How has the housing crisis affected home fashion Retail?

Honestly, the housing crisis shouldn't affect the Fashion Retail too much. and why i think that is even though people aren't buying houses as much doesnt mean they're not going to buy clothing to put on their back! people can't live without clothes, especially during the winter.

But if the economy doesnt pick up soon, there might not be much of a future left. Clothes will always be around but not the way it used it be. My mother and i used to shop all the time together, on Thanksgiving, right before school started, and on breaks. Much more but that's a sum of what we used to do, but now things are buckled down and that doesnt happen to often! Gosh, how i miss the old times! I couldn't tell you what the future holds or what it will be like in 5 years.

The Challenges of Apparel Retail:

When someone first looks at the apparel retail area, they would think it's fine, but honestly industries are going through a major decline in sales and are having problems within the actual manufacturering. Even though it's been going on for some years now, it's never reached to this point before. All places are having difficulties, even Asia, China, Japan, and many more places!

Some industries are trying a "number-one plan", focusing on the one season at a time and how the shipping merchandise can be better and more sufficient. But will this really help the retail area of a apparel? Another thing is that private-labels are becoming very popular, and maybe that's the way to go. Honestly i think if things don't change pretty soon, eventually we're not going to have Apparel Retailing anymore! And where would this world be if we didn't have the apparel part in our economy.

SweatShops...

A sweatshop is a working onment with very difficult or dangerous conditions, usually where the workers have few rights or ways to address their situation. This can include exposure to harmful materials, hazardous situations, extreme temperatures, or abuse from employers. (Wikipedia) Can one honestly think that it's right to make people work in a sweatshop. It's truly the hell on earth!

I am completely against sweatshops and the people that actually run them. That is cruel and brutal, for any man or woman to put someone else through that. I had no idea that there were sweatshops in North America and let alone New York city, California, and many other places. If i knew when i bought most of my wardrobe that they probably were made in a sweatshop i wouldnt buy them. i would just look at the sales person and walk out adn never return! I dont even have the words on how much sweatshops and knowing that there are still some in the word upset me. Man has literally created our own Hell on Earth, what's next?

Milan Fashion Week..

evryone's design is their own and represents that person! i looked at the Milan show Fall 2008, and honestly my mouth dropped. the styles some of those designers put on the runway was very loud and colorful.

one that brought me back to my childhood was, Aga Tha Ruiz De La Prada runway, and blew me away with some of his creations! it's like a carnival or a bunch of clowns having fun and enjoying life. his line just made me smile and made me want to buy it and dance down the sidewalk!he ventured out there and took a step that not many designers would take. but he also had this tribal/paris look going on, but in the spring time!

but also D & G stood out to me, it's like good school girl brought back yet classy! he gave them flavor by the way he added the accessoriesa and how the material was cut. it's something you could wear a day to day bases. within the end i truly loved the Milan Fashion show and kind of feel inspired to drawl. all the designers did a great job at presenting themselves through their clothes!

Inspiration!

I sketched this in April of 2007, and i rate this as one of my best designs. This outfit i feel represents me in a nut shell! I love vests and to me it's bummy yet girly. It shows off ones figure and lets one explore this figure but in a modest way.

What inspired me to draw this was one, me, because i love wearing vests and thats the style that seems to be coming back. I was also watching a western movie at the time and just fell in love with the idea of vest combination of thicker belt.You know everyone loves to wear jeans, i thought why not bring some jeans into the classy style. Now you have a jeanish style fancy skirt.

Ethnic Influences on Apparel Designers

Ethnic influences are a big part of our culture and our expansion of styles. The only reason theres change in our society today, is because designers go to different countries and are influenced by the unique life styles of others. For example, a hawaii Shirt, that was originated from hawaii but some how made it all the way over to here, America. It still has the same meaning behind, it's just more world wide. Some other influences are African American, Black Beauty, Asain, the Hippy influences, and much more.

Everyone wears jewlery, hats, belts, etc and they all come from different places, different minds. When they expand, it's other designers observing and contimplating other ways to sell it. As time goes on and the influence of other places progresses, i think the world eventually will become as one in the fashion industry. I can't wait for the future of fashion!

Main trends of the New York Fashion Week?

The main trends of the New York fashion week were considered the "Rock Goddess" trend 2008, by Diane von Furstenberg. I was pulled to her run way show the most, because her designs were at first solid then expanded further into a variety. They weren't just all the same, after a couple designs came out a completely different look and pattern followed right after. The dresses were fitted and they complimented the models' hips to the piont of perfection. Some dresses came to the floor and others to the knees, to me thats very modest yet sexy. She went with I think a classical look that was yet a very clean cut style. Diane knows how to represent a woman at her best, with this very free looking expression.


It made a stand out in the crowd, but not too for gone. Her dresses were completely an all around variety of patterns and style. You could wear her designs to work or even out about on the town. They just have this elegant appearance, and I think she made the fashion week, up there in New York. There's also something that Diane von Furstenberg said at her own showing that really got to me. She said, "Dear, dear to be you", that spoke to me and really represented what her showing was all about! To me, she made the fashion week, the fashion week that brings change and discovery to our world. Diane defiantly made an impact in the fashion world!

Organic & Environmental friendly clothing?

Environmental friendly clothing is becoming more and more popular as the days go by. Companies are jumping in and their outcomes our very profitable. What I mean by that, is their costumers are loving the idea that their buying clothes that are helping the environment, and that the costumers might brag to others about their process and how others companies aren't doing the same! For example, JCPenny has the option to buy environmental clothing, as well as other styles. By companies doing this it saves up to 25% of water that they would orginally use in the normal cotton. Just the dyes alone have a large amount of heavy metals, imagine the combination of it all.

The "Green for Green" process uses some products as: Ingeo, Organic Cotton, Soy, Corn, and much more. It's helping the environment, but also helping secure the planet for our future generations. Have you honestly ever asked yourself what your putting on your back when you go shopping? In cotton they use pesticide, and not just a little! You can help save our future or you can wear on your shoulders.

My Favorite Designer and Why?

My favorite designer of this time would have to be Louis Vuitton! Not just for his clothes line, but also on how he represents his girls (models). He does this dead fairy look with glitter and the basic eye shadow under the eyes. Yet it's not extreme, and how I think he does that is by putting the hair down in a messy ponytail, and putting few accessories in the hair.
With the clothes line, he has this style of bummy yet strong girl look. It's almost a business looking line for women, but not entirely, as it also presents a romantic side. What I mean is that he layers his clothes with this rugged/classical texture. As well as uses soft, natural colors that honestly to me sets his mood. Like on one of his runways he had a screen in the back ground playing a scene of just dark clouds passing by. Louis also accentuates the models waists and reveals the perfect amount of skin, with still leaving some mystery. People are right when they say Louis Vuitton sets a trend, his clothes line to me, made the fashion ideal go up two steps without throwing the balance off. Like some designers can jump in the fashion industry and the world is not truely ready for that, but Louis takes fashion to the next level that the world is ready for. I believe that Louis Vuitton sets the trend, in fashion.