a paticular time, often for a short time 15. The idea and structure that promotes continual aquisition of goods
2. Polka dots are an example of a... 4. A person who designs clothes 6. To make, often on a large scale 8. The kid on page 8 is wearing a (blank) costume 10. A form of self expression 12. A type of yarn crafting similar to knitting 14. Lilo and... 16. Needle and.. 17. Process of making stitches
1-photographer, 2-pattern, 3-sustainable, 4-designer, 5-fast-fashion, 6-manufacture, 7-clothing, 8-pizza, 9-zipper, 10-fashion, 11-style, 12-crochet, 13-trend, 14-stich, 15-consumerism, 16-thread, 18-sewing
38 Spring 2022
