FIT
APRIL 2018 Volume 50
Issue 5
April 2018
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MASTHEAD
Andrea Navarro Editor-in-Chief
W27
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Sophia Ostapenko Managing Editor Kayla Renshaw Treasurer
EDITORS Mason Auman Shani Hashemi
ART Erin Tucker Art Director Lara de la Torre Photo Editor Ashley Aviles Thuy Anh Dang Alexander Lopez-Guevara Angela Diep Designers
CONTRIBUTORS Shani Hashemi Mason Auman Alexander Lopez-Guevara Sandra Stromswold Andrea Navarro Thuy Anh Dang Sophia Ostapenko Lara de la Torre Ethan Sims Erin Tucker Galit Lønstrup Ashley Freundner Christina Santos
Dear reader, Although our newspaper isn’t themed, after I finished editing this time I realized that poetry was sort of the unofficial theme for this issue. If you don’t know, April is National Poetry Month, so it seems fitting that many of our stories are about poetry. Also, for the very first time, you will find poems in The Gallery section. It was delightful to discover that our writers’ talent goes beyond only reporting news. I hope you enjoy their work as much as I did. Here’s another first: our cover feature is a Toy Design major, Matthew Velardo. He talks to us about his experiences in this unique major — so unique, that only two universities in the whole country offer a degree in Toy Design. We also take a look at what’s going on at some of the overlooked Fashion Weeks around the world, from Buenos Aires to Toronto and all the way to Tokyo. Also, one of our very own writers went to D.C. and she talks about her experience attending the March for Our Lives. And if you still don’t quite get what’s going on with Facebook, don’t worry, we have you covered. Finally, I hope your midterms went well and that you had a fun and productive spring break. We are getting close to the end of the semester, so hang in there. I’m sure you’ll do just fine. This time, I want to leave you with some of my favorite poems: “Silentium” by Fyodor Tyutchev, “b o d y” by James Merrill, “Guide” by A.R. Ammons, “Four Quartets” by T.S. Eliot and “Having a Coke with You” by Frank O’Hara. Do enjoy,
Ellen Davidson Alexandra Mann Faculty Editorial Advisors
Professor Albert Romano Faculty Advertising Advisor
Andrea Navarro Editor-in-Chief
ON THE COVER:
W27 Newspaper
Toy designed by
@W27 Newspaper
Matthew Velardo @W27 Newspaper
www.w27newspaper.org www.issuu.com/w27newspaper
FIT
APRIL 2018
contents ON THE BLOCK
HAUTE CULTURE
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The Dean of American Fashion: Norell at the Museum of FIT
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Visibility Through Fashion: Storytelling at FIT / In Celebration of National Poetry Month
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Around the World for Yeardley / Off: Birth A Multicultural Art Exhibition by KSOF
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Having “Career Conversations” with Career and Internship Services
Movie Review: “Isle of Dogs” / Restaurant Review: LOS TACOS No.1 Documentary Review: “Hope & Fury: MLK, The Movement and The Media” / Exhibition Review: Liniers at the Society of Illustrators
MONTH IN REVIEW
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Santa or Big Brother: How Facebook Uses Data to Know You Better Than You Do
HOFIT DEAR INDUSTRY
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Burberry Appoints Riccardo Tisci as New Creative Director / Interactive Media and the Future of Branding Devouring Fashion Week: Are eBay and Amazon the Next Trendsetters? Fashion Week Goes Global
FEATURES
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Vetements is the Second Coming of Christ
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How to Travel on a Budget when You Are a Broke Student
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A Look into the World of Toy Design
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Humans of FIT
THE GALLERY
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Poetry
FIT SPEAKS
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March for Our Lives: Action Towards a Better Future
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Real Fakes: Counterfeit Fashion in 2018
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The Evolution of Modern Poetry
STYLE ON 27
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Style on 27
PHOT0 COURTESY JOE CARROTTA W27 is PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER. PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING. A FIT STUDENT ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION.
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The Dean of American Fashion: Norell at the Museum of FIT BY SHANI HASHEMI
The Museum at FIT has collected approximately 100 garments, accessories, and related material chosen by designer Jeffery Banks to exhibit the so called “Dean of American Fashion.” Norman David Levinson was the son of a haberdasher in Nobelsville, Indiana, but he always dreamed of more for himself. After studying design at Parsons and then Pratt in New York, he reinvented himself with the last name ‘Norell’ to go above and beyond in the fashion industry. Many objects in this exhibition come from the private collection of designer Kenneth Pool and they represent Norell’s creativity and his enduring impact on fashion. Norell: Dean of American Fashion focuses on the last 12 years of Norell’s career, from 1960 to 1972, his freest and most innovative period.
critics deemed his designs “the equal of Paris.” It earned him another title — “The American Balenciaga.” The centerpiece of this exhibition is Norell’s evening wear, especially his glittering mermaid gowns. Created mainly for the ready-towear market, the mermaids are covered with thousands of sequins thand-sewn onto knitted jersey. While some of his designs had dramatically plunging necklines and were embellished with sable trim or jeweled buttons, all his formal clothing was noted for its clean lines and comfort. The exhibition is accompanied by a book titled, “Norell: Master of American Fashion”, written by Jeffrey Banks and Doria de La Chapelle. It is the first single study of this groundbreaking designer.
After years of fruitful partnerships, Norell had enough money to begin his own company on Seventh Avenue. During the World War II era Norell became the leading New York fashion designer, especially because the war cut off French fashion from America, so Norell’s creations quickly filled this gap. He was the first New York designer to introduce a full collection of fashion, rather than an assortment of separate pieces. For his first collection, Norell was not bothered by the rationing of fabric at the time. Instead, he designed slimmer dropped-waist chemise dresses, reminiscent of his favorite period, the 1920s, and took inspiration from Chanel, his favorite designer. Slinky, spangled evening dresses were combined with 1920s straight silhouettes for modern affluence. It also included the wool culotte suit, considered revolutionary when it first appeared. With influences from Europe and the theater, he reinvented American style on his own. Norell made career-defining designs. The bodyfitting, sequined gowns, known as “mermaid dresses,” were first shown in the 1940s. Chic shirtwaists, suits and chemise dresses, tailored coats, white schoolgirl collars and oversized bows all became signatures of Norell’s style. He also made wool jersey dresses and sailor suit dresses. A pioneer of American fashion, he created simple necklines and slimming, body-conscious designs. His dramatic but minimalist approach would be applied with his daring bathing suit neckline. In 1940, Norell introduced leopard prints, years before they were a fashionable classic. Although Norell was not the first American designer to employ couture techniques, he was the major designer to put them at the readyto-wear level. The quality of his ready-made dresses, coats, and suits were on par with the at the time superior European designers, so PHOT0 COURTESY MARC FOWLER
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APRIL 2018
Visibility Through Fashion: Storytelling at FIT BY MASON AUMAN
On Friday, April 6, FIT hosted an event in collaboration with The Generations Project to highlight the importance of visibility for the LGBTQ community and how fashion can empower it. The event, which took place in the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, was an evening of storytelling from a number of figures from the local and broader LGBTQ community. In tandem with a variety of stories told on stage, a video produced by film students at FIT was shown. Upon entering the venue, visitors were greeted by an interactive timeline, detailing the history of LGBTQ visibility. The first assertion made in the featured film is this: fashion is used from a young age to communicate identity. When we are young and our avenues of expression are yet to be clearly laid out – clothing is the most accessible and obvious pathway to creating any sort of identity. This can be as simple as wearing a blanket as a cape or trying on your mom’s heels. This expression becomes exponentially more valuable when identity becomes a concept that insidious individuals think can be stripped from someone. For the LGBTQ community visibility and expression are catalysts for discovering their history and
connecting with those that have paved the way for its current state. According to the night’s host, Kyle Post – currently performing in Kinky Boots on Broadway – fashion is the ideal vehicle for visibility. It’s a language that is visual in its very essence, and has historically been the easiest way to find allies and others like you. “It makes me feel powerful to choose how I look,” said Bradley Miller, a featured speaker at the event. This sentiment was echoed throughout the night by the many courageous voices that took the stage. Topics such as the AIDS epidemic and finding a place in the fashion industry were discussed at length, as well as the hardship that many face when it comes to finding acceptance for their identities. Ultimately, the event was a potent and moving way to connect successive generations of the LGBTQ community and showcase the strength of those within it.
In Celebration of National Poetry Month BY ALEXANDER LOPEZ-GUEVARA
Poetry and literature are hardly so widely celebrated year round as they are during the month of April, which is regarded as National Poetry Month all across the globe. In that regard, FIT’s International Student Services partakes in activities that pay respect to the art form and the many different voices that enjoy upholding the influence, power, and freedom of poetry. Every Tuesday, beginning April 3, ISS will be hosting events and performances that showcase talent that is projected through poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month. The worldwide celebration became legitimized by the Academy of American Poets, who took inspiration from the previous
subjects of celebration during the months of February and March. February is Black History Month and March is Women’s History Month; both months contribute to specialized celebrations of people and movements that shaped the history of the country. The Academy garnered lots of support from sponsors, teachers, educational leaders, art organizations, etc., to legitimize April as a month to celebrate the sempiternal impressions of poetry. In 1996, a new cause for celebration was born. Flash-forward over 20 years later, it’s safe to say the month-long celebration is still held in high regards by people everywhere. And FIT is part of that. This past Tuesday, FIT’s International Student Services sponsored an event that involved the readings from revered Palestinian American poet Hala Alyan. Born in Carbondale Illinois, Alyan grew up in places like Kuwait, Ohlahoma, Texas, Maine and Lebanon. She went on to earn a doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Rutgers University. Her award winning collections of poetry and recently published book made her presence an absolute honor this past week. Her poetry deals with subject matters that reflect her observations of a person’s relationship with reality and the self. Many of her poems open up a window to relationships in unfamiliar settings, with unfamiliar objects and names, as well as unfamiliar stories that depart from typical American poetry. The poetry itself becomes an experience. Her devotion and means of expression make way for empathy and invitation. The interesting thing about poetry this month is that it becomes a community-centered activity, so it’s important to listen to voices from all over the world in order to deepen the understandings of one another. Hopefully, the FIT community gets the chance to dabble in poetry at least once during this month to celebrate a long tradition of expression through our one unifying trait — language, and the richness it holds. Be on the lookout every Tuesday for more poetry events by ISS.
HALA ALYAN/PHOT0 COURTESY BEOWULF SHEEHAN
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Around the World for Yeardley
Y ONE LOVE FOUNDATION RTES COU OTO
BY SANDRA STROMSWOLD
On April 17, FIT and SUNY schools across New York will be recognizing “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” with the help of the “Yards for Yeardley” campaign and the affiliated organization “One Love Foundation.” “Yards for Yeardley” was originally created to honor Yeardley Love, a victim of an abusive relationship. Sports teams in training can incorporate the “Yards for Yeardley” challenge into their practice as a way to raise awareness for the issue of violence and abuse in relationships, but other organizations are welcome to join the effort. Any participating organization simply needs to arrange the activity (biking, swimming, running, etc.) and then set the target number of yards it hopes to reach. FIT’s goal, with the combined efforts of numerous SUNY campuses, is to walk a total of 50 million yards. Anyone interested in supporting this activity can join “Yards for Yeardley” in the breezeway between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. In a world where abuse in relationships has become all too frequent, a daughter, a mother and a handful of students have decided to take a stand against this nationwide
epidemic. Almost eight years ago today, Yeardley Love lost her life when her abusive ex-boyfriend beat her to death just weeks before she graduated. Her mother and sister, Sharon and Lexi Love, were left devastated, but determined to do everything they could to prevent what happened to Yeardley from happening to anyone else. Together, they co-founded the “One Love Foundation” in order to educate the world about the very serious issue of relationship abuse. In the words of Sharon Love, “I want to do for this issue what “Mothers Against Drunk Driving” did to drunk driving. I want to stigmatize the behavior and I want to empower the bystanders to take away the keys.” Yeardley Love, a member of the University of Virginia’s lacrosse team, was not forgotten by her friends and teammates. In 2014 three of Yeardley’s friends proposed running 1,000,000 yards in pre-se ssion training as a way to honor their late teammate’s memory. Over the course of two days the team accomplished their goal, and colleges across the country took notice. The “Yards for Yeardley” awareness event is now a nationwide fundraiser.
The traumatic influence of abuse in relationships has touched the lives of far too many, yet for many years, the subject has remained unaddressed. According to the statistics stated on Loveisrespect.org, “[O]ne in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.” “Yards for Yeardley” hopes to not just educate people about the prevalence of this epidemic in our culture, but also to give a voice to the countless victims and prevent future abuse.
OFF: BIRTH A Multicultural Art Exhibition by KSOF BY ANDREA NAVARRO
The Korean Student Organization of FIT (KSOF) will hold their 2nd Annual OFF Exhibition for Art and Design students. The theme for the 2018 art showcase will be “Birth.” The exhibition is open to any college student attending FIT, but also other universities in New York such as Parsons, the School of Visual Arts, Columbia, Hunter and many more. Regardless of nationality or field of study, an interest and aptitude for art are the main requirements. The purpose of the exhibition is to give students with an interest in art and design an opportunity to showcase their work in a real New York City gallery, which would further develop career opportunities and give their work more exposure and credibility. “There are not enough chances for students in New York to show their talent, and many of them feel it’s difficult to enter the art scene due to a lack of experience,” said one of the
KSOF student members. “The idea behind the OFF Exhibition is not only letting Korean Students show their work, but also letting a variety of students from different cultures to do so, and expressing the talent and artistic disposition of New York students. Eventually, we would like to give them more exposure through Korean and New York’s local newspapers.”
So far the exhibition is planning to display work by more than 20 artists from different backgrounds. The “OFF: Birth” exhibition will take place during April 28 & 29, from 10 a.m to 8 p.m. at 100 Bogart St, Brooklyn, NY, 11206.
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APRIL 2018
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Having "Career Conversations" with Career and Internship Services BY ANDREA NAVARRO
“We don’t want to be just about the internships. Internships are great, but they only last a semester. What we want is to help you build a career.” On March 20, W27 had the opportunity to be present during “Career Conversations,” a student and alumni networking event cosponsored by the Career & Internship Services and Alumni Engagement & Giving offices. A few days letter we had the opportunity to talk to Nancy Ross and Linda Turner, professors and counselors at CIS, about networking, their office’s purpose and what they have to offer students — while they are still in FIT and years after graduation. On the benefits of Career & Internship Services Our whole premise is that we are a full-service career development office. We have career counseling and development — students can walk-in or make an appointment and come here for any reason: if they are looking for a job, want an opinion on their resumes, need help writing a cover letter, if they are going on a special interview and they want to know what to say and how to approach it, all of those things. We are here to help with that. Also, what students should know, especially the ones graduating from the Associates or Bachelors program, is that they will always have career services. Not only do they get access to the job bank, they can use our services for life — months or years after graduating from FIT. On establishing a career path It’s really beneficial when students come to the Career Center as early as possible because we can help them establish a career path. A lot of students come here and they think they want to do something and then they realize that they actually really don’t want to do that. For instance, take FBM (Fashion Business Management) students. Many think they want to be buyers until they take retail math. And then they are lost. But if they come to the Career Center we can offer them different options. There’s a career planning class and we can do different self-assessment exercises that can be useful. It’s helpful to come talk to a counselor — everyone here has worked in the office for a long time and we all know the industry. On building a solid resume It’s always a good idea to have your resume checked and learn how to brand and market yourself so you can get the internship and job that you want. In today’s market you really need to have your resume built up. And you do that by getting internships, by doing volunteer work — even by doing Fashion Week, if that’s something you are interested in. Because the whole point of those things is to network. On the importance of having a network Networking is critical — the hidden job market is where the good jobs are. Some of the best jobs
don’t even make it to the databases because people get them through word-of-mouth. For instance, say that you want to work for Ralph Lauren. But if they have an opening, they could get up to 400 to 500 resumes in a week — even in a day, sometimes, according to one of the recruiters I know. But if you’ve done an internship and they know you’ve done stellar work, they are more likely to call you than sitting and going through 500 resumes of people they don’t know. That’s why coming here and getting your online presence set up on LinkedIn and your cover letter and resume checked — if you haven’t done one, we can assist you — is so vital. We want to provide students with all the tools they need for a job or internship search. On networking organically The thing about networking is that it’s really about being curious and being generous. People feel ashamed of wanting to make this connections because they don’t feel real — but everybody knows that we are looking to make a connection and we are interested in having an outcome that’s going to be successful for the person networking. But if I’m interested in you, if I am curious about you, then I’m going to learn from you and I can offer you my expertise and from that, a mutual relationship can be developed. On nurturing relationships A networking opportunity starts with an introduction and a conversation. And that conversation should be ongoing. We encourage students not only to talk to alumni, but to other students they haven’t met before. We encourage them to connect in LinkedIn. Also, keep in touch with professors. Personally, almost every opportunity I’ve ever had was through developing a friendship. I kept in touch with my professors and friends from school and throughout the years I made an effort to always contact them. They have given me opportunities and I’ve done the same for them. On networking with FIT alumni Networking with alumni is great because there is a certain allegiance in place, an automatic commonality with current students looking for opportunities. So students can always leverage that. For instance, if you know that there’s an alumni working at a company that you like or having a career path similar to the one you want to have, you can always reach out and say something like: “I see that you went to FIT and graduated in 2010. I am now graduating from FIT and I would really be interested in learning about how you developed your career path.” It’s likely that they are more open to talk with someone that finds that commonality than a complete stranger. On being open to opportunities It’s not like there’s a limited number of opportunities. It can be stressing when things don’t happen exactly how we imagine, but being open might take you to really interesting places.
It’s always good to have options available to you — and there’s excitement in possibility. On creating opportunities I often tell students to put themselves in a position where they are offering their skills and services, something that creates the opportunity for them to engage safely with other people that they might not otherwise be able to. Volunteering in a place that benefits a cause you are passionate about is a great idea. It’s also good to join clubs, whether they relate to their major or not. Just doing things that are social in nature is always a great way of meeting people who care about the things that you do, and who could become potential friends or allies. On finding the perfect job right after graduation People change, grow and evolve. What may appeal to students now might not be what’s going to be the best opportunity for them three or 10 years out of college. And the idea of someone staying on the same job for their whole lives is becoming really unusual. So students should really stop pressuring themselves about getting the perfect job as soon as they finish — they have so much time to find or create their perfect position. That should not be one of their worries. On being an entrepreneur It’s really valuable to learn by being on a structured environment and seeing how things are done before doing them on your own. If someone has an entrepreneurial spirit, that is not going away. But they can benefit from getting some experience first — and it’s a great way of networking and meeting people who can potentially advance your own venture in the future. On the best advice for graduating students Do everything. Go to the job and career fairs, go to Career Conversations, come and take advantage of our services. You can talk to counselors and do mock-interviews and get your LinkedIn profile updated — we have a LinkedIn workshop every Monday from 5 to 6 p.m, walk in — and they can also give you more networking tips. It’s a good idea to go to industry-specific functions. Ask people whose career you admire to give you an informational interview. Everything that you can do will help you. Through the years, we’ve seen that the students that are more proactive about their job search tend to do better. They are not at home waiting for things to happen — they are making them happen.
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Burberry Appoints Riccardo Tisci as New Creative Director BY THUY ANH DANG With more than 500 stores around the world, Burberry is regarded as the eighth most valuable luxury fashion brand in the world. For decades, the brand has followed the heritage of its signature trench coats and designs. So when Christopher Bailey — Burberry’s Creative Director, who spent the last 17 years developing the brand — decided to resign last year, the fashion world was perplexed. Bailey recently put out his final Burberry show for the Spring 2018 collection, which included plenty of rainbow motifs as a tribute to the LGBTQ community. With the growth of fast fashion and thrift shopping, things have not been exactly smooth sailing for luxury brands. Since Burberry’s style remains relatively the same throughout the years, its classy designs have fallen victim to the mass produced counterfeit culture. From October to December 2017, Burberry also experienced an 8% sales decrease in the UK , mainly because of less Chinese tourism, as reported from The Guardian. That is where Burberry’s new CEO Marco Gobbetti came to play. Officially starting in January 2018, Gobbetti is no stranger to the luxury fashion industry. Gobbetti worked with Celine’s former Creative Director, Phoebe Philo, to develop the brand. As a result, the sales skyrocketed and
led the company into double digit growth, as reported by the Business of Fashion. So it’s no surprise that appointing Riccardo Tisci, the former Creative Director of Givenchy, as Burberry’s next Creative Director was his idea. The idea raised a few eyebrows, since Burberry is known for its classical signature pieces, while Tisci is known for his dark, urban and sensual twists on classical silhouettes. He designed sequined organza dresses accessorized with huge silver nose rings in 2012. He designed Beyonce’s famous latex dress in 2016. He collaborated with Nike to create Maria Sharapova’s little black dress with crystals embellishments for the U.S Open. And he helped to develop Givenchy’s signature look. So even though the idea was controversial, Gobbetti seemed very certain with his decision. He explained, “his designs have an elegance that is contemporary and his skill in blending streetwear with high fashion is highly relevant to today’s luxury consumer.” We can expect big changes coming along the brand with Tisci as their new Creative Director. Hopefully, they will be interesting.
PHOTO COURTESY CHAD BATKA
Interactive Media & The Future of Branding BY ALEXANDER LOPEZ-GUEVARA The world of branding and marketing is an everexpanding one, as professionals from all over the world strive to deliver content in new and refreshing ways. Part of that process involves becoming familiar with the ways technology affects the way business is carried out; initially it was illustrative work, then photography and later on, television and computer ads. As more brands enter the market with intentions of selling a product, it’s obvious that creativity must come in to play to deliver that product in sophisticated and enticing new ways. This past March, Digital DUMBO — an event group that hosts events that deal specifically with connecting companies and brands with consumers and professionals — had a panel discussion on the importance of interactive media in this day and age. Guest speakers included Steve Callanan (CEO and co-founder of WIREWAX), Nitya Chambers (VP of Content Develovpment for CNN), Nathan Thornburgh (CEO and founder of Roads and Kingdoms), Jonathan Hunt (SVP of Digital Strategy and Audience Development at National Geographic) and lastly, Tom Marchant (Cofounder and CEO of The Black Tomato Group). Together, these speakers discussed the importance of branding in the growth of their respective businesses as well as the importance of connecting with an audience whose attention span is fleeting. With the bombardment of information every person receives throughout the day, finding creative ways to hold their attention is the ultimate goal. Callanan began his discussion by stating that in 2010, there wasn’t much
demand for video as much as there was a demand for web presence. His initial goal was to introduce the importance of video when it came to the way a brand presented itself to a worldwide audience. Over time, demand for such content began to rise as interactive media started making strides for companies everywhere; WIREWAX was at the very core of many of these strides.
Photo Courtesy of Steve Callanan
One example of WIREWAX’s work can be found in an interactive mini-series created specifically for the premiere of FX’s “American Horror Story: Cult” (2017). In the seventh season of this popular show, it was important for the team to compose new interactive videos every week until the show’s premiere in September in order to pool together the veteran and newer fans. Each video consisted of interactive tasks and eventual participation in a “cult” through Facebook. These videos generated 1.1 million user engagement with thousands of views for each video and over
500,00 Facebook messages sent with roughly 385,000 responses received. The day of its premiere, record numbers of viewers turned on their televisions to view the seventh season of “AHS”. “All the facts of consumer increase leads to interactive materials,” said Callanan on the effects of interactive media for brands. One in three brands are expected to turn to interactive video in 2018. Nitya Chambers stated that brands wanted a different way of connecting with audiences, and thus turned to live news experiences and interactive videos to garner their goals (one example was the documentation of the solar eclipse). Engagement is the real challenge now, which means that content’s success is measured by time spent engaging. Tom Marchant mentioned that a core value for any brand in this day and age is that of curiosity. He said, “Without that attitude of curiosity…it’s going to be hard.” The ability to construct engaging content and be curious enough to do so can make a huge difference in consumer rates for brands everywhere. Thus, it is more important now than ever for professionals and aspiring professionals alike to keep up to date with new advances in forms of media. By maintaining focus and curiosity in regards to the development of better means of distributing content (as well as better content in general), one can find him/herself creating the next big wave of interactive media that’ll have the entire branding world dying to reach those new heights. It’s an exciting time for creatives everywhere.
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Devouring Fashion Week: Are eBay and Amazon the Next Trendsetters? BY SOPHIA OSTAPENKO
Fashion Week is one of those events that are simultaneously beautiful and extremely stressful for designers, editors, writers, influencers and photographers alike. And for the past few years, it has been drastically changing. New York Fashion Week, as the public knows today, is gradually losing its set of designers and has become an example of an ever changing, fast-paced fashion world. As brick-and-mortar stores weaken with every passing day and Amazon and eBay admit to conquering the world, does it mean that the world of fashion is about to be engulfed by digital giants as well? While the traditional fashion weeks are attempting to thrive in the western hemisphere, Amazon has planted its seeds in the opposite side of the world. Japan and India have embraced Amazon Fashion Week, with “Amazon Fashion Week TOKYO” and “Amazon India Fashion Week” emerging in 2005. According to the Amazon Fashion Week TOKYO website, this type of fashion week is a “fashion festival held twice a year in the world’s fashion cities during which the trends for the next season are born from the latest collections that are unveiled at fashion shows and exhibitions.” The show features brands such as AMBUSH, DressedUndressed, 5-Knot, BodySong, etc. Unlike the traditional fashion month calendar, which shows Spring and Summer collections in September, and Fall and Winter collections in February, Amazon Fashion Week shows its collections in March and October. In addition, although the event is named after Amazon, the fashion week is run by Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFW Organization).
PHOTO COURTESY FASHION DESIGN COUNCIL OF INDIA
Amazon might seem as an online Walmart that is willing to gain power within every industry, however, in this case, Amazon’s goal is to pave way for beginner designers. The official slogan of the Amazon Fashion Week TOKYO is “To become the gateway for success in the world for new designers; To become the starting point for cooperation between designers, manufacturers and apparel retailers; Make Tokyo more fashionable and enjoyable.” eBay, on the other hand, launched its fashion week in 2014. According to a 2014 WWD article, “eBay will be on-site at Lincoln Center to launch a shoppable ‘inspiration hub’ and document the style of fashion-show attendees. eBay will cull from the hub to select retail listings of items inspired by the best looks.” In essence, if Amazon launched its version of fashion week in order to support and spotlight designers, eBay commissioned photographers in order to shoot the best street style, which would later be used as inspiration for the eBay fashion tab on the company’s website. But eBay did not stop at photography; it also introduced illustrations in 2017. According to Cision PR Newswire, eBay “has enlisted the style world’s most talented artists to create shoppable fashion sketches on eBay.com/MyFashionWeek with dynamic ‘Shop the Look’ technology, spotlighting trends and brands available now. Influential fashion illustrators including Jenny Walton, Dallas Shaw, Jessica Durrant, Alex Kim and Holly Nichols will capture the spirit of real, stylish individuals handpicked from eBay’s community of 171 million shoppers worldwide.” While Amazon is organizing fashion weeks in the Eastern hemisphere and eBay continuously attempts to become part of the world’s established fashion weeks, it is definitely worth witnessing what the final result of the Internet giants in the fashion world will be. Thus far, it seems that both online corporations are aiming to try new product categories and enter new markets. However, will that endanger the credibility or the work of designers who are still part of the traditional fashion week world? Only time will tell.
PHOTO COURTESY EBAY
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FASHION WEEK GOES GLOBAL BY THUY ANH DANG
Usually, when we hear the term “Fashion Week,” we are instantly reminded of the four biggest ones in the world: Milan, London, New York and Paris. While you may know about Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Burberry, Balenciaga and Dolce & Gabbana, there are still many more designers making their names in the fashion industry within 80 fashion weeks worldwide. These events span from Canada to Mexico and even the United Arab Emirates. What follows is a recap of what happened this season in the often-overlooked fashion weeks.
Toronto’s Men (TOMFW) Date: 3/3 – 3/11
Fashion
Week
With Canada’s recent success in developing different lines of outerwear, this fashion item played a major role in the designers’ Fall/Winter collection, from Mayer Man’s military coats playfully combined with sequin tracksuits to the Rhowan James’ James Bond inspired trench coats, capes and bomber jackets.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Russia (MBFW Russia) Date: 3/10 – 3/15
Week
Ths collection of shows marked 18 years and 35 fashion weeks for Russia. From 18 to 20 designers represented in the first fashion week, MBFW Russia has grown to over 60 designers and 48,000 attendees, proving Russia to be the birthplace of talented designers. Slava Zaitsev, lovingly named the “Russian Dior,” celebrated his 80th birthday and official retirement from the industry.
Amazon Tokyo Fashion (Amazon FWT) Date: 3/19 – 3/24
week
This season was Amazon’s second opportunity to sponsor one of the largest fashion weeks in Asia. One of the key programs Amazon created is called “At Tokyo,” which will support and launch hot Tokyo brands on Amazon, exposing them to millions of customers worldwide. The three main brands are Growing Pains, Bedwin & Heartbreaker and House_Commune. Though streetwear and
PHOTO COURTESY VOGUE.IT
New designers were emerging in BAFWeek this season. Matias Hidalgo’s second collection was particularly good. His style of playing with textiles like silk and heavy jacquards, his balance of masculinity and femininity and his use of elements and colors popular in the 80s amazed critics and bloggers alike. There was also designer Carmen Alen, who is known to challenge the stereotypes of gendered silhouettes and lets both his male and female models walk on the runway, a trend that we have been seeing a lot lately.
According to Vogue, “Seoul Fashion Week was quiet this season, due to the ongoing departure of brands for London and Paris, as well as the low energy street style, not helped by the falling snow and rain.” However, this does not mean Seoul Fashion Week didn’t have some refreshing collections representing this season. Some of the emerging designers included duo Jae Lim and Bona Kim from their brand BESFXXK, created in 2016, and Minju Kim with a collection inspired by the anime series Galaxy Express 999.
African International Fashion week (AFI CTFW) Date: 3/21 – 3/24 Taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, with an amazing pan-African line up, this season’s AFI Fashion Week was a huge success. “For such a long time we’ve seen something brewing on the continent. Africans realized that they don’t need to be anything but African. And these creatives are paving an incredible future for themselves,” Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, the chairman of AFI, said to Marie Claire.
Shanghai Fashion Week Date: 3/29 – 4/1 With impressive neighbors such as the Tokyo and Seoul Fashion Weeks, Shanghai designers have the pressure of making themselves noticeable in the market. They stepped up their game this season by incorporating their heritage into the collections. Shanghai Fashion Week captured the interest of Vogue, Business of Fashion and many fashion bloggers, including Susanne Lau. Michael Wok, general merchandising manager of Joyce, stated: “Their collections are creative, original and less influenced by overseas designers. In addition, the fashion crowd in Shanghai is quite advanced, experimental and fun – very interesting to watch.” Besides their innovative designs, they also created interesting runway settings. Sirloin, a fashion brand from two designers Alve Lagercrantz and Mao Usami, created a green screen runway. By scanning the QR code on WeChat, viewers could experience the runway backdrop. “The video game aesthetics were perfect for Sirloin’s branded underwear and trompe l’oeil printed denim, accompanied by a soundtrack of fake YouTube ads,” Susanne Lau said.
PHOTO COURTESY VOGUE.IT
Fashion
Seoul Fashion Week (SFW) week Date: 3/19 – 3/24
PHOTO COURTESY FASHION NETWORK US
Buenos Aires (BAFWeek) Date: 3/1 – 3/9
athleisure may dominate the runway, punk and gypsy dressings are still in style, and what’s Tokyo Fashion Week without contemporary kimono collections? Additionally, in response to the increase of overseas visitors to Japan, this season’s fashion week included more international designers from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
PHOTOS COURTESY VOGUE.IT
PHOTO COURTESY AFRICAN FASHION INTERNATIONAL
PHOTOS COURTESY VOGUE
PHOTO COURTESY VOGUE.IT
PHOTO COURTESY FASHION NETWORK US
PHOTOS COURTESY AMAZON FASHION WEEK TOKYO
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W27
FEATURES
VETEMENTS IS THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST BY MASON AUMAN
The following article is satire and should be treated as such. Strap in, this is going to be a journey of hyperbole and unnecessary dramatization. Over the past few years, Paris-based fashion brand Vetements has cemented its presence in the ether of the fashion industry. The enigmatic label has been puzzling editors and buyers with every new look or stunt. Sometimes, runway looks include “unfashionable bouncer” or “middle American accountant.” A stunt like staging a fashion show in a Chinese restaurant help solidify Vetements’ elusive and kitschy identity. We allow questions of why and what and how to tumble around our brains. My own opinion on the matter—the one that, surely, you’re dying to hear—aligns with marquee publications like Vogue and GQ. Vetements is playing an unending brilliant gag on all of us. We’re intellectually underdeveloped and simply can’t comprehend the circuity and depth of their inside joke. But the slippery and unattainable idea that is “Vetements” twists our pre-existing notions about fashion in a way that implores us to attempt understanding it. These attempts will always fail. How is anyone supposed to digest the complexity of their most recent collaboration, for instance? They’ve rolled out a Stan Smith sneaker— with perforated holes that spell out “Vetements.” On the topic of the new shoe, GQ asserts: “The Adidas homage feels a little late…which might be the point.” Which might be the point, indeed. $700 is a small price to pay for innovation of this kind. Right now, you might be asking yourself, “will he ever make a point?” The answer is no. This article is supposed to mirror Vetements, since the brand is built upon doing things that people assume have a point—even if there isn’t one. But aren’t we all tired of clothes meaning something, anyway? I contend that it is far easier to assume clothing design has a purpose as a way of justifying its prices and irreverence rather than taking an honest inventory of its merits. Vetement’s point is its pointlessness—a concept that is so clever we should appreciate their $400 t-shirts. They could surely charge us more for such brilliance. There are those that might challenge the validity of “cleverness” when no material evidence is presented to them. To those individuals, I will echo the words of a Methodist pastor in Western Pennsylvania: “We must stop trying to use our western, scientific brains. We cannot comprehend how it happened because it is not for us to understand.” Pastor John said this in reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ—but it applies to Vetements all the same. Critics need to stop using practical thought processes and open their arms to uncertainty, just like Pastor John asserts we should feel about Jesus. Thinking critically is the devil’s game and should be regarded as such. Much like Jesus Christ, the aura and impact of Vetements is felt, not seen. Perhaps, if you are struggling to appreciate the brand’s genius, you should take a step back and ask yourself: am I using my western, scientific brain? If the answer is yes, you have sided with the devil. I implore you to rejoin the light and bask in the glow of Vetements immediately. The Second Coming is upon us.
PAINTING BY HARRY ANDERSON
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Critics need to stop using practical thought processes and open their arms to uncertainty, just like Pastor John asserts we should feel about Jesus. Thinking critically is the devil’s game and should be regarded as such.
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APRIL 2018
How To Travel on a Budget When You Are a Broke Student BY ANDREA NAVARRO
PHOTO COURTESY NILS NEDEL
If you’ve always dreamt of adventure, there is absolutely not a better idea than to travel. Traveling expands our horizons; teaching us about new cultures and points of view and making us see the world from a fresh perspective. It’s also super fun and exciting to get to know different places, whether we are traveling to a new city in our home country or a completely different continent.
PHOTO COURTESY ANETE LUSINA
However, we know how expensive traveling can be—from plane tickets to hotel accommodation, transportation, food, entertainment and the occasional souvenir, bills begin to add up. And when you are a student on a budget, getting to know new places can seem almost impossible. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be. We can tell you how to travel for less if you organize your trip well—planning where you going to go, when, and what will you do once you are there. Read the following advice to learn all about how to plan your next adventure!
PHOTO COURTESY ANETE LUSINA
Turn off the “cookies” in your browser, and if possible, don’t look from your usual computer. Almost every travel site uses cookies to remember your searches, and they will show you the same fares even if there are less expensive options. Websites like Jetradar, CheapOAir and Expedia allow you to see all price options and see different deals depending on the dates you desire to travel. We have seen round-trip tickets to Mexico for $250, Finland for $429, Ireland for $496, and Russia for $569 on some of these sites.
PHOTO COURTESY IGOR OVSYANNYKOV
Do your research. Before buying, search in as many possible different websites as you can and compare all the prices. See if it’s cheaper to buy plane and hotel accommodation together or separate. Be flexible about where you will go. The interesting thing about traveling is that no matter where you go, you will see and experience new and exciting things. So even though you might be dead set on a destination, if you see a cheaper deal to another place, consider taking it. You might end up liking it way more than you originally thought.
PHOTO COURTESY RAWPIXEL.COM
Buy plane tickets on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. For some reason, price trends show that is when they are the cheapest. Think about starting to make your travel arrangements with a few months in advance. Even though spontaneous trips can be amazing experiences, if what you want is to save money, this is a good tip to have in mind. First, because plain tickets are cheaper when you buy them with anticipation and second, because you can do some research about the place you are
going and how you can save money once you are there. Create a budget. Search for prices on everything—from food, hotel accommodations, tours you might want to go, attractions, museum admittance, transportation prices– anything you might want to do. Then set up a Word document or Excel sheet detailing around how much you think you will spend on everything, and determine if traveling to this place will be a viable option to you. You should have detailed plans for what you will do in the place you are going. This is good because if you are going for a short period of time (one week or less), it will help you stay organized and get to know as much of the place you are traveling as you can. It is also useful because if you know the places and the things you will be doing in advance, then you will know around how much you will be spending for the rest of your trip. Don’t buy all activities in advance. Only do it if you did research and think it’s the best move. Sometimes it’s good to get to the city and ask locals what is the best way to do an activity or get to a place that will save you time and money. Also, it’s a great wait of meeting potential new friends. Research what’s the best (and safest) hotel accommodation. In some cases, you can save money if you decide to stay in a hostel or Airbnb instead of a hotel. If you are traveling with a friend, consider sharing accommodation so you can split the prices of a room. Always be mindful of your budget. Once you are in the place, you will be tempted to buy all the souvenirs and do lots of shopping, and although that is a fun part of your experience, always remember that you have a budget and you need to stick to it—no matter how delicious those extra local goodies sound. And most importantly… Be open. Some of the best things during your travels will be the ones you least expect—the things that made you laugh genuinely, be surprised or even a little scared. Don’t reject the local’s food or costumes without trying them, be respectful of the places you are visiting, and try to learn as much as possible during your experience. As shocking as some things can seem during your travels, sometimes those are the memories that you will appreciate the most. Because for a moment, you saw life through someone else’s eyes—and that is the most wonderful experience to have. So get ready, start planing and travel away!
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FEATURES
W27
A Look into the World of Toy Design BY MASON AUMAN
I recently sat down with Matthew Velardo, a senior at FIT who majors in Toy Design. We discussed his own experience within the Toy Design department as well as the wide scope of the major’s lens.
Mason Auman: Do you know how many students are in the Toy Design major at FIT? Matthew Velardo: Each class has between twelve and twenty students, depending on the year. This year’s graduating class is quite small, with a total of thirteen students.
MA: I’m assuming that it must be a tight-knit group, then. Is there a lot of collaboration between your peers? MV: Definitely – we work with each other a lot. We share the same rigorous schedule, we’re here all-day long and we spend every day together.
MA: In regard to the work that you’re doing, is there any specific project that you feel exemplifies the major or even your own direction? MV: We do three main projects. We do a hard toy – a plastic model of a toy we’ve designed – and an original story book for children, in tandem with a plush toy. For me, my personal favorite item to work on was the hard toy, I had a lot of fun building that.
MA: When you’re designing something like a hard toy, what is the design process like? Is it architectural in nature? MV: In the program, we’re really trained to look at every aspect of the toy. That way, when we go into the industry, we are well prepared. We start out in our Summer semester at an internship where we come up with basic concepts for the toy. That concept includes different mechanisms and themes. When we come back for the Fall semester, we start building it. We use sketches to render our final design in order to discern what does and doesn’t work. Then we begin doing schematics which depict every angle of the toy. The model is built in a digital program before being physically produced. Everyone has the ability to do different things. For example, I did a vehicle but others opted to do something like a plastic character.
MA: I find that when I see toys, in any capacity, there’s a really strong element of nostalgia, regardless of whether I have personally experienced the item or not. Is this your experience? Does it guide your design process? MV: The main thing that I think about is that a toy is something that helps you have an experience. It functions as a tool for a kid. Toys help to augment your imagination, we all draw a lot from our own experience. I
often ask myself: “How can I replicate the most fun times I’ve ever had? How can I provide someone with the same experience I had?” It’s about not only giving someone the experience, but providing it in a way that they can understand – since sensibilities have changed over the years.
MA: I think your point about sensibilities is really important. How do you approach the prospect of capturing the attention of someone when they could alternatively be using an iPad? MV: That’s one of the primary challenges that we face when designing. The attention span of a child has never been abundant, but recently it has become even harder to maintain a level of interest. I focus on creating something new or novel – something that hasn’t been seen before. In toy design, we still have the advantage of producing real, tangible items that can be touched. This connection is invaluable.
MA: Toy design is quite a specific field to enter. What made you, Matthew Velardo, decide that this path was right for you? MV: In high school, I was looking into product design and movie special effects. I wanted to do something that involved design and, ultimately, fun. When I learned about this program I contacted our director and set up a meeting. I knew immediately that this is what I wanted to do. Toy design offers a real design experience and the space to enjoy myself.
FIT
APRIL 2018
MA: So, the scope of toy design is really wide, then. You’re not only designing from a technical perspective, but you’re illustrating and writing stories, too. MV: And that’s what I really like about it – I have a lot of space to play and experiment.
MA: What inspired you to go this route with your story? MA: Do you think that the experiential quality of toys is what made you choose this realm as opposed to, say, packaging or vacuums? MV: Yes, certainly. The thing with designing a toy is that you have to be playful and imaginative. When I would design other objects, I found myself injecting that playful element into item and making it into a sort-of toy.
MA: Do you find it to be difficult to maintain that sense of humor or playfulness when your major requires so much hard work out of you? I have to imagine that you get worn down at times. MV: Initially, you get worn out when coming up with new ideas. There’s a lot of pressure in the process. Eventually, however, you’re able to adjust to the atmosphere and realign. In the industry, we use the word “toyetic.” This refers to emphasizing the merchandising ability of an object. When I’m feeling worn out, I use this word to refocus.
MA: Looking at your storybook, the first thing I notice is that the design is reminiscent of Disney’s Robin Hood movie. Was this an inspiration for you? MV: My storybook is about a hamster king who goes on an adventure and learns some important lessons. The style of that particular film was an inspiration for sure – as well as “Wind in the Willows.” When we make these books, we do everything from the character creation to the illustration.
MV: The storybook project is quite personal. For me, thinking about what I learned as a child acted as an inspiration for my characters, story and also the message. I was really inspired by the toad in “Wind in the Willows.” We come up with our basic storyline and then go through the storyboarding process, from there we are able to expand on the main beats of the story.
MA: When making a storybook, how much of the work is illustrating and how much is story plotting and writing? MV: I would say it’s about 90 percent illustration. We only recently added the text to the book.
MA: So, the text is more of a descriptor of the images that you’ve created as opposed to the driving element? MV: Exactly.
MA: How would you pitch Toy Design as a major to a prospective student who feels the same creative inclinations that you do? MV: I would say that the major is great because of its broad scope and ability to allow freedom in design and expression. It’s so many things to so many different people. Additionally, as a toy designer, you’re helping to provide early memories for kids that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. That, to me, is the greatest reward.
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HAUTE CULTURE
MOVIE REVIEW:
W27
“ISLE OF DOGS” BY LARA DE LA TORRE
PHOTO COURTESY FOX SEARCHLIGHT
No stop-motion animation film by Wes Anderson will ever be as iconic as his 2009 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel, “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” His most recent project, however, “Isle of Dogs,” came pretty close. Set in the dystopian Japanese city of Megasaki twenty years into the future, the film follows a young boy, Atari Kobayashi, on his search for his missing dog, named Spots. Now, don’t let yourself think that this is just a story about a little kid running around putting up “Missing Pet Posters” all over his neighborhood; this is Wes Anderson we’re talking about. With an outbreak of a seemingly incurable canine flu, all dogs are ordered to be quarantined on “Trash Island,” an abandoned garbage dump off the coast of the mainland. The majority of Megasaki City blindly follows the decree and willingly relinquish their pets to the government. There is, of course, an opposing group—high school kids led by an American foreign exchange student
from Ohio, Tracy Walker (voiced by Greta Gerwig). A variety of stories ensue, all centered around young Atari and the dogs on Trash Island, ultimately connecting at the conclusion. While the ending is comfortably predictable, the twists and turns it takes to get there are not. The truth is, despite a foreseeable conclusion, the movie is one hundred percent worth seeing. From an artist’s perspective, the movie is a work of art. Anderson’s mastery of auteurism is prevalent in all he does and “Isle of Dogs” is no different. His consistent technical precision, symmetrical compositions, memorable color palettes and patterns, recurring casting of fabulous actors and witty one-liners that will become inside jokes between you and whoever you see the movie with, this is only just skimming the surface of the multi-faceted whimsy that is a Wes Anderson animation. So, if you’re free for two hours and looking for some inspiration or compelling visuals to get rid of that creative block, go see “Isle of Dogs” before it leaves theaters, you won’t regret it.
RESTAURANT REVIEW:
LOS TACOS NO. 1 If you haven’t been to LOS TACOS No.1 in Chelsea Market, you should probably start putting your shoes on in order to make your way over to this beloved taquería. Opened by three friends in May 2013, this taco stand has been booming ever since. Quesadillas, tostadas and (obviously) tacos are just some of the note-worthy options offered at both Chelsea Market and their recently opened Times Square location. When I visited, the features of the menu that stood out to me the most were not the typical street foods, but their drinks: traditional aguas frescas like horchata and agua de jamaica and hardto-find-in-Manhattan Mexican sodas like Sidral. This proved to be the real key to LOS TACOS No.1’s success—authenticity.
BY LARA DE LA TORRE PHOTOS COURTESY OF LARA DE LA TORRE
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Here in New York, a city widely advertised as a “melting pot,” I thought it would be easy to find moderately tasty tacos. Unfortunately, in my two years of living in Manhattan and attending FIT, I did not find this to be the case. Every taco I’d try was always either a complete miss or was totally lacking that one ingredient that would’ve made the whole meal sing. All other boroughs aside (especially Brooklyn and Queens), Manhattan appeared to be dry in the taco department… until I found LOS TACOS, that is. Tucked into a back corner of Chelsea Market, this popular food stand would be a bit hard to spot if it wasn’t for the perpetual lines snaking from it. Thankfully, I only had to wait about ten minutes (during the dinner rush) until I could get up to the cash register to order. After some quick and efficient service, I knew my order was going to remain the same every time: two tacos of carne adobada, one quesadilla especial, and a bottle of ice-cold Sidral. LOS TACOS’s carne adobada, a taco filling similar to carne al pastor, was a keeper from the first bite. The tender meat’s tangy, salty flavors were perfectly counterbalanced by thick strips of sweet, juicy grilled pineapple; some of the most classic tastes of Mexican street food. When ordering, I made sure to ask for one taco with “everything” (referring to sprinklings of fresh onion,
cilantro, lime, and two different types of house salsas) and one without; variety always being the way to go. With two tacos down and one quesadilla to go, I realized I’d almost forgotten my Sidral – a Mexican apple-flavored soda similar to Colombia’s Manzana Postobón. With a quick swig of the sweet, fizzy drink, I was ready for my final round. The second my taste buds hit the melty cheese of that fried quesadilla, I was transported back to a simpler time in my life – suburban New Jersey in the early 2000’s. I was getting off the school bus and immediately making a beeline for the fresh quesadillas my mom had just taken off the frying pan. Any food establishment that could provide a Ratatouille-esque flashback for only $17 is always one worth coming back to.
FIT
APRIL 2018
DOCUMENTARY REVIEW:
“HOPE & FURY: MLK, THE MOVEMENT AND THE MEDIA” BY SOPHIA OSTAPENKO
On Tuesday, March 20, NBC News and MSNBC gathered a crowd of individuals from various backgrounds to discuss “Hope & Fury: MLK, The Movement, and The Media,” a two-hour documentary commissioned as a NBC special to commemorate the 50 Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. It was televised on March 24, but the preview of the documentary allowed a sneak peek of the film and the events that have influenced the course of history. The preview event included a panel of speakers, who were directors of the documentary, as well as individuals featured in it, such as Andy Lack, Chairman of NBC News Group and Executive Producer of Hope & Fury, Joy Reid, the host of AM Joy on MSNBC, Rachel Dretzin, Producer and Director of Hope & Fury, and Phil Bertelsen, Producer and Direct of Hope & Fury. According to NBC News and MSNBC, “Hope & Fury: MLK, The Movement, and The Media” is a powerful film which “explores how Dr. King and the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement used the lens of the media to awaken America to the injustices of Jim Crow and segregation.” The film also shows archival footage and photographs
from the Civil Rights Movement, and includes “chilling and emotional interviews with witnesses, leaders and journalists.” The documentary is an eye-opening experience, which not only emphasizes the importance of the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr., but also draws a comparison to the modern Black Lives Matter movement. The film also highlights the traumatic events of the 20 and 21 centuries, such as the murder of a young boy, Emmett Till, and the shooting of Philando Castile in 2016. However, what is also truly fascinating about the documentary is the fact that it emphasizes the importance and responsibility of the media throughout all of the historical events. Emmett Till’s mother chose to photograph her dead son’s face after he was murdered in order to publish it in Jet Magazine. This was done to show the people of the United States what racial injustice looks like. But the choice influenced the start of the Civil Rights Movement, throughout which Martin Luther King Jr. was able to impact millions of Americans and expose them to the struggles of African-Americans. As Hope & Fury emphasized, the reason why
Dr. King gained recognition as quickly as he did was because he was a young leader who knew how to capture the attention of the media. He was able to calculate every protest and every move to such an extent that it would be televised nationwide. The Hope & Fury event emphasized the fast moving pace of modern media and the short attention span of new generations. As Joy Reid, the Host of AM Joy on MSNBC, said, “People lose sight of the fact that we’ve been here before,” referencing that the Black Lives Matter movement could be equal to the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, in a world where people are the media (because of increasingly easy access to social media platforms), how big of an impact can reliable media sources have? What could the media do in order to not only obtain relevant coverage, but also keep the attention on an issue, such as the Parkland shooting, until the desired result is obtained? Their response was to “cover the hell out of it...We are not participants; we are observers,” said Andy Lack, the Chairman of NBC News Group and Executive Producer of Hope & Fury. “See how those kids could take it to the next level. We gotta get more people out there.”
EXHIBITION REVIEW:
LINIERS AT THE SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS Ricardo Siri, better known as Liniers, recently had his first major solo exhibition in the United States at the Society of Illustrators this past month (it will run through May). He is an Argentinian artist who is best known for his hilarious, sometimes somber and often magical cartoons drawn with the simplest materials: pen, ink, and watercolor. But the magic he delivers with a good punch line or panel accompanied by soft colored illustrations is definitely worth praising. He has been an active cartoonist in Argentina’s newspaper titled La Nacion since 2001, producing thousands of cartoons over the years. He would go on to compile them in a series of books titled Macanudo (a word used to describe the surprise caused by something grandiose or extraordinary). Honestly, there’s no better word to describe the feeling many of the panels that were on display evoked. The gallery itself is on the third floor at the Society of Illustrators, located on 63 and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Stepping into the gallery, one is greeted by a large sign across the bar that lists Liniers’ accomplishments as a cartoonist and award winner for some of his books. “The Big Wet Balloon,” one of his books, was highly regarded by Parents Magazine for being the best book for kids in 2013. On the right side, one can spot the many rejected – and the few published – New Yorker covers that Liniers did in the span
PHOTO COURTESY LINIERS
BY ALEXANDER LOPEZ GUEVARA
of his career. Some may recognize the cover that involved subway commuters gripping each other’s arms as if they were hand railings (2014) and another cover that had an elephant sitting across Barack Obama in the oval office during his 2014 presidency. It’s titled “The Elephant in the Room.” Overall, each cover contains a unique approach to designing the highly regarded New Yorker cover. By combining wit with a simplistic approach to rendering, Liniers presents a way of telling a brief joke or story in a way that is inviting thanks to the soft gradients created by watercolor and the type of storytelling that comics allow. The subjects are presented in very simple detail, with minimal gestures and facial expressions – Liniers finds a way to add just enough of a curve in the brow or lip or shoulder to tell us a lot about the situation. His drawings stand out alone for their composition and subject matter, but what ties them all together, of course, are the words applied
to the panels. To the left side, there are over 100 original works done by Liniers, all pulled from his collections of comics over the years. There were a few that really could make one laugh out loud. The Society of Illustrators was generous in posting the translations beneath the originals, just small enough so as to not interfere with the art itself (this was, after all, an exhibition). There were other comic strips that reached existential depths; these served as breaks from the usual humorous content, reminding the audience at times that they exist, that they have feelings as well as thoughts and personal battles. Liniers showcased his work not just as a cartoonist, but as a human being, too. For that reason, it’s a good idea to hit up the Society of Illustrators on 63 and Lexington before May comes around to experience the wittiness and cleverness of Liniers.
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MONTH IN REVIEW
W27
Santa or Big Brother: How Facebook Uses Data to Know You Better Than You Do BY ETHAN SIMS
Have you ever thought about something you wanted and then it suddenly appeared on your Facebook timeline with a limited-time discount? Yeah, you haven’t been thinking things into existence, Facebook just knows you better than anyone else in the world does. If you’ve left more than 500 likes while using the platform, Facebook actually knows what you want before you do. It’s called big data, people! You may not know it, but the company is taking notes on every little decision you make, everything you buy, every game you play and every smile you fake. What do they do with all this information? Why, sell it, of course. Facebook is making billions by keeping records of everything you do — selling it to marketers, data companies and small businesses that want to create targeted ads for their product. It sounds harmless, but it’s been the subject of a lot of debate recently. Recently, Facebook has come under a lot of fire for what people are calling the “Cambridge Analytica Scandal.” It’s a long and somewhat confusing story. Let’s break it down. Cambridge Analytica is a division of a UKbased data analytics corporation. They created an app that paid anonymous users to take “psychological” surveys. The data was then taken with the consent of the 270,000-plus people who completed the survey. However, they didn’t consent to Cambridge Analytica also taking the data of the people who were friends of the survey takers. They did this without hacking or breaching in any way, since Facebook allowed the data collection of the friends of the people who consented to having their data taken, as long as the data
collected wasn’t sold (something Facebook has since changed). Once Cambridge Analytica had this huge wealth of data, they began to work with wealthy rightwing political movements such as the “Brexit” campaign, Ted Cruz, and, more prominently, the Trump presidential campaign.
“You know the terms and conditions you always click ‘accept’ without reading? Those clear Facebook of any liability to what happens with the data you agreed to hand over when you signed up for Words with Friends.”
This was an obvious violation of the agreement that data taken from unconsented individuals was not to be sold. During the Trump campaign, the CEO of Cambridge Analytica was accused of contacting master hacker and cyber fugitive Julian Assange to dig up damaging emails on the candidate, Hillary Clinton. Fast forward to the past month, and a crisis of epic proportions is in full swing. Although Facebook may have had nothing to do with how the data was used, one thing is clear: it gave entirely too much freedom and trust to thirdparty apps. How can you trust data agencies to not use data? The number of people whose data was taken without consent has been discovered to be almost 90 million, but the final number could be even more. Facebook has now made a few policy changes that may or may not prevent this sort of thing from happening again; including new rules that require you to go through some sort of authorization before targeting people for political purposes. Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear for congressional hearings on April 10 and 11 to determine what sort of wrongdoing he is liable for and what he is expected to compensate as a result. As for the people whose information was taken without their consent, they have no legal recourse to speak of. You know the terms and conditions you always click ‘accept’ without reading? Those clear Facebook of any liability to what happens with the data you agreed to hand over when you signed up for Words with Friends.
PHOTO COURTESY TECHCRUNCH
But where does this leave the average person? Should we all boycott Facebook because our privacy was violated or have we been giving it
away freely, anyway? Where does our accountability come in? People from all over the world have voiced their opinions on how Facebook is taking advantage of us, selling our personal information — some are even asking for compensation for the data Facebook uses for monetary gain. But people have neglected to look at the role they have played allowing this to happen. Many will happily give up their own right to privacy for the sake of expediency and comfort. How many of us have uploaded our credit card numbers onto our phones just to avoid having to put down the information each time we buy something? Have signed-up to countless websites by linking them through Facebook? Have used Snapchat geo-location services so your friends know where you are? These are just a few examples of thousands of ways in which we give up data everyday. Are we not at all accountable for how we handle our private information? Maybe it’s necessary to recognize that we have been making it easy for companies like Facebook to ultimately sell our information However, if your issue with this whole debacle is the fact it swayed elections or caused political friction, you are forgetting something. Facebook did not force anyone to vote. It simply allowed people who were already predisposed to voting a certain way to be targeted as an audience. This is something that has been used since the dawn of Internet marketing. Though the data was unlawfully gained, nothing was pulled out of thin air. People’s minds were not controlled or tricked into voting a certain way. In the end, the data is only exposing the facts of what people already are.
FIT
APRIL 2018
19
HoFIT
HUMANS OF FIT
BY ERIN TUCKER AND GALIT LØNSTRUP
BOBAE LEE FBM What is your favorite thing to do in the
myself better, love myself more.
springtime in New York? I like to go to Chelsea and gallery hop, on 23rd, 24th, 25th. There’s all those galleries there. And then go to the highline and just hang out there.
What advice would you give to someone
What are you hoping to improve this semester? Personally and professionally. I’m taking jewelry classes. I’m not a jewelry major, so I want to learn more about jewelry and how to make it. My end goal is to apply for Central Saint Martins in London, and do that for my major professionally. Personally, I just want to improve myself, get to know
younger than you? Just don’t listen to anyone, do whatever you want, because you will regret not doing what you really want to do. What was one of your favorite songs growing up? “Imagine” by John Lennon. I was just listening to that yesterday.
CIERRA CARTER AMC What is your favorite thing to do in the
What advice would you give to someone
springtime in New York? I love to go to the park and just admire all the different things people decide to do on their day off. As well as get inspiration for my own work, because I’m a part time stylist. I like to see the upcoming trends.
younger than you? This industry is hard, but if you’re a dreamer like me, it’s not. Just keep pushing because someone’s gonna respect your love for it.
What are you hoping to improve this semester?
up? Don’t hate me, but the Jonas Brothers. I liked “Fly With Me,” I think it’s called.
Personally and professionally. Personally, my positivity, who I choose to keep around me to help me be positive. Professionally, I wanna take my styling to the next level, hopefully get a more permanent internship with a timeless brand.
What was one of your favorite songs growing
ISAIAH STEWART AMC What is your favorite thing to do in the springtime in New York? I love being out, so walking around is honestly what I do. I love going down to SoHo, walking around the stores and shopping. I know some people like to go out to Central Park and picnic. I’ve done that a couple times, and that’s fun too. But honestly, anything that’s outdoors. What advice would you give to someone
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GALIT LØNSTRUP
younger than you? There’s a lot of things that I wish I knew when I was a little bit younger. I would say, number one advice, you are capable of doing whatever you put your mind to. Your environment and how you grew up, they play factors in how
you can succeed in life, but they are not the determinant to what you can achieve and what you can accomplish in life. You can really set your goals as high as you want. If you feel the desire to do something, you can push yourself to do that and you are able to achieve it.
What was one of your favorite songs growing up? Have you ever heard Macklemore’s “Same Love”? That was a song that was really talking about gay people and especially in the world of rap and hip hop and the music industry. I never really heard anything relating to that subject, especially on the radio. And to hear that as a mainstream song was really motivational for me personally.
20 THE GALLERY & FIT SPEAKS
W27 Each month, we feature artwork from FIT students. Whether it’s something you’re pursuing professionally or just trying to have fun with, nothing is too big or too small for The Gallery.
THE GALLERY Wash Cycles By Alexander Lopez-Guevara Today I sat at a laundromat, Listening to the wash cycles and a song about A past relationship—how intense and brief it was, And how the feeling stays in like a stain For a while. I looked up across the street To see a chapel in the sky, With one side painted gold by the setting sun, The other in shadow, reclined Against a cloudy sky; A beautiful sight. I looked down for a moment, ‘Cause it helps to reflect, And when I looked up again, It was gone.
Corporations Are People, Too By Sandra Stromswold Corporations are people, too! Lobbyists will lobby so politicians can scream Let businesses be free Newly declared people Take newly declared seats Whispering to lawmakers While the people mindlessly eat Sugar, pills... The good ol’ American dream But no worries! Research says mundane lives Are better lived high Really, it’s no rocket science Corn-syrup-laced minds Make for corporate gold-mines. Our president says reporters lie So instead we scroll online Clicking on butts and memes and shoes Click-click again Another ad, another tweet Fulfills an ironic need To somehow feel unique. We drive to the polls Knowing we’ve been bought and sold A powerful handshake tops us all And when I stand against an oil-rig I look very, very small In fifty years I want to breath clean air But if Big Oil wants another pipeline I’d better step aside Because in this backwards country, yeah We have the same rights.
Would you like to see your artwork featured in The Gallery? Send us an email to w27_newspaper@fitnyc.edu for a chance to have your work featured in our next issue.
FIT
APRIL 2018
21
MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: Action Towards a Better Future BY ASHLEY FREUNDNER
It’s time for a new day and a new adventure. It’s 7:30 a.m., and we are about to take a 4½ hour bus ride to Washington DC. We are heading there to show support for the March for Our Lives, joining a movement that will change our futures — which are shaped by those who care about the masses and not only about the people who are just like them. Put together by the student activists of the Parkland shooting, the March For Our Lives protests were present on every single continent, with over 800 marches taking place across the world. Some people travelled nationally and internationally to Washington, D.C, were the main march took place, to hear from the students forefronting this movement. There’s something interesting about travelling with people who feel the same way that you do about the causes that are important to you. Looking at those who you surround yourself with is often a reflection of who you are. And this was an environment of people collectively working towards a better future. One of the most interesting aspects of this trip was the diversity of those who attended the march. Families, students of all ages, teachers and many more were seen marching on March 24, 2018. The march had speeches not only from the students of the Parkland shooting but also from other young people who have suffered from gun violence. One of the youngest speakers at the D.C. march was Naomi Walder, an 11 year old from Alexandria, Virginia, who became a rallying voice for black women and women of color whose deaths due to gun violence do not reach mainstream media. “African American women, when they are shot and killed... their names aren’t remembered, so I thought it was important to add,” Wadler explained on the day of the walkout (The Guardian, 2018).
After Parkland survivor Jaclyn Corin gave a speech about how guns are a public safety issue that have failed to be mentioned in the Stop School Violence Act, she stated that she has a surprise for everyone there. As Corin goes backstage, those standing by wonder just what the surprise is. It turns out to be Yolanda King, Martin Luther King Jr’s granddaughter, just 9 years old. She comes onto the stage and introduces herself to everyone. She then proceeds to lead the crowd in a chant about this generation. “Spread the word. Have you heard? All across the nation. We are going to be a great generation,” she yelled into the crowd. The impact of these young activist speeches was seen throughout the faces of those around me. Many times I felt the tears streaming down my face while listening to those who have lost family members due to gun violence. Their stories and the emotions that myself and many others felt that day will resonate with me until I die. Between speeches, there were videos which discussed the statistics and background of guns in the United States, assisting in amplifying the speeches’ messages throughout the day. Parkland students are not the only ones who’ve suffered from gun violence. For example, a 16 year old high school student from Chicago, Mya Middleton, shared her own story of how a gun threatened her life the winter of her freshman year when she tried to retrieve medicine for her mom and had a gun pulled on her. “He pulls out this silver pistol and points it in my face and said these words that to this day haunt me and give me nightmares. He said, ‘If you say anything, I will find you.’ And yet, I’m still saying something today” (The Washington Post, 2018). Emma Gonzalez, a Parkland survivor,, the spearhead of this whole movement and a powerful speaker is the final person making a speech. We stood in silence after her speech, unaware of whether it’ll be lasting 17 minutes in honor of all those who lost their lives or six minutes and 20 seconds, the time that it took Nikolas Cruz to gundown 14 students and three staff members. The emotions of this tragedy show cleary in her face as she waits for her timer to end. “Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds,” she told the protesters at the rally. “The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for
PHOTOS COURTESY ASHLEY FREUNDNER
your lives before it’s someone else’s job.” (The Cut, 2018). As well as affecting the lives of students, gun violence goes beyond those in affluent neighborhoods and intersects with the lives of many more people daily. People of color have been fighting for gun law reforms for generations, yet it has taken the mass shooting of an affluent neighbourhood school to gain mainstream media coverage. Many Parkland students recognize their privilege and are working to provide a platform for those in communities that aren’t recognized to speak. Gun violence includes those who are killed by police without clear reasons aside from “fearing for their lives” and “thinking they also had a gun.” The hard truth is that many POC are subjected to racial profiling by police which has lead to the death of innocent individuals. According to the Washington Post, there have been 264 people shot and killed by the police in 2018 alone. And although not all of those shootings where of unarmed people, why are so many officers feeling the need to shoot individuals? Putting an end to mass shootings and the killings of those who are unarmed goes beyond just talking about the things that people can do to stop these events. Action and awareness go hand-in-hand. If you feel that there needs to be a change in the means and methods of attaining a weapon, it’s up to you to assist in the change by contacting your state’s congress people to bring your concerns to their ears. Voting for those who reflect your morals and will be able to represent all people to make sure that these changes take place is crucial as well. If you think there are too many news in current media outlets to understand what’s going on in the world and in your own country, remember that the key is to use the media as a tool to shape your own opinions. You should make sure you are reading from different sources before you come to a conclusion on any situation. There are many points of views which are often biased, but by knowing where you stand and understanding the direction that you want to see the future going, you will be able to say that next generations benefited from your actions.
22 FIT SPEAKS
W27
B A L E N C I AG A B A L E N C I AG A B A L E N C I AG A B A L E N C I AG A
R E A L FA K E S :
B A L E N C I AG A B A L E N C I AG A B A L E N C I AG A B A L E N C I AG A
Counterfeit Fashion in 2018
BY MASON AUMAN
Counterfeit fashion – omnipresent and irreverent – rears its head brazenly on Canal Street and in Herald Square. Bags, shoes and scarves are piled onto tarps, ripe for picking by tourists and passerbys. Indulging in inauthentic fashion-goods is generally perceived as a passive and victimless crime. It is, however, far from victimless. If you recall the 2015 assault on Parisian publication Charlie Hebdo, which resulted in 12 deaths, then you are familiar with the consequences of buying fake goods. The terrorists who carried out the attack on behalf of Al Qaeda funded their massive weapons purchase by selling counterfeit fashion items in Paris. According to Complex, in a profile on the counterfeit economy in 2016: “…profits from the sale of fakes have been traced back to sex trafficking, identity theft, gang violence, and the global drug trade.” This link is reason enough on its own to forsake fake fashion. However, I find it strange that in arguments against counterfeit goods, the most common ammunition used against the concept is its violation of artistic integrity. While this is notable, it pales in comparison to the funding of human trafficking and terrorism. That being said, my focus is not on fake fashion’s link to unspeakable terrors. Instead, I’m interested in the curious phenomenon of luxury fashion brands embracing and leveraging the idea of “fake” clothing to benefit their own brands. Additionally, and perhaps more intangibly, I wonder what this means when it comes to distinguishing the validity of luxury goods. From a – possibly unnecessarily – philosophical lens, I ask the question: what makes something “real?” The inflection point that leads me to this question is Balenciaga’s decision to move the production of their “Triple S” sneaker to China. To the uninitiated, the Triple S can be described as an exaggerated dad-style sneaker with a sole so chunky it needs its own seat on an airplane. They’re objectively grotesque and that’s exactly how Demna Gvasalia – the brand’s creative director – prefers it. The shoe is constructed of the same materials used in standard fare sneakers from the likes of Nike and Adidas. Rubber, neoprene, glue, maybe a patch or two of leather depending on the paneling. Balenciaga’s take on the athletic sneaker, however, will run you about $800. Until now, this could have been – and I write this with the heaviest quotes that Microsoft Word can muster – “justified” by production of the sneaker being carried out in Italy. The argument that something is more luxurious because it’s made in Italy isn’t unfounded, but it might be a bit simplistic. Regardless of the validity of the justification – it existed. Now that the sneaker is produced in the same factories that make the lowest grade sneakers you can buy at Payless Shoe Source, and is still maintaining its hefty price tag, the pretense of highest quality is gone.
Notably, the Triple S has some convincing counterfeit counterparts. There are innumerable less-than-ethical webstores that shill out Balenciaga Triple S sneakers for a too-good-to-be-true $150. These fake shoes look identical to the authentic versions when comparing the product images of both versions. And the best part is that the fake versions are made in China. At this point, is there a meaningful difference between real and fake? The only difference is that one has been graced by the permission of Gvasalia and one has not. But even the designer himself has leveraged the counterfeit economy to sell his other fashion phenomenon – Vetements. Joining him in the appropriation of fake goods is Gucci designer, Alessandro Michele. Part of the brand’s reinvention, or maybe the foundation of its reinvention, is its quirky maximalism that utilizes traditionally tacky logos and iconography. In addition to lofty and luxurious runway wares, Michele churns out many graphic t-shirts – still carrying a luxury price. Recently, the brand rolled out tee shirts that feature a quintessential design of fake Gucci shirts from the 1990’s. The $20 fake tees from the 90’s can still be bought today on eBay – though they’ve certainly been marked up in reaction to Michele’s duplicates. And the word “duplicates” is vital here, because Gucci’s official versions of the tee are copying what the original idea was then. Does this make the official version the “fake?”
PHOTOS COURTESY CATHERINE MALENDRINO
Brands like Balenciaga and Gucci present their designs as clever and funky.. But are we giving them too much credit by accepting this? The only motivation I can see from this movement is that it’s a form of reacting to the explosion of streetwear in fashion. If you were to ask Gvasalia or Michele about their “real fake” goods, they would probably give you a soliloquy about how blurring the lines of the two markets is the whole point and muse about what it means to take control of something and use it as a tool for yourself. That’s all well and good, but I don’t buy it. If you want a fake t-shirt – then buy a fake t-shirt. Except, don’t, because terrorism.
This clear and obvious mark against the concept of real fakes in its entirety aside, is there anything really wrong with them? Or am I just complaining because I want a pair of Triple S sneakers? I’ve come around to the Triple S, but that’s not what this is about. I have no qualms with expensive clothing. Accepting the reality of luxury goods being mind-numbingly expensive is a prerequisite of caring about capital-F Fashion. But it’s silly and disrespectful to the customers of a brand to reprint a cheap t-shirt and act like it’s the paragon of trolling, worth $500. More egregiously, dropping the pretense of Italian manufacturing being one of the reasons for high prices and still asking for the same price for products mass-manufactured in China is a metaphorical “fuck you” to the laborers who make Balenciaga sneakers in China for a fraction of what the Italian laborers would have been paid. The concept of luxury is malleable and largely subjective. Case in point – there are many people that would consider Kanye West’s Yeezy sneakers to be a luxury item, even though the retail price clocks in at under $300. This implies that luxury isn’t bound by monetary value. Instead, it’s determined in large part by exclusivity and buzz. Established fashion houses like Gucci and Balenciaga who wish to flirt with the concept of morphing their luxuryness into something new don’t necessarily have to stop taking cues from counterfeit goods. Ultimately, it’s a funny idea. The way to establish and sell the idea, however, can’t be a “blurring of the lines.” I would like to suggest that campaigning on the platform that their goods don’t fund terrorism and human trafficking is a pretty good start. Alternatively, is it time for us to stop glorifying counterfeit goods completely? I don’t mean that fake purses carry an impressive cache. But the brazen way in which fake Chanel bags are shuffled around in open air in some of the largest cities in the world is troublesome. And most of these consumers aren’t into fashion at all. They live in Ohio and want to keep up with the Jones’ down the street by showing up to their kids’ grand march with interlocking C’s dangling from their arm. So, is there a way to convince this consumer to stop purchasing from a tarp in Herald Square? Maybe. Giving the counterfeit economy its share of exposure in critical media circuits could do the trick. At the present time, these counterfeit goods don’t have any sort of ambivalence. They’re fake, and the purse on display at Bergdorf’s is real – end of story. Maybe I’m being too presumptuous, but I don’t think that Chanel will be joining the real-fakes community any time soon. Five years ago, however, I would have said the same thing about Gucci or Balenciaga.
APRIL 2018 23
FIT
The
Evolution of
Modern Poetry BY CHRISTINA SANTOS
Gone are the days of classical poetry. Like most modern advancements, poetry has adapted to modern society and it’s no longer what it used to be. Whether you learned poetry from reading Edgar Allan Poe in the eighth grade or that one mandatory English class you were forced to take last semester, what you know about poetry has done a complete 180. Enter the Instagram poets. All forms of poetry are meant to be appreciated and this new wave of “Instapoets,” deserve nothing less. Many may find this new form of poetry off-putting; but as all art does, poetry is constantly changing. Although classic poetry might never be as prevalent as it used to be, is that really such a bad thing? In recent years, popular author and recognized Insta-poet, Rupi Kaur, has solidified herself to this style of writing. According to The Guardian, Kaur has sold 1.4 million copies of her first book, “Milk and Honey,” as of 2017. But with her success also came backlash. Many look down upon Kaur’s style of poetry and believe that it has no substance. Yet others have argued that her poetry is the style of writing we should get used to, and that her lines do in fact have an impact on those who read them. I tend to consider myself a fan of classical poetry, yet I still found Kaur’s work interesting and relatable. Kaur’s follow up poetry book, “The Sun and Her Flowers,” published by the end of 2017, touched on areas such as healing and growing. Regardless of what opinions you may have about this new era of poetry, there is one thing readers can agree: that Insta-poetry has no limits or structure. The words written by Kaur and many others are so broad that they are considered relatable to many, and the work written in this day and age reflects our society’s current state of mind. That, in itself, has some substance. As mentioned, social media has altered many things in our society besides poetry. A lot of things today are “follower focused,”
meaning that the more followers you have, the more “worthy” you are. Although this notion is entirely false, a lot of us are programmed to believe it. Similarly, many correlate the quality of the insta-poets’ work with the amount of followers and likes their accounts get. To some people, the number of likes a post receives is all the credibility you need to prove that their work is worthy — which should not be the case. On the opposite side, all of this online recognition allows writers to connect with multiple people at once. After all, that was the original intention of social media. And as they gain traction for their work, positive and negative feedback is to be expected. Poets sharing their work across the internet have taken a chance, sharing their most vulnerable thoughts in the hopes that others will empathise with them. For some authors, like Kaur, this pays off. For many unpublished authors, sharing their poetry attempts through social media first might be their only experience having a public read their thoughts. Instagram has become an outlet for anyone to express themselves, and since the Insta-poets have emerged, the craft of writing poetry has changed significantly. It has become more democratic. But perhaps at the expense of quality material. However, art is ultimately subjective, which means there’s no wrong or right way to express yourself — your enjoyment of it comes down to personal taste. Many Instagram poets have gone received book deals or have self-published to great success. It seems as though Instagram has revived poetry and thus gave it an entire makeover, completely altering our perception of the genre. Regardless of what opinion we might have, plenty of these social media writers and poets have made a personal connection with someone. And we have social media to thank for that.
PHOTOS COURTESY TEDXKC
24 STYLE ON 27
W27
STYLE ON 27
w BY LARA DE LA TORRE
1. If you could only wear one piece of clothing for the rest of your life, what would it be? 2. If you could only wear one decade’s style of clothing for the rest of your life, which would it be?
FRANCESCA HEIDIG, FASHION DESIGN
1. My brown vintage fur jacket. 2. 60’s, one hundred percent.
ANDIE CLARKSON, PHOTOGRAPHY
BRITTANY HUGHES, FBM
LEVI MARCUS HOWELL, FBM
MICHELLE YENG, TEXTILE DESIGN
1. A denim jacket.
1. Well, I’m from Trinidad so prob- 1. Over-sized vintage band t-shirt. ably swim shorts. 2. Hmm, I’d say I’d stick with our 2. 70’s. current decade because we dress 2. 90’s, easy. for all the other decades.
CHRISTIAN ARAYA,
COMMUNICATION DESIGN
ISABEL MIKSIC, FBM
1. Joggers, but they have to be 1. Suit bottoms. 1. Probably my vintage camel high-waisted and fleece-lined. workman’s jumpsuit. 2. Between the 70’s - 80’s; when 2. This decade because I really fashion started to get really 2. The late 60’s/70’s punk style; love the direction that contempo- LGBTQ-forward. the Ramones and The Clash era. rary fashion is taking right now; all the trying-but-not-trying looks that are currently popular.
FRANCESCO RENDI, FASHION DESIGN
1. Something denim; probably either really well-fitting pants or a jacket. 2. 90’s forever.