Fur or Fury

Hi Everyone!

Don’t we all wish we could live in society that is more giving and caring about the world? Well, I know I do…I feel we live in such a beautiful place with such natural beauties that we take for granted. For example, roses and flowers are such beautiful plants, but then we cut them off from their natural surroundings so we can enjoy their presence conveniently inside our home. How about all those trees we cut and all other natural resources we consume without giving it a second thought? These resources not going to be around forever they will run out one day, but it seems as though we are consuming at a rate where the supply is infinite.

Even animals deserve to live in an environment that is respectful of their needs and by abusing the natural resources it is also taking a toll on the animals. Many animals are killed today because we eat them, we hunt them, we keep them as pets, and because we wear them as a fashion statement. Don’t animals deserve the right to live in their natural environment unharmed? Keeping them as our pets for enjoyment and using their skin for clothes is animal cruelty. Furs in particular have caused havoc in the fashion industry because designers use them as symbols of luxury and extravagance.

What do you think about killing animals and using their furs in clothing? I feel it is completely cruel to kill something for pure pleasure. It’s not like we are using fur for survival, if the poor animals are not harming you, why kill them? There are plenty of things that can be used for clothes such as luxurious cottons that are 500-thread count.

Marketing Ideas

Hi Everyone,

I hope you enjoyed the bit on fashion I wrote about. In response to Nguyen's comment I would also love to learn about fashion in Vietnam. Now, here is more about the company I work for, they are a manufacturer of clothing of all sorts (cotton, polyester, linens, blends, etc.), more specifically, 40's & 50's poplin, 60's cambric, voiles and rubia. The possibility is endless, they can manufacture and create any kind of designs on garments/shirts/uniforms and other finished products such as table cloths, etc. with in-house fabric manufacturing.

The current distribution setup consists of the company supplying to other middle men who then finally sell their products to big retailers, wholesalers, etc. in USA and Europe. What I am trying to do is to eliminate the middle man in India, and reach directly to buyers in USA and Europe. The goal is to pass on the savings to the final consumers.

I am inviting people to suggest ideas on marketing in the B2B sector, also ideas on how to attract VCs are welcome. This company is over two decades old and has an excellent reputation. The main goal is to create awareness of this company in the US and to establish long-term business relations.

Indian Influences On Fashion

Hello Everyone!
Fashion is an important aspect of all cultures. The world is getting smaller and more diverse. Behind each style is a meaning and history, what you could call a “masala” (mixture) of cultures. Understanding it is the key to recognizing the true beauty of each clothing creation.I am sure many of you are familiar with the fashion look this summer, which was bohemian. Actually, to be politically correct many of those styles are influenced by ancient Indian clothes that have been around for over thousands of years. For example, tunics are ancient Indian clothing called kurtas that are worn by men and women and come in various styles and lengths as well. Also, the long tiered "peasant" skirts are actually called “ghaghras” that are worn by Indian women of all ages throughout the country. These are just a few of the trends, but the following is a list of just a few more fashions that are originally from India and their meanings:

This picture is of Gwen Stefani and an Indian woman; they are both displaying the beauty mark called the “bindi”. It signifies the central point of the base of creation and acts as a resemblance of marriage in its traditional red color.


This picture is of Madonna wearing the traditional Indian temporary tattoo called mehendi. It is usually worn on the hands and feet of the woman and is particularly worn on the wedding day. Another neat little fact is that the mehendi mixture itself can be worn as a hair mask, and then rinsed out to give the hair natural red highlights.


As you can see, Jennifer Lopez’s couture green dress closely resembles the draping of a sari. Did you know that the sari dates back to 3000 B.C?! Before tailoring was even created, the sari created an illusion of form-fitting clothing to accentuate certain areas of a woman’s figure. In India the idea of beauty was to have a small waist and large hips and bust. The sari was created and wrapped in such a way that it exposes the waist and accentuates the waist and the bust with the pleated bottom of the fabric so it can reflect the ideal shape to any figure.


The paisley design has become a classic design in our clothing. However, this design did originate in India, originating in India long back. The design was usually found on Indian shawls made of silk and cotton. They became popular during the 19th century continued British invasion of India; as soldiers would send shawls back home.


I am going to elaborate more on these influences on fashion later. These cultural exchanges in fashion go both ways, with western fashion influencing all parts of the globe. For example, most sports in the world today have players wearing western clothing. But, all cultures are not taking it very well. Did any of you hear about the upcoming tennis player Sania Mirza? Well, the story goes like this…this girl happened to reach the fourth round of some major tennis tournament (in a country where tennis is not a popular sport), but that’s not what caused all the uproar. She actually had a “fatwa” (a legal pronouncement in Islam) issued against her for wearing a skirt while playing tennis. I was appalled when I heard this, how unfair!! What do you guys think about this? For the complete story click on this link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk


References:
1. Adam, Sunil. May 01, 2003. Trampling on Hindu Sentiments - Footwear with Ganesha Images. India-west <http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=66b10da4b2bb6bcdf22324495852dc1f>
2. Anand Jon. [On-line]. 2002. Anand Jon Ellemans, Inc. http://www.anandjon.com/
3. History and significance of a Bindi. [On-line]. 2003. http://www.pardesifashions.com/
4. History of a Sari. [On-line]. 2003. http://puja.com/sari/hstry/hstry.htm
5. Journal of Indian Philosophy. “Maitreya‘s Jewelled World: Some Remarks on Gems and Visions in Buddhist Texts” 26 (4): 347-371, August 1998 Copyright © 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
6. Om kara mantras. [On-line]. 2003. http://www.vydic.org/pages/slok_framset.htmPuri, Sunita. “'Ethnic fashion' obscures cultural identity.” [On-line]. 2001.
7. The Yale Herald, http://www.yaleherald.com/

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my blog! I would first like to introduce myself. My name is Reena and I am a senior(pheww!). I have two majors, one in fashion and the second in marketing. I have always had a passion for fashion, and as I learn more about this subject, I understand the true importance of it. Fashion is not just limted to being materialistic, it goes on to be much beyond that.

Fashion to me is a nonverbal communication in the society. Since it is impossible to truely know every single individual personally, we tend to make many connections at first by what they wear. By wearing certain clothes people may understand who the person is, what background they are from, or what type of music they like. For example, one of the past trends last couple of seasons were t-shirt slogans like: "Everyone Loves Jewish Girl", or "Italian Stallion". If a person were to wear either one of the shirts, people might logically guess that the person is Italian or Jewish. Ofcourse, there could be an instance where the people wearing those shirts are not Jewish or Italian, but what each shirt does have in common is that they make strong statements to society.

Now, a little bit more about my myself... I am now working with a highly reputable manufacturer in the textile industry. They produce all sorts of high-quality textiles (100% cottons, blends, polyesters, linens, etc) and other finished products such as men's and women's garments. I discovered them in India while I was on vacation. I have always been interested in designing clothes and they provided me with an internship to design some clothing in their women's line. It was a great experience and I am truely grateful for the opportunity they have given me. However, now I am part of their marketing team and I am working on a overseas project with the company. They are now trying to establish a distribution network in the US and if this becomes succesful I may have a great future with this company. I am learning a lot, understanding the details involved in achieving this task of setting up a network here and developing the right contacts. I am willing to try hard and will be here for the long haul...so wish me luck!

Note* The picture above is of a Myanmar woman in traditional clothing, it is an original context found on the following website: www.exotissimo.com/.../ intro/present-useful.htm