THE
PERMANENCE
ISSUE
FALL/WINTER 2022 Grace Holden Editor-in-Chief Megha Raman, Connor Brandon Creative Directors Rene Chen Videography Director
Adelyn Chen Editorial Director
Sarah Li Finance Director
Catherine Liu, Mea Ayers Art and Design Directors
Olivia de Rezende Marketing Director
Olivia Kim Photography Director
Hansie Wang Social Media Director
Valentina Chang Operations Director
Lola Thrower Website Director
EDITORIAL Feature Editors Sonia Mehta, Ujjayi Pamidigantam Copy Editors Meredith Devine, Hannah Zhao, Ellie Harris, Eunice Chong Staff Writers Cathy Li, Catherine Sorrentino, Abby Portnoy, Lucas Brienza, Shritha Mandava, Cynthia Schneider, Naya Majeed, Olivia Yun, Elizabeth Collins PHOTOGRAPHY Photographers Priya Bhavikatti, Julia Deng, Gloria Lee, Jasmine Sun, Amanda Herrera, Intel Chen, Yujia Vanessa Huang, Sarah Yoon VIDEOGRAPHY Videographers Hannah Hamdani, Oscar Vasquez • Video Editors Sophia Nehme, Jack Rogers, Jacqueline Davis ART AND DESIGN Illustrators Sheehwa You, Jackie Hu, Isabel Hu, Insia Haque, Isha Bhandaru Designers Insia Haque, Isha Bhandaru, Louise Wang, Cecily Nishimura, Isabella Risoli, Antonia Solar, Claire Redmer, Noelani O’Hare, Naomi Lukov STYLING AND BEAUTY Beauty Stylists Darlene Sam, Adya Gupta, Olivia Wendel, Darya Ameri, Riya Sinha Fashion Stylists Egret Jin, Rebecca Redlich, Dylan Walker, Victoria de la Rosa, Jojo Buccini, Zaria Dancer, Kailah A’Janae Hester, Sarah Kim, Daniel Van Rooyen, Grace Dudek FINANCE Analysts Claudia Bellacosa, Eliza Fogel, Jessica Zhang, Benjamin Swan OPERATIONS Operations Coordinators Noor Majeed, Erika Kurre • Lead Merch Coordinator Madolin Bergman Merch Designers Devdyuti Paul, Gabby Gu • Social Chairs Maathangi Nellicherry, Sam Salcedo Martinez
For more behind the scenes, scan here
Copyright © 2022 The WALK Magazine. All rights reserved. Stories edited by the editorial staff will carry bylines of the original author. Unless noted otherwise, all content is produced by The WALK teams. Please report corrections to thewalkmag@gmail.com. We will post corrections on our website, at www.thewalkmag.com. A copy of Bitch Media’s Touch Issue appears in our cover shoot. This content is not produced by The WALK team. All rights to the Bitch Magazine belong to Bitch Media ©, and The WALK takes no credit. The University of Pennsylvania’s premier fashion magazine, The WALK was founded in 2006 as a student initiative and continues to be a student fueled organization. The WALK Online was launched in 2010 as a sister to the print edition. The WALK aims to satisfy our community’s widely-demanded fashion fix year-round. To get involved or learn about advertising and partnership opportunities, please contact us at thewalkmag@gmail.com.
2
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The WALK ONLINE Website Managing Editor Natalie McTigue • Website Tech Analysts Erin Ma, Caroline Begg Fashion & Culture Editors Lola Thrower, Suhaas Narayanan, Sarah Bender Fashion Writers Shritha Mandava, Paige Gibbons, Chloe Jannelli, Noor Majeed, Grace Dudek, Hannah Dastgheib, Cali Gaer, Amelia Pilot • Culture Writers Joseph Squillaro, Mallika Tatavarti Health & Beauty Editor Natalie McTigue • Health & Beauty Writers Anastasia Kolesnikova, Clara Baurmeister MARKETING Event Coordinators Solunna Nwankwo, Giselle Wagner Brand Outreach Coordinators Samina Kaushek, Myles Dismont Robinson, Bill Chen, Kathleen Chen, Jasmine Gambhir Campus Engagement Coordinators Kate Cunha, Peyton Singletary SOCIAL MEDIA Social Media Content Producers Sarah Bender, Eliza Fogel, Anna Metzger, Jack Rogers, Darya Ameri, Katherine Kim, Elizabeth Basilious Social Media Photographers Margarita Matta, Hannah Hamdani, Anastasia Kolesnikova Social Media Engagement Managers Meredith Devine, Chloe Chang, Irene Pak
The Permanence Issue
3
FALL/WINTER 2022 Grace Holden Editor-in-Chief Megha Raman, Connor Brandon Creative Directors Rene Chen Videography Director
Adelyn Chen Editorial Director
Sarah Li Finance Director
Catherine Liu, Mea Ayers Art and Design Directors
Olivia de Rezende Marketing Director
Olivia Kim Photography Director
Hansie Wang Social Media Director
Valentina Chang Operations Director
Lola Thrower Website Director
EDITORIAL Feature Editors Sonia Mehta, Ujjayi Pamidigantam Copy Editors Meredith Devine, Hannah Zhao, Ellie Harris, Eunice Chong Staff Writers Cathy Li, Catherine Sorrentino, Abby Portnoy, Lucas Brienza, Shritha Mandava, Cynthia Schneider, Naya Majeed, Olivia Yun, Elizabeth Collins PHOTOGRAPHY Photographers Priya Bhavikatti, Julia Deng, Gloria Lee, Jasmine Sun, Amanda Herrera, Intel Chen, Yujia Vanessa Huang, Sarah Yoon VIDEOGRAPHY Videographers Hannah Hamdani, Oscar Vasquez • Video Editors Sophia Nehme, Jack Rogers, Jacqueline Davis ART AND DESIGN Illustrators Sheehwa You, Jackie Hu, Isabel Hu, Insia Haque, Isha Bhandaru Designers Insia Haque, Isha Bhandaru, Louise Wang, Cecily Nishimura, Isabella Risoli, Antonia Solar, Claire Redmer, Noelani O’Hare, Naomi Lukov STYLING AND BEAUTY Beauty Stylists Darlene Sam, Adya Gupta, Olivia Wendel, Darya Ameri, Riya Sinha Fashion Stylists Egret Jin, Rebecca Redlich, Dylan Walker, Victoria de la Rosa, Jojo Buccini, Zaria Dancer, Kailah A’Janae Hester, Sarah Kim, Daniel Van Rooyen, Grace Dudek FINANCE Analysts Claudia Bellacosa, Eliza Fogel, Jessica Zhang, Benjamin Swan OPERATIONS Operations Coordinators Noor Majeed, Erika Kurre • Lead Merch Coordinator Madolin Bergman Merch Designers Devdyuti Paul, Gabby Gu • Social Chairs Maathangi Nellicherry, Sam Salcedo Martinez
For more behind the scenes, scan here
Copyright © 2022 The WALK Magazine. All rights reserved. Stories edited by the editorial staff will carry bylines of the original author. Unless noted otherwise, all content is produced by The WALK teams. Please report corrections to thewalkmag@gmail.com. We will post corrections on our website, at www.thewalkmag.com. A copy of Bitch Media’s Touch Issue appears in our cover shoot. This content is not produced by The WALK team. All rights to the Bitch Magazine belong to Bitch Media ©, and The WALK takes no credit. The University of Pennsylvania’s premier fashion magazine, The WALK was founded in 2006 as a student initiative and continues to be a student fueled organization. The WALK Online was launched in 2010 as a sister to the print edition. The WALK aims to satisfy our community’s widely-demanded fashion fix year-round. To get involved or learn about advertising and partnership opportunities, please contact us at thewalkmag@gmail.com.
2
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The WALK ONLINE Website Managing Editor Natalie McTigue • Website Tech Analysts Erin Ma, Caroline Begg Fashion & Culture Editors Lola Thrower, Suhaas Narayanan, Sarah Bender Fashion Writers Shritha Mandava, Paige Gibbons, Chloe Jannelli, Noor Majeed, Grace Dudek, Hannah Dastgheib, Cali Gaer, Amelia Pilot • Culture Writers Joseph Squillaro, Mallika Tatavarti Health & Beauty Editor Natalie McTigue • Health & Beauty Writers Anastasia Kolesnikova, Clara Baurmeister MARKETING Event Coordinators Solunna Nwankwo, Giselle Wagner Brand Outreach Coordinators Samina Kaushek, Myles Dismont Robinson, Bill Chen, Kathleen Chen, Jasmine Gambhir Campus Engagement Coordinators Kate Cunha, Peyton Singletary SOCIAL MEDIA Social Media Content Producers Sarah Bender, Eliza Fogel, Anna Metzger, Jack Rogers, Darya Ameri, Katherine Kim, Elizabeth Basilious Social Media Photographers Margarita Matta, Hannah Hamdani, Anastasia Kolesnikova Social Media Engagement Managers Meredith Devine, Chloe Chang, Irene Pak
The Permanence Issue
3
08
Make it Pop PHOTO ESSAY
14
Nostalgia Fever Fashion The hottest new thing in fashion is actually old
17
What’s Underneath the Denim? Understanding the recurrence of jeans and their rejection of societal norms
20
Forever Fashion
Breaking down what it means to be timeless
22
A Love Letter for You, Philadelphia Sassy commentary combats classism on the big screen (kind of)
24
Between These Walls One artist’s love letter to Philadelphia
30
Vested Interest
Peeking in my grandmother’s closet
34
Cover Look:
PERMANENCE
At times permanence can be progressive. At other times it can be vicious, unforgiving, and pervasive. What does it mean when something shallow is made permanent when something benign is transformed into a mainstay of society and pop culture, doomed to define how we perceive and praise beauty? Barbie figures, supermodels, television, and social media have all contributed to a set of seemingly permanent standards oscillating around the word and concept of beauty. The Barbie doll is the epitome of this unreachable bar: she is blonde, she is plastic, she is white, she is static, and she has been packaged up and sold to children for decades. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Our Barbie photoshoot turns permanence on its head and blurs the hard plastic lines of the barbie-doll world. View more on page 46.
The Art of the Rebrand How companies are staying relevant
36
The Fake Fur Debate: A Faux Pas? The modern environmental ethics of fur and fashion
38
The Frustrating Cycle of Perceived Beauty The paradox of what we believe to be beautiful
42
The Model Off-Duty Toolkit Building the perfect model off-duty wardrobe
44
Keeping Up With Body Image Standards How the Kardashians influence the norm for young women
46
In a Barbie World PHOTO ESSAY
54
The Taint of Eurocentricity Amid tidal waves of change, some standards remain
4
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
5
08
Make it Pop PHOTO ESSAY
14
Nostalgia Fever Fashion The hottest new thing in fashion is actually old
17
What’s Underneath the Denim? Understanding the recurrence of jeans and their rejection of societal norms
20
Forever Fashion
Breaking down what it means to be timeless
22
A Love Letter for You, Philadelphia Sassy commentary combats classism on the big screen (kind of)
24
Between These Walls One artist’s love letter to Philadelphia
30
Vested Interest
Peeking in my grandmother’s closet
34
Cover Look:
PERMANENCE
At times permanence can be progressive. At other times it can be vicious, unforgiving, and pervasive. What does it mean when something shallow is made permanent when something benign is transformed into a mainstay of society and pop culture, doomed to define how we perceive and praise beauty? Barbie figures, supermodels, television, and social media have all contributed to a set of seemingly permanent standards oscillating around the word and concept of beauty. The Barbie doll is the epitome of this unreachable bar: she is blonde, she is plastic, she is white, she is static, and she has been packaged up and sold to children for decades. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Our Barbie photoshoot turns permanence on its head and blurs the hard plastic lines of the barbie-doll world. View more on page 46.
The Art of the Rebrand How companies are staying relevant
36
The Fake Fur Debate: A Faux Pas? The modern environmental ethics of fur and fashion
38
The Frustrating Cycle of Perceived Beauty The paradox of what we believe to be beautiful
42
The Model Off-Duty Toolkit Building the perfect model off-duty wardrobe
44
Keeping Up With Body Image Standards How the Kardashians influence the norm for young women
46
In a Barbie World PHOTO ESSAY
54
The Taint of Eurocentricity Amid tidal waves of change, some standards remain
4
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
5
n the search to find the perfect word to encapsulate our bounty of ideas for the Fall Magazine, Permanence stood out to me. So much is uncertain at this time in our lives: in our personal lives, in college, in the city, and in the wider world. But what stays the same? In our photoshoot based on mural art in Philadelphia, we looked at the permanent displays of beauty and cultural vibrancy in the city we call home. A photographic spotlight on the work of Steve “ESPO” Powers and his Love Letter For You asks readers to reflect on the art that surrounds us, and our relationship with home and comfort. Taking a different spin on the word, our Barbie photoshoot tries to subvert the rigid beauty standards our generation has grown accustomed to: what once seemed permanent can be reclaimed and dressed in pink. Lucas Brienza (C’24) has delved into this idea further with his article Keeping Up With Body Image Standards. Our writers have spun the idea of permanence to look at trends in fashion and culture over time: for example, Libby Collins (C’25) has looked into What’s Behind the Denim, asking why jeans have recurred in the fashion timelines and how this has tied into socio-political protest. Editorial Director Adelyn Chen (W’24) has crafted a beautiful ode to her grandmother in her article Vested Interest, reflecting on the permanence of memories, legacy, and love, stitched into clothes forever. There’s an undeniable sense of permanence in traditions. This semester The WALK has launched a new tradition, hopefully, set to be a mainstay on Penn’s campus for years to come. November 4th saw the inaugural 27L fashion show, a collaboration between The WALK, Penn fraternity Psi Upsilon (Castle) and fashion designers from across Penn’s campus. In a dazzling celebration of student creativity, 27L raised over $2,600 for the People’s Emergency Center in West Philadelphia and gave a platform to budding models, fashion entrepreneurs, and designers. I swell with pride thinking about the host of people who came together to make the event happen.
The theme of permanence has brought me to question what is constant for me—what can I always rely on? This semester, the WALK team has been a rock, a beacon of ideas, enthusiasm, and reliability. Each department has brought to life an aspect of this magazine and they’ve used their amazing talent to produce fashion and culture content on The WALK’s media platforms. This magazine, like every issue, is a credit to the wider WALK team who have worked tirelessly to bring their ideas to the page and into your hands. Each page is crafted with care and each shot is a permanent reminder of the army of support behind the camera: beauty stylists, creative directors, supporters, photographers, videographers and apparel designers can all share in this success. As you flip the pages of the permanence issue, I hope you can reflect on the constants in your own life: the art in your surroundings, the people who feel like home, and the passions that define you. Truly, this issue has been a pleasure to create, and the team a joy to work with.
All my best,
Grace Holden (C’24)
6
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
WEB FEATURES
I
editor
THE WALK FALL/WINTER 2022
Letter from the
The Permanence Issue
7
n the search to find the perfect word to encapsulate our bounty of ideas for the Fall Magazine, Permanence stood out to me. So much is uncertain at this time in our lives: in our personal lives, in college, in the city, and in the wider world. But what stays the same? In our photoshoot based on mural art in Philadelphia, we looked at the permanent displays of beauty and cultural vibrancy in the city we call home. A photographic spotlight on the work of Steve “ESPO” Powers and his Love Letter For You asks readers to reflect on the art that surrounds us, and our relationship with home and comfort. Taking a different spin on the word, our Barbie photoshoot tries to subvert the rigid beauty standards our generation has grown accustomed to: what once seemed permanent can be reclaimed and dressed in pink. Lucas Brienza (C’24) has delved into this idea further with his article Keeping Up With Body Image Standards. Our writers have spun the idea of permanence to look at trends in fashion and culture over time: for example, Libby Collins (C’25) has looked into What’s Behind the Denim, asking why jeans have recurred in the fashion timelines and how this has tied into socio-political protest. Editorial Director Adelyn Chen (W’24) has crafted a beautiful ode to her grandmother in her article Vested Interest, reflecting on the permanence of memories, legacy, and love, stitched into clothes forever. There’s an undeniable sense of permanence in traditions. This semester The WALK has launched a new tradition, hopefully, set to be a mainstay on Penn’s campus for years to come. November 4th saw the inaugural 27L fashion show, a collaboration between The WALK, Penn fraternity Psi Upsilon (Castle) and fashion designers from across Penn’s campus. In a dazzling celebration of student creativity, 27L raised over $2,600 for the People’s Emergency Center in West Philadelphia and gave a platform to budding models, fashion entrepreneurs, and designers. I swell with pride thinking about the host of people who came together to make the event happen.
The theme of permanence has brought me to question what is constant for me—what can I always rely on? This semester, the WALK team has been a rock, a beacon of ideas, enthusiasm, and reliability. Each department has brought to life an aspect of this magazine and they’ve used their amazing talent to produce fashion and culture content on The WALK’s media platforms. This magazine, like every issue, is a credit to the wider WALK team who have worked tirelessly to bring their ideas to the page and into your hands. Each page is crafted with care and each shot is a permanent reminder of the army of support behind the camera: beauty stylists, creative directors, supporters, photographers, videographers and apparel designers can all share in this success. As you flip the pages of the permanence issue, I hope you can reflect on the constants in your own life: the art in your surroundings, the people who feel like home, and the passions that define you. Truly, this issue has been a pleasure to create, and the team a joy to work with.
All my best,
Grace Holden (C’24)
6
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
WEB FEATURES
I
editor
THE WALK FALL/WINTER 2022
Letter from the
The Permanence Issue
7
make it
P O P
8
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
9
make it
P O P
8
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
9
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The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
11
10
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
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The WALK Magazine
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STYLED BY REBECCA REDLICH, DYLAN WALKER, VICTORIA DE LA ROSA, JOJO BUCCI. NI, .DANIEL . VAN . ROOYEN, . . GRACE . .DUDEK, . VICTOIRA ROSA , KAILAH A’JANAE . HESTER. . MAKEUP . .BY RIYA . SINHA, . . ADYA . GUPTA, . .DARYA AMERI. MODELED BY KATHERINE KIM, RICHTER BATOON, CHLOE JANNELI, XUAN NGUYEN. . PHOTOGRAPHED . . . BY . OLIVIA . .KIM,.INTEL CHEN, GLORIA LEE. EDITED BY OLIVIA KIM, INTEL CHEN, GLORIA LEE. . . . . . . .
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The Permanence Issue
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STYLED BY REBECCA REDLICH, DYLAN WALKER, VICTORIA DE LA ROSA, JOJO BUCCI. NI, .DANIEL . VAN . ROOYEN, . . GRACE . .DUDEK, . VICTOIRA ROSA , KAILAH A’JANAE . HESTER. . MAKEUP . .BY RIYA . SINHA, . . ADYA . GUPTA, . .DARYA AMERI. MODELED BY KATHERINE KIM, RICHTER BATOON, CHLOE JANNELI, XUAN NGUYEN. . PHOTOGRAPHED . . . BY . OLIVIA . .KIM,.INTEL CHEN, GLORIA LEE. EDITED BY OLIVIA KIM, INTEL CHEN, GLORIA LEE. . . . . . . .
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the hottest
NEW THING
in fashion is actually
OLD
I
f you look around campus, you might spot Nike sneakers on students that look a bit retro for 2022. If you ask your parents, they might tell you those shoes were the coolest sneakers during their teenage years. Indeed, Nike has been reintroducing products originally made in the 1970s and 80s, such as the Blazer ‘77s. Nike is not the only brand that has started to sell original products again; other clothing and shoe brands have contributed to this fashion phenomenon as well. This phenomenon reflects continuous fashion cycles and their nostalgic impact on the fashion industry. The fashion world has recently experienced a craze for vintage and second-hand pieces. According to Refinery29, resale companies such as Depop and Poshmark are some of the fastest-growing developments in the industry. This sensation is due to cycles of fashion that fade and resurface every couple decades, and a concept of nostalgia that revitalizes successful eras of style. It is impossible to deny the recurrence of recent Y2K fashion trends, such as low-waisted jeans and cami tops, that influence the products we see in storefronts.
As a result, brands have been returning to brand originals. Popular players like Nike, Adidas, and even Juicy Couture are offering original products that were defining pieces of past fashion eras. Wearing these pieces evokes reminiscence of older time periods. In the 2000s, for example, famous celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Jennifer Lopez wore the iconic Juicy Couture tracksuit that is now back in stores as a bestseller. The tracksuits, made of velvet in bright colors, are central to the Juicy’s blingy brand image. This is a stark contrast to even just seven years ago, when Juicy Couture’s 2015 Spring collection heavily incorporated bohemian and nautical elements. This trend can also be observed in media, such as iconic TV shows and movies setting their time periods in the past. Beloved shows such as Bridgerton, Peaky Blinders, and Stranger Things have contributed to the nostalgia factor in pop culture. One can recognize these trends even in the beauty world; bleached eyebrows, which originally emerged in the 90s, are yet another example, as well as glittery skin from the 2000s. According to the Zoe Report, this strategic use of nostalgia is nothing new in
Why popular companies are returning to brand originals
14
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
15
the hottest
NEW THING
in fashion is actually
OLD
I
f you look around campus, you might spot Nike sneakers on students that look a bit retro for 2022. If you ask your parents, they might tell you those shoes were the coolest sneakers during their teenage years. Indeed, Nike has been reintroducing products originally made in the 1970s and 80s, such as the Blazer ‘77s. Nike is not the only brand that has started to sell original products again; other clothing and shoe brands have contributed to this fashion phenomenon as well. This phenomenon reflects continuous fashion cycles and their nostalgic impact on the fashion industry. The fashion world has recently experienced a craze for vintage and second-hand pieces. According to Refinery29, resale companies such as Depop and Poshmark are some of the fastest-growing developments in the industry. This sensation is due to cycles of fashion that fade and resurface every couple decades, and a concept of nostalgia that revitalizes successful eras of style. It is impossible to deny the recurrence of recent Y2K fashion trends, such as low-waisted jeans and cami tops, that influence the products we see in storefronts.
As a result, brands have been returning to brand originals. Popular players like Nike, Adidas, and even Juicy Couture are offering original products that were defining pieces of past fashion eras. Wearing these pieces evokes reminiscence of older time periods. In the 2000s, for example, famous celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Jennifer Lopez wore the iconic Juicy Couture tracksuit that is now back in stores as a bestseller. The tracksuits, made of velvet in bright colors, are central to the Juicy’s blingy brand image. This is a stark contrast to even just seven years ago, when Juicy Couture’s 2015 Spring collection heavily incorporated bohemian and nautical elements. This trend can also be observed in media, such as iconic TV shows and movies setting their time periods in the past. Beloved shows such as Bridgerton, Peaky Blinders, and Stranger Things have contributed to the nostalgia factor in pop culture. One can recognize these trends even in the beauty world; bleached eyebrows, which originally emerged in the 90s, are yet another example, as well as glittery skin from the 2000s. According to the Zoe Report, this strategic use of nostalgia is nothing new in
Why popular companies are returning to brand originals
14
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
15
WHAT’S UNDERNEATH
THE DENIM?
Jeans have spanned a vast amount of time and their recurrence throughout fashion reveals a timeline of sociopolitical protests. the fashion world. Fashion designers have been drawing inspiration from past trends for years, even implementing concepts from the Renaissance era on high-fashion runways. Returning to brand originals is yet another symptom of “nostalgia fever” in the fashion world. These new developments will surely influence the future of fashion and suggest possible implications for retail consumption. In the future, other eras of successful fashion trends will likely resurface, as well as the continuity of 70s, 80s, and 00s revival. Fashion brands will utilize this strategy to play on consumers’ nostalgia and future clothes that are released.
BY LIVVY YUN ILLUSTRATIONS BY CATHERINE LIU DESIGN BY ANTONIA SOLAR
16
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
BY ELIZABETH COLLINS ILLUSTRATION BY ISHA BHANDARU DESIGN BY NAOMI LUKOV
G
oing out to dinner, headed into the office, getting your groceries or taking on a new craft project? Chances are, you’re wearing jeans or you’ve considered wearing them. Jeans are defined by their universality; they are not designed for any one person or occasion. In fact, you may not even be able to go a day without seeing a pair of jeans. However, the denim staple was not always meant for everyone’s closet. I asked Dr. Jessa Lingel, Associate Professor of Communication at Annenberg, to provide insight into how different marginalized groups have worn jeans throughout eras of fashion to reveal underlying ideologies. Jessa notes that fashion trends tend to recycle every twenty-five to thirty years and exemplifies this through the recent return of ’80s goth style: corsets, vinyl and black lace. She makes an important comment about the return of fashion trends, saying “it can’t be too new or it’s just passe. You have to wait a certain amount of time before it can be rediscovered and, in an idealistic way, injected with new meaning or a new set of values.” When an article of clothing returns after 30 years, it has the opportunity to take on new meaning within the current state of society. As jeans have resurfaced throughout time, their purpose has been recontextualized, offering a glimpse into different societal struggles faced by marginalized groups.
Jessa describes jeans as a unique clothing item: They are always reinvented, as opposed to being abandoned and then rediscovered. Jeans have spanned a vast amount of time and embodied different purposes throughout their lifespan. They began as a commodity for lower-class working men and are now worn by a wide spectrum of individuals. By looking at their evolution, we can understand different rebellions against societal norms. Let’s begin with the 1960s. Jessa describes the stylistic era as a “countercultural movement that embraces torn jeans”.
The Permanence Issue
17
WHAT’S UNDERNEATH
THE DENIM?
Jeans have spanned a vast amount of time and their recurrence throughout fashion reveals a timeline of sociopolitical protests. the fashion world. Fashion designers have been drawing inspiration from past trends for years, even implementing concepts from the Renaissance era on high-fashion runways. Returning to brand originals is yet another symptom of “nostalgia fever” in the fashion world. These new developments will surely influence the future of fashion and suggest possible implications for retail consumption. In the future, other eras of successful fashion trends will likely resurface, as well as the continuity of 70s, 80s, and 00s revival. Fashion brands will utilize this strategy to play on consumers’ nostalgia and future clothes that are released.
BY LIVVY YUN ILLUSTRATIONS BY CATHERINE LIU DESIGN BY ANTONIA SOLAR
16
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
BY ELIZABETH COLLINS ILLUSTRATION BY ISHA BHANDARU DESIGN BY NAOMI LUKOV
G
oing out to dinner, headed into the office, getting your groceries or taking on a new craft project? Chances are, you’re wearing jeans or you’ve considered wearing them. Jeans are defined by their universality; they are not designed for any one person or occasion. In fact, you may not even be able to go a day without seeing a pair of jeans. However, the denim staple was not always meant for everyone’s closet. I asked Dr. Jessa Lingel, Associate Professor of Communication at Annenberg, to provide insight into how different marginalized groups have worn jeans throughout eras of fashion to reveal underlying ideologies. Jessa notes that fashion trends tend to recycle every twenty-five to thirty years and exemplifies this through the recent return of ’80s goth style: corsets, vinyl and black lace. She makes an important comment about the return of fashion trends, saying “it can’t be too new or it’s just passe. You have to wait a certain amount of time before it can be rediscovered and, in an idealistic way, injected with new meaning or a new set of values.” When an article of clothing returns after 30 years, it has the opportunity to take on new meaning within the current state of society. As jeans have resurfaced throughout time, their purpose has been recontextualized, offering a glimpse into different societal struggles faced by marginalized groups.
Jessa describes jeans as a unique clothing item: They are always reinvented, as opposed to being abandoned and then rediscovered. Jeans have spanned a vast amount of time and embodied different purposes throughout their lifespan. They began as a commodity for lower-class working men and are now worn by a wide spectrum of individuals. By looking at their evolution, we can understand different rebellions against societal norms. Let’s begin with the 1960s. Jessa describes the stylistic era as a “countercultural movement that embraces torn jeans”.
The Permanence Issue
17
Up until the ’60s, patch kits were used to fix ripped jeans. By covering up distressed jeans, patch kits disguised the connotations of poverty associated with having torn jeans. In the ’60s, rips and tears were favored, redefining jean-wearers of the time. As Jessa noted, the embrace of ripped jeans symbolized a “rejection of consumerism and class politics”. If you wore ripped jeans in the ’60s, you were rebelling against classism and the stereotypes associated with distressed clothing. 30 years later, jeans were reinvented as a fashion trend in the punk and alternative culture of the 1990s. This time, Jessa describes their resurface as a “narrative about geopolitics, globalization, and labor”. Consumers in the ’90s pushed back on unethical labor practices by purchasing thrifted clothes and rejecting fast fashion companies. This shift in consumer attitude resulted in people buying less new jeans and embracing their old ones, despite any tears or rips. Simultaneously, people rejected the preppiness of the decades prior, resulting in an uptick in distressed jeans and grunge style. In the ’90s, jeans continued to embody a rejection of unethical politics and classism but replaced the preppy look once associated with this movement. Ripped jeans as grunge style blurred the lines between masculine and feminine and foreshadowed a less patriarchal society. Torn jeans have resurfaced, this time carrying a different message about society. Jessa is more unsure about how the current trend in jeans rejects societal norms or originates in a political movement. However, she notes that jeans are looser and more comfortable, perhaps signaling an embrace of body positivity. Jessa says, “there is also a push in the 2020s towards more androgynous clothing: clothing that doesn’t subscribe to very hegemonic binary gender modes.’’ As we yet again embrace ripped jeans, there is a shift to a more body-positive and gender-fluid culture, but it is hard to directly link the events when we are living in the time of their resurface. Jeans are much more than a clothing item for dinner, work, grocery shopping or crafting; they are a window to a timeline of societal shifts and changes. When held up to the right light, there is so much more underneath the harsh denim and stitching of a pair of jeans. In the ’60s, jeans stood for a rejection of consumerism. In the ’90s, they mirrored the grunge culture. Today, they reject gender norms. I do not doubt that jeans will continue to evolve with society and take on an abundance of new meanings and values going forward.
18
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
19
Up until the ’60s, patch kits were used to fix ripped jeans. By covering up distressed jeans, patch kits disguised the connotations of poverty associated with having torn jeans. In the ’60s, rips and tears were favored, redefining jean-wearers of the time. As Jessa noted, the embrace of ripped jeans symbolized a “rejection of consumerism and class politics”. If you wore ripped jeans in the ’60s, you were rebelling against classism and the stereotypes associated with distressed clothing. 30 years later, jeans were reinvented as a fashion trend in the punk and alternative culture of the 1990s. This time, Jessa describes their resurface as a “narrative about geopolitics, globalization, and labor”. Consumers in the ’90s pushed back on unethical labor practices by purchasing thrifted clothes and rejecting fast fashion companies. This shift in consumer attitude resulted in people buying less new jeans and embracing their old ones, despite any tears or rips. Simultaneously, people rejected the preppiness of the decades prior, resulting in an uptick in distressed jeans and grunge style. In the ’90s, jeans continued to embody a rejection of unethical politics and classism but replaced the preppy look once associated with this movement. Ripped jeans as grunge style blurred the lines between masculine and feminine and foreshadowed a less patriarchal society. Torn jeans have resurfaced, this time carrying a different message about society. Jessa is more unsure about how the current trend in jeans rejects societal norms or originates in a political movement. However, she notes that jeans are looser and more comfortable, perhaps signaling an embrace of body positivity. Jessa says, “there is also a push in the 2020s towards more androgynous clothing: clothing that doesn’t subscribe to very hegemonic binary gender modes.’’ As we yet again embrace ripped jeans, there is a shift to a more body-positive and gender-fluid culture, but it is hard to directly link the events when we are living in the time of their resurface. Jeans are much more than a clothing item for dinner, work, grocery shopping or crafting; they are a window to a timeline of societal shifts and changes. When held up to the right light, there is so much more underneath the harsh denim and stitching of a pair of jeans. In the ’60s, jeans stood for a rejection of consumerism. In the ’90s, they mirrored the grunge culture. Today, they reject gender norms. I do not doubt that jeans will continue to evolve with society and take on an abundance of new meanings and values going forward.
18
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
19
FOREVER FASHION From the runway to our closet, we balance the trends with the classics. But how do we decide which pieces get to stay and which have to go?
It’s resilient in the way that it overcomes the challenges of the trend cycle, adaptable so that it can constantly be recreated yet not become something we’re tired of seeing. By taking a closer look at some of our favorite classic pieces, like the little black dress or Chanel flap purse, we can see that it isn’t necessarily a brand name or silhouette that allows a piece to encompass all of the above characteristics. Rather, it’s the basic structure or color of the piece that makes it so it works on different occasions, making it adaptable and not overly intricate, allowing it not to be dated to a certain point in time.
BY NAYA MA JEED ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHEEHWA YOU DESIGN BY NOELANI O’HARE
O
nce a style or article of clothing is considered timeless, it is officially frozen in time, thereby withstanding all the months, seasons, and years to succeed it. This is a coveted title to bear; we hear in the media all the time about how to add timeless pieces to your wardrobe and how to curate a style you’ll still love ten years from now. But looking beyond the concept of time, what does this truly mean? To start, timelessness is several things: resilient and adaptable, yet not overdone.
“Where fashion and style can blend together...” But if timelessness is such a prized title to achieve, why don’t we see more of the same designs so everyone can dress timelessly? This is where fashion and style can blend together. Looking back at the little black dress example, one person may prefer theirs to be plain while another tends toward a few more embellishments and embroidery. Yet, beneath all the ornamentation, the foundation of the black dress is fundamentally the same. Cultivating a timeless style, then, appears to be about finding the most simple functional form of a piece and adapting it to your own taste. By doing so, you can find that piece you’ll want to wear many years down the road but still have it be different from something you owned last year or the year before.
“...to create our own ideas of timelessness.” While there seems to be a standardized checklist when curating our wardrobe, at the end of the day timelessness ultimately varies for everyone. We don’t have to follow what social media or magazines tell us to wear—looking at the idea of timelessness in fashion can help us make these judgments for ourselves. It can aid in deciding what characteristics to look for in these pieces, to create our own examples of timelessness. Because in the end, the ultimate goal is the same: to wear something that we want to last longer than a trend.
20
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
21
FOREVER FASHION From the runway to our closet, we balance the trends with the classics. But how do we decide which pieces get to stay and which have to go?
It’s resilient in the way that it overcomes the challenges of the trend cycle, adaptable so that it can constantly be recreated yet not become something we’re tired of seeing. By taking a closer look at some of our favorite classic pieces, like the little black dress or Chanel flap purse, we can see that it isn’t necessarily a brand name or silhouette that allows a piece to encompass all of the above characteristics. Rather, it’s the basic structure or color of the piece that makes it so it works on different occasions, making it adaptable and not overly intricate, allowing it not to be dated to a certain point in time.
BY NAYA MA JEED ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHEEHWA YOU DESIGN BY NOELANI O’HARE
O
nce a style or article of clothing is considered timeless, it is officially frozen in time, thereby withstanding all the months, seasons, and years to succeed it. This is a coveted title to bear; we hear in the media all the time about how to add timeless pieces to your wardrobe and how to curate a style you’ll still love ten years from now. But looking beyond the concept of time, what does this truly mean? To start, timelessness is several things: resilient and adaptable, yet not overdone.
“Where fashion and style can blend together...” But if timelessness is such a prized title to achieve, why don’t we see more of the same designs so everyone can dress timelessly? This is where fashion and style can blend together. Looking back at the little black dress example, one person may prefer theirs to be plain while another tends toward a few more embellishments and embroidery. Yet, beneath all the ornamentation, the foundation of the black dress is fundamentally the same. Cultivating a timeless style, then, appears to be about finding the most simple functional form of a piece and adapting it to your own taste. By doing so, you can find that piece you’ll want to wear many years down the road but still have it be different from something you owned last year or the year before.
“...to create our own ideas of timelessness.” While there seems to be a standardized checklist when curating our wardrobe, at the end of the day timelessness ultimately varies for everyone. We don’t have to follow what social media or magazines tell us to wear—looking at the idea of timelessness in fashion can help us make these judgments for ourselves. It can aid in deciding what characteristics to look for in these pieces, to create our own examples of timelessness. Because in the end, the ultimate goal is the same: to wear something that we want to last longer than a trend.
20
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
21
A LOVE LETTER TO YOU, PHILADELPHIA
22
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
23
A LOVE LETTER TO YOU, PHILADELPHIA
22
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
23
BETWEEN THESE WALLS Across Philadelphia, mural art gives voice to the community. Artists like Steve “ESPO” Powers, creator of a 20-block long Love Letter to Philadelphia, have inspired The WALK’s photoshoot and have much to teach us about creativity, finding a voice, and finding a home
B
link and you miss it. As the El train races down the Market Frankford line, “Hold Tight” is splashed in bold lettering on a wall at the 51st Street block of Market Street. Two arms, painted with care, reach across the broad building, extending strength and a sense of understanding to unsuspecting onlookers. A Love Letter For You is Steve “ESPO” Powers’ landmark mural art project, created in 2010 in collaboration with the Philadelphia Mural Arts, the local community, and the Pew Centre for Arts and Heritage. His carefully crafted billboards span across the city and inject color and life between 45th and 63rd Street. The much-cherished public art project is composed of a series of 50 rooftop murals and runs parallel to the Market-Frankford elevated train line in West Philadelphia. It’s hard to believe from the campus bubble that the largest single-artist mural project in the entire United States spans just 5 train stops, a journey as quick as six minutes, from Penn’s campus edge. Reminiscent of love notes stuffed in back pockets, or lettering left on a bathroom mirror: Powers evokes an innocent and sincere form of appreciation in his art project. Love for the city, Powers’ love for a girl, and love for the feeling of home are what struck me as I gazed out of the window of the SEPTA train, going westbound from 40th and Market Street Station. “If you were here I’d be home now”, “Your everafter is all I’m after”, and “I had a nice dream about you” are just three of the phrases written in vibrant colors along the Market Street corridor. In his own words, this project is a “letter for one, with meaning for all.”
A CITY CAST IN BRIGHT COLOR
F
or anyone who has taken a short walk around Philadelphia, it’s no secret that art is something of a lifeblood for the city. Art is critical to a Philadelphian sense of self and place. From one street to the next, colors, messages, stories and a sense of cultural vibrancy come together to honor the identities which make up Philadelphia. The history of the city and the voice of its people are carried through some of my favorite murals. At 4048 Chestnut Street, artists Willis Humphrey and Keri Johnston have created Colouful Legacy, a piece created under the umbrella of the Mural Arts initiative “Building Brotherhood: Engaging Males of Color.” The project is centered on a set of town hall meetings and workshops, facilitating open conversation between Philadelphia men of color. A street viewer has to stare at the colorful masterpieces for a few moments to gain the full extent of its meaning: words such as “proud”, “help”, “truth” and “king” jump out of the vibrant branches of the painting. Venture off campus and you might find works such as Pride and Progress, set just above a parking lot on 13th and Spruce Street. Artist Ann Northrup has covered the entire side wall of the William Way LGBT Community Center with a moving homage to queer identities in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Pride parade takes center stage, but
24
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
Northrup also depicts the “Annual Reminder”, the name for the LGBT+ rights demonstrations held at Independence Hall in the 1960s. Wandering deeper into the city, projected across a wall at 207 North Broad Street is a landmark project by Miss Rockaway Armada: How to Turn Anything into Something Else. In the creative process for this visual burst of imagination and joy, a team of artists engaged with students aged 10-15 from Philadelphia to develop the imagery for the mural. With artistic direction, these kids created a world of wonder and escape, a dazzling visual tale of otherworldly characters, creatures, and capabilities. The power of whimsical imagination and childish glee bursts out of the wall, setting Broad Street in bright colors and giving residents and visitors a moment of escape.
FEELS LIKE HOME
A
Love Letter to the City is clearly just one of many moving reflections of the vibrant character of Philadelphia’s distinct voice and people. Since the rooftop signs went up in 2010, Powers has realized Love Letter projects in Dublin, Johannesburg, São Paolo, Syracuse, and New York. But, as a Philadelphia native himself, Powers’ Market Street Corridor masterpiece is particularly special, carrying forth the voices of the West Philadelphia host community like a microphone. And his words aren’t only written to pull on the heartstrings of born-and-raised Philadelphians. I know for me, Philadelphia has been the city I’ve planted roots in. I hail from Birmingham in the West Midlands county of England: Spruce, Walnut, Chestnut and Market Streets have been the cherished backdrop for all of my most formative memories of adulthood and college life. “If you were here I’d be home now”, the poignant words of Powers, capture how I feel about the people I know and love in Philadelphia. For my junior year, I landed at Philadelphia International Airport on a muggy Saturday in late August. I had spent four long months away from Penn’s campus, I knocked on the door of my new off-campus apartment on Spruce Street and was greeted by my three beautiful roommates. Stories of the summer were exchanged and arms were flung around necks for long-awaited embraces. Speaking over each other we shared anecdotes, and homemade dinner, ingredients fresh from Clark Park farmers market. We made plans to decorate the empty apartment around us; empty in an exhilarating way, in that it was full of promise and sure to hold new memories, new friends, and new dinner table conversations for the next two years. The words of Love Letter—nestled at the corner of Farson Street and Market—speak to the relief of having found this family, and this comfort, so far away from home: “Knocked on your door/ legs tired back sore/ migraine for sure/ no more I swore/ you smile, I’m cured.” The sincerity of Powers’ work speaks to all of us who have found love in Philadelphia.
BY GRACE HOLDEN
The Permanence Issue
25
BETWEEN THESE WALLS Across Philadelphia, mural art gives voice to the community. Artists like Steve “ESPO” Powers, creator of a 20-block long Love Letter to Philadelphia, have inspired The WALK’s photoshoot and have much to teach us about creativity, finding a voice, and finding a home
B
link and you miss it. As the El train races down the Market Frankford line, “Hold Tight” is splashed in bold lettering on a wall at the 51st Street block of Market Street. Two arms, painted with care, reach across the broad building, extending strength and a sense of understanding to unsuspecting onlookers. A Love Letter For You is Steve “ESPO” Powers’ landmark mural art project, created in 2010 in collaboration with the Philadelphia Mural Arts, the local community, and the Pew Centre for Arts and Heritage. His carefully crafted billboards span across the city and inject color and life between 45th and 63rd Street. The much-cherished public art project is composed of a series of 50 rooftop murals and runs parallel to the Market-Frankford elevated train line in West Philadelphia. It’s hard to believe from the campus bubble that the largest single-artist mural project in the entire United States spans just 5 train stops, a journey as quick as six minutes, from Penn’s campus edge. Reminiscent of love notes stuffed in back pockets, or lettering left on a bathroom mirror: Powers evokes an innocent and sincere form of appreciation in his art project. Love for the city, Powers’ love for a girl, and love for the feeling of home are what struck me as I gazed out of the window of the SEPTA train, going westbound from 40th and Market Street Station. “If you were here I’d be home now”, “Your everafter is all I’m after”, and “I had a nice dream about you” are just three of the phrases written in vibrant colors along the Market Street corridor. In his own words, this project is a “letter for one, with meaning for all.”
A CITY CAST IN BRIGHT COLOR
F
or anyone who has taken a short walk around Philadelphia, it’s no secret that art is something of a lifeblood for the city. Art is critical to a Philadelphian sense of self and place. From one street to the next, colors, messages, stories and a sense of cultural vibrancy come together to honor the identities which make up Philadelphia. The history of the city and the voice of its people are carried through some of my favorite murals. At 4048 Chestnut Street, artists Willis Humphrey and Keri Johnston have created Colouful Legacy, a piece created under the umbrella of the Mural Arts initiative “Building Brotherhood: Engaging Males of Color.” The project is centered on a set of town hall meetings and workshops, facilitating open conversation between Philadelphia men of color. A street viewer has to stare at the colorful masterpieces for a few moments to gain the full extent of its meaning: words such as “proud”, “help”, “truth” and “king” jump out of the vibrant branches of the painting. Venture off campus and you might find works such as Pride and Progress, set just above a parking lot on 13th and Spruce Street. Artist Ann Northrup has covered the entire side wall of the William Way LGBT Community Center with a moving homage to queer identities in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Pride parade takes center stage, but
24
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
Northrup also depicts the “Annual Reminder”, the name for the LGBT+ rights demonstrations held at Independence Hall in the 1960s. Wandering deeper into the city, projected across a wall at 207 North Broad Street is a landmark project by Miss Rockaway Armada: How to Turn Anything into Something Else. In the creative process for this visual burst of imagination and joy, a team of artists engaged with students aged 10-15 from Philadelphia to develop the imagery for the mural. With artistic direction, these kids created a world of wonder and escape, a dazzling visual tale of otherworldly characters, creatures, and capabilities. The power of whimsical imagination and childish glee bursts out of the wall, setting Broad Street in bright colors and giving residents and visitors a moment of escape.
FEELS LIKE HOME
A
Love Letter to the City is clearly just one of many moving reflections of the vibrant character of Philadelphia’s distinct voice and people. Since the rooftop signs went up in 2010, Powers has realized Love Letter projects in Dublin, Johannesburg, São Paolo, Syracuse, and New York. But, as a Philadelphia native himself, Powers’ Market Street Corridor masterpiece is particularly special, carrying forth the voices of the West Philadelphia host community like a microphone. And his words aren’t only written to pull on the heartstrings of born-and-raised Philadelphians. I know for me, Philadelphia has been the city I’ve planted roots in. I hail from Birmingham in the West Midlands county of England: Spruce, Walnut, Chestnut and Market Streets have been the cherished backdrop for all of my most formative memories of adulthood and college life. “If you were here I’d be home now”, the poignant words of Powers, capture how I feel about the people I know and love in Philadelphia. For my junior year, I landed at Philadelphia International Airport on a muggy Saturday in late August. I had spent four long months away from Penn’s campus, I knocked on the door of my new off-campus apartment on Spruce Street and was greeted by my three beautiful roommates. Stories of the summer were exchanged and arms were flung around necks for long-awaited embraces. Speaking over each other we shared anecdotes, and homemade dinner, ingredients fresh from Clark Park farmers market. We made plans to decorate the empty apartment around us; empty in an exhilarating way, in that it was full of promise and sure to hold new memories, new friends, and new dinner table conversations for the next two years. The words of Love Letter—nestled at the corner of Farson Street and Market—speak to the relief of having found this family, and this comfort, so far away from home: “Knocked on your door/ legs tired back sore/ migraine for sure/ no more I swore/ you smile, I’m cured.” The sincerity of Powers’ work speaks to all of us who have found love in Philadelphia.
BY GRACE HOLDEN
The Permanence Issue
25
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
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OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
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OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
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OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
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OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
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The WALK Magazine
The Permanence Issue
Fall 2022
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO 27
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
26
The WALK Magazine
The Permanence Issue
Fall 2022
OU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YOU WERE HERE I’D BE HOME NOW
IF YO 27
IF YO
DIRECTED BY CONNOR BRANDON, MEGHA RAMAN, GRACE HOLDEN. STYLED BY SARAH KIM, GRACE DUDEK, JOJO BUCCINI, VICTORIA ROSA, DANIEL VAN ROOYEN. MAKEUP BY RIYA SINHA, ADYA GUPTA, DARYA AMERI, OLIVIA WENDEL. MODELED BY BELLA OZOMARO, BERNADETTE HODGES. PHOTOGRAPHED BY OLIVIA KIM, AMANDA HERRERA, JASMINE SUN. EDITED BY AMANDA HERRERA, JASMINE SUN.
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DIRECTED BY CONNOR BRANDON, MEGHA RAMAN, GRACE HOLDEN. STYLED BY SARAH KIM, GRACE DUDEK, JOJO BUCCINI, VICTORIA ROSA, DANIEL VAN ROOYEN. MAKEUP BY RIYA SINHA, ADYA GUPTA, DARYA AMERI, OLIVIA WENDEL. MODELED BY BELLA OZOMARO, BERNADETTE HODGES. PHOTOGRAPHED BY OLIVIA KIM, AMANDA HERRERA, JASMINE SUN. EDITED BY AMANDA HERRERA, JASMINE SUN.
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F
Vested Interest There is a memory in every stitch that lasts forever. BY ADELYN CHEN ILLUSTRATION BY JACKIE HU, ISHA BHANDARU DESIGN BY ISHA BHANDARU
or a long time, I thought my grandmother was going to live forever. I know it sounds comically naive, but in my defense, the belief was grounded in a great deal of evidence. Each time my grandmother faced a physical condition that would cripple any regular person, she came back stronger than ever before. She took a fall soon after I was born (to my already exhausted mother’s chagrin) and, upon recovery, no longer needed to use a walker. She fought off breast cancer and cataracts, and the progression of her Alzheimer’s was, all things considered, relatively slow. Less than two years ago, at the ripe old age of ninety-four, my grandmother underwent colon cancer surgery, a procedure the hospital would never have performed if not for my mother’s rightful certainty of her resilience. Not only did she completely bounce back, somehow even her memory improved; she remembered my name, and who I was, for the first time in years. At some point, it felt like she was playing hide-and-seek with the grim reaper, and she was winning by a mile. But this year when her colon cancer once again reared its ugly head, the doctors refused to operate a second time, on the basis of her age and the recency of her previous surgery. She was placed in hospice care—the hospital’s sign of surrender, and a death sentence by any other name. Thus began a long, slow decline that culminated in her no longer talking or eating during her final days. I remained in disbelief for the better part of four months, holding out hope that she would miraculously make a full recovery all on her own. If anyone could do it, I figured, it would be her. Of course, even the strongest soldiers can only fight so many battles. My grandmother passed away quietly one night in September, with my mother by her side. Just under two weeks later, I stood in the closet in her newly empty bedroom, searching for something of hers to wear to the funeral in her honor. I still hadn’t come to terms with her mortality—I half-expected to wake up from this bad dream, to turn around and see her sitting in her recliner, playing mahjong on her iPad. As I sifted through her collection, the sensation of a familiar fabric filled my eyes with tears. A quilted, cobalt blue vest with teddy bears embroidered on it stared back at me as I tried to regain my composure. Up until her Alzheimer’s diagnosis six years ago, when she moved in with us permanently, my grandmother spent half of every year living with us in America, and the other half in Taiwan. Whenever she was here, she would peel and dice apples for me to scarf down after school, buy ingredients at the local Asian supermarket to make dumplings from scratch, or stroll through the backyard and bask in the California sun. She always wore the vest, and she made a tender habit of enveloping me in it (back when I was still small enough to climb into her lap). It was a simple pleasure that I always took for granted.
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The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
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F
Vested Interest There is a memory in every stitch that lasts forever. BY ADELYN CHEN ILLUSTRATION BY JACKIE HU, ISHA BHANDARU DESIGN BY ISHA BHANDARU
or a long time, I thought my grandmother was going to live forever. I know it sounds comically naive, but in my defense, the belief was grounded in a great deal of evidence. Each time my grandmother faced a physical condition that would cripple any regular person, she came back stronger than ever before. She took a fall soon after I was born (to my already exhausted mother’s chagrin) and, upon recovery, no longer needed to use a walker. She fought off breast cancer and cataracts, and the progression of her Alzheimer’s was, all things considered, relatively slow. Less than two years ago, at the ripe old age of ninety-four, my grandmother underwent colon cancer surgery, a procedure the hospital would never have performed if not for my mother’s rightful certainty of her resilience. Not only did she completely bounce back, somehow even her memory improved; she remembered my name, and who I was, for the first time in years. At some point, it felt like she was playing hide-and-seek with the grim reaper, and she was winning by a mile. But this year when her colon cancer once again reared its ugly head, the doctors refused to operate a second time, on the basis of her age and the recency of her previous surgery. She was placed in hospice care—the hospital’s sign of surrender, and a death sentence by any other name. Thus began a long, slow decline that culminated in her no longer talking or eating during her final days. I remained in disbelief for the better part of four months, holding out hope that she would miraculously make a full recovery all on her own. If anyone could do it, I figured, it would be her. Of course, even the strongest soldiers can only fight so many battles. My grandmother passed away quietly one night in September, with my mother by her side. Just under two weeks later, I stood in the closet in her newly empty bedroom, searching for something of hers to wear to the funeral in her honor. I still hadn’t come to terms with her mortality—I half-expected to wake up from this bad dream, to turn around and see her sitting in her recliner, playing mahjong on her iPad. As I sifted through her collection, the sensation of a familiar fabric filled my eyes with tears. A quilted, cobalt blue vest with teddy bears embroidered on it stared back at me as I tried to regain my composure. Up until her Alzheimer’s diagnosis six years ago, when she moved in with us permanently, my grandmother spent half of every year living with us in America, and the other half in Taiwan. Whenever she was here, she would peel and dice apples for me to scarf down after school, buy ingredients at the local Asian supermarket to make dumplings from scratch, or stroll through the backyard and bask in the California sun. She always wore the vest, and she made a tender habit of enveloping me in it (back when I was still small enough to climb into her lap). It was a simple pleasure that I always took for granted.
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The Permanence Issue
31
“
My grandmother relegated the vest to the back of her closet ages ago—not long after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis—and at the time, I hardly noticed. For years it was out of sight, out of mind. But the minute I brought it out from her closet and tried it on, my vision was flooded with flashbacks. Welcoming her back from Taiwan every year, excitedly helping her unpack the endless snacks and clothing she brought for me and my sisters. Tapping out her favorite Teresa Teng song on the piano so she could sing along, albeit for the most part offbeat. Happily accepting defeat in every single game of mahjong we played—she beat us regardless of her Alzheimer’s. Feeding her curiosity about a mobile farming game I played, struggling to describe its elements to her in Mandarin as she observed in fascination. As I reminisced about the love and laughter my grandmother always brought me even amid her ailments, I felt as if she was imbuing me with the very strength that I once believed would carry her to the ends of the earth.
The trouble with these simple pleasures is that they often slip away unnoticed long before their value becomes apparent.
”
Despite its early retirement, even the vest itself no longer has the youth that my grandmother once did. It is wrinkled, the color has faded from the collar, and loose threads run wild. But that frayed condition is what displays the depth of memories that it has soaked up, and the significance it holds to me and my family. Many of the memories in the seams of this vest are uniquely mine; I can choose not to share them with anyone else, a fact that brings me a touch of solace as I come to accept that going forward, I have to share my grandmother with heaven. The vest now has a special place in my closet, the same way my grandmother will always have a special place in my heart. It helps me remember her the way I think she would want to be remembered: as a carefree spirit who symbolizes faith, hope, and love. I carry her legacy through everything she taught me, from mahjong to making dumplings to life lessons, and every time I see the vest I am reminded of how blessed I am to have her as my grandmother. And so, as fantastical as it sounds, I think I was right. My grandmother will live forever.
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The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
33
“
My grandmother relegated the vest to the back of her closet ages ago—not long after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis—and at the time, I hardly noticed. For years it was out of sight, out of mind. But the minute I brought it out from her closet and tried it on, my vision was flooded with flashbacks. Welcoming her back from Taiwan every year, excitedly helping her unpack the endless snacks and clothing she brought for me and my sisters. Tapping out her favorite Teresa Teng song on the piano so she could sing along, albeit for the most part offbeat. Happily accepting defeat in every single game of mahjong we played—she beat us regardless of her Alzheimer’s. Feeding her curiosity about a mobile farming game I played, struggling to describe its elements to her in Mandarin as she observed in fascination. As I reminisced about the love and laughter my grandmother always brought me even amid her ailments, I felt as if she was imbuing me with the very strength that I once believed would carry her to the ends of the earth.
The trouble with these simple pleasures is that they often slip away unnoticed long before their value becomes apparent.
”
Despite its early retirement, even the vest itself no longer has the youth that my grandmother once did. It is wrinkled, the color has faded from the collar, and loose threads run wild. But that frayed condition is what displays the depth of memories that it has soaked up, and the significance it holds to me and my family. Many of the memories in the seams of this vest are uniquely mine; I can choose not to share them with anyone else, a fact that brings me a touch of solace as I come to accept that going forward, I have to share my grandmother with heaven. The vest now has a special place in my closet, the same way my grandmother will always have a special place in my heart. It helps me remember her the way I think she would want to be remembered: as a carefree spirit who symbolizes faith, hope, and love. I carry her legacy through everything she taught me, from mahjong to making dumplings to life lessons, and every time I see the vest I am reminded of how blessed I am to have her as my grandmother. And so, as fantastical as it sounds, I think I was right. My grandmother will live forever.
32
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
33
The Art of the Rebrand:
How c o m p a n i e s a re stayi ng re l eva nt BY CYNTHIA SCHNEIDER ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHEEHWA YOU DESIGN BY CLAIRE REDMER
With consumer attention shifting more quickly than ever, it’s up to the brands to keep up
M
illennia old brands cannot stay the same forever. Even if a company is a few decades or years old, it is not sustainable for a brand to do the same thing year after year. Similar to “eras” in a musical artist’s career, brands try to reinvent themselves once in a while to keep the attention of customers on their clothes or to bring in a new audience. This is called a rebrand. Rebranding can entail a company completely changing its image or identity in the public eye, altering its logo and the make of most of its inventory. A more subdued version of this could be called a refresh—but both can be very powerful for the longevity of a brand. This rebrand can be seen in commercial fast fashion brands as well as contemporary or luxury brands. The most famous successful rebrand is from the luxury brand Burberry. In the early 2000s, its sales were plummeting due to negatively perceived associations with “chavs” in England. Despite this, they spent years separating themselves from these negative images. In 2018, they officially changed their brand logo to make it more minimalist and contemporary by using modernized sans serif font. This has now been called “blanding”. Abercrombie, associated with that scary time in the 2010s full of ultra-long polo shirts and skinny jeans, now feels refreshed and on par with its contemporaries like Zara or H&M. Less of a rebrand and more of a comeback, Abercrombie improved the quality of its garments and widened the scope of its inventory. The company’s inventory has changed from the outdated styles catered to preteen to teenage girls of the 2010s to a modern, yet classic style for all ages.
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The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
Marc Jacobs, a contemporary retail company, had lost some of the brand recognition and exclusivity it once had, until 2020 when the label launched Heaven by Marc Jacobs. They tuned in to a new audience: Gen Z. The Heaven line is a masterclass in how to market clothes to a specific audience. Heaven’s multicolored, textured, and grunge styles, with homages to cult-classic movies like The Virgin Suicides, tap into everything trendy for people under the age of 25. Other companies should follow suit and realize how powerful Gen Z is for the future of the fashion industry and fashion economy.
What all these examples show is how to keep a brand from going bankrupt. This can be achieved in a number of ways: through overhaul, niche, or audience. For example, at the time of Burberry’s shift in the 2000s, the brand was disappearing from stores and stocks were taking a nosedive. Now, Burberry is a respectable high-end fashion brand well known for its clothing, perfumes, bags, and more. Burberry had a complete overhaul of its brand identity and aesthetic changes in its logo, website, and advertising. This can be especially important for brands in dire need of change. Abercrombie and Marc Jacobs shifted their audience and niche, albeit quite differently. Bringing in a new market of buyers requires much more than following trends; it is embracing the sensibilities of these trendy aesthetics and styles. Marc Jacobs embraced Gen Z’s love for color, maximalism, vintage clothes (particularly Y2K-inspired aesthetics) and media to unlock its now cult-like fanbase. Abercrombie, on the other hand, widened its range of potential buyers. Rebranding isn’t the only strategy, but regardless, companies don’t simply live for over 100 or even 25 years by regurgitating the same looks every season. Brands don’t survive when the public starts associating negative groups with their brand identity. In those circumstances, it is vital for brands to refresh or rebuild. According to an article in Vogue Business, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more and more companies or fashion retailers on the brink of bankruptcy, including Francesca’s, Express, and American Eagle, and a major shift in their image could save them. With a whole new consumer landscape, online and off, companies have already begun to adapt to keep their businesses afloat for ages.
The Permanence Issue
35
The Art of the Rebrand:
How c o m p a n i e s a re stayi ng re l eva nt BY CYNTHIA SCHNEIDER ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHEEHWA YOU DESIGN BY CLAIRE REDMER
With consumer attention shifting more quickly than ever, it’s up to the brands to keep up
M
illennia old brands cannot stay the same forever. Even if a company is a few decades or years old, it is not sustainable for a brand to do the same thing year after year. Similar to “eras” in a musical artist’s career, brands try to reinvent themselves once in a while to keep the attention of customers on their clothes or to bring in a new audience. This is called a rebrand. Rebranding can entail a company completely changing its image or identity in the public eye, altering its logo and the make of most of its inventory. A more subdued version of this could be called a refresh—but both can be very powerful for the longevity of a brand. This rebrand can be seen in commercial fast fashion brands as well as contemporary or luxury brands. The most famous successful rebrand is from the luxury brand Burberry. In the early 2000s, its sales were plummeting due to negatively perceived associations with “chavs” in England. Despite this, they spent years separating themselves from these negative images. In 2018, they officially changed their brand logo to make it more minimalist and contemporary by using modernized sans serif font. This has now been called “blanding”. Abercrombie, associated with that scary time in the 2010s full of ultra-long polo shirts and skinny jeans, now feels refreshed and on par with its contemporaries like Zara or H&M. Less of a rebrand and more of a comeback, Abercrombie improved the quality of its garments and widened the scope of its inventory. The company’s inventory has changed from the outdated styles catered to preteen to teenage girls of the 2010s to a modern, yet classic style for all ages.
34
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
Marc Jacobs, a contemporary retail company, had lost some of the brand recognition and exclusivity it once had, until 2020 when the label launched Heaven by Marc Jacobs. They tuned in to a new audience: Gen Z. The Heaven line is a masterclass in how to market clothes to a specific audience. Heaven’s multicolored, textured, and grunge styles, with homages to cult-classic movies like The Virgin Suicides, tap into everything trendy for people under the age of 25. Other companies should follow suit and realize how powerful Gen Z is for the future of the fashion industry and fashion economy.
What all these examples show is how to keep a brand from going bankrupt. This can be achieved in a number of ways: through overhaul, niche, or audience. For example, at the time of Burberry’s shift in the 2000s, the brand was disappearing from stores and stocks were taking a nosedive. Now, Burberry is a respectable high-end fashion brand well known for its clothing, perfumes, bags, and more. Burberry had a complete overhaul of its brand identity and aesthetic changes in its logo, website, and advertising. This can be especially important for brands in dire need of change. Abercrombie and Marc Jacobs shifted their audience and niche, albeit quite differently. Bringing in a new market of buyers requires much more than following trends; it is embracing the sensibilities of these trendy aesthetics and styles. Marc Jacobs embraced Gen Z’s love for color, maximalism, vintage clothes (particularly Y2K-inspired aesthetics) and media to unlock its now cult-like fanbase. Abercrombie, on the other hand, widened its range of potential buyers. Rebranding isn’t the only strategy, but regardless, companies don’t simply live for over 100 or even 25 years by regurgitating the same looks every season. Brands don’t survive when the public starts associating negative groups with their brand identity. In those circumstances, it is vital for brands to refresh or rebuild. According to an article in Vogue Business, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more and more companies or fashion retailers on the brink of bankruptcy, including Francesca’s, Express, and American Eagle, and a major shift in their image could save them. With a whole new consumer landscape, online and off, companies have already begun to adapt to keep their businesses afloat for ages.
The Permanence Issue
35
THE FAKE FUR DEBATE: A FAUX PAS?
The modern environmental ethics of fur and fashion As the fake fur debate moves into the 21st century, consumers have to confront the ethical issues in their own closets.
F
ur has always been a hot-button issue in the fashion industry, but in 2022, is it still a conversation? Real fur isn’t in vogue the way it used to be; where it once may have been the height of fashion to wear mink, these days you may be more likely to get fake blood thrown at you than a compliment. In other words, the critics were successful. Who can wear real fur now without calling to mind some poor little furry critter who died for your hat?
both to produce and to raise. Some brands even source fur from nonfarm animals to minimize participation in the farm industrial complex. Select Canada Goose jackets have coyote fur lining their hoods, which comes from wild coyote packs in Canada. This may ease the pressure on Canada’s caribou population, which has been consistently threatened by growing coyote packs. It might even be better for the environment than a faux fur hood or jacket.
Critics of fur who deemed it cruel have successfully opened the market for fake fur. While the debate over faux versus real fur hasn’t been settled, many designers have banned the use of real fur in their work. From Gucci to Burberry, plenty of brands with real sway in the fashion world have put their influence behind faux fur, citing animal cruelty.
Overall, using animal products for our fashion tastes will never be acceptable to many people. But as the environmental cost of the fashion industry becomes more and more obvious, the appeal of buying real fur new (or upcycled!) is also rising. After all, is fake fur helping destroy the planet? Fast fashion and overconsumption certainly are. Maybe fake fur isn’t the disease, but a symptom. Our problem is bigger than fur; it's as big as factories powered by fossil fuels, clothes made out of petroleum, and microfibers in our water. The debate over fur isn’t going anywhere, but it's crucial that consumers know what they value when they pick up a garment: real or faux.
Animal rights activists will tell you that using real fur is cruel and unethical. The argument that no living creature should die for fashion is compelling and appeals to our sense of morality. However, environmentalists will tell you that fur is unethical in an entirely different way: it may be cruelty free, but the plastic it’s made out of does serious environmental damage. While many companies that produce faux fur argue that they do so sustainably, most faux furs are made from polyester or acrylic, meaning that they biodegrade very slowly—if at all. With synthetic microfibers from clothing made with rayon, polyester, or acrylics filling our oceans and even our tap water, maybe real fur is the better choice. At least we know it won’t stick around to contaminate our planet for hundreds of years. But even though real fur degrades, its carbon footprint isn’t simple. For example, producing mink fur has a higher environmental impact than almost any other textile. That’s because the adorable mammals are actually vicious carnivores, and feeding them takes a toll. But not all fur is produced so exorbitantly: alpaca and rabbit fur are very sustainable,
BY CATHERINE SORRENTINO, ILLUSTRATIONS BY ISABEL HU, DESIGN BY CECILY NISHIMURA
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THE FAKE FUR DEBATE: A FAUX PAS?
The modern environmental ethics of fur and fashion As the fake fur debate moves into the 21st century, consumers have to confront the ethical issues in their own closets.
F
ur has always been a hot-button issue in the fashion industry, but in 2022, is it still a conversation? Real fur isn’t in vogue the way it used to be; where it once may have been the height of fashion to wear mink, these days you may be more likely to get fake blood thrown at you than a compliment. In other words, the critics were successful. Who can wear real fur now without calling to mind some poor little furry critter who died for your hat?
both to produce and to raise. Some brands even source fur from nonfarm animals to minimize participation in the farm industrial complex. Select Canada Goose jackets have coyote fur lining their hoods, which comes from wild coyote packs in Canada. This may ease the pressure on Canada’s caribou population, which has been consistently threatened by growing coyote packs. It might even be better for the environment than a faux fur hood or jacket.
Critics of fur who deemed it cruel have successfully opened the market for fake fur. While the debate over faux versus real fur hasn’t been settled, many designers have banned the use of real fur in their work. From Gucci to Burberry, plenty of brands with real sway in the fashion world have put their influence behind faux fur, citing animal cruelty.
Overall, using animal products for our fashion tastes will never be acceptable to many people. But as the environmental cost of the fashion industry becomes more and more obvious, the appeal of buying real fur new (or upcycled!) is also rising. After all, is fake fur helping destroy the planet? Fast fashion and overconsumption certainly are. Maybe fake fur isn’t the disease, but a symptom. Our problem is bigger than fur; it's as big as factories powered by fossil fuels, clothes made out of petroleum, and microfibers in our water. The debate over fur isn’t going anywhere, but it's crucial that consumers know what they value when they pick up a garment: real or faux.
Animal rights activists will tell you that using real fur is cruel and unethical. The argument that no living creature should die for fashion is compelling and appeals to our sense of morality. However, environmentalists will tell you that fur is unethical in an entirely different way: it may be cruelty free, but the plastic it’s made out of does serious environmental damage. While many companies that produce faux fur argue that they do so sustainably, most faux furs are made from polyester or acrylic, meaning that they biodegrade very slowly—if at all. With synthetic microfibers from clothing made with rayon, polyester, or acrylics filling our oceans and even our tap water, maybe real fur is the better choice. At least we know it won’t stick around to contaminate our planet for hundreds of years. But even though real fur degrades, its carbon footprint isn’t simple. For example, producing mink fur has a higher environmental impact than almost any other textile. That’s because the adorable mammals are actually vicious carnivores, and feeding them takes a toll. But not all fur is produced so exorbitantly: alpaca and rabbit fur are very sustainable,
BY CATHERINE SORRENTINO, ILLUSTRATIONS BY ISABEL HU, DESIGN BY CECILY NISHIMURA
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theFRUSTRATING
CYCLE of Perceived Beauty A deeper look at how beauty both diminishes and empowers women
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M
y smudged mascara clouds my vision as I mindlessly scroll through TikTok. One video catches my eye—a girl moving her face up and down to the beat of a rap song, eyes carefully made up with eyeshadow. She is staring us, her audience, down. The visible text reads: “doe eyes vs…” The beat drops. Hands at the sides of her eyes, fingers tugging the skin around her eyes upward, she turns her face to reveal the other eye. Yet it’s noticeably different. This eye is sleeker, snatched upwards by black lines and heavy mascara. The text now reads “siren eye.” Makeup TikTok trends like “the siren vs. doe eye” fascinate me, because they bear more similarity to fads than trends, yet they also recycle the same message every few years. Blink and you’ll miss it, but look closely; the “siren eye” is just the rebranded version of “the cat eye”, often marketed as giving makeup-wearers a bolder, sexier look. “Siren eyes” communicate that the person behind the painted eye intends to appeal to a certain desire, just as “doe eyes” pander to another audience that would find that attractive. The key here is to fixate not on the makeup itself, but on how the person wearing the makeup looks wants to be perceived. Clearly then, makeup is beyond what is face value. There is a social connotation that endures beyond the stroke of a brush.
Trends are temporary, but certain beauty conventions persist eternally. I raise a quizzical brow at the recycling of aesthetic trends, especially in the context of how beauty plays a role in power distribution. Beauty trends hold significance because they assert women into powerful social positions as women attain more freedom in a male-dominated society. But because beauty trends and fads change every so often, the definition of what it means to be liberated in a patriarchal culture also changes. However, let’s face it: women receive attention whether they like it or not, and that means something in the perception economy, beyond the physical application of makeup. Makeup alters us physically, and therefore changes the way we are seen. The social connotations of makeup are meant to “empower” women, but trends like “the siren vs. doe eye” trend hide something a little more sinister because it is riddled with contradictions and complexity. In the lens of beauty and aesthetics, the social position of women both endures and falters, a contradiction made more frustrating in an age where women have more access than ever to define what womanhood means to them. Websites sell them colorful makeup that communicates to passing pedestrians that yes they went to art school, and there are shapewear companies that radically alter the female phy-
The Permanence Issue
39
theFRUSTRATING
CYCLE of Perceived Beauty A deeper look at how beauty both diminishes and empowers women
38
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
M
y smudged mascara clouds my vision as I mindlessly scroll through TikTok. One video catches my eye—a girl moving her face up and down to the beat of a rap song, eyes carefully made up with eyeshadow. She is staring us, her audience, down. The visible text reads: “doe eyes vs…” The beat drops. Hands at the sides of her eyes, fingers tugging the skin around her eyes upward, she turns her face to reveal the other eye. Yet it’s noticeably different. This eye is sleeker, snatched upwards by black lines and heavy mascara. The text now reads “siren eye.” Makeup TikTok trends like “the siren vs. doe eye” fascinate me, because they bear more similarity to fads than trends, yet they also recycle the same message every few years. Blink and you’ll miss it, but look closely; the “siren eye” is just the rebranded version of “the cat eye”, often marketed as giving makeup-wearers a bolder, sexier look. “Siren eyes” communicate that the person behind the painted eye intends to appeal to a certain desire, just as “doe eyes” pander to another audience that would find that attractive. The key here is to fixate not on the makeup itself, but on how the person wearing the makeup looks wants to be perceived. Clearly then, makeup is beyond what is face value. There is a social connotation that endures beyond the stroke of a brush.
Trends are temporary, but certain beauty conventions persist eternally. I raise a quizzical brow at the recycling of aesthetic trends, especially in the context of how beauty plays a role in power distribution. Beauty trends hold significance because they assert women into powerful social positions as women attain more freedom in a male-dominated society. But because beauty trends and fads change every so often, the definition of what it means to be liberated in a patriarchal culture also changes. However, let’s face it: women receive attention whether they like it or not, and that means something in the perception economy, beyond the physical application of makeup. Makeup alters us physically, and therefore changes the way we are seen. The social connotations of makeup are meant to “empower” women, but trends like “the siren vs. doe eye” trend hide something a little more sinister because it is riddled with contradictions and complexity. In the lens of beauty and aesthetics, the social position of women both endures and falters, a contradiction made more frustrating in an age where women have more access than ever to define what womanhood means to them. Websites sell them colorful makeup that communicates to passing pedestrians that yes they went to art school, and there are shapewear companies that radically alter the female phy-
The Permanence Issue
39
“Trends are temporary, but certain beauty conventions persist eternally. ” -sique to the point that the “after” photos could very much be taken of another body. Everywhere, there are underlying messages in products marketed to us: What kind of story do you want to tell? Who do you want to be desired by? Are you empowered yet? Makeup and other mediums of cosmetic enhancement are modes of expression in which women can take control of their bodies and of their lives. These narratives are further punctuated by the recent meteoric rises of both “the girlboss” and reproductive justice movements. However, empowerment cannot exist without pushback. This empowerment movement also allows problematic men like influencer Andrew Tate to come out of the woodwork. In the shadows of every “empowered woman” lies an audience of men who will continue to vilely accost women about their lives online no matter what they do. For a more obvious political extent of this confusing cultural zeitgeist that both lauds and diminishes women, look no further than former President Trump, who made abhorrent comments about women and their appearances. Grab her by the pussy. First-rate pussy. The fight to reclaim their bodies for themselves is as warranted as it is frustrating. To me, these enduring messages have persisted throughout the test of time: be beautiful, be presentable, be desirable. Women synthesize messages of desire and internalize them to define themselves, but
the way they do so first and foremost pedestals and centers the male gaze. The doe eye and siren eye trend essentially posits that women can either be desirable in two ways: demure and innocent or sexy and wild. These two identities are male fantasies, in which men can relish in the fact that women only exist as objects of desire, all while women are allegedly giving authorization to their own bodies through their perception of beauty. The makeup industry is a male creation catered to women. Men have profited off women attempting to define and express themselves, and it’s getting more confusing who the audience for this expression is. Is it for themselves? Is it for men? Can it be for both? Although cultural contexts have shifted and modes of expression are much different from before, this frustrating cycle of perceived beauty still exists. Interpreting desire is tricky. Women cycle through the same diminishing messages over and over again. Though it may seem like just another TikTok trend, the cultural implications are far beyond the #foryou page scroll. The neverending messages of both empowerment and misogyny lie right under your nose, between your (siren and doe) eyes, so keep an eye out for them the next time you scroll through TikTok.
BY CATHY LI ILLUSTRATION BY INSIA HAQUE DESIGN BY MEA AYERS
40
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
41
“Trends are temporary, but certain beauty conventions persist eternally. ” -sique to the point that the “after” photos could very much be taken of another body. Everywhere, there are underlying messages in products marketed to us: What kind of story do you want to tell? Who do you want to be desired by? Are you empowered yet? Makeup and other mediums of cosmetic enhancement are modes of expression in which women can take control of their bodies and of their lives. These narratives are further punctuated by the recent meteoric rises of both “the girlboss” and reproductive justice movements. However, empowerment cannot exist without pushback. This empowerment movement also allows problematic men like influencer Andrew Tate to come out of the woodwork. In the shadows of every “empowered woman” lies an audience of men who will continue to vilely accost women about their lives online no matter what they do. For a more obvious political extent of this confusing cultural zeitgeist that both lauds and diminishes women, look no further than former President Trump, who made abhorrent comments about women and their appearances. Grab her by the pussy. First-rate pussy. The fight to reclaim their bodies for themselves is as warranted as it is frustrating. To me, these enduring messages have persisted throughout the test of time: be beautiful, be presentable, be desirable. Women synthesize messages of desire and internalize them to define themselves, but
the way they do so first and foremost pedestals and centers the male gaze. The doe eye and siren eye trend essentially posits that women can either be desirable in two ways: demure and innocent or sexy and wild. These two identities are male fantasies, in which men can relish in the fact that women only exist as objects of desire, all while women are allegedly giving authorization to their own bodies through their perception of beauty. The makeup industry is a male creation catered to women. Men have profited off women attempting to define and express themselves, and it’s getting more confusing who the audience for this expression is. Is it for themselves? Is it for men? Can it be for both? Although cultural contexts have shifted and modes of expression are much different from before, this frustrating cycle of perceived beauty still exists. Interpreting desire is tricky. Women cycle through the same diminishing messages over and over again. Though it may seem like just another TikTok trend, the cultural implications are far beyond the #foryou page scroll. The neverending messages of both empowerment and misogyny lie right under your nose, between your (siren and doe) eyes, so keep an eye out for them the next time you scroll through TikTok.
BY CATHY LI ILLUSTRATION BY INSIA HAQUE DESIGN BY MEA AYERS
40
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
The Permanence Issue
41
the
MODEL off-duty toolkit
Five pieces to curate the looks that are all the rage on social media right now
3. Clean White Shoes Grab a pair of white sneakers or boots, pair them with a cropped tee, jeans, and an oversized blazer and you’ve achieved the perfect model off-duty look. White sneakers are here to stay and a nice clean pair is an investment that’s definitely worth it. White shoes will go with any outfit and ensure that you look polished wherever you’re headed.
BY ABBY PORTNOY ILLUSTRATIONS BY CATHERINE LIU DESIGN BY ISABELLA RISOLI
As we scroll through social media, we notice celebrities in custom-tailored ball gowns or fresh off the runway looks, looking chic and put together. We marvel at these outfit choices, imagining ourselves on the carpet of the infamous Met Gala.
4. Athleisure Set Whether you’re running errands or hanging out at a friend’s house, a matching top and leggings is a perfect go-to-look. Athleisure sets are a quick, easy way to coordinate an outfit and look fashionable.
These icons, however, also appear on our social media feeds wearing simple, timeless outfits. Photos like these are taken when celebrities call the paparazzi on themselves, curating their personal image while giving the fans what they want. With just a few basic pieces, you too can easily achieve their “model off-duty” look.
1. Cropped Basic White Tee At times, we all think that we have nothing to wear. By pairing a cropped white tee with a cute pair of jeans, like renowned model and author Emily Ratajkowski, you can quickly create an outfit that you’ll feel comfortable and fashionable in. A basic white tee will never go out of style.
5. Simple Accessories
2. Oversized Blazer Throw an oversized blazer over your white tee and you’ve just elevated your staple look while keeping it classy. Wear your blazer over a matching sweatsuit and even though you may have just rolled out of bed, your outfit will look meticulously planned. Oversized blazers are an essential piece that you can wear to the grocery store, class, or even a bar with friends. No matter how you style your oversized blazer, you’ll walk out the door feeling stylish and sophisticated.
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A black shoulder bag, chunky sunglasses, gold hoops, and minimalistic necklaces can elevate your model off-duty look. With a few affordable accessories, you’ll dress up your outfit and effortlessly top it off with mainstay items. Accessorizing your outfit will complete your look with a hint of your unique, personal style. Many of these pieces can be found on Amazon or on different fashion influencers’ marketplaces, where you can see how these influencers have styled them.
These are some of my favorite go-to pieces, but as long as you focus on simplicity, contrast the size of your clothing items, and add some unique finishing touches, you can easily pair your pieces and master the model off-duty look.
The Permanence Issue
43
the
MODEL off-duty toolkit
Five pieces to curate the looks that are all the rage on social media right now
3. Clean White Shoes Grab a pair of white sneakers or boots, pair them with a cropped tee, jeans, and an oversized blazer and you’ve achieved the perfect model off-duty look. White sneakers are here to stay and a nice clean pair is an investment that’s definitely worth it. White shoes will go with any outfit and ensure that you look polished wherever you’re headed.
BY ABBY PORTNOY ILLUSTRATIONS BY CATHERINE LIU DESIGN BY ISABELLA RISOLI
As we scroll through social media, we notice celebrities in custom-tailored ball gowns or fresh off the runway looks, looking chic and put together. We marvel at these outfit choices, imagining ourselves on the carpet of the infamous Met Gala.
4. Athleisure Set Whether you’re running errands or hanging out at a friend’s house, a matching top and leggings is a perfect go-to-look. Athleisure sets are a quick, easy way to coordinate an outfit and look fashionable.
These icons, however, also appear on our social media feeds wearing simple, timeless outfits. Photos like these are taken when celebrities call the paparazzi on themselves, curating their personal image while giving the fans what they want. With just a few basic pieces, you too can easily achieve their “model off-duty” look.
1. Cropped Basic White Tee At times, we all think that we have nothing to wear. By pairing a cropped white tee with a cute pair of jeans, like renowned model and author Emily Ratajkowski, you can quickly create an outfit that you’ll feel comfortable and fashionable in. A basic white tee will never go out of style.
5. Simple Accessories
2. Oversized Blazer Throw an oversized blazer over your white tee and you’ve just elevated your staple look while keeping it classy. Wear your blazer over a matching sweatsuit and even though you may have just rolled out of bed, your outfit will look meticulously planned. Oversized blazers are an essential piece that you can wear to the grocery store, class, or even a bar with friends. No matter how you style your oversized blazer, you’ll walk out the door feeling stylish and sophisticated.
42
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
A black shoulder bag, chunky sunglasses, gold hoops, and minimalistic necklaces can elevate your model off-duty look. With a few affordable accessories, you’ll dress up your outfit and effortlessly top it off with mainstay items. Accessorizing your outfit will complete your look with a hint of your unique, personal style. Many of these pieces can be found on Amazon or on different fashion influencers’ marketplaces, where you can see how these influencers have styled them.
These are some of my favorite go-to pieces, but as long as you focus on simplicity, contrast the size of your clothing items, and add some unique finishing touches, you can easily pair your pieces and master the model off-duty look.
The Permanence Issue
43
BODY IMAGE
IMPERMANENCE How the Kardashians influence the norm for young women
BY LUCAS BRIENZA ILLUSSTRATIONS BY INSIA HAQUE DESIGN BY LOUISE WANG
D
espite several reform attempts by body-positive influencers, Instagram remains a hotbed of negative beauty standard content. Celebrities that dominate the social media platform, such as the Kardashians, surely contribute to unrealistic expectations of beauty. The ordinary working woman lacks the time and resources that a Kardashian devotes to refining her look, and the beauty standards these media moguls promote are unattainable. If you’re still not convinced, just look at Kim Kardashian’s retouched photographs—they’re the epitome of unrealistic. Since digitally altering images has become common practice, the “slim” ideal has grown
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even slimmer and less achievable for the typical woman. While it is not illegal to edit a photo or get plastic surgery, body-positive influencer Mik Zazon, 26, told The New York Post that not being honest about it is “manipulating authenticity”. The knowledge we have been given and what we see on social media has driven us to neglect our bodies and invest in resources that make us continuously distrust our appearance. The dilemma of what constitutes “healthy” can be answered in various ways, because “healthy” looks and feels different for everyone. Most importantly, health is neither a beauty standard nor a fashion statement, but taking care of your body in whichever way works best for you.
This is why many millennials are so vocal about body acceptance on social media— because they are outraged at celebrities for promoting fake appetite suppressant pills and sought-after looks that have been altered beyond recognition. The notion of “Heroine Chic” perfectly encapsulates 90s aesthetic ideals. The trend wasn’t about drugs; it was about the thin ideal that everyone was addicted to and what advertising promoted. Since millennials have already felt the long-term impacts of a distorted sense of normalcy, it is up to the younger generation to disrupt the cycle of sustaining a false reality regarding body image. With the rise of the Kardashians and other surgically altered reality stars, our deadly infatuation with beauty
has led us to battle fillers, filters, and FaceTune. The current trend seems to be to have a tiny waist, a huge butt, and a chiseled jawline. Today, we’re witnessing a development of the perilous beauty standards imposed in the 1990s. While the idea may appear different, the focus remains on thinness, showing that we need change now more than ever.
The Permanence Issue
45
BODY IMAGE
IMPERMANENCE How the Kardashians influence the norm for young women
BY LUCAS BRIENZA ILLUSSTRATIONS BY INSIA HAQUE DESIGN BY LOUISE WANG
D
espite several reform attempts by body-positive influencers, Instagram remains a hotbed of negative beauty standard content. Celebrities that dominate the social media platform, such as the Kardashians, surely contribute to unrealistic expectations of beauty. The ordinary working woman lacks the time and resources that a Kardashian devotes to refining her look, and the beauty standards these media moguls promote are unattainable. If you’re still not convinced, just look at Kim Kardashian’s retouched photographs—they’re the epitome of unrealistic. Since digitally altering images has become common practice, the “slim” ideal has grown
44
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Fall 2022
even slimmer and less achievable for the typical woman. While it is not illegal to edit a photo or get plastic surgery, body-positive influencer Mik Zazon, 26, told The New York Post that not being honest about it is “manipulating authenticity”. The knowledge we have been given and what we see on social media has driven us to neglect our bodies and invest in resources that make us continuously distrust our appearance. The dilemma of what constitutes “healthy” can be answered in various ways, because “healthy” looks and feels different for everyone. Most importantly, health is neither a beauty standard nor a fashion statement, but taking care of your body in whichever way works best for you.
This is why many millennials are so vocal about body acceptance on social media— because they are outraged at celebrities for promoting fake appetite suppressant pills and sought-after looks that have been altered beyond recognition. The notion of “Heroine Chic” perfectly encapsulates 90s aesthetic ideals. The trend wasn’t about drugs; it was about the thin ideal that everyone was addicted to and what advertising promoted. Since millennials have already felt the long-term impacts of a distorted sense of normalcy, it is up to the younger generation to disrupt the cycle of sustaining a false reality regarding body image. With the rise of the Kardashians and other surgically altered reality stars, our deadly infatuation with beauty
has led us to battle fillers, filters, and FaceTune. The current trend seems to be to have a tiny waist, a huge butt, and a chiseled jawline. Today, we’re witnessing a development of the perilous beauty standards imposed in the 1990s. While the idea may appear different, the focus remains on thinness, showing that we need change now more than ever.
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in a world
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in a world
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DIRECTED BY CONNOR BRANDON, MEGHA RAMAN, GRACE HOLDON. STYLED BY KAILAH A’JANAE HESTER, VICTORIA ROSA. MAKEUP BY RIYA SINHA, ADYA GUPTA, DARYA AMERI. MODELED BY SEMMA ALFATLAWI, MICHAEL KONU, AREEBAH AHMED, BEVERLY FENG, MARISSA KESSE, PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMANDA HERRERA, JULIA DENG. EDITED BY AMANDA HERRERA, JULIA DENG
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DIRECTED BY CONNOR BRANDON, MEGHA RAMAN, GRACE HOLDON. STYLED BY KAILAH A’JANAE HESTER, VICTORIA ROSA. MAKEUP BY RIYA SINHA, ADYA GUPTA, DARYA AMERI. MODELED BY SEMMA ALFATLAWI, MICHAEL KONU, AREEBAH AHMED, BEVERLY FENG, MARISSA KESSE, PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMANDA HERRERA, JULIA DENG. EDITED BY AMANDA HERRERA, JULIA DENG
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The Taint of
EUROCENTRICITY
Countless movements have urged fashion to be more inclusive, but how much progress have we really made? BY SHRITHA MANDAVA ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACKIE HU DESIGN BY INSIA HAQUE
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When you think of “fashion,” what city comes to mind?
P
erhaps it’s New York City, our bustling pride and joy, home to hundreds of fashion headquarters. Or Paris, arguably the oldest fashion capital of the world, where designers flock every year to show off their work. We can’t forget Milan, a notorious powerhouse for fashion, or even London for birthing countless fashion creatives. These four cities are wildly different in almost every way, but one thing binds them together: they’re in the west. Eurocentricity is the biased worldview focused on Western civilizations that has plagued fashion for decades. Dating back to artistic depictions of colonization, we see non-westerners being put in primly sewed dresses and crisp tailored shirts, as they are forced to assimilate into the westerners’ culture. Meanwhile, their feathers and furs are taken back to Europe and incorporated into European fashion with little regard for their origins. Thus began decades of pushing away non-Western clothing or repurposing it when convenient.
The taint of eurocentricity seeps into fashion in every way from who we watch on the runway to the latest trends. Diversity in fashion has been a hot topic this past decade with limited progress. Fashion is reluctant to hire and showcase people of different backgrounds, despite being such an influence on what society deems “beautiful.” After 2020, there was a considerable push to increase the hiring of people of color and many brands committed to the movement. However, change was quickly reverted once the “momentum” had passed. For example, there was noticeably less diversity on the runway at New York Fashion Week 2021 than 2020. Size inclusivity is another movement related to diversity that brands are certainly attempting to incorporate, but more screen time of different sized models doesn’t necessarily correlate with permanent change. The typical runway model is still exactly what you would expect. It begs the question: how genuine are these shifts to diversity? Subsequently, how deeply rooted is eurocentricity that, even with the influence of movements such as the Black Lives Matter, Asian Hate, and Body Positivity, we are unable to create change? Permanence isn’t always a good thing—especially in fashion. Growing up as a South Asian in America, to me beauty meant aspiring to be everything I was not. As a first generation American, I already felt out of place in everything from the food my family ate to the words I mispronounced. Insecurity and misplacement followed me like a shadow I so desperately sought to escape and, through it all, I found comfort in fashion. Fashion has been my thrill, my refuge, my freedom. It has been my empowerment when I lacked confidence. It has given me a voice when I felt voiceless.
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The Taint of
EUROCENTRICITY
Countless movements have urged fashion to be more inclusive, but how much progress have we really made? BY SHRITHA MANDAVA ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACKIE HU DESIGN BY INSIA HAQUE
54
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
When you think of “fashion,” what city comes to mind?
P
erhaps it’s New York City, our bustling pride and joy, home to hundreds of fashion headquarters. Or Paris, arguably the oldest fashion capital of the world, where designers flock every year to show off their work. We can’t forget Milan, a notorious powerhouse for fashion, or even London for birthing countless fashion creatives. These four cities are wildly different in almost every way, but one thing binds them together: they’re in the west. Eurocentricity is the biased worldview focused on Western civilizations that has plagued fashion for decades. Dating back to artistic depictions of colonization, we see non-westerners being put in primly sewed dresses and crisp tailored shirts, as they are forced to assimilate into the westerners’ culture. Meanwhile, their feathers and furs are taken back to Europe and incorporated into European fashion with little regard for their origins. Thus began decades of pushing away non-Western clothing or repurposing it when convenient.
The taint of eurocentricity seeps into fashion in every way from who we watch on the runway to the latest trends. Diversity in fashion has been a hot topic this past decade with limited progress. Fashion is reluctant to hire and showcase people of different backgrounds, despite being such an influence on what society deems “beautiful.” After 2020, there was a considerable push to increase the hiring of people of color and many brands committed to the movement. However, change was quickly reverted once the “momentum” had passed. For example, there was noticeably less diversity on the runway at New York Fashion Week 2021 than 2020. Size inclusivity is another movement related to diversity that brands are certainly attempting to incorporate, but more screen time of different sized models doesn’t necessarily correlate with permanent change. The typical runway model is still exactly what you would expect. It begs the question: how genuine are these shifts to diversity? Subsequently, how deeply rooted is eurocentricity that, even with the influence of movements such as the Black Lives Matter, Asian Hate, and Body Positivity, we are unable to create change? Permanence isn’t always a good thing—especially in fashion. Growing up as a South Asian in America, to me beauty meant aspiring to be everything I was not. As a first generation American, I already felt out of place in everything from the food my family ate to the words I mispronounced. Insecurity and misplacement followed me like a shadow I so desperately sought to escape and, through it all, I found comfort in fashion. Fashion has been my thrill, my refuge, my freedom. It has been my empowerment when I lacked confidence. It has given me a voice when I felt voiceless.
The Permanence Issue
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I dreaded putting Indian clothes on for years, because to me, it wasn’t fashion. When I stole my sister’s Teen Vogue magazine or scrolled aimlessly on Instagram, it was Western designs and white models I looked up to. I craved a sharp nose, skinny build, and thinner hair.
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The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
However, this thing I loved so much subconsciously amplified the voice in my head telling me I wasn’t beautiful nor was my culture’s fashion acceptable. Traditional Indian clothing is replete with carefully woven threads and decadent gems. Yet, I dreaded putting Indian clothes on for years, because to me, it wasn’t fashion. When I stole my sister’s Teen Vogue magazine or scrolled aimlessly on Instagram, it was Western designs and white models I looked up to. I craved a sharp nose, skinny build, and thinner hair. The desire for European features sits in many cultures. “Skin lightening” creams have flourished throughout Asia. Nose jobs are increasingly being popularized with 14 year olds girls asking for “Natalie Portman’s nose”. The usual context in which a culture’s fashion is in the limelight is when it is being appropriated. The faces behind clothing design lack diversity just as much as the runway does. I am still working on redefining what beauty means to me, but I am no longer as consumed by eurocentricity as I once was. Since coming to college, I have realized so many of us share this deep feeling of never being “white enough,” or “pretty enough.” The acknowledgement of this shared emotion and negative bias has made me feel more comfortable
embracing who I am and passionate about opening discussions on the topic. I hope there is a future where we redefine the standard of beauty and fashion. I want my kids to look in the mirror and love every feature on their face and body. I want them to beg me to try on their culture’s clothes and share this joy with people around them. I want them to think of fashion as something that occurs all around the world, not just in four cities in the West. Redefining beauty means that beauty comes from more than external features. Rather than letting society or the media tell us what is considered beautiful, we should strive to have a world where we look at beauty as an individualistic concept. Beauty should be a trait that comes from within and looks different to everybody. Creating meaningful change in something so deeply rooted in our society first takes acknowledgement, and then action. I challenge us to question if we are guilty of being tainted by eurocentricity. As the next generation of creatives, consumers, and citizens, we have the power to change the narrative. From having meaningful discussions about non-Western fashion to continuing fighting for inclusivity, I am confident that we can make fashion a true refuge. What was once tainted will be clear again.
The Permanence Issue
57
I dreaded putting Indian clothes on for years, because to me, it wasn’t fashion. When I stole my sister’s Teen Vogue magazine or scrolled aimlessly on Instagram, it was Western designs and white models I looked up to. I craved a sharp nose, skinny build, and thinner hair.
56
The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022
However, this thing I loved so much subconsciously amplified the voice in my head telling me I wasn’t beautiful nor was my culture’s fashion acceptable. Traditional Indian clothing is replete with carefully woven threads and decadent gems. Yet, I dreaded putting Indian clothes on for years, because to me, it wasn’t fashion. When I stole my sister’s Teen Vogue magazine or scrolled aimlessly on Instagram, it was Western designs and white models I looked up to. I craved a sharp nose, skinny build, and thinner hair. The desire for European features sits in many cultures. “Skin lightening” creams have flourished throughout Asia. Nose jobs are increasingly being popularized with 14 year olds girls asking for “Natalie Portman’s nose”. The usual context in which a culture’s fashion is in the limelight is when it is being appropriated. The faces behind clothing design lack diversity just as much as the runway does. I am still working on redefining what beauty means to me, but I am no longer as consumed by eurocentricity as I once was. Since coming to college, I have realized so many of us share this deep feeling of never being “white enough,” or “pretty enough.” The acknowledgement of this shared emotion and negative bias has made me feel more comfortable
embracing who I am and passionate about opening discussions on the topic. I hope there is a future where we redefine the standard of beauty and fashion. I want my kids to look in the mirror and love every feature on their face and body. I want them to beg me to try on their culture’s clothes and share this joy with people around them. I want them to think of fashion as something that occurs all around the world, not just in four cities in the West. Redefining beauty means that beauty comes from more than external features. Rather than letting society or the media tell us what is considered beautiful, we should strive to have a world where we look at beauty as an individualistic concept. Beauty should be a trait that comes from within and looks different to everybody. Creating meaningful change in something so deeply rooted in our society first takes acknowledgement, and then action. I challenge us to question if we are guilty of being tainted by eurocentricity. As the next generation of creatives, consumers, and citizens, we have the power to change the narrative. From having meaningful discussions about non-Western fashion to continuing fighting for inclusivity, I am confident that we can make fashion a true refuge. What was once tainted will be clear again.
The Permanence Issue
57
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The WALK Magazine
Fall 2022