W27
VOLUME 46 | ISSUE 4 | DECEMBER 2013
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DECEMBER 2013
The Philanthropy Issue
MASTHEAD
FIT
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Fernanda DeSouza Editor-in-Chief Dianna Mazzone Miriam Lustig Deputy Editors
Letter from the Editor
Megan Venere Executive Editor Richard Gilmartin Hermina Sobhraj Senior Editors Dara Kenigsberg Managing Editor Hermina Sobhraj Treasurer
W27Newspaper.com Mollie Yarsike Community Manager
Art Kevin Braine Art Director Kelly Millington Courtney Wall Junior Designer Jessica Farkas Alexander Papakonstantinou Photographers Faye Asido Chloe Dewberry Fashion Editors Sara Rabin Illustrations
Contributors Yesica Balderrama Rachel Basel Britt Bivens Kyle Dunigan Chloe Dewberry Dana Heyward Cassandra Laper Christina Macaluso Sarah Malmgren Marissa Mule Desiree Perez Daniela Rios Zach Rosenbaum Aaron Valentic
I can’t recollect ever being forced to give up my time to help others. And because my parents were too busy at work, volunteering was never instilled in my household. I thought twice after I realized the importance of community service, not only as a resume builder but also because it was the right thing to do. I learned what the word “fund raising” meant when I was 10, an age where I had barely mastered the English language (to the best capacity a 10-yearold foreigner could). I first associated the word with lifting things up, and in a sense, I was right. Raising money to help those who had “fallen” and needed assistance in times of need. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, my school rallied to provide funds for UNICEF. Following the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, my high school French Club created and sold bracelets using recycled beads made by African women suffering from HIV to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. And last year, I spent an entire afternoon cleaning up then Coney Island boardwalk after the disastrous Hurricane Sandy, alongside former W27 staff members. But not all of the community service I’ve undertaken has been
related to natural disasters. I helped host a prom with classmates, where we recreated the dance for the senior citizens in the community. Through the Presidential Scholars here at FIT, I’ve also enjoyed volunteering my time to help clean and maintain Riverside Park— getting your hands dirty is surprisingly rewarding. But so is any type of community service. It’s definitely hard to take time out of our busy New York City schedules to help others. Some don’t even partake in these activities because they’re getting nothing in return in terms of compensation. But that is not what philanthropy is about. We cannot view it as a chore and the only compensation we hope to receive is the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped to better someone’s life— no matter how big or small your contribution. So in the spirit of the holidays, take a moment to help someone less fortunate. It could be as easy as donating old clothes, dropping
John Simone Editorial Faculty Advisor Albert Romano Advertising Faculty Advisor
A FIT STUDENT ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION
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Stylists Chloe Dewberry and Faye Asido and photographer Alexander Papakonstadinou took to the streets for a philanthropic inspired photo shoot featuring sustainable designs.
a few coins in the Salvation Army buckets, or practicing in a soup kitchen. You’ll leave having made new friends and putting a smile on a stranger’s face. I also wanted to thank all of my staff for putting together beautifully written articles and aesthetically pleasing layouts all semester. And to those graduating this month, best wishes! Without you, this publication would not be possible. You will be missed I don’t doubt you’ll succeed in the filed you choose to pursue. So in the spirit of FIT, go get ‘em tigers! Happy Holidays! This issue is in memory of Nelson Mandela for his philanthropic contributions and civil rights movement that changed the world.
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CONTENTS On The Block 4 6 6 7 7 8 9 9
Faculty Spotlight FIT’s Theater Ensemble Debuts “All This Intimacy” Future Mode: Hamoi Floyd What the Health: Volunteer Your Way to Good Health Gifts that Give: Beauty Edition Legal Column: Creative Ownership at FIT Fashion Design Club Show #Now Trending: The Museum at FIT
FIT Athletics 4 Teams finished in the top 10 in the country. Women’s Volleyball
Women’s Soccer
ΩΩ Team finished 7th in the country at the NJCAA National Championship, 11/15-16, MN.
ΩΩ Team finished 2nd in Region XV
Dear Industry 10 10 11 12 12 13
When a Purse Is More Than Just An Accessory Best Foot Forward Ethically Fashioned: Bhookmki’s Swati Argade On Display For Charity Jay Z Decides Barneys Show Must Go On Editor’s Picks: Charity Picks
ΩΩ 2013 Region XV Champions ΩΩ Sophomore Megan Houff, named 2013 Region XV Player of the Year, 2nd consecutive year; also named 2013 AllTournament team at NJCAA National Championship.
Feature 14 16 16 17 17
Fashion Spread Behind the Veil Of Corporate Social Responsibility Charitable Mind Shift “Tis The Reason To Be Giving” Fashion Philanthropy Faux-Pas
Haute Culture 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 23 24 26
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid! Take That, Abercrombie & Fitch Hidden Treasures Yayoi Kusama: I Who Have Arrived in Heaven Jean Paul Gaultier Brooklyn Takeover Concert Review: YEEZUS WALKS Concert Review: Lissie: A Rising Singer Should Marijuana Be Legalized? Building a Career Month In Review OYB: Cronuts Are the New Black Coffee
FIT Speaks
ΩΩ Sophomore Hayley Reid, named 2013 Region XV Player of the Year
ΩΩ Freshman Anna Buckley, named to the 2013 Region XV First Team All-Region Team
ΩΩ Sophomores, Mary K. Snyder, Katelyn Snow and Hannah Rodriguez earned 2013 Region XV First Team AllRegion honors ΩΩ Sophomore Melanie Daniel and Freshmen Erika Renstrom and Darcey Lehman earned 2013 Region XV Second Team All-region honors
Women’s Tennis ΩΩ Freshman Anna Buckley, reached 1,000 assists in a single season in the first round of playoffs, 10/30/13 v Dutchess CC at FIT.
ΩΩ 2013 NJCAA National Runner Up (2nd in the country) for the 2nd consecutive year.
ΩΩ Sophomore Rachel Carey and Freshman Alison Tyler were awarded Region XV Honorable Mention honors.
ΩΩ Strong history of success: 2013 & 2012 finished 2nd in country; 2011 finished 3rd in the country.
ΩΩ Freshman Alison Tyler was named to the 2013 Region XV Sportsmanship Team.
ΩΩ Sophomores Kiki Sivaramakrishnan, 2nd flight singles and Ashley Yakaboski, 6th flight singles earned NJCAA 2nd Team All-American
ΩΩ Head Coach Carrie Thomas received 2013 Region XV Coach of the Year honors for the 2nd consecutive year.
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FIT Speaks On Saying Goodbye Holiday Weight Watchers
Women’s Cross Country
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Style on 27
ΩΩ Team finished 5th in the country at the NJCAA National Championship, 11/9, MA. ΩΩ 2013 Region XV Champions
ΩΩ Freshman, Robyn Arteaga, 4th flight singles earned 2nd Team AllAmerican honors ΩΩ Kiki Sivaramakrishnan was also awarded the 2013 Spirit of Competition Award, a national award given for women’s tennis student athlete that demonstrates the highest level of sportsmanship and character.
ΩΩ Women’s Half Marathon ΩΩ Team finished 10th in the country at the NJCAA National Championship, 11/16, GA
lETTER FROM THE art Director This time of year is often devoted to doing good deeds. Giving to a charity or helping the less fortunate is always a positive experience. After doing something nice for someone the next step for many people seems to be to brag about it. Whether intentionally or not, people have a tendency to try and show off how great they are. It’s great to do good deeds but remember why you’re doing them. Philanthropy is “altruistic concern for
human welfare and advancement.” People shouldn’t do good things just so they can post about it online and have everyone tell them that they’re such an amazing person. If you really care about human welfare, the experience of helping someone should be enough. Philanthropy is not about you, it’s about the people you’re trying to impact. This is not my way of belittling people who post about their philanthropy online. Sometimes one
person’s action can inspire someone else to do something good. So of course continue to donate, volunteer and help out your organization of choice. Just remember why you are doing these good deeds. Happy Holidays!
ON THE BLOCK Faculty Spotlight:
Professors Who Give by Zachary Rosenbaum
You may think that the people around you are generous, but you’d be surprised to know just how kind people in the FIT community can be, especially our faculty and staff. Many of our deans and professors devote their time to combating local issues, such as poverty, feeding the homeless, providing safety for children, preventing violence, saving endangered animals, creating art to benefit those in need and ensuring that industry standards are ethically responsible. Our selfless faculty and staff have taken enormous strides to help others in times of need. In the face of natural disasters, our community immediately pulls together to offer a hand, as seen after the devastating results of Hurricane Sandy and the tragic effects of the recent typhoon in the Philippines. FIT participates in all kinds of philanthropic work, and it’s all thanks to the synergistic efforts of the faculty, staff, students and nearby establishments that we are able to contribute so much to the New York City area and beyond. Students can get involved by joining a student-run club, partaking in the Presidential Scholars program, or just by being proactive within the community. For this month’s faculty spotlight, we take a look at five FIT professors who go above and beyond their required duties to enhance the welfare of others.
Anna Blume History of Art Department something we must commit to at every moment of our lives.” Her outlook illustrates that as human beings, all we have is each other. Blume’s ideal vision of love means infinite compassion, caring and mutual respect. Being kind doesn’t necessarily mean that we must be selfless—we naturally must be able to love ourselves before we can love somebody else. Acceptance is key—of ourselves, of humanity and of the earth.
Each morning, Professor Anna Blume shares a silent glance with a stranger on the subway, recognizing the beginning of a new day. When she arrives at FIT and makes her way to her office in the Business & Liberal Arts Building, she thinks about the support that FIT has to keep it running and the education that students receive that will guide them through their careers. For Blume, who teaches art history, philanthropy is embodied by those who truly love others. It all comes down to the word’s etymology. In Greek, “philanthropy” translates to the love of people (philo, to love, and anthro, people). Today, however, it refers to a select few who devote their time and money to bettering humanity. These people are fortunate, and are aware of that. “For me, there is an inherent problem in the condescending nature of philanthropy conceived of or carried out without sincere critical thought about the injustice of a social or economic system that creates these economic imbalances in the first place,” says Blume, who is also an Associate Chair for FIT’s newest major, Art History and Museum Professions. “That said, in the literal sense, to love people is the most important thing we can do and
Professor Blume takes all of the people and social circumstances around her seriously. Around FIT, she always looks for ways to learn from her experiences—that means engaging with everybody she encounters and supporting growth for everyone in the community. In order to live as such, Blume says that she is challenged to take a look at her limits. We are not infinite, and can only do so much, so a line must be drawn, realistically. “I try to find my niche, choose my goals carefully, respect those goals and work of others and find common ground in all that I endeavor to do. For me, authentic community service grows out of openmindfulness within the moment.” In 2004, Blume served as the Faculty Advisor for the Peace Coalition, which encouraged members of the FIT community to register to vote as a way to demonstrate the idea of personal responsibility. It was an explicit message that peace comes from taking ourselves seriously. Blume says that each and every one of us has a role to play in shaping the world we live in. Blume makes a great point when she says that “what makes us human is precisely what has made art so important to all known cultures.” Art makes our conscious lives more fruitful and substantial, and according to Blume, “is a response meant to heal something in the human condition.”
Shawn Grain-Carter Fashion Merchandising Management Department Professor Shawn Grain Cater of the Fashion Merchandising Management Department has been teaching at FIT for 10 years now. She’s extremely involved in community service of many levels, both inside and outside of the FIT community. “The fashion industry has always been a leader when it comes to community service,” she explained. “We were the ones that were first out on the AIDS frontier in the 80s when nobody else was talking about it. It was clearly not something that people wanted to address; they felt it was a taboo subject. We were front and center. So it makes sense that FIT continues to lead in philanthropy. It speaks to who we are as a college, but also as a community in terms of partnership between the faculty and the students.“ Some of the courses that Carter teaches are Introduction to Direct Marketing, Retail Management, Case Studies in Fashion Merchandising and Corporate Social Responsibilities. Of the latter, she spoke about how important it is while teaching that class to instill in students a sense of responsibility and ethical behavior in the industry. The course covers not-for-profit institutions as well as companies that take profits, like most retail businesses. She challenges her students with ethical and moral dilemmas about whether or not giving back should be a part of a company’s mission, as well as part of a person’s own individual mandate. Carter says that the best way to promote philanthropic efforts is to just lead by example. She serves on a committee that hosts awareness campaigns on how to prevent domestic violence, and what to do if one encounters such a situation. Carter collaborates with BRAG (Black Retail Action Group), an FIT club that partakes in lots of community service, from Toys for Tots to holiday fundraising for needy children in the city. She’s active in making sure the students
recycle and aren’t wasteful with using paper. She’s also an advocate for e-reading, and using technology. And like many FIT professors, she is a part of the UCE (United College Employees). To students, she recommends being a part of the clubs available here at FIT. Most clubs at FIT, Carter notes, have some sort of community service component, and it’s great to see students doing things that make a difference. There are posts lining the hallways and bulletin boards, and students are encouraged to attend some meetings and see where they feel comfortable. “I see a lot of empathy and a lot of students who give back. And at the same time, they want to be fashionable—it’s great, because they’re not mutually exclusive.” Outside of FIT Carter is involved with Alpha Kappa Alpha, the city chapter of a national sorority established by African American female college graduates. She takes Making Strides Against Breast Cancer very seriously and attends their annual walk to support the prevention and research of Breast Cancer. She works with women’s shelters, food pantries and her church to provide meals, cell phones and help those who are less fortunate. “I think community service is part of our mission as good citizens, good faculty and good students,” she says. “It’s something that’s very important, and one of the things I’ve seen is that our faculty and students are very involved in their community in terms of outreach.”
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Arthur Kopelman Math and Science Department When asked why philanthropy is important, Arthur Kopelman of the Science and Math Department responds without hesitation. “As a concerned citizen, scientist, educator and environmental activist, I find it essential to use my talents and knowledge to make a difference. In this day and age, in which the state of our planet is threatened on so many levels, to not address these concerns is irresponsible and painful.” In 2010, Kopelman was appointed as the first FIT faculty member to be a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, an honorable title that verifies his reputation for giving back to the greater community, and making his effects felt state and even nationwide. In order for a candidate to be appointed as such, they must have been a full-time SUNY professor for at
least 10 years. Their research and work must exceed their basic professorial duties and their initiatives must extend over many years. Kopelman is a man of many titles. Some of his roles include co-founder of Environmental Scientists for Global Survival, chair of the Ad-Hoc Faculty Senate Committee on Sustainability, co-founder of CRESLI (Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island, of which he’s been the president since 2000) and member of FIT’s Sustainability Council. He’s played a crucial role in establishing SUNY’s annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference. He once served as a senior scientist for Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation, and has led whale, bird and seal-watching
expeditions. Kopelman worked with a small group of New York scientists to help conserve and manage endangered species in the area’s waters. He’s currently working on making a catalogue database for all of New York’s Gray and Harbor Seals, complete with photo identification—a feat that will be crucial in the protection nearby wildlife. Kopelman received his Ph. D in Biology from the CUNY Graduate Center. Perhaps this is the reason why he feels so strongly about the SUNY system. He has been pivotal in gearing FIT towards being more sustainable and eco-friendly, and continues to do so. Professor Kopelman has made it his mission to make a difference in the greater
community. According to a bio written by SUNY, his work has been “pioneering and innovative,” and he is certainly a leader and role model in the FIT community.
Irene Buchman
John Allen
Presidential Scholars
Department of Fine Arts
“Get outside, get your hands dirty and do some physical work,” urges Professor Irene Buchman, head of the Presidential Scholars program. Presidential Scholars, now in its 15th year, is FIT’s Liberal Arts Honors Program, which provides stimulating cultural and intellectual challenges to students by having them participate in honors liberal arts courses, monthly meetings, lectures and group activities. Now, the program has built in community service as a foundation to what they do. “I never wanted to make it mandatory, because ‘mandatory community service’ would be a real oxymoron, says Professor Buchman. “ I didn’t approve of that. But over the years when I’d get feedback, many students would write that they wished there were more opportunities for doing more. After giving it a lot of thought and listening to my students, I made it mandatory.” One of the philanthropic efforts of the Presidential Scholars program is spending time grooming Riverside Park, raking and weeding. “When they’re finished, the area looks beautiful. You can see the results of your labor—it’s immediate gratification, which we all need,” says Buchman. The scholars also partake in “sewing circles,” which partners with local charity Baby Buggy to provide children with clothes and gear for healthier and safer living. It’s a project that suits FIT students very well, and they have a great time doing it. They help each other to mend the children’s clothing, playing music and getting to know each other—a win-win situation. Other charitable projects include making sock monkeys for Fresh Art (a non-profit organization to help New York artists with special needs),
volunteering at Fox House (a shelter for pregnant women and children) and spending time at various soup kitchens. “The students really enjoy doing this, are glad they had done it, and appreciate that we set it up for them,” adds Buchman Alumni of the Presidential Scholars also give back to the program by gifting students with scholarships to study abroad. The program has grown tremendously in the past decade and a half and is now graduating about 40 students. Buchman also brought up the FIT community’s immediate response to Hurricane Sandy. “It was horrendous,” she said. “Some of us were very lucky—the FIT campus was very lucky. But there were people on this campus who lost everything. Students, their families, faculty and staff—it was horrible.” The community’s response was generous and endearing. “People rallied, not just to give to the Red Cross, but to give things to people right on campus. People just started bringing in clothing and bedding—even money—to help get people through. It was a wonderful example of philanthropy and directly helping others in need,” she added. Buchman gives tours of the Highline Park in Chelsea. It’s her way of giving back to such a phenomenal addition to the city. “I can’t give them a million dollars, but I can give them my time,” she says. “I see the Highline as the antidote of cynicism [after people believed that the project couldn’t be done], and I think that’s what philanthropy is about. You don’t want to live a cynical life.” Photos courtesy of respective professors
John Allen of the Fine Arts Department says that when it comes to philanthropy, it’s the little things that make a difference. It is special for an individual to give something away, and there’s always an opportunity to do so. Whatever we can do to enrich the lives of others is important. No kindness is set in stone, he says. Philanthropy is the result of people going above and beyond to be kind. Allen has a realistic approach to giving back. As humans, we must first take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. If we can, we reach out. Allen says that the desire to give comes impulsively, as a consequence, or to fill a void in our own lives. In times of need, we are more inclined to be generous. When we see others struggling, it awakens our philanthropic side. Professor Allen has been an integral part of ARTspeak. The program is an FIT initiative to bring well-known and established artists to come give lectures and meet with students. The
program is meant to “foster a conversation about the constant interplay between real life and art.” ARTspeak consists of panel discussions, exhibitions of student artwork and an interactive blog where people can share their stories. At the beginning, the program was just for fine arts students. Now, however, it’s evolved to include art history students to bring the two majors together to work on projects and learn more from distinguished guests. A number of FIT faculty, staff and administrators have contributed to ARTspeak’s success, including Allen and his colleagues. For Allen, art and philanthropy do not necessarily go hand in hand. More often than not, people make art for their own enjoyment, or for commission. However, artists can be philanthropic by creating art that will enrich a community’s culture. A great example of this is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Maya Lin may have submitted her design plan proposal in hopes that she’d win the contest, but her concepts of space and material have added meaning to many people’s lives, and honors the lives of those who nobly sacrificed themselves. Mad. Sq. Art is an example of an organization that brings philanthropy to a new level, by exhibiting newly commissioned artworks for passers-by to enjoy. As an industry school, FIT’s activities require much collaboration between fields of study. This provides room for people to perform outside of their typical duties. Allen concluded by saying, “Sometimes making a place better is really lots of little things that people do, one step at a time. It’s not necessarily the big gesture.”
ON THE BLOCK
FIT
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FIT’s Theater Ensemble Debuts A Scandalous Must-See Production: “All This Intimacy” by Rachel Basel
Sex, lies and unplanned pregnancy; doesn’t sound like the ingredients of your typical wholesome family play, but does describe the plot of this semester’s hysterical, must-see show, “All This Intimacy.” Directed by Myranda Berner and produced by Christopher Wallace, the play tells the story of a young and pompous professor, played by Jess Levinson, who finds himself in a bit of a mess when he unexpectedly gets his ex-girlfriend, married neighbor and 18-year-old student pregnant… all at the same time. Ty, the young man at the center of all the drama, is in way over his head as he attempts to hold everything together, while the lives of those around him run the risk of falling apart. All three girls brought something uniquely entertaining to the show, mostly in the
form of outsmarting and/or humiliating Ty in their own ways. The ex-girlfriend’s sarcastic sister Franny and Ty’s baffled best friend Seth formed a priceless couple caught in the middle of the train wreck that is Ty’s life. The cast as a whole created a lively performance of the humorous, yet emotional story.“I really thought that FIT students as an audience would enjoy it,” said Berner. “Not to say everyone our age has dealt with a pregnancy scare, but it’s fair to say that it’s an incredibly relevant and
Future Mode:
relatable topic for college students, which made it all the more entertaining.” “The best thing was taking a show most of us didn’t know and building it to what we expected it to be,” explained cast member Krista Pershinsky, who played the neighbor, Maureen. The character has some choice words for Ty when she finds out about his “other women” and viciously slaps him across the face, the highlight of the show for Krista.
After speaking with other cast members as well as the director and producer, it was clear to see just how hard the students worked on this performance. “I’ve never worked with a cast that was so motivated. Running lines can be daunting, but they do it with a smile,” said Christopher Wallace. Hailey Rozenberg, who played Franny, expressed, “At the end of the day, we do something we’re all proud of.” For anyone interested in joining the FIT Theatre Ensemble and being a part of another great show like “All This Intimacy,” they hold their meetings on Tuesdays at 1pm in A711 and are more than open to new members looking to get involved. Photo courtesy of FIT Theater Ensemble
Hamoi Floyd by Marissa Mule
The art world, which prides itself on creativity, stands on its own as a pillar of society. The attempt to create something jaw-dropping and show-stopping isn’t what the art world is about—rather, it seeks to evoke emotion and meaning. Born in the Caribbean, and inspired by graphic arts and 21st century masters, Fine Arts major Hamoi Floyd exudes the confidence all artists seek to attain. While he creates unique color blocked comic book–style paintings, Hamoi is also reaching to move out of his comfort zone to create motivational abstract works of art. Considering his background, Hamoi also loves incorporating his childhood into his work, making his art a truly personal experience. Marissa Mule: Where are you from? Hamoi Floyd: I’m from St. Thomas in the Caribbean. MM: Who and what are your inspirations? HF: My inspirations come from both my childhood in the Caribbean and moving to the Bronx, as well as my love for graphic novels. I love Japanese-Asian art, as well as Japanese comics. I’m constantly making art. Just about everyday I make art, whether it be drawing in my sketch book, creating independent works or the projects I’m working on in class. I also love printmaking. MM: What is your favorite medium? HF: I like using anything – I’m not really that picky. I’m pretty open to trying out and working with different materials. But, working on coming up with my thesis this semester, I came to realize I love using house paint. It has a really great consistency in creating an abstract work –
it works as an acrylic, but I’ve found it dries even faster. It’s also much more opaque. MM: What is your motivation? HF: My motivations are simple. I don’t want to fail in life, so I do what I need to do to succeed. MM: What are your strengths/ weaknesses? HF: My strength is my ability to draw. I’ve always felt my drawing outdid my other works of art. I love to draw. I can pick up a pencil and draw anywhere, anytime. My weakness is absolutely over thinking an idea. I’ll come up with an idea for a project in my head, attempt to do it and it comes out different. MM: At what age did you start making art? HF: I started drawing at very young age, but I began putting my artistic ability to use in the 9th grade. I took some high school level art courses, and always found
myself drawing and sketching within my notebooks. I knew I had to put my drawing talent to use, so I applied to art school. Luckily, I’ve gotten to the point I am now. MM: What is your dream job? HF: My dream job is to one day open my own clothing company and possibly a sneaker store. I’d love to design clothes and sneakers based off of my artistic intuition, or become a great cartoonist. Like I said, I love graphic work, and I can see myself putting my fine arts knowledge into the graphic arts. MM: What is your favorite thing about FIT? HF: My favorite thing about FIT is the ability to be free. The Fine Arts department prides itself on freedom – and I think that’s amazing. I’m also very grateful for the opportunities that the school presents just about every week. FIT is all about bettering yourself
Photos courtesy of Hamoi Floyd
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What the Health?
Volunteer Your Way to Good Health by Desiree Perez
Performing good deeds for others or just supporting philanthropic efforts is what businesses build their good reputations on nowadays. Philanthropy and volunteering, commonly linked to having a good reputation, also contributes to inflated egos. But more than those things, philanthropy and volunteerism have been recently cited
as a way to improve our overall health. Recent studies show volunteering can lower your risk of high blood pressure by 40%, improve your mental health and ultimately add years to your life. Carnegie Mellon University recently conducted studies on 1,000 people between the ages of 51 and 91 and found that their
risk was cut by 40% due to the 200 hours a year they volunteered. The activities they were involved in didn’t have to do with the decrease, but the hours did. Nevertheless, choosing a volunteer opportunity that suits one’s interests is important. What good does the volunteering effects have when you’re subverting them by doing something you don’t like?
Feel Good—Mentally Volunteering not only takes your mind off stress but helps produce special hormones. This is known as helper’s high. It’s the euphoric feeling one gets after performing a good deed. The act of volunteering helps release hormones like oxytocin that make you feel good while preventing a rise in cortisol, a stress hormone. When cortisol is released, the heartbeat and breathing rates increase. This in turn causes the immune and cardiovascular systems
High blood pressure and heart disease are seen as age-related diseases since the majority of the afflicted are older adults. But it can happen to the most physically fit of us. Older adults are usually the ones affected most by isolation, depression and inactivity. All of these factors cause those diseases, but they can also be reversed by getting socially involved for a specific cause.
Prolong Your Lifespan
to give in. The body’s defenses become weaker, causing illnesses and premature aging. Even when just watching a film about Mother Teresa ministering to others, participants at a study at Harvard University showed an increase in antibody production. If only watching increases antibody production, imagine what could happen when you’re actually doing the deeds yourself.
In a study done in 1956, scientists theorized that married women with more children were more prone to stress and less likely to live a long life than women who had less children. What was found was that having more children had no impact on the mortality rate. They looked at other aspects and found that the 36% of women that didn’t show signs of fatal illnesses spent time volunteering while the other 52% who did develop illnesses didn’t volunteer at all.
By cutting high blood pressure risk, preventing heart disease, and producing feel-good hormones, volunteering prolongs your lifespan by 47%. That’s a larger percent than exercising four times a week to maintain your good health. “Humans are mammals, and like other mammals we are social animals. As we evolved, our social bonds helped ensure our survival,” Gregory L. Fricchione, MD, and Harvard psychiatry associate professor, told Webmd.com.
ΩΩ NYC Service A government organization to bring together people from all backgrounds to give their help in areas such as religion, human rights and environmental sustainability. www.nycservice.org
ΩΩ SVCS at F.I.T. If you want to take action now, just head up to A718 and sign up for an event to lend your helping hand. Some of the volunteer opportunities include The Children’s Hope Foundation, CFDA Fashion Shows and Great Toys for Tots. www.fitnyc.edu
Want to Volunteer? After reading this article, your oxytocin levels may have risen and you may now want to offer your services— but you may not know where to start. Here are a couple of options you have at the tip of your fingers to keep yourself happy, healthy and active.
ΩΩ New York Cares An organization built on helping others in the city of New York. The great thing about it is that you can choose what area you would like to work in, including various fields like education, medical, or even animal welfare. www.newyorkcares.org
Beauty Buzz:
Gifts That Give by Dianna Mazzone
There’s something about gift-giving that leaves us (and hopefully the recipient, too!) feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. So imagine what would happen if those good vibes could be multiplied? Consider these four products a case in point: we’ve rounded up beauty gifts that give back to organizations supporting those in need— talk about the ultimate win-win!
1. Philosophy Giving Grace Eau de Toilette Spray, $44, available at Sephora. The name of this fragrance says it all: Giving Grace by Philosophy is a limited edition eau de toilette spray with warm, winter-inspired notes the likes of star jasmine and creamy musk. In the spirit of the scent itself, Philosophy will donate all proceeds from online sales to Look Good Feel Better, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women cope with the effects of cancer.
2. Clarins FEED 15 Set, $32.50, available at Nordstrom. Clarins has teamed up with FEED Projects to help fight hunger worldwide this holiday season. The three-piece set includes some of our favorites from Clarins: the brand’s famed Beauty Flash Balm, Moisture-Rich Body Lotion and Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Rose, all in travel-friendly sizes, are packed in the limited edition FEED pouch. Best of all? Each set represents 15 meals to be provided through the World Food Programme.
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.3. Kiehl’s Creme de Corps “Grapefruit” Whipped Body Butter, $38, available at Kiehl’s.
4. MAC Stroke of Midnight: Viva Glamorous Bag, $30, available at MAC.
With cold-weather setting in for good, we’d planned to stock up on our favorite body butter to combat our soon-to-be dry skin: Kiehl’s Creme de Corps has always done the trick. Needless to say, we were especially excited to hear we can do good and smell good simultaneously—the brand has released their famed body butter in limited edition grapefruit and coriander scents. All proceeds up to $100,000 will benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign.
RuPaul and MAC have teamed up once again to create what might just be the sleekest and most sophisticated charity collaboration we’ve ever seen: RuPaul’s original burgundy red Viva Glam 1 lipstick has been reintroduced, complete with a matching lip gloss. Snag them both at once and score this party-ready clutch— with every cent benefiting those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, buyer’s remorse is practically impossible.
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Legal Column: Creative Ownership at FIT by Miriam Lustig
It comes as no surprise that the creative communities here at the Fashion Institute of Technology have built up a considerable amount of intellectual property (IP, “creations of the human mind”) between them—FIT is a leading school in art and design, after all. What you may be less familiar with, however, are the policies in place—both school-wide and departmentspecific—that governs the intellectual property created here, particularly the ownership of student, faculty and collaboratively created projects. Before going on to discuss IP policies at FIT, here is a brief overview of creative ownership in the legal sense: the most common forms of legal protection for creative works include copyrights, patents and trademarks. Trademarks generally protect distinctive elements used to identify a particular brand, for example, a brand’s logo, name or slogan. Patents protect inventions, which may include either products or processes, so long as they are “novel, useful and nonobvious.” Copyrights protect various forms of expression, for example photographs, illustrations and books. Interestingly, one does not need to register their work for it to receive copyright protection. Professor Barton Beebe, an intellectual property professor at New York University School of Law, says of copyrights and student work, “…Even if students don’t affirmatively seek to protect their work, copyright protection will attach regardless. If the work is ‘fixed in a tangible medium of expression,’ i.e., once the ink dries, it automatically receives copyright protection. So students could actually claim rights to any graphic works, for example, that they produce in connection with their studies.” In regards to student work created while in school, FIT’s Copyright Policy states that, barring certain caveats, “…student’s shall retain intellectual property ownership of works created in the course of their academic activities at FIT, including class work, research materials, works of art or design, music and theses. Student
work created jointly by more than one student will be owned jointly by such students.” Exceptions to this condition include work students create within an employment relationship with FIT or work created with “Substantial Use of FIT resources” (i.e., to a degree that exceeds what is ordinarily available to students in terms of school resources). Student work that makes use of “Substantial Use of FIT resources” should be approved by FIT in advance. Furthermore, “ownership of the copyright shall assume to be with FIT unless otherwise agreed to by the Vice President for Academic Affairs pursuant to a written request from the creator in advance. The creator of the original work may make a request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs that ownership of the work remain with him or her.” If a request to maintain ownership of work that meets the “Substantial Use of FIT resources” criteria is granted, FIT maintains “a royalty-free license to use the work for its educational mission”. Beyond the school-wide policy briefly described above, certain majors offered through the School of Art and Design have department-specific intellectual property policies. At press time, W27 can confirm that Toy Design and Fashion Design both have these sorts of policies, although other majors may have them as well. That said, neither department, nor FIT’s legal council were able to provide information with regards to the natures and rationales of these internal policies, so W27 will not be able to discuss them in depth at this time. One department-specific policy includes the contract that students accepted into the Toy Design program must sign prior to commencing their studies. One of the terms they must consent to is a royalty agreement to the effect that FIT and the Toy Design Department share a 50% stake in profits should any student sell his or her designs created at FIT while participating in the major. Students are released from this contract 18 months after
graduating. Toy Design Chair Professor Ellis says that this policy dates back to the founding of the department and, furthermore, “is in the students’ best interests.” Ellis declined to comment further. One rationale that might give rise to the above department ownership stake in student work is outlined in FIT’s Copyright Policy, which states that students collaborating with a faculty member to a degree that exceeds “the normal scope of work for such staff” may result in joint ownership. “Students and faculty should establish these rights at the outset of their collaboration” and then submit the arrangement to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for approval and filing. Professor Beebe says, “If the student collaborated with a professor to produce a copyrightable design, then both ‘authors’ might be able to claim ‘joint authorship’ in a ‘joint work…’ The main question may be the nature of the collaboration. If the professor just offered a few comments here and there as a project is taking shape and then grades the project at the end, it’s hard to see how that would rise to the level of joint authorship. I can’t imagine all work produced in the school is a result of a close collaborative effort, and the intellectual property in such work should be owned only by the student.” Overall, this author finds certain departments’ lack of transparency troubling. That said, be careful; make an effort to be informed of the terms and conditions placed on the work you produce as a student. A copy of FIT’s current Copyright Policy, in effect since 2007, is available for viewing online through the school’s website. Department faculty or chairs should also be able and willing to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding the ownership of your creative efforts. If this is not the case, they can try contacting the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Students should find the answers to questions regarding their IP before it becomes a problem, especially if, as Beebe says, “Some trend explodes and a lot of money is suddenly at issue.”
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DECEMBER 2013
Fashion Show Club by Christina Macaluso
With the seemingly countless number of fashion related clubs here at FIT, the focus has never been on the production of a fashion show until the spring of 2013. Michelle Fuller, a student here at FIT, started the Fashion Show Club to emphasize the work and process that goes into the production of a fashion show. The club reaches out to all majors and collaborates to produce a spectacular event. In fact the mission of the club is: “The Fashion Show Club at FIT is a multidisciplinary club where students will collaborate on producing a fashion show. Each club member will contribute
and explore their expertise on merchandising, design, styling, promotion and production for the show.” On Dec. 5, the Fashion Show Club presented its first production titled, “The Fifty Shades Fashion Show.” With much anticipation, the students produced and directed an extravaganza that featured fashions chosen by the merchandising committee. According to the Vice President of the Fashion Show Club, Dyon Tran, “The 50 Shades Fashion Show” is FSC’s first
annual fashion show. We came up with this theme last semester. We chose it because ‘50 Shades of Grey’ was so viral and part of this pop culture,” he said. “Everyone was either talking about the book or the casting of the new movie. We wanted to add to the hype and wanted everyone to talk about our show.” The club is composed of three committees, each focusing their attention on a different aspect behind the production of the show. The committees were divided into production, public relations and
design/merchandising. All members were active participants in the production of this first effort With the first fashion show completed, the FIT community is indeed talking about the success of the club and show. The club plans on producing an annual show each year with an ultimate goal of extending their talents outside of the FIT community and have companies hire them to produce and design the fashion shows.
#Now Trending: The Museum at FIT by Chloe Dewberry
It seems like only yesterday when virtually every celebrity and stylish Park Avenue female had the Louis Vuitton white multicolor monogram bag slung over their shoulders. In 2004, the Takashi Murakami designed collaboration bag was on everyone’s wish-list and the knockoffs were a-plenty. Even Limited Too, the tween brand store found in suburban malls, had a wide-range of Louis knockoffs so that pre-teen girls could carry their lip gloss and wallets just like their favorite It-Girl. But where are those bags now in the fashion world? While they had their moment on everyone’s radar for a number of seasons, the bags’ popularity died away after a number of years and fashionistas moved on to the next bag of-the-moment.
That’s the nature of fashion trends, they are constantly changing. What’s hip one day can easily become passé the next. In order to truly understand popular fashion trends and their origins, it is important to first investigate the socio-political and cultural movements that inspire the trend. “Trend-ology,” the recently opened exhibit at the Museum at FIT, investigates the inspiration and sources behind various fashion trends that have surfaced throughout the past 250 years. Each featured accessory and clothing item chronicles trends of a particular time period and showcases how that trend impacted the rest of the cultural world at the time. In the 18th century, novelty textiles and color palettes truly began to emerge. The exhibit features yellow silk dresses and men’s coats from the early 1800s and investigates the popularizing of the tartan plaid. The resurgence of the 70s “plaidpunk” trend in the 90s might not ever have hit the runway without the rise of tartans in the 18th century. The exhibit acts as a trend timetravel machine and lets the attendee
experience the explosion of mini-skirts of the 1960s, Emilio Pucci and his exotic prints in the 1970s and “power dressing” with female executives in the 1980s. Playsuits from Mary Quant, a “streettrash” inspired blazer from Stephen Sprouse and a jersey bodysuit from Donna Karan are just a handful of iconic looks that occupy the museum space and display the progression of trends in the past six decades. “Trend-ology” also showcases trends that have experienced a comeback this past year. Modern-day fashion-conscious folks can frequently be seen wearing DKNY logo shirts and spoof logo tees and beanies that read “Giraunchy” and “Ballin Paris” on the streets. “Logo-mania” was a trend that was first popularized back in the early 80s and culminatting in the 90s with designers such as Moschino and Tommy Hilfiger at the forefront. In the “Trend-ology” exhibition, Chanel’s now iconic gold “dookie chain” can be seen paired with a classic Chanel wool suit from Karl Lagerfeld’s 1991 collection. The exhibit also gets a flashy touch with Versace shoes, jewelry and a dress adorned with the brand’s iconic Medusa head logo that studies how hip-hop culture and street art inspired high-end designers and their collections. Another display that chronicles the timeline of the camouflage print trend features key pieces from Dior, Vera Maxwell and Michael Kors. The “Trend-ology” exhibit investigates how trends have emerged in the past and how they have influenced the fashions
Photos courtesy of Chloe Dewberry
of the future. “Trend-ology” proves that while fashion trends may come and go, the sources from where the trends originate doesn’t change; they are inspired by youth culture and those who decide to adopt the looks.
dear industry When A Purse Is More Than Just An Accessory by Raquel Rose Burger
Meet Kathe and Tracy, the owners of Katrina Tre, a charitable handbag company that donates a percentage of profits to Charley’s Fund, an organization devoted to developing a cure for muscular dystrophy. It’s an effort close to the heart of cofounder Tracy, as her son Charley suffers from the disease. Motivated by their desire to fund research and eventually cure muscular dystrophy, the sisters have built a business around philanthropy. With the help of FIT student Ariana DeLuca, their reach is greater than ever. In appreciation, they’re offering FIT students 20% off all products purchased over the Holiday Season— simply enter code FIT13 at checkout. But, before you do, read up on these sisters on a mission.
from the gym to my office to meetings to dinner. I have an arsenal of "stuff:”high heels, low heels, gym clothes, a computer, a pouch for cosmetics, a pouch for receipts, a pouch for fabric swatches and so on. I desperately needed a tote that could carry it all, as well as a tote that could bridge the gap between casual and dressy. Tracy, who divides her time between her car, her office and her children's after-school activities has her own arsenal: her MacBook Air, her files, layers of clothing and brown bags of food and water for her perpetually hungry children. She desperately wanted a bag that
Rtaquel Rose Burger: Your bags are chic and classic, but still stand out from the rest. How did you come up with the design? Kathe Kramer Chase: I'm a true city mouse. I live in Manhattan and I'm on the go from the moment I get up until I arrive home, many nights after midnight. I'm inspired by every small moment in city life. Tracy is the country mouse, nestled year round in the rolling hills of Western Massachusetts. Katrina Tre bags grew from our desire to merge beauty with functionality. We're each on the go no less than 16 hours per day. I run
was great looking but hearty. We decided to start a business together based on something we both needed, and knew every hard working, fun loving female would need: a great-looking oversized tote bag that could handle all of her stuff, yet at the same time be effortlessly chic. The bag would have to feel luxurious but not break the bank. It would have to be both timeless and modern. And it would have
to work for a city mouse and for a country mouse!
RRB: You could have sold any product to raise money. Where did the ideas of handbags come into play? KKC: In my opinion, [bag’s are] a girl's best friend - either that or shoes. Shoes are too difficult to manufacture domestically.
much of our mission is to offer accessories that are exquisitely beautiful and effortlessly chic but also totally affordable. That said, we need to try. My dad was in the garment center and I've seen too many businesses close down over the years to not want to see if I can make this work.
Photo Courtesy of Katrina Tre
RRB: What are your goals for the company?
RRB: How do you spread awareness about Charley’s Fund?
KKC: The response so far has been amazing, which had us quickly expand into a line of pouches for holiday 2014. We're currently in development for iPad cases, dopp kits and a host of other accessories.
KKC: We average more than an event a month, we send out newsletters at least twice a year to thousands of supporters and we're forever scrambling to get media coverage.
RRB: What should we pair our KatrinaTre bag with this winter?
RRB: Your products are made in America. Is domestic manufacturing important to you? KKC: To the extent that we can, we'd like to continue to manufacture here. It sounds corny but we love the idea of our New York community dreaming together and working together to support one another. I'm not sure if it's doable since
KKC: That's the point! It looks great with absolutely anything—your leggings, Converse and jean jacket; your ripped Joe jeans, slouchy sweater and leather ankle boots; your Helmut Lang wool and leather blazer, cashmere tank and knee high suede stiletto boots; or your trousers, white button down blouse and Jimmy Choo black patent pumps.
Best Foot Forward by Sarah Malmgren
Rarely do fashion and charity go handin-hand. In fact, most of the time, one counteracts the other. Especially when it comes to footwear, sweatshop exposés and behind-the-scenes footage have all but ruined almost any chance of fashion earning a reputation for doing good. Some companies, however, are literally making strides towards changing this stereotype. Of course, we all know TOMS. Take just a few steps into Central Park and five pairs can be spotted easily on the feet of socially conscious youth. The famous “one for one” philosophy that grew TOMS into the powerhouse it is today is still the backbone of the operation, but now the comfy slip-ons are moving up a few fashion notches. Tabitha Simmons, celebrated high-end women’s shoe designer, has teamed up with TOMS to introduce the brand’s latest collection for the holidays. Featuring quirky prints in classic colors, this collection of flats and wedges allows its wearers to make a statement in more ways than one. Since they’re TOMS, the purchase
of each pair provides a child in need with a new pair of shoes, and since they’re by Tabitha Simmons, they’re guaranteed to turn heads.
“social attachment is the best kind of purchase.” While this collection is more expensive than classic TOMS, the novelty of each pair makes it worth the price. In addition, Simmons made the bold move to design her first children’s collection, applying her unique aesthetic for shoes to tiny feet. With the holidays fast approaching, one pair is an excellent gift that gives to two children instead of one. What makes this collaboration even more special is the obvious passion that
Simmons has for the philanthropic aspect of TOMS. In a video on the company’s website, she explains that from the beginning, she wanted to be involved throughout the process. “I want to do it all,” she says in her charming British drawl. “I want to go on the giving trip, I want to be a part of everything.” Another up-and-coming philanthropy centered shoe brand is called BANGS. In 2009, while on a trip to teach English in Nantong City, China, Founder and President Hannah Davis was inspired by a pair of utility shoes that her friend purchased at an army surplus store. Upon returning to the States, Davis began to conceptualize a brand that would bring these street-style shoes to America and benefit those in need at the same time. Rather than donating a pair of shoes for each pair purchased, BANGS partners with several nonprofits, seeking to raise funds and awareness for these nonprofits. Each color for sale represents a different cause, like blue for clean water and red
for disaster aid. Ultimately, the mission of BANGS is self development, with a focus on self reliability, empowerment and education. The brand is still in its start-up stage, having been in business for a year now. What has led to the company’s success thus far is the drive of its founder. Davis strives to interact with her customers, to “hear from people who put the shoes directly on their feet.” Recently, she visited the FIT campus as part of her college tour, and there is currently a BANGS club in the works right here on 27th Street. One conversation with Hannah Davis and it is obvious that she is dedicated to this business. While the colors and styles are fun, the main priority of this organization is to raise awareness for nonprofits. It is the hope that each purchase be “driven by emotion,” and that the sale reaches beyond the exchange of money for shoes. As Davis puts it, “social attachment is the best kind of purchase.”
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DECEMBER 2013
Ethically Fashioned: Bhoomki’s Swati Argade by Britt Bivens
As a young girl, Swati Argade learned the geography of India through her mother’s saris, learning about regional fabrics and embroideries as she explored the trunk in which they were kept. Add to this a later career as a classical Indian dancer, which involved wearing extravagant costumes for performances, and it was inevitable that Swati would develop a deep-seeded love for textiles. On a postgraduate trip around India (researching for a documentary that she planned on making), Argade visited many cities and villages that were the homes of these exquisite textiles and she began to see the true complexity of their fates. The nobles of the region required beautiful clothes for their religious celebrations at local temples and it was these local artisans that produced it, creating a link between the craftsmanship and religion. With increasing industrialization, these customs were being threatened, and with it, the livelihood of the local artisans. Argade bought some fabrics and had some pieces made. On her return to New York, she was consistently asked about them while wearing her designs. This inspired her to start an eponymous collection in 2002, which then led to opening the store and designing under the Bhoomki label. Argade is the owner and CEO of Bhoomki, an ethical fashion store in Park Slope, Brooklyn, that opened in early 2012. Brands carried include her own as well as famously eco-labels such as Tara St James, John Patrick Organics and Amour Vert. There’s even a phenomenal hand-stitched and woven coat made from saris that features real turquoise buttonsa real showcase piece! We sat down to talk about how ethical fashion and philanthropy that are connected in her store. Britt Bivens: How do you feel about the idea of helping people help themselves is the new philanthropy? Swati Argade: Yes, I’d absolutely agree with that. There’s that famous old quote “give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, show him how to catch a fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is one of the main factors that I take into consideration when deciding who I work with. I’m looking for small brands (and local is even better!) and factories that pay a living
wage and treat their workers well. When I work with India, sustaining the local businesses so that the artisans don’t have to move to cities and do other jobs is really important to me. I’m conscientious that if the artisan’s skills are not being used, not only are they at risk for not having their business survive, but we are in danger of losing the craft. Many of these crafts are handed from prior generations and become part of their, and now our, history. When I’m buying from local brands here in New York, I’m constantly holding them against my requirements in terms of how and where they produce. Ethical fashion is a growing sector of the fashion industry and we still have a ways to go, but little by little we’re educating people.
BB: Where are most of the clothes from your store made?
working with are also run by women, which strengthens the community. I’m always looking for well-made items from artisan communities. This can be trickyhandmade often means small differences in the workmanship (i.e. in the finishing) and that’s not what bigger stores want so I need to make sure they can do the quantities I need in a uniform way.
SA: I am mostly producing in the USA but I’m doing a lot of sourcing in India, bringing back the fabrics from there. I work with a lot of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in not only finding and supporting the artisans but also getting them Fair Trade certified. Many of the companies I am
I like producing in New York. Yes, it’s more money but the quality is amazing. I read an article which gave a factoid that shocked me: in New York’s Garment District 50 years ago there were 200,000 jobs and now it’s estimated that there are 21,000. Sadder, still, is that fewer than half of them are in manufacturing.
money for their investors. It’s the same with cheap brands with big budgets too— and then they’re producing in those horrific sweatshops in Bangladesh. We need to educate people more so that they can be aware of just what’s going on.
BB: There’s a discussion going on at the moment about clothing over consumption and a push towards buying less- but better-pieces of apparel. How do you feel about this? SA: What we wear is so telling about the utility of our lives. As a retailer I’m asking myself when I’m buying for the store “what is the context of how they will wear something? How will it enrich their lives?” I hope to have pieces in the store that not only make a woman feel good because of how it looks but also because of the story behind it. It’s also great that ethical fashion is getting support for organizations like the CFDA who help to give it more exposure and a bigger voice. Creative people tend to understand supporting other creative people because we know what goes into it and want to see them succeed. I’m conscious of carrying a variety of prices in my store- eco-fashion has a reputation of costing more and when compared with fast fashion, that’s true, but there are some very reasonable priced brands that give you the look, the quality and also the piece of mind for the same money as what a contemporary brand made off-shore would cost. What’s frustrating is that the luxury brands have so much money in their marketing budgets that they can get their word out more effectively than the smaller guys like me. I have a story of my visit to a factory in India that had children working on designer bags (you can read it on my blog) and that stunned me. It felt so wrong that they were squeezing the factory and yet we know it’s about making
Photo courtesy of Swati Argade
DEAR INDUSTRY
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On Display For Charity by Aaron Valentic
There is just something about the holiday season that sparks an incredible amount of joy, good will and above all, excitement, for the friendliness of those you encounter. Add to the annual cheer the Bergdorf Goodman Window Display Opening, and the holidays are bound to be a fantastical array of treats for the imagination. At the start of every holiday season, the fashion mecca that is Bergdorf Goodman unveils some of the most spectacular window displays seen anywhere in the world. The themes include dreamlike details that often include animals, locations and the most extraordinary garments made especially for the Bergdorf Goodman windows. These windows are located at the women’s store (located directly across from the Plaza Hotel on 5th Avenue). This season, however, all eyes are focusing upon the Bergdorf Goodman Men’s Store located across from
the main store on Fifth Avenue. The display windows at the men’s store will be carrying out a social mission to help those in need, while engaging in a sense of whimsy and delight.
Sotheby’s, the famous auction house, will be auctioning off some fabulous gear for the (RED) Charity Auction with Bono which are displayed in the men’s store windows. Among the sixteen items up for auction, included are a Russian Zvezda Cosmonaut Suit, Damien Hirst spin chairs, two Castiglioni lamps, a Snoopy lamp and a George Lucas signed Storm Trooper helmet.
(RED), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was established in 2002 to focus large-scale prevention, as well as helping to fund treatments and care programs for these three diseases. (RED) partners with large, iconic brands to create products that will generate funds. All funds generated through (RED) are put toward the treatment and care options for patients. From the beginning the nonprofit has generated nearly $150 million for HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. The original February 2008 Sotheby’s New York (RED) auction raised over $40 million to help continue the fight against diseases in Africa. The masterminds behind the collaboration with Bergdorf Goodman and Sotheby’s included Bono, Marc Newson and Apple’s own Jony Ive, the senior vice president of design. The three spent eighteen months planning the collection, as well as how to create and present the auction. Both Newson and Ive also created one-of-a-kind pieces, featuring a Leica digital rangefinder camera and an aluminum desk produced by Neal Feay Studio.
Photo courtesy of Aa Take
The auction itself took place on November 23 at Sotheby’s New York raising about $13 million for the (RED) cause. It goes to show that an industry that at times looks rather frivolous and self absorbed, can truly come together for an important cause, bringing awareness with style.
Jay Z Decides Barneys Show Must Go On by Chloe Dewberry
detained by the police and was later released after further investigation and his recently purchased belt was returned to his possession. This particular case sounds all too familiar to a racial profiling case that occurred earlier Photo Courtesy of stupiddope.com in the year at the same locaBack in April, 19-year-old Africantion. Kayla Phillips, an African-American American college student Trayon nursing student from Brooklyn, was Christian saved up a great deal of money looking to buy a coveted Celine bag from and bought a $350 Salvatore Ferragamo Barneys. After purchasing the designer belt from luxury department store bag on February 28, Kayla was stopped by Barney's New York. Following the purundercover police officers who suspected chase, he was stopped outside of the store she had committed credit card fraud after by undercover NYPD officers who were purchasing the $2,500 bag. The offiallegedly called by a Barneys sales repcers demanded to see her ID and debit/ resentative who believed the transaction credit cards and inquired about how she was fraudulent. Christian was ultimately
could afford the expensive bag. Kayla and Trayon, along with the community, were outraged after falling victim to overt racial-profiling bias and have decided to sue the corporation. These racial-profiling cases came to light right during the promotional media storm of JayZ's much hyped New York City-inspired holiday collection for Barneys. Shawn "Jay Z" Carter, Brooklynraised rapper/entrepreneur who has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide is a 17 time Grammy Award winner, faced a public outcry to pull his collection release plans with the luxury department store after the racial-profiling cases gained media attention. After much contemplation, HOV decided that the show must go on. On Nov. 20, Barneys New York unveiled the limited-edition collection, which includes clothing by Balmain and bags by Balenciaga with sales that benefit the Shawn Carter Foundation. The high-priced items range from $2,590 En Noir leather boxing shorts to $875 leather Brooklyn snapbacks.
Many public officials have come forth with their outrage at Jay Z's reaction and I can't help but agree with their sentiments. To his credit, Jay Z did negotiate demands and confirmed that 100 percent of the sales from the collection will go to the Shawn Carter Foundation to provide scholarships to young people facing socio-economic hardship. However, I feel that an anti-establishment message might have sent a bigger message. Jay Z is a public figure who had an opportunity to truly make a statement against racialprofiling, and instead chose to proceed in the interests of his foundation. As an African-American man who has likely faced many racially-based hardships in his life, Jay Z missed the opportunity to stop providing for a company that has exhibited little respect for his own race. This is not a "theft" issue; this is a race issue. While Jay Z has made it known that he isn't receiving a single dime from the collection sales, he has also made it apparent that he isn't standing up for a single African-American shopper trying to purchase goods from luxury department stores.
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Charity Picks The Door was first opened in 1972 and has since helped empower young people to reach their potential by providing a variety of services. Located in New York City, The Door helps over 11,000 disconnected youths every year to reach their potential in school, work and in life. They do so through mental health counseling and crisis assistance, sex education, ESOL and GED classes, tutoring and homework help, college prep courses, career development, job training and placement, not to mention a wide range of extracurricular activities including sports and arts. I first took a part in the Door’s mission with the help of the Do Good Bus, an organization set up by the band Foster the People where the band members, along with fans, spent a day doing charity work. I cherish the few hours I spent working alongside the volunteers, organizing emergency clothing for runaway and homeless kids, and even made lifelong friends during the experience. You can get involved by donating (tax-deductible donation) on their website but better yet, why not donate your time? The Door is always in need of volunteers-they could always use the help, plus you’ll be a driving force in changing a youth’s life. Visit: www.door.org –Fernanda DeSouza, Editor-in-Chief You’re all familiar with Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Yeah, sometimes the information is somewhat suspect due to user-editing, but there’s no doubt that Wikipedia is seriously useful in addition to being frequently hilarious. Say you wanted to learn about Mola Mola (the heaviest known bony fish in the world), or the history of Christmas trees (they first appeared in 18th century Germany and were decorated with candles—just imagine the fire hazard!), you can easily find all these topics and more on Wikipedia! The following is a plea for donations posted on their website: “We are a small non-profit that runs the #5 website in the world. To protect our independence, we’ll never run ads. We take no government funds. We survive on donations averaging about $15… If Wikipedia is useful to you, take one minute to keep it online and ad-free another year.” You can do exactly this by visiting the following link: https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/ Ways_to_Give/en Donations can be made using credit cards or through Paypal and Amazon accounts. –Miriam Lustig, Deputy Editor
photo courtesy of FostertheFuture.com
While “a penny saved is a penny earned,” sometimes our loose change can find a more appropriate home than our pockets. The Door, a charity near and dear to me, is a College Advisement and Tutoring facility located in New York City. They primarily serve the disconnected youthroughly 11,000 young people each year. I volunteered at The Door as an English, Math, and SAT Reading tutor for the entirety of this most recent spring semester. As far as charity goes, I’ve always had a soft spot for education. What drew me to The Door however was its extensive amount of programs and services developed in order to meet the needs of so many different individuals. From career development and job placement to nutrition and recreational activities, The Door did not just provide an individual with services but rather with an entirely new lifestyle. To me The Door was not just a giver; it was a transformer. If you’d like to contribute to the transformation, Google The Door or go to www.door.org –Hermina Sobhraj, Senior Editor
Photo courtesy of www.zapsurvey.com
As a beauty aficionado, I’m 100% behind the mission of Look Good Feel Better, a non-profit organization dedicated to boosting the self-esteem and quality of life of cancer patients by sponsoring free beauty programs worldwide. The sessions teach women how to cope with the physical side effects of cancer treatments in terms of issues such as hair loss and skin pigmentation. Most of all, though, the program serves as something of a support group for women coping with cancer, providing a safe environment in which they can share their experiences and lean on one another. In operation since 1989, the organization has reached more than one million women worldwide thanks to a dedicated network of volunteers and donors. To learn more about how you can support LGFB, visit www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org. –Dianna Mazzone, Deputy Editor
Photo courtesy of www.wikipedia.org
DECEMBER 2013
FEATURE
FIT
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Sustainable Style
Daniel Silverstein
Former FIT student Daniel Silverstein uses a specific draping technique for his line that keeps fabric waste at an absolute minimum. Daniel utilizes fabric to keep landfills empty and hopes to make textile pollution a thing of the past.
William Okpo x 14+ Foundation Fashion designs can serve as more than just statement pieces. Some have hidden philanthropic messages behind every stitch and pattern and when worn, represent more than just a piece of fabric.
Lizzy and Darlene Okpo of William Okpo joined forces with the 14+ Foundation on a capsule collection inspired by their Spring/Summer 2014 collection. The 14+ Foundation is a charitable organization that builds and develops schools in rural African communities. All proceeds from the William Okpo collaboration collection benefit the 14+ Foundation. Obakki Clothing
The Obakki Foundation is a charity organization that focuses on developing sustainable water projects in South Sudan. Throughout the last few years, the organization has provided over 400 water wells throughout communities.The Obakki clothing line absorbs all administrative fees of the charity which allows 100% of the foundation's public donations to go directly to the charity.
on the cover: t-SHIRT: wILLIAM OKPO X 14+ FOUNDATION DRESS: OBAKKI COLLECTION TIGHTS/SOCKS: FOREVER 21 SHOES: BUFFALO EXCHANGE HAT: KANGOL
look 2 t-SHIRT: wILLIAM OKPO X 14+ FOUNDATION DRESS: OBAKKI COLLECTION TIGHTS/SOCKS: FOREVER 21 SHOES: BUFFALO EXCHANGE HAT: KANGOL
look 1 t-SHIRT: wILLIAM OKPO X 14+ FOUNDATION DRESS: OBAKKI COLLECTION TIGHTS/SOCKS: FOREVER 21 SHOES: BUFFALO EXCHANGE HAT: KANGOL
Look 3 HAT: KANGOL COAT: STYLIST’S OWN LOOK 4 t-SHIRT: wILLIAM OKPO X 14+ FOUNDATION DRESS: OBAKKI COLLECTION
W27
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DECEMBER 2013
FEATURE
FIT
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Behind the Veil of Corporate Social Responsibility by Dara Kenigsberg
Corporate Social Responsibility, as defined by BusinessDictionary.com, is “A company’s sense of responsibility towards the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which it operates. Companies express this citizenship (1) through their waste and pollution reduction processes, (2) by contributing educational and social programs and (3) by earning adequate returns on the employed resources.” It comprises both what companies do with their profits and how they make them. Going beyond philanthropy and acceptance, it speaks to how companies manage their social, economic and environmental effects as well as their relationships in all major spheres of influence, including the workplace, the marketplace, the supply chain, the community and realm of public policy. It is used interchangeably with the terms corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, social enterprise, sustainability, sustainable development, triple bottom line, corporate ethics, and in some instances, corporate governance. Despite how different these terms may be, they all point in the same direction; throughout the industrialized world and in various developing countries, there has been a sharp increase in the social roles corporations are expected to play. Unfortunately, some companies only use CSR for marketing purposes. It is purely another measure of public relations aimed to increase the bottom line and brand awareness. Other companies care about CSR because their customers do.
In this electronic age, when a company’s policies are tweeted or posted about on Facebook and other social media sites, companies need to be very aware of what their customers do and say. They have become transparent and CSR is a way for them to maintain integrity and show the world that they are ethically responsible, despite what is being said about them. It is hard to tell when a company is trying to save their image or improve it, and when they actually care about their initiatives. According to BethKanter.Org, “Associating a product with a social or environmental cause people care about is a popular marketing tactic with consumers. More than two in five consumers bought such a product in the past year…” Recently, many companies have come under fire for what has become known as “pinkwashing.” An article in Forbes defines this as “the practice of using the color pink and pink ribbons to indicate a company has joined the search for a breast cancer cure and to invoke breast cancer solidarity, even when the company may be using chemicals linked to cancer.” The term comes from “greenwashing” which, also according to Forbes, is “the practice whereby corporations or businesses use green and eco-friendly marketing to appeal to consumers, though the actual products, services and/or the companies’ business practices are harmful to the environment.” Both practices are heinous and deplorable, but sometimes go unnoticed to the average consumer. Perhaps
the best known incidence of pinkwashing occurred in 2011 when Susan G. Komen, the head of Susan G. Komen for The Cure, a breast cancer awareness organization, had to reformulate her “Promise Me” fragrance after another breast cancer charity found that it contained toxic ingredients. The year before, Komen teamed with KFC for “Buckets for a Cure.” According to ABCNEWS.com, “For each pink bucket of chicken purchased, KFC [would] donate 50 cents to Komen with the ultimate goal of $8 million–which would be the single largest donation ever received by the organization.” However, this turned into a public relations nightmare because of the hypocrisy of the partnership. Komen was raising money for women’s health while selling a product that is bad for your health, including the fact that one of the risk factors associated with breast cancer is a high-fat diet. Possibly even more disgraceful was, according to The Guardian.com, “came in the form of a pink handgun. Discount Gun Sales came up with the “Walther P-22 Hope Edition” shooter a few weeks ago, falsely claiming it was in a partnership with the breast advocacy charity. The company has since put a disclaimer on its website, apologizing for the mistake and saying that it will give $50 from each $499.99 pistol sold to the American Cancer Society instead. These are the examples that the public is aware of. Many companies that sell products that aren’t necessarily the best
for your health, like Coca-Cola, have recently come up with campaigns to help portray a different image to the public than one that they are often associated with: making people overweight. The Coca-Cola anti-obesity campaign, has what it calls four global commitments, which, according to MSN.com, are “to offer low- or no-calorie beverages in every market, provide nutritional information on the front of every package, support programs to encourage physical activity and not advertise its products to children younger than 12.” However, according to Jeff Cronin, a spokesperson from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, “Coca-Cola’s campaign is a campaign to sell more Coca-Cola, and not a campaign to combat obesity…Coke’s main problem is that its core product causes obesity, diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay, gout and other health problems. Those problems can’t be advertised away.” So is this campaign aimed to really fight obesity, or is Coca-Cola just trying to defend their product in the best way they know how? Today, corporations are increasingly using corporate social responsibility as a marketing objective. In the past, many companies acted as good corporate citizens because they wanted to comply with government regulations, but today, many of them simply want to line their pocketbooks. The line between doing good and actually being good has become blurred and it is getting harder and harder to distinguish between the two.
Charitable Mind Shift by Sarah Malmgren
Mid-conversation with my sister, her phone began to ring. She glanced down at the screen and quickly ignored the call. “It’s the Red Cross,” she explained before jumping back into our talk, and just like that, the next donor on the list was inevitably receiving a call that would, more than likely, go unanswered. Our society has grown used to a cut-anddry style of outreach from non-profits, with these organizations’ successes largely dependent on nothing more than their reputations for doing good. Many charities utilize fundamental marketing techniques like phone calls and posters and rely on the sheer goodwill of the public to take care of the rest. Consider the month of December: each entrance and exit to supermarkets is manned with a smiling Salvation Army volunteer, cheerfully ringing a bell and wishing passersby a happy holiday. In the spirit of giving, plenty of customers deposit a dollar or two, and this is what keeps the charity going. What could happen, though, if in addition to the everyday people and decades-old marketing strategies, Salvation Army upped its marketing efforts and started using celebrity endorsements and state-of-theart promotions?
There seems to be an unspoken rule in the world of not-for-profits that they should operate differently from the rest of the economic sphere. The public is willing to make donations to these organizations, but only with the expectation that every penny will be passed on directly to the cause. Funds for executive salaries, advertising and development are kept to the bare minimum, and as a result, many non-profits’ progress remains stagnant. In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Dan Pallotta, entrepreneur, author, and humanitarian activist, proposes a revolution of sorts in the realm of philanthropies. He suggests that not-for-profit organizations adopt the methods of their for-profit counterparts by investing capital into projects that may not prove useful right away, but over time will add value to what the firms can offer. Specifically, Pallotta addresses the current lack of incentive for CEO’s of non-profits, “We tend to think that policing salaries of charitable groups is an ethical imperative, but for would-be leaders, it results in a mutually exclusive choice between doing well for yourself and doing good for the world- and it causes many of the brightest kids coming out of college to march directly into the corporate world.”
If those in authoritative positions of nonprofits are not motivated, it is not surprising that advertising and marketing efforts are subpar as well. For-profits’ advertisements have a much greater impact than not-for-profits, and after years of the status quo, there is a strong chance that the public would not want the money from their pockets to go anywhere near advertising. If advertising budgets were put into place, donors might become highly critical of where each penny is going or grow to distrust the non-profit sector. This could lead to the decline of charitable giving altogether. Robert Bohn, FIT professor and former Director of Marketing for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, agrees that non-profits need to “be more aggressive with their marketing tactics.” Under his direction, the LLS began to look at itself more like a brand and improved upon its direct marketing techniques. Bohn developed the firm’s first marketing plan that involved celebrity Tina Fey. An online content analysis revealed that online contributions were up 110% last year, and that was during a time of economic recovery. Bohn believes that non-profits are able to advertise and market wherever traditional businesses can, and consequently urges the increased usage of social media and
viral marketing. He is quick to distinguish, however, the difference between profit-focused organizations and not-forprofit organizations, warning that there is little room for error. “What is different is the quality of what we pitch. We have no chances not to be effective; we must touch and pull the heartstrings of people everywhere.” Clearly, there is a widespread call for change in the world of non-profits. The way industry experts see it, the not-forprofit sector should be treated just like the rest of the marketplace. Adequate compensation for decision-makers, more dollars dedicated to advertising and a change of heart on the end of the donating public could all revolutionize the way charity works. If we allowed charity into our economy, perhaps our society’s problems would begin to take care of themselves.Cures might be found, breakthroughs might be made, solutions might be discovered. In America, we donate $300 billion annually, but only about 16% of that goes towards health and human services. If we changed the way we used that money, as Pallotta puts it, “Maybe then capitalism could finally save the world.”
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DECEMBER 2013
‘Tis The Reason To Be Giving by Cassandra Laper
“[Community] Service is something you can do selfishly! You can be a cocky bastard and do it because it’s the easiest way to get happy,” said speaker John Styn, as he discussed gratitude and gifting during his TEDx Talk last December. Many people across the country believe that giving back to the community is a humane duty. According to CharityNavigator.org, the percentage of Americans who volunteered in 2012 spent 12.7 billion hours volunteering, which is worth about $259.6 billion. So the question arose as to why. Why do we give? The reason given by Stein in his speech was to help someone else as a way of making yourself happy. His point is that you feel good while helping make another human happy – so be as selfish as possible and it will make the world a better place. Those warm and fuzzy feelings one gets after charity work are dependent on the fact that someone else’s life was made easier through your actions. The idea is beautiful because the feeling comes from
changing a life that otherwise would have remained in an adverse situation. The feeling instills a wonderful motive to helping the community but there are other proven incentives to philanthropic deeds. “The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life” by Uri Gneezy and John List, reasons behind charitable donations is examined. Through multiple experiments and surveys, Gneezy and List discovered that people would give large amounts – if it meant only giving once. The “once and done” tactic increased donation sizes and the amount of people who donated doubled. Basically, people are more likely give if they believe they will not have to hear from the charity again. It sounds harsh, however, that is not the only incentive for giving; we cannot forget the tax deductions. Charitable contributions are calculated based on the amount of the donation or
items given for the sake of charity. For example, the IRS Tax Topic Categories states, “If your deduction for a noncash contribution is more than $500, if you claim a deduction for a contribution of noncash property worth $5,000 or less, you must fill out Form 8283, Section A.” In short, if you have given the minimum amount of $500 or donated goods, you qualify for a tax deduction. Which is why many clothing donation centers also have tax forms by the drop off center. Then there are some organizations that use rewards for donations, such as tickets for a sporting event, memorabilia and the ever glamorous charity galas to induce people into helping the community. For example, Friends of the Highline hosted a benefit last year with an after party hosted by Calvin Klein. The tickets were $1,250 and a slew of celebrities were spotted at the event. A review by guestofaguest.com of MoMA’s Party in The Garden event last
year said, “Recently, MoMA has enlisted artists such as M.I.A, Estelle and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to headline their spring charity event in order to recruit a younger generation of philanthropists. And it’s working. The incentives to donate are fabulous but expensive. Nevertheless, the events continue every year. Despite the list of several of motivations associations can give in return for a donation, it all starts with wanting to give back. There is a lighthearted feeling that comes after spending your time or whatever you can give to another soul. “It’s not an us-versus-them world. There is no them!” exclaims John Styn in his TEDx Talk. Therefore, he reasons, if we hurt “them” we are hurting ourselves, so if we help “them” we are helping ourselves. That is a powerful groundbreaking idea and that is what the holiday spirit is truly about, even with the incentives.
Fashion Philanthropy Faux-Pas by Christina Macaluso
When we hear the word “fashion” we tend to think of our favorite designers, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, elegant department stores and of course our school, the Fashion Institute of Technology. Fashion is behind the drive that many of us at FIT have when exploring school and career paths. But behind all the glitz and glam, the designer labels and fabulous parties there are harsh realities of the fashion world that we must face- the fashion industry in opposition to philanthropic work. One reality of the fashion industry is sweatshops and exploitative labor conditions around the world. Exploitation is taking unfair advantage when one gains undeservedly at the expense of others. In the fashion industry, this consists of sweatshops—garment making factories paying workers insufficient wages for extremely long hours in unsatisfactory working conditions. Sweatshops are used by many major brands to offset the cost of production. From an economic standpoint, yes paying the absolute least amount possible to produce something is ideal, but at what human cost? With minimal options available in countries where most of these sweatshops are established, workers sacrifice their civil liberties and succumb to the lack of health and safety standards these sweatshops impose in hopes of being able to afford food and shelter.
Although sweatshops have been around for decades, in the recent years these institutions have been scrutinized more than ever. Documentaries such as “Mardi Gras: Made in China, China Blue and Victims of Fashion,” have made it possible for the mass public to see firsthand what conditions are like in sweatshops. Just this April, a sweatshop factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,129 workers. This atrocity brought much needed attention to the unsafe conditions of sweatshops. Many companies in particular find themselves in a public relations nightmare, facing criticism for their roles in sweatshops. Nike suffered major negative media attention for years because of their poor working conditions at their overseas factories. In 2011, it was confirmed that workers in their factories were subjected to physical and verbal abuse by supervisors, sometimes getting hit or even slapped with sneakers. In September 2013 at New York Fashion Week, many models joined labor activists to protest sweatshops. Also, this fall, an accord was reached to protect the workers who manufacture these garments, with 86 major brands signing it. The Nautica brand however has received much negative attention when its parent company refused to sign the accord. The fashion industry has also been criticized for its lack of ethical standards regarding child labor laws. In a report
written in 2006 by the National Labor Committee, an estimated 200 children are sewing clothes for companies such as Wal-Mart, J.C. Penny, Puma and Haynes at sweatshops in Bangladesh. These children were reportedly 11 and younger. Just last year, the Kardashian fashion brand allegedly had most of its products made in Chinese sweatshops with workers 16 and younger subjected to “inhumane” working conditions. Despite public protest and attempts to end unethical child labor in fashion manufacturing factories, it still exists. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs produced a 900 page report called “Findings of the Worst Forms of Child Labor” which stated that 168 million children work in various industries unethically. It stated that 10% of children in Bangladesh between the ages of 5 and 14 work in unsafe factory conditions. Animal testing has been another major issue for the fashion and cosmetics industries. In the United States, it is no longer required that animal tests be conducted to deem a product safe for use. China however does require this. Although not required in this country, many companies still test new products, chemicals and ingredients on animals such as mice and rabbits for research. Such tests include skin and eye irritation tests that can lead to harm and even death for the
thousands of animals used in product testing. The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013 is a bill introduced that would have these practices banned. The bill has been introduced, but it has not yet been adopted. Activists and animal cruelty organizations continue to protest and criticize the industry for such proactices. They provide updated lists on brands that do not participate in animal testing and encourage consumers to shop only these brands. The Leaping Bunny Program has been implemented by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) which established an internationally recognized leaping bunny logo for animal cruelty free companies to display on their products. The fashion industry is not alone with its hidden shame and the criticism it attracts. It is a sad reality we have to face. But we consumers can better educate ourselves on the negative aspects of this industry. We can now look behind the glamour and see what the industry doesn’t want us to. As students at FIT, we can use what we learn and apply it in our futures and the future of this industry we so fervently hope to be a part of one day. We hope to see and work in a more transparent fashion industry in the years ahead.
HAUTE CULTURE You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid! by Daniela Rios I usually spend my holidays living vicariously through classic Christmas movies like “Home Alone 2” and “A Christmas Story.” Whenever the words “It’s that time of year again” start echoing in the wintery air, I automatically think of my mother’s famous Christmas bed sheets whose design consists of tiny, overfed Santa Clauses on ice skates; I’ll never grow out of them. The reason why I think of those sheets is because that is where I spend most of my holiday vacation– lying around eating oatmeal cookies and actively participating in ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas countdown marathon which starts every Dec. 1. It’s small things like that that give you comfort in a world that is consistently inconsistent. By contrast, my cheesy list of favorite Christmas movies will be forever consistent. Christmas movies never get old. They are an essential part of the holidays, just as familiar and nostalgic as a terriblelooking handmade Christmas ornament you made in 1st grade that still manages to hang from your tree after a few Elmer’s Glue repairs. How your parents still pretend to love it is a peculiar talent that one will only truly understand in the mystical world of parenthood.
I have grown attached to the characters in these movies for they are the ones I spent my holidays with alone in my room waiting for the countdown until “open present time,” which in most Spanish households means 12 a.m. I have included myself in these fictitious families while avoiding my own relatives who were out in the living room recycling every year’s jokes and picking away at my snack pantry. To this day, I still get all starry-eyed at the Plaza Hotel, with fingers crossed behind my back that one day I’ll relive the scene in “Home Alone 2,” where Kevin left the old 1938 film “Angels With Filthy Souls” playing on the TV while he made his great escape. Now, the only acceptable way for me to wish others a Happy Holiday is by quoting Kevin and saying “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal, and a Happy New Year, (evil laugh).” I couldn’t
have picked warmer words to express my kind holiday wishes to those I hold dear. All I need to make these dreams a reality is to find a credit card dropped by the big dog of Wall Street (they don’t need it, right?). I’ll then have all the expenses covered without stealing my dad’s credit card like Kevin did. My dreams of living in that same Chicago house where the “Home Alone” movies were filmed were crushed when a big shot purchased it for nearly $1.6 million. Unfortunately, someone had stolen my piggy bank which contained that same amount, a coincidence that is totally plausible. Okay, I’m just joshing, but I am working on my credit score for when the house is in the market again in the future. In my top ten in my fantasy wish list you’ll find a pink bunny onesie (all part
of my rite of passage to adulthood, obviously). This is all thanks to Ralphie from “A Christmas Story.” Man oh man, do I love Ralphie. He wore those cool glasses with the round lenses and keyhole bridge way before Warby Parker even thought to exist. I might have to have a word with Neil Blumenthal and gently interrogate him about his REAL inspiration behind those classy specs. The most memorable scene in “A Christmas Story” is when one of the neighborhood boys gets his tongue stuck to a pole after another little rascal utters the mighty words, “I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!” We all know there is really nothing you can do but obey when someone triple dog dares you to do somethingyou might as well be cuffed. This movie also introduced me to some comebacks good enough to make you go “Oh, zing!” My secret weapon to winning any comeback battle is “You’re full of beans and so’s your old man!” Feel free to use it and dust your left shoulder in sweet victory. Perhaps my next year goal will be to memorize each and every line from “A Christmas Story.” I plan to never stop watching these super quotable and hilarious films for years to come. In fact, I’ll pass them on to my children the same way I’ll pass down my chubby, ice skating Santa bed sheets.
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DECEMBER 2013
Take That, Abercrombie & Fitch by Hermina Sobhraj
“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-socool kids. We go after the cool kids. A lot of people don’t belong and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.” – Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch. Since 2006, CEO Jeffries has callously trumpeted Abercrombie & Fitch’s outlandish stance on their idea of beauty. Refusing to sell XL and XXL sizes (until recently), the company is infamous for its dubious ideal of only serving “Photoshopped model” customers and burning their damaged clothing lest it end up in the hands of the homeless or less fortunate. In response, Greg Karber, a Los Angelesbased writer, decided to pull an ironic prank on the teen clothing store; later documented as a video, it was viewed over eight million times on YouTube. “Today, we’re going to change their brand,” he says. After alluding to the rather disturbing fact that Abercrombie’s CEO himself may not be upholding such beauty standards, Karber ventured to Los
Angeles’ Goodwill store. There he found what few pieces he could of Abercrombie clothing and handed them out in Skid Row, where Los Angeles’ largest population of homeless reside. Karber wants you to do the same. He urges viewers to raid their closets of “mistakenly purchased” Abercrombie clothing, donate it to the local homeless shelter and share their generous actions via social media (#FitchTheHomeless). “Together,” Karber concludes, “we can make Abercrombie & Fitch the World’s Number One Brand of Homeless Apparel.” Like Karber, the media for the last seven years has put Abercrombie’s heartless and bizzare policies in the spotlight, with articles reaching Time magazine and the New York Times. The teen clothing store has suffered significantly from the negative PR, with earnings down roughly 30% this year according to the Los Angeles Times. “I hope the end goal is to help a lot of people. I hope that some good comes out of this. I don’t want to be exploitative of
“we can make Abercrombie & Fitch the World’s Number One Brand of Homeless Apparel.” the homeless. But I think this is an opportunity to address two issues at the same time. I want people to no longer associate Abercrombie & Fitch with cool clothing… They’re not hip nor sexy,” Karber told Time magazine. Watch the video at: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=O95DBxnXiSo, and help Karber transform this brand.
Hidden Treasures by Yesica Balderrama
In Spring 2011 German authorities secured a search warrant for Gurlitt’s apartment in Munich, Germany. What they found was astounding: about 1,400 artworks stashed in his cluttered trashfilled apartment, including works by Henri Matisse, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall. The artworks were confiscated in Feb. 28, 2012 by Bavarian authorities and are estimated to be worth $1.4 billion. These paintings are a fraction of the estimated 16,000 artworks seized by Nazi occupation during WWII. Cornelius Gurlitt inherited the artwork from his father Hildebrand Gurlitt, an art dealer and art historian in the 1920s and 1930s. Gurlitt had been the director of the Zwickau Museum and the prestigious Kunstverein Hamburg Museum, and was terminated from both for being one-fourth Jewish and for his support of modern art. Nazis disapproved of modern art, labeled it “degenerate,” and confiscated the artwork. Years later Gurlitt joined the Nazi Party and worked under Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, helping Nazi leaders sell the seized artwork to national and foreign buyers. Some of the paintings discovered are assumed to have been directly acquired by Gurlitt and the other art dealers. The collection contains artwork believed to be stolen during the
Nazi occupation from Jewish families and collectors. Hitler collected paintings that appealed to him, in this case mainly works by the old masters, such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Vermeer, taken during German military campaigns in Western and Eastern Europe.
The elder Gurlitt was captured and interrogated by American forces in May 1945. He claimed his artwork collection was destroyed at a family home in the bombing of Dresden during that year. It is unknown whether or not authorities tried to confirm the destruction of the artwork. Gurlitt was released on the grounds of being a victim of Nazi persecution owing to his Jewish heritage. He traded artwork until his death in 1956 when he died in a car accident, leaving Cornelius with the hidden treasure. Cornelius lived reclusively in his apartment and made a living by selling artwork. He managed to live off
the grid by not registering with German social services and tax authorities. Cornelius Gurlitt first aroused the suspicion of German officials in 2010, when he was found carrying €9,000 in cash in a train returning from Switzerland. The artwork wasn’t discovered until Nikolaus Frässle, Cornelius’s brother-in-law, called German authorities anonymously, fearing the safety of the artworks, and gave them the address to Gurlitt’s apartment where they confiscated the artwork and took it to an unknown customs facility for storage. The artworks vary in medium, date and country, many have never been seen before and are being revealed for the first time. There is an engraving by Albrecht Dürer, a German Renaissance artist, a never before seen self portrait by Otto Dix, an unknown print by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, paintings by Franz Marc, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Paul Klee, Eugène Delacroix, Max Liebermann, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and eighteen artworks by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. A list was posted at lostart.de, a website devoted to cataloguing artwork stolen by Nazis. A set of experts has been placed in charge of researching the artworks. Although German authorities have known about the findings for about
two years, news was not released until November, ironically, during the 75th commemoration of Kristallnacht, the beginning of the persecution of Jews by Hitler. They feared that releasing the news would cause an influx of untrue claims. This led to an uproar by survivors and owners, who thought the news was unjustly obscured from them. Since the origins and acquisition of the artworks are unknown, and Gurlitt acquired the artwork from his father, it is possible Gurlitt might be able to keep the collection. Gurlitt’s ownership is protected by statue of limitations. The time limit for reclaiming the artwork has passed and can no longer be reclaimed. Another barrier is the 1938 law imposed during Nazi rule declaring un-German art “degenerate.” It is still in effect today and prevents owners from reclaiming artwork. This has been one of the greatest findings in the history of art and will likely change art as we know it, especially as information is revealed to the public. Years will pass until justice is served and the artwork is rightfully returned to its owners. For now, Cornelius Gurlitt does not plan on voluntarily returning any of the artwork. He was quoted as saying in an interview for ^Der Spiegel, “there is nothing I have loved more in my life than my pictures.”
HAUTE CULTURE
FIT
20
Yayoi Kusama: I Who Have Arrived in Heaven by Dana Heyward
Photos courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery and Dana Heyward In the past month, you’ve probably seen plenty of selfies on your Instagram dashboard in the “Mirrored Room” or room of neon polka-dot tentacles. No, it’s not another exhibition from Random International. This art craze is the doing of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Many New Yorkers may have been introduced to Yayoi Kusama just last summer when a retrospective of her work was shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art. This time around, Kusama is back with two immersive mirror rooms, larger scale paintings and a video installation. Social media itself has been the driving force behind Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition at the David Zwirner’s Gallery on West 19th street. Visitors are met with nearly a three-hour wait before they are allowed to enter the “Infinity Room” and nearly a half-hour wait to enter the other mirrored room, “Love is Calling.” But once inside, docents encourage visitors to take as many pictures as they like.
Largely known for her “polka-dot point of view,” Kusama has a diverse background in the arts. From a young age, Kusama suffered from hallucinations and nervous disorders, but this often drove her work. In her late 20’s, Kusama moved to New York and began to shy away from her formal art training. She engrossed herself in the New York art scene and quickly began to dominate it, thus making a name for herself. She developed an artistic style known as “minimalist abstraction,” a style that inspired contemporaries like Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg. After spending nearly a decade in the US, Kusama grew exhausted and felt that she had “painted too much” and moved back to Japan. To her, “polka-dots become movement...Polka dots are a way to infinity.” For the past 38 years, Kusama has opted to live in reclusion in a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo. However, right across the street is her studio where she continues to create hundreds of paintings.
Similar to her “Fireflies on Water,” which was exhibited at the Whitney last year, the room is depicted having endless space. The immersive environment contains 75 colored LED bulbs that delicately flicker and dim. Since you’re only permitted 40 seconds within the room, be sure to spare a moment apart from selfies to embrace the awe-inspiring installation. In the other building of the gallery you’ll find Kusama’s “Love is Calling.” Polkadot tentacles painted in intense colors sprout from the floor and hang from the ceilings as trance-like music plays in the background. Visitors are not given a timelimit but space is limited. This room is more playful than the other and there’s an odd sense of childhood nostalgia within the atmosphere. Just outside the room is a video installation in which the artist recites a song titled “Manhattan Suicide Addict.” Rather trippy visuals appear as she sings her song detailing her thought process.
most people come here for, her paintings prove to be just as charming. While repetition is still practiced in these works, Kusama seems to have let go of some of the precision common in her previous works. These works are much more freeflowing and unrestricted but still very much Kusama. The exhibit will run through December 21st at the David Zwirner Gallery.
While it’s Kusama’s interactive works that
Jean Paul Gaultier Brooklyn Takeover by Cassandra Laper
The Brooklyn Museum’s exhibition, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” walks us through the story of the revolutionary French couturier, Jean Paul Gaultier, whose designs tested the limits of sexuality in fashion and costume in the 1980s. Altering the very rules of design, Gaultier’s creation helped him to become a revered fashion icon. Since the exhibit’s opening on Oct. 25, the museum highlights his finest work and remains the only East Coast venue for this first international and multimedia exhibit of Gaultier’s creative talent. “From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” features mannequins with projections of faces on them, some sing while others recite movie quotes. Although it goes without
saying, there is a mannequin of Jean Paul speaking of his inspirations and designs through the facial projection. The exhibit was full of new age quirks that made the experience more personal. There was also an Instagram promotion with Lexus. If you used their hashtag while posting the picture, Lexus would print the pictures out—a great souvenir to take home. Although the interactive aspect of the exhibit was interesting, it was the garments that obviously held the center stage. The transition of the collection was fluid, from the beginning of Gaultier’s early work to the costume design for The Fifth Element and Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour through the latest photos of Lady Gaga.
Overall, the exhibit does an excellent job of educating the viewers on Jean Paul Gaultier’s creativity while letting their eyes feast on his many contributions to the fashion world. After going to the museum with basic knowledge of Gaultier, you leave knowing the artist inside and out. The exhibit ends on Feb. 23, 2014 and is only $10 for students.
Photos courtesy of Zoe Hochman
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DECEMBER 2013
Concert Review:
YEEZUSWALKS by Dana Heyward
Photo courtesy of Yahoo Images
Between his monthly “debacles” with the paparazzi, highly publicized “rants” (which he refers to as “visionary streams of consciousness”) and recently putting a ring on Reality TV queen Kim Kardashian, Kanye West definitely hasn’t shied away from the public eye. With all that, his latest album, “Yeezus,” released last June, has been one of his most innovative to date. The 10-track album inspires argument that it isn’t a rap album, rather just an experimental phase Kanye was going through. Many fans either embrace its innovation or shrug it off. But if anything- “Yeezus” makes you talk.
Hypebeasts, (kids who collect clothing and shoes for the sole purpose of impressing others) models, Wall-Street types, your run-ofthe-mill hip hop stans (maniacal fans of celebrities and/or athletes) and what felt like everyone else, gathered at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 23 to see “Yeezus” come to life. Kendrick Lamar opened the show performing some of his crowd-pleasers such as “Poetic Justice” and “Money Trees” but ended off his set with his lesser known tracks like the mellow, “Sing About Me, Dying of Thirst” and obligatory hometown homage, “Compton.” Though short, Lamar definitely made the case that he has been the rapper of 2013 with his performance mixing power and enthusiasm as if he was indebted to the crowd for all the support.
After Kendrick’s departure, a gray mountain structure appeared and the crowd lost it. They knew it was time. Fifteen minutes later, several dancers in flesh colored bodysuits took to the stage. The heavy tempo of the Daft Punk produced “On Sight” blared through the stadium. Then, Kanye wearing a full face gold Maison Martin Margiela mask, crept onto the stage and went right into the show as if there was no need for an introduction.
Schmidt (who was in the audience).
The whole show itself was a giant spectacle between Kanye’s costume mask changes, the futuristic atmosphere, a creepy Yeti creature that randomly appeared on the stage, an appearance from “White Jesus”and of course, Kanye’s preacher-esque speeches that he would insert between songs. During these diatribes some fans seemed to cheer him on, others just laughed it off, but you could read “Why can’t he just shut up and rap?” off the faces of many of the concert-goers. But without skipping a beat, Kanye would go right into the next song as if he didn’t just insult a major corporation like Nike or call out the Google chairman, Eric
Mask-free Kanye decided to perform the two feel-good songs, “Good Life” and “Bound 2” which ended the show that truly encouraged crowd-participation. All smiles at the end, Kanye seemed more lighthearted and though he never said it, thankful for the support and love he was getting that night.
Only a few nods were made to Kanye’s discography pre-2008. He took a moment to perform the quote-heavy song, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” and at one point took it back to his 2004 debut hit, “Through the Wire,” which almost felt out of place amongst the electronic nature and synthesizers of the concert. It had practically become vintage.
As he exited, the eerie lyric from “On Sight,” “He’ll give us what we need. It may not be what we want,” echoed throughout the stadium, ironically summing up the aura of this concert.
concert review:
Lissie: A Rising Singer by Cassondra Elisabetta
American folk rock artist, Lissie, performed at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom this November. Deemed Best New Solo Artist of 2010 by Paste magazine, Lissie is only moving forward on her journey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her seventy-five minute performance at the Ballroom was only one of her 15 date North American headline tour performances. Known for her frank and thought-provoking lyrics concerning the music industry, the Illinois-born singer-songwriter released her debut album, “Catching A Tiger,” in 2010. Her most recent and third album, “Back To Forever,” was released this year on Oct. 14. Lissie ran on stage to welcome a tight circle of eager show-goers in a black shirt,
jeans and sneakers, hair whipping behind her, her enlarged name flashing different colors in the background. The first song performed was the gentle piano keyed “Bully,” filling every crevice of the venue with Lissie’s earnest dulcet voice. The audience stood still and attentive as low notes and high notes unraveled effortlessly, their intensity bringing to mind Natalie Merchant and Liz Phair. The peppier “Record Collector” played next, followed by “Sleepwalking,” “Love In The City,” “The Habit,” “They All Want You,” “Little Loving” and “Everywhere I Go,” expressing rock, blues and country influences. Lissie did not stand poised in front of the microphone during this list of songs— she slung a guitar over her shoulder, bent forward and plucked the strings
ardently, walking back and forth across the stage, heartily swinging and jumping to the rhythm of every song. “Don’t Wanna Go To Work,” is an euphoric anthem of sorts for working people, a song the audience embraced enthusiastically at ten o’clock on a Monday night. The steady pop beats of “Shameless” boomed from the speakers as “Shroud,” “Further Away,” “Drake,” and “In Sleep” carried similar bouncy tunes. Lissie walked off stage momentarily and returned to sing an encore of the nostalgic soulful “Mississippi.” The final song was a charismatic cover of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” whose carpe diem message resonated with the already excited audience and was a perfect closing to the night. Photos courtesy of birminghamreview.wordpress.com
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Should Marijuana Be Legalized? by Dara Kenigsberg Mankind’s relationship to marijuana has been around since the dawn of time. The first known usage dates back to 7,000 B.C. The Ancient Chinese, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians used it as a medical herb for stomach disorders, aches and pains. It was first used in the United States medicinally in the 1800s, but widespread use of it as a recreational drug did not begin until the 1920s and 30s during Prohibition. State governments were the first to outlaw the use of marijuana and in 1906, Washington D.C. was the first effort to regulate cannabis. In 1913, California outlawed it and many other states soon followed suit. The federal government, however, faced a problem in banning the use of marijuana because of the Tenth Amendment. The government does not have the authority to supersede state laws or the rights of Americans to consume what they please. In 1937, President FDR signed The Marijuana Tax Stamp Act into law. Anyone in violation of this Act had to pay a fine of up to $2,000 and/or spend 5 years in prison. This act did not make possession or use of marijuana illegal, but instead required that anyone in possession of it have a “tax stamp.” This created a catch-22 scenario: in order to get a stamp, you had to have marijuana in your possession, which was a five-year felony, and there were never any marijuana tax stamps even issued. Fast-forward to today and the debate about legalization continues. Those who are against it have made an analogy to gambling. According to CNBC.com, “making the government a beneficiary of legal gambling has encouraged the government to promote gambling, overlooking it as a problem behavior...Legalized gambling has not reduced illegal gambling in the United States; rather, it has increased it...Legal gambling is taxed and regulated and illegal gambling is not.
Legal gambling sets the stage for illegal gambling just the way legal marijuana would set the stage for illegal marijuana trafficking.” The argument continues with this analogy, that marijuana growers and sellers would simply sell stronger strains of it through illegal channels where it would not be taxed or regulated. Another argument against the legalization of marijuana is the contested idea
photo courtesty of www.examiner.com
that, second to alcohol, it is the leading cause of substance dependence. In 2007, of the 7 million people addicted to illegal drugs, 4.2 million of them were addicted to marijuana. Furthermore, just as alcohol and tobacco are not limited to adults, if marijuana were legal, it wouldn’t be either. According to the New York Times, “Regular cannabis use has been associated with an 8- to 10-point drop in I.Q. over the course of 20 years, a change that would bring one from the 50th percentile to just over the 30th...Marijuana worsens cognitive performance, particularly in the domains of verbal learning, verbal working memory and attention accuracy. Some deficits appear to be lasting….” Not everyone agrees with this standpoint, and in fact, there is a growing movement to legalize marijuana. Colorado and
Washington have already made it legal, Massachusetts is mulling it over, and many other states have decriminalized it while others allow marijuana for medicinal purposes. Proponents of legalizing marijuana believe that it would not only be a boon for the economy but also lead to the creation of many jobs. DrugWarFacts. org says that marijuana has never been shown to contribute to a single death. According to a study done by economist Milton Friedman, prohibition of marijuana costs over $7.7 billion annually and a recent Gallup Poll revealed that for the first time ever, Americans are more in favor of making marijuana legal than not. The drug is also much safer than alcohol and tobacco, which are already legal, and studies have shown that people who smoke marijuana are less likely to abuse alcohol. Because there is such a great demand for marijuana, it is hard to criminalize and this popular illegal behavior causes us significant amounts of money and resources. The money that we spend trying to keep marijuana illegal could be better spent on perhaps educating people about it and helping others who have serious drug problems. Legalizing marijuana would also lighten the burden of taxpayers because, according to the Huffiington Post, there are more marijuana-related arrests made than any other violent crime, which is costing us billions to keep these people in jail. While both sides of the issue contain valid points, the general trend in America today is moving towards legalization. Only time will tell.
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DECEMBER 2013
Building a Career,
One Lego Block at a Time by Kyle Dunigan
“I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid...” It’s a song that most can remember being sung during commercials in between our favorite Saturday morning cartoons. All too quickly we eventually realize that our catchy TV jingle was a hoax; we indeed “grow up.” Against our will, we systematically trade our toys for responsibility and eventually a job. Even though our six-year-old selves pledged to be NFL players, superheroes, ballerinas, or astronauts, the harsh reality of life is that many find themselves in jobs that would deeply disappoint their youthful aspirations. Yet, every year a small group of lucky adults are invited to start building their way towards a new career that would make any kid burn with envy: they compete rigorously to become the next employees at that renowned toy company, the LEGO Group. These architects of miniature worlds are put through an exacting series of challenges. While most might expect the second biggest toy manufacturer in the world
(second only to Mattel) to take things a bit more serious than having its applicants playing with Legos, there is a purpose to their process. Initially, the process of becoming a Lego Designer seems fairly standard. Submitting a resume along with multiple interviews through Skype are common practices for many jobs around the world but it doesn’t take long before hopeful applicants realize this is not your everyday hiring process. The lucky few that are invited to the Lego headquarters in the small city of Billund, Denmark will soon partake in an intense two day interview workshop. Prior to arriving, these creative hopefuls will be mailed a package containing, of course, Legos which are to be assembled into an original creation. Arriving in Denmark with homework in hand, the Lego candidates will have an opportunity to show off their childhood skills in person. Some of the tests require candidates to sketch ideas for the iconic Lego mini figures, while some
require on-the- spot Lego creations to be assembled within timed limits. Creativity, methodology, originality and personality are examined and judged throughout the two days. Lego doesn’t require any certain degree or particular experience. Many applicants have a wide variety of backgrounds but at the end of the day, hopefuls must display the ability to assemble the tiny plastic blocks into masterpieces that are also marketable to children. This may seem like a fairly simple task unless you consider that by using only six of the same size, eight-studded Lego bricks you can assemble a potential 915,103,765 different combinations.
planes and business jets have also developed its own unique hiring processes. Before hiring managers for their company, Cessna puts its candidates through a simulated 12-hour work day. Cessna’s team of role players has the potential managers sorting (fake) customer complaints on the phones, responding to memos and other office-based challenges they may potentially face. Similarly, companies such as BMW has its hopeful candidates demonstrate their abilities on a fictional assembly line. While this hands-on method of hiring may work, it isn’t practical for all companies that want to pursue non-traditional hiring.
The makers of Legos may have taken a few lessons from the 1988 movie “BIG” to heart when creating their interview process for prospective toy designers. Their unconventional hiring process has for the last several years allowed them to look beyond resumes and see what individuals truly might bring to the company. While Lego might be one of the few companies literally having candidates build towards a career with them, other companies in other fields are following suit with their own non-traditional hiring processes.
Thanks in part to Minneapolis-based advertising firm Campbell Mithun, social media has even found its way into the world of hiring. Their approach to non-traditional interviews asked applicants for 13 paid summer internship positions to apply on Twitter. With few guidelines applicants were required to submit 13 Twitter messages over 13 days in order to be selected for the next round of interviews. In 2013 they took the creative application process “from Twitter to Twinkies.” According to their website the ad firm asked internship applicants to submit an idea to take the Twinkie brand into the future and a “Dear new owners of Twinkies” statement (a result of prior Twinkie owners Hostess’ bankruptcy).
Much like Lego, a company called Nucor Steel also has its candidates build for a shot at a new career yet there is nothing miniature about it. For Nucor, producing steel is a business that brings in billions every year. Their success may be partially due to the creative way they have hired and found their mill workers. As the company expands and builds new steel mills, Nucor carefully monitors its construction workers, watching for particular attitudes and work ethics they deem most suitable for their future steel mill employees. Nucor hires experts to wander the construction grounds and interview plumbers, electricians and other craftsmen for a job at the project they are working on. This undercover interview process, while unique, is just one of many new and innovative approaches to hiring that is emerging in the job market today. Cessna Aircraft Company, which produces some of the most popular lightweight
While Lego may be one of the few companies letting adults feel like kids again, they are now one firm among many who take a nontraditional approach to hiring new employees. In a time where markets are still recovering and new jobs aren’t necessarily as plentiful as many had hoped, companies such as Zappos, Southwest and Google have all found similar benefits to adopting their unique processes for bringing in new talent. Much the way every Lego brick must fit together perfectly, these unconventional hiring procedures are helping companies make sure the right people are the best fit for the job.
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Month in Review by Dara Kenigsberg
Natural Disasters Brought Millions to Their Knees Throughout November
The month of November was beset with natural disasters, with the first week of the month seeing a typhoon that inundated Southeast Asia. Super Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, is now being called one of the most intense storms in history. It was a category 5 storm, lasting from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11 and affected the Philippines, Micronesia and Vietnam. The total number of fatalities to date is 5,260. According to Accuweather.com, the Philippine government stated that there are, “more than 12,000 injured and more missing.” Senior officials in the government there reported to the Associated Press that the death toll could reach 10,000. Most of the fatalities were the result of drowning and collapsed buildings, but the coastal cities still have much to worry about as aid is cut off due to debris and fallen trees and wires. The city of Tacloban, the capital city in the province of Leyte, was hit the hardest, and it appears that no building or structure was left undamaged. According to USATODAY.com, “9.7 million people in 41 provinces were affected by the typhoon. It's one of the most powerful recorded typhoons to ever hit land and likely the deadliest natural disaster to hit the Philippines. Entire villages were destroyed and cities devastated by huge waves and winds of nearly 150 mph.” Want to help? Go to the website of any relief organization; UNICEF, The American Red Cross,
The UN World Food Programme, or The Philippine Red Cross, to name a few. Three weeks have passed since Haiyan did its damage and those affected are still very much in need of relief. According to ABCNEWS.com, a shocking 81 tornadoes were reported throughout Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio on Nov. 17. Illinois led with a total of 43 reported tornadoes. The tornado that cut through Washington, Illinois that day is the strongest in Illinois since modern records started being kept in 1950. According to WICS.com, “forecasters say the 28 tornadoes in Indiana were the third-highest total in that state's history and the most ever recorded there in November.” A total of six were killed in Illinois and 147 were injured and the destruction was unbelievable; homes were leveled, trees were shredded and farms were turned upside down. Tony Johnson of Germantown Hills was in church in Roanoke, Ill., a town 15 miles east of Washington, when the tornadoes touched down. About 30 minutes after the tornado passed, he went to his niece’s farm in Washington only to find that everything had been destroyed. In a telephone interview with the New York Times, he said, “The house is gone, everything is leveled. There is nothing that is usable. Their trucks were tossed around like toys.” Luckily, his niece and her family were not home at the time the tornado hit.
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Metro-North Train Derails Killing 4 A Metro-North train heading towards Grand Central Terminal from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. derailed in the Bronx at around 7:20 on the morning of Dec. 1, killing four people and injuring 63. Three of the four people that were killed were thrown from the train during the derailment. This is believed to be the deadliest train crash in New York City
“felt a strong force pulling the car to its side.” He said he expected it to right itself, but that the car kept going and pandemonium broke out when the train car toppled over. He was able to climb free through the door. One woman in the car was screaming who thought she broke her ankle. Another survivor, Frank Tatulli, told WABC-TV that he rides the train every Sunday morning, but that this time, “it was travelling faster than usual as it approached the curve.” Tatulli was able to climb out of the train on his own but he did suffer head and neck injuries.
in more than two decades. The train operator, William Rockefeller, who has been with Metro-North for many years, told emergency medical workers that the brakes had failed, according to the New York Times. Subsequent investigations indicate Rockefeller’s attention may have been diverted due to fatigue. According to the Transportation Authority, a locomotive at the rear, which forced the cars south when the cars at the head of the train derailed, was pushing the train. The rail cars tumbled within inches of the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. The straightaway before the turn where the train derailed has a speed limit of 82 mph while the actual turn has a speed limit of 30 mph. It was here that the operator applied his brakes which apparently did not respond.
In a briefing given near the derailment site, Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Tom Prendergast, along with Governor Cuomo, said that speed was definitely a factor, and that it also took place near another derailment that had taken place in July, but it is believed to have been on a different track.
30-year-old, Kelon McFarlene was one of the survivors. He told USA Today that he was in the fourth car reading his Bible when the train turned the curve at Spuytin Duyvil (Dutch for Devil’s Spout), saying he
Joseph Melendez, 44 and a hotel manager from Poughkeepsie, told the New York Daily News, “All of a sudden the woman sitting in front of me was on my lap. The train was totally on its side. People were tossed all around. I saw a woman pinned between the chair and the gravel. The
Credit of Dara Kenigsberg windows blew out when the train fell and she went through the window. She was alive I think, but in bad condition. Had this been a workday, the outcome probably would have been much worse. There were only about 150 people on this train. The train’s black box was recovered and hopefully it will be able to shed more light onto what happened as the investigation continues.
Toronto Mayor Admits to Smoking Crack, Among Other Things Rob Ford, the disgraced yet persistent Mayor of Toronto, the fourth largest city in North America, has been a very bad boy. According to the New York Times, Mr. Ford told journalists, photographers and camera operators, “You asked me a question back in May and you can repeat that question…Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine. But no, do I, am I an addict? No. Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately about a year ago.”He insisted that he was not lying back in May when he was asked the first time. The questions first arose because the blog Gawker and the Toronto Star both said their reporters had seen a video that apparently showed the mayor inhaling from a crack pipe and making homophobic comments about another politician. The reason that this was brought up again was because Toronto police chief William Blair had apparently recovered the video during a drug and gang violence investigation, found on a computer that was seized. It is really a question of semantics that brings to mind one president who used the same tricks to avoid admitting to having sex with a particular
intern. He chose his words relatively carefully to avoid making things sound worse than they already are, which is pretty bad to begin with. “I wasn’t lying; you didn’t ask the correct questions. No, I’m not an addict and no, I do not do drugs. I made mistakes in the past and all I can do is apologize, but it is what it is,” Mr. Ford said in a press conference.
“I am not leaving here. I am going to sit here and attend every meeting.” So far, he has been thrown out of a Toronto Maple Leaf’s hockey game for being belligerently drunk, groped a female politician at a fundraiser and was asked to stop coaching a high school football team following a violent confrontation
with a player. He was even videotaped threatening to kill someone. Following his confession, members of city council, both his allies and opponents began looking into what they could do to force him to step down. According to the New York Times, however, under Ontario municipal law, “Neither the City Council nor the province have the power to remove Mr. Ford from office unless he stops coming to work for a protracted period.” During the same press conference where he admitted to using drugs and drinking excessively, the Huffington Post reported that Mr. Ford insisted he is a “positive role model for kids who are down and out." Just before that, 41 of the 43 councilors at the debate had voted to accept an open letter asking him to step aside, most of them standing up to urge him to take a leave of absence. Mr. Ford responded by saying, “I’m most definitely keeping this job. I am not leaving here. I am going to sit here and attend every meeting.”
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OUTSIDE YOUR BOROUGH:
Cronuts Are the New Black Coffee by Dana Heyward
If you’ve been in New York for, let’s say, the past five years, you know that not just cupcakes, but bakeries, are in. Between the obsessions with mini cupcakes, crack pies and cronuts, New Yorkers have shown that the love for their pastries goes a bit further than for their morning coffee and bagel. So if you’re willing to ditch your regular coffee spot for a day, try any of these bakeries for your morning (or later) fill.
Doughnut Plant Chelsea
Crumbs – Midtown
Yes, there are other spots in Manhattan, other than Dunkin Donuts, that dedicate their baking efforts primarily to doughnuts. But when it comes to switching up the doughnut game, Doughnut Plant definitely takes the cake (pun intended). Their eccentric menu includes flavors like green tea, pineapple, PB&J, raspberry and crème brulee. If you’re feeling daring go for the Blackout doughnut. This doughnut proves that there’s no such thing as too much chocolate- both the filling and the glaze are chocolate infused. If that’s not enough there’s some chocolate cake crumbs thrown on top. The spot also offers espresso, teas and milk to make it your new stop before work.
Baked – Red Hook, Brooklyn This bakery lies right in the heart of this Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood. Known for their obsession with brownies this place takes pride in offering a selection of some top- notch brownies like sweet and salty, peanut butter, lemon-lime and chocolate bourbon pecan. Oprah is even a fan of their delicious creations. But this bakery offers a great variety of sweets including whoopee pies, cookies, and my personal favorite, red velvet cake. Also the seating area is ridiculously cozy, making visitors want to stay hours on end. If Red Hook is a bit of a reach for you, don’t worry. They offer packaged treats that you take back with you on your journey.
Crumbs is probably best known for two things- their abnormally large cupcakes and the recent introduction of the “Crumbnut-” an interpretation of Dominique Ansel Bakery’s crazed cronuts. These hybrid pastries are part croissant, part doughnut filled with a heavy Bavarian cream. If you haven’t tried a bite (that may be all you’re able to consume), definitely do. The rich Bavarian cream is incredibly savory and the whole pastry leaves you satisfyingly full. Crumbs also makes a pretty decent iced coffee and if you’re feeling festive try their hot apple cider. Photo courtesy of www.littledumplingtruck1.com
Magnolia Bakery – Upper East Side While their UES location definitely draws the tourists, it doesn’t take away from the fact that they prove the cupcake craze is here to stay. While Magnolia offers pretty good cupcakes (which many New Yorkers will argue are overrated), it’s their other desserts like the banana pudding that are the true stars.
Momofuku Milk Bar –
Photo courtesy paperpastries.blogspot.com
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Photo courtesy of nypress.com
Photo courtesy of 1tsplove.blogspot.com
Sprinkles –
Baked by Melissa –
Upper East Side
SoHo
This Cali-born joint can sometimes be overlooked when it comes to the cupcake take-over in Manhattan, even despite the fact that they consider themselves to be the first cupcake bakery. However, it’s probably one of the cutest bakeries in the city. Their signature circle topped cupcakes come in some not-so-abnormal flavors like carrot, peanut butter and marshmallow. Stop by this month to try some of their seasonal flavors, including chocolate peppermint, eggnog spice and vanilla peppermint. They also offer their cupcake mix for purchase so you can make some of your own Sprinkles cupcakes right at home.
Cupcakes this small should be a crime. There’s no such thing as just having one (or five) cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. But what these cupcakes lack in size they make up for in flavor. These quarter-sized cupcakes that you can down in one bite are offered in flavors such as chocolate chip pancake, cookies & cream and tie dye vanilla (inspired by Melissa’s love for the band the Grateful Dead). Their packaging is ideal for groups and events, but don’t be ashamed to go in their solo and get a sixpack for yourself. They’re that good.
Momofuku has proven that they can dominate desserts and pastries as well with their Milk Bar joint. Their quaint Brooklyn location offers soft-served icecream that you can top with cereal (if that’s not a real morning wake-me-up, I don’t know what is). They also offer several other shakes, cookies and baked breads. But their signature dish is the famous Crack Pie. This oat-cookie pie is just the right mix of buttery and sweet, with a touch of powdered sugar on top. Photo courtesy onkenfamilydinners.com
Photo courtesy of www.cestlaviekarina.com
FIT SPEAKS On Saying Goodbye by Rich Gilmartin
The Irish are known for many things; drinking, fighting and having a great sexual appetite are just a few that come to mind. One thing they are known for in particular is their way of departing without saying goodbye. I myself have been famous for using an Irish goodbye to leave parties; I will throw on my jacket and be out the door without bothering to make any formal leaving announcement. It’s just easier this way. To me, saying goodbye is a permanent thing. Goodbye means we’re going in separate directions and we may never see each other again, or not for a very long time to say the least. The thought of letting go can be overwhelming, and often easier to handle if we simply ignore the fact that it’s real. I much prefer hellos, with their bright promises. A hello is the beginning of something, whether it be something new or something that you
had to momentarily put on pause in the past. A goodbye in the most permanent sense can be heartbreaking, something I try to avoid at all costs. Once we learn to free ourselves of saying goodbye, it becomes much easier to let go. If our paths have crossed for one reason or another and we have genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, why do we have to ruin that by saying goodbye? However, I do also think that in a goodbye we can find beauty. It reminds us that humans are creatures of co-habitation. We need each other to survive and thrive and to help each other grow into the people we were meant to be. Nobody wants to be known as the loner without friends. It also reminds us that with every door that closes another opens.
quickly entering the “real world” (whatever that may be comprised of) please don’t be insulted if I don’t say goodbye to you. In fact, you can consider this a goodbye in and of itself. We’ve had some great times together, FIT; it seems like just yesterday I was a freshman and thought I was so badass for buying overpriced pitchers of margaritas at El Sombrero but now the time has come to say goodbye to all that. This isn’t goodbye though, this is more of a see-you-later. I will treasure every memory of this place, the good and the bad. To my seniors graduating this semester and next semester, good luck, I can’t wait to see all of you succeed in the careers you have all worked so hard for. To the underclassmen, just remember that life is what you make of it, and while the countless hours of hard work may seem worthless now, they will be worth a lot in the end.
So, as I prepare myself to finish up my life as a college student and find myself
Holiday Weight Watchers by Fernanda DeSouza
Our New Year’s Resolutions list probably looks a little something like this: Quit smoking . Learn something new . Go on a trip . Volunteer . Have a better work/life balance . Save money . Eat healthy . Drink less . Go to the gym/work out more often
Get real; you’re never going to stop drinking less and you’re going to apply for a gym membership and show up the first week in January, work your ass off and find every excuse in the books to put it off the second week, then the third, then it’s New Year’s again and you’ve gone to the gym a total of six times. Exercising a little self control can help you look past the excessive eating habits we tend to have during the holidays. I get it—you go home to mom’s cooking and that ravenous beast that’s been hiding in your body all semester emerges because your cooking skills consist of mac ‘n’ cheese, Ramen Noodles and Hot Pockets. Your mother’s food is as close to Julia Child’s as it gets compared to your college diet. So you eat until you’re served regret on a silver platter. I really started looking at myself in my mirror, I mean really examining my body and what it had come to post-Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t shove my face as much as I could have, but I did consume
gibberish to me, I can’t lift more than a substantial amount—enough to cre10 lb. dumbbells and watching myself ate a small food baby inside my jutting run on a treadmill in the mirror is like belly. I gave myself an ultimatum: either watching a slow-mo horror film titled “My I practice apportioning my meals and Jiggling Fat.” Because actually work out, or I prefer to play actual become the holiday sports (tennis is my fattie chugging eggthing), I’ve opted for nog and eating leftover working out in my ham in the middle bedroom. Curtains of the night. So I’ve and doors closed embarked on a holiday so the neighbors diet that consists of and roommates are fewer Oreos, no pizza, spared the humiliasmall home-packed tion. It’s just me and sandwiches for lunch Jillian Michaels’ Six and protein-filled dinWeek Six Pack video ners. I’ll allow myself on YouTube. When a Brooklyn Bagel Jillian yells, “You once a week for being want more!? I’ve got a good girl. And of more!” my immediate course, working out, Credit of eatingtheroad.wordpress.com response is to pause huff, puff. You’ll find me dead before you find me inside a gym. Machine instructions are
the video, drink some water and check my Instagram. I’m dripping in sweat 10 minutes into the 35
minute long video while Jillian and her toned minions hardly break a sweat, but I’ve already noticed a difference in my ability to keep up with fitness gurus as I enter week two. The worst part about working out is usually getting yourself to work out, but once you’ve fallen into a groove it embeds itself into your schedule. It’s like having a boyfriend in New York City: you’ve got to pencil them into your agenda if you ever want to see them. But all I want to see are abs. Hear that, Santa? So just because Martha Stewart “told” you to bake those holiday cookies with the cute shapes and the colorful sprinkles, she didn’t tell you eat ALL of them, right? Take it easy and make an effort to do some yoga or go for a run during the week. Then maybe you and your body won’t fear bikinis by the time Spring break rolls around.
Camille Boismain | Fashion Design | Volunteered for Habitat for Humanity on post-hurricane clean-up
Sam Wurst | FMM | Volunteering is important because if we all give a little bit, a lot can be accomplished
Sajada Smith | Fashion Design | Every Christmas she feeds the senior citizens at New Hope Baptist Church
style on 27 Photography by Jessica Farkas
‘Tis the season for giving and with a steady drop in temperature, it has also become the season for layering. Students have been spotted around campus mixing bold prints with winter accessories such as tights and scarves, with neutrals such as black and denim being used as a solid basis for their outfits. W27 asked eight fashionable students if they think volunteering is important and how they give back. Dynasty George | Fashion Design | Every Christmas she does a tot drive with her church for a local hospital in Brooklyn
Petra Lesser | Illustration | Has volunteered for Heifer International
Rachel Blihn | AMC | Has participated in Relay for Life
Martha Mittelstaedt | FMM | At Christmas she volunteers with Toys for Tots
Taylot Kyriacov | AMC | Volunteers at NY Bully Crew, walks dogs up for adoption and helps out at adoption events