Sunday, August 15, 2010

WSU Program in Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Warm Up: Culture According to Me, With a Lil’ Help from Facebook

Culture According to Me, With a Lil’ Help from Facebook
By Dustin Enrique Larsen

What is the definition of culture? Better yet, what is my definition of culture? When contemplating this I found that the best way to construct a definition of my own was to base it on the definitions of others, and to do this I would have to channel the great Dr. Frankenstein, or at least Heidi Montag’s plastic surgeon. Every definition I came across I would dissect the piece that I found most appealing and cut away the fat and discard it. After I had gathered a heaping pile of bits of definitions, which alone were no more attractive than that of random human limbs, I then strung them all together creating a definition that was indeed unique to me.
            When searching for definitions on the Internet, I began my journey at none other than Dictionary.com. Many definitions were present, but there were two that really stood out. One such definition was "the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc." After cutting away all the fat, the definition basically said: a quality (from any area in that particular society) found in a person that is seen as excellent and is then praised. Another definition that stood out was "the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture" Subtract the fat and you get: behaviors/beliefs/characteristics that are common throughout, and in part, define a group. After sewing all the favored pieces together and adding some meat of my own, I arrived at my definition of culture. Culture: the behaviors/beliefs/characteristics that are common throughout, and in part, define a group. These behaviors/beliefs/characteristics are at the same time unique to the individuals in the group. Within these groups there are then qualities (from any area in that particular society) found in an individual that are seen as excellent and are then praised.
            Now, how does my definition apply to a cultural phenomenon? In order to answer this question I first had to find a cultural phenomenon that I wanted to link my definition to. When brainstorming ideas for possible phenomenon, I kept finding myself becoming distracted with the social networking site Facebook. I found myself wanting to spend my time updating my profile and surfing other people's profiles rather than completing this article. I then realized that I probably wasn't the only student feeling this way about a task they weren’t exactly thrilled about. Then it hit me. What is a better cultural phenomenon than Facebook that is influencing Americans at this very moment?
            In order to apply Facebook to my definition, it needs to be compared to it in pieces. The first part of my definition states: the behaviors/beliefs/characteristics that are common throughout, and in part, define a group. These behaviors/beliefs/characteristics are at the same time unique to the individuals in the group. Facebook helps define our generation as the "technology generation" We have grown accustomed to doing everything using technology. Technology has influenced our school assignments, our shopping, and now has become the focal point of our social lives. Facebook is an environment where people can come to together and interact with people of similar behaviors/beliefs/characteristics. People search through others' profiles and find people with similar interests, and if desired, begin a relationship with them. A person's profile not only lets them find similarities in others, but also helps them define themselves as individuals. The management of the profile is completely up to the owner. They have complete control over the style of the page to the point where they choose the pictures and multiple other features that will be included on their profile.
The second half of my definition states: Within these groups there are then qualities (from any area in that particular society) found in an individual that are seen as excellent and are then praised. Facebook has allowed itself to be used as a venue for people to express and inform others of their excellent qualities and experiences. Others are then given the opportunity to leave comments "praising" an individual for these unique qualities. People can also write notes about their unique experiences, and others can give them a “thumbs up," or, praises for their accomplishments or insights into society.          
Therefore, Facebook is a cultural phenomenon because it allows people to be individuals while at the same time helps one find a commonality in others, thus defining and developing a culture. It then allows people within those common groups to praise one another for their unique abilities and experiences, thus bringing them closer together as a culture.

Warm Up: Review of Chapter 4 From Fashioning Society by Karl Aspelund


Review of Chapter 4
From Fashioning Society by Karl Aspelund
By Dustin Enrique Larsen
           
Paul Poiret, credited as being one of the world’s first influential fashion designers, saw an immense change in the world of fashion during his lifetime, especially from the American market. They were not any type of consumers he had ever seen nor dealt with before.  They were a society in which the “aristocracy was based wholly on wealth,” and had “little connection to any idea of place or birthright.” (Aspelund, 2009). It was much like an out of touch parent trying to connect with a pubescent child where the child either does not understand or does not care about the customs of their elders. Americans had taken up the custom of spending their wealth on “anything anywhere” (Aspelund, 2009). They were individuals who had worked their way up through the class system through railroads and shipping companies, not by being born into a family line of importance. They were “new money” and were developing their own behavior rather than following those that had been passed down for hundreds of years in Europe.
            This began to alarm and bewilder Poiret.  He tried to revive old customs from before the war and was met with great disappointment. He was also alarmed at how American women and the American market took to the fashion of Europe. He described their behavior as a “childish willingness to obey the whim” of fashion designers (Apselund, 2009). Rather than realizing exactly what they were purchasing and placing on their backs and understanding the deeper meaning behind the garments, they only were concerned with the fact that it had come from Paris, which was good enough for them. They “lacked personality,” purchasing items that were solely to show off their status, not their sense of style, attitude, or any other traits that made up an individual with substance or culture.
What alarmed Poiret even more was he felt that the woman of America were “the most beautiful in the world, “ and “woman who have won their freedom, cinema, ‘stars,’ [who were] rich, liberated, independent” (Aspelund, 2009). Rather than using these freedoms and physically going to Paris for themselves and seeing the culture, the people, and all the aspects that made Parisian fashion what it was; they sent people for them and believed wearing the garments was experience enough. Poiret had every right to be alarmed. Watching Parisian fashion become mass produced and not fully appreciated must have been like slaving for hours over a four-course meal just to have it devoured in seconds without leaving time to fully experience the moment.
Poiret was in no way wrong being alarmed by American woman not taking advantage of their freedom and by expressing this freedom in the form of apparel. Every woman has a right to look fabulous, and as do men. Having the right to look fabulous is like having the right to have high self-esteem, one might even compare it to having the right to wake up in the morning and take a big breath of the morning air. Humans are a species that need acceptance and belonging to fulfill their purpose in life, as found in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that has been drilled into our heads in multiple courses. Expression through apparel is the most significant way for a person to quickly get instant gratification for themselves and from people around them. The sparkle in the eye of a little girl picking out her first dress, or the grin of a father receiving a necktie from his young son is proof enough that everyone desires and deserves the right to look fabulous. More and more people are exercising this right by having high-end designers develop lines for mass production and labels that are focused on remaking Hollywood looks for less.
This right to look fabulous can be very affective if people acknowledge it and know how to use it to their advantage. High fashion played a major role in politics in the early 19th century and still has prevalence today. During the presidential race of 2008, President Obama’s campaign had a little edge over the opponents and could credited to the wardrobe of his wife. Her being one of the best dressed first ladies of the decade, and even being compared to Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy, showed just how much fashion can still influence politics, even if the theory of it is not that well known. The fashion of the candidates is always a topic of discussion, from Mrs. Obama to Sara Palin.
Legendary designer Coco Chanel believed in this right for woman to be fabulous, fashionable and functional at the same time; making her “inspired by the moment.” A designer of today that follows that same inspiration is a newer one named Frank Muytjens. He is a men’s designer originally from Holland who came to the states and worked for Ralph Lauren after which he took over J. Crew and added a military flare to the already preppy line. As the wars over seas rage on, the military influence can be seen creeping into fashion and this particular designer has saddled that (GQ 2010).

A Step In A New Direction

Now that I have completed my internship and experienced life as a New Yorker, I want to dabble in something that I have always had an interest in. Before making my journey to New York City, I purchased a book titled Writing for the Fashion Business. Since there are no formal classes at my university that teach fashion journalism, my goal is to use this book as my teacher, and read and complete all the exercises (which I can actually develop a portfolio from) before I graduate in May. That gives me 10 months to complete the 12 chapters that are in the book. I plan on posting each piece on this blog for others to enjoy and for me to see my progression. However, the next two posts I make will be of works that I have already done prior to reading the book. I will call them my "Warm-Ups." Enjoy



You Better Work!


 While working at Bagir International there were multiple opportunities for me to propose, develop, implement and evaluate major projects within my work environment. I was able to do so using my apparel, merchandising and textiles expertise. The following are the projects that I accomplished during my time in New York City and my input and accomplishments for each project:

Celebrate Manhattan Chic VIP Event

Designer Macy's Matthew Ossenfort, Six time Stanley Cup Winner Glen Anderson, VP Marketing Bagir International Tim Danser, Designer Jay Godfrey, Sr. Account Manager Bagir International Tina Birica
Goal: Host a world-class reception at the Atelier Sky Lounge in New York City to promote designers Simon Carter, Jay Godfrey, and Bagir International as a global brand.

Tasks:

·      Worked with every department of the company to help put event together.
·      Designed graphics for Step and Repeat that was used for photo opportunities at event.
·      Helped design invitation for the event.
·      Sourced a Gelato catering company to come and serve at the event.
·      Prepared all necessary items to be shipped to location prior to event.
·      Helped set up and break down event.
·      Prepared nametags for Bagir employees to help with networking at event.
·      Served as one of the hosts for the event, escorting people from the ground floor up to the sky lounge, making sure that all guests were enjoying themselves and all necessary tasks were being accomplished.

Accomplishments:

·      Over 175 guests were in attendance.
·      Positive press exposure and featured on PRWeb and MR Magazine’s website.
·      Multiple new business connections and possibilities were created.

Male Super Model Zenel (Center Left) and models dressed in Jay Godfrey, Simon Carter London and Simon Carter West End

To learn more about the success of the events and see more photos, please visit the links below: 

 
  


MRketNY

Goal: Prepare, construct, and work at the Simon Carter Booth at MRketNY in New York City, the largest Menswear Market Expo in the United States.

Tasks:

·      Artfully and efficiently catalogued, set up/broke down, and merchandized booth at expo for a high level presentation that was critical for sale pitches at event.
·      Filled out order forms for customers.
·      Took those orders and then compiled them into an excel spreadsheet to be sent to UK offices to process and fulfill customers’ orders.

Accomplishments:

·      Gained many new clients and customers because of presentation of booth.
·      Created a more recognizable and prestigious image of the Simon Carter line in the United States.

Cintas Marketing Boards

Problem: Boards that were originally assembled and sent to client arrived damaged due to weakness in assembly process.

Goal: Develop a new process that would allow a safe shipment of boards without damage during travel or arrival to client.

Tasks:

·      Developed new process of assembly.
·      Manually combined over 800 pieces for boards.
·      Ensured that there were enough materials to fulfill task.
·      Affixed balls to over 160 posters.
·      Managed supplies for assembly by continually replenishing and monitoring them.

Accomplishments:

·      Successfully reassembled marketing posters and gained approval from and satisfaction of client.

Eco-Experience Presentation

Problem: Current packaging of uniforms was dull and reflected poorly on the market campaign for client.

Goal: Recommend a new packaging strategy to make the customer feel “empowered” that they were helping the environment by purchasing the item.

Tasks:

·      Created a presentation for new packaging strategy.
·      Provided own input into the overall concept for the new strategy.
·      Designed packaging and elements of packaging to be presented to client.

Accomplishments:

·      Bulk of my creative concepts were adopted and presented to client.
·      Received positive feedback from client, and concepts are now to be reviewed for implementation on company wide packaging program.

Getting To Know You


Bagir International's US office may be small in numbers, but it is gargantuan in the affect they have on the fashion industry. It is an Israel based company, but the American office has many responsibilities of their own. The following are the individuals that I worked with, their responsibilities, and the career path they chose to get to the position they were in:

President/Vice President:

o   In charge of marketing, PR, sales, merchandising, while also serving as the liaison between the US office and the Israel office.
o   Made all final decisions as far as product development, marketing/PR campaigns, and any other major decisions that needed to be approved before being presented to Israel for international approval.
o   Careers that they had before joining Bagir included being a buyer for Sears and JC Penny.

Senior Account Manager:

o   In charge of specific clients and accounts.
o   In charge of pricing and sourcing of orders requested by clients.
o   Creates their portion of the tech pack that includes finishes, findings, trims, etc.
o   Oversees Product Development after it has gone through creative (factory-samples.)

Account Manager:

o   Have many of the same responsibilities as the Sr. Account Manager, but on a slightly different level and with different types of clients.
o   Studied Fashion Merchandising at FIT and started out as an Executive Assistant at Bagir before becoming the account manager.

Creative Director:

o   Develops the concepts/moods/colors/themes and possible fabric choices and presents them using concept boards.
o   Begins creating sketches that are then turned into flat patterns and digitized with the help of the Pattern Maker.
o   Creates specifications for construction of garment for tech packs that is then passed on to Sr. Account and Account Managers and they collaborate on fabric, lining, trims, piping, finishes, etc.
o   Plays a part in the approval process of final sample of garment.
o   Served as designer for Sears before coming to Bagir.

Fashion Marketing Specialist/PR:

o   In charge of marketing and PR.
o   Writes press releases.
o   Develops marketing campaigns.
o   Designs graphics for various purposes, such as packaging, labels, etc.
o   Serves as liaison for company between celebrity stylists, media, other organizations and companies.
o   Began doing marketing for the pharmaceutical industry with Duane Reade.

Office Coordinator:

o   Organizes office and employees schedules.
o   In charge of all incoming and outgoing shipments.
o   Answers phone calls.
o   Assists wherever needed.
o   Attended FIT and worked for multiple PR organizations before coming to Bagir.

Controller:
o   In charge of all the finances.

Logistics Manager:
o   Keeps track of all orders, units, warehouses and shipping details.


Interns
o   Assisted and completed tasks and provided input when needed.

    Though each individual had their own set of responsibilities, we all worked together to make sure that not only the company succeeded, but each individual did as well. In the end they became my new family, and I grew to love each and everyone of them.








Laying My Yellow Brick Road...Brick By Brick


I began my endeavor of obtaining an internship six months prior to actually having a face-to-face meeting with any individual in the industry. Knowing that I wanted to get the most out of my experience, I defined my career goals so that I knew exactly what I wanted the internship to provide me. Those career goals ended up being broken up into two different categories, which are as follows:

 ·      Visual Merchandising:
o   Fashion Director
o   Creative Director
o   Stylist

·      Textile Product Development:
o   Forecast Analyst
o   Trend Specialist

The after extensive research of the above goals, I concluded that the skills needed in order to obtain a job in these areas are as follows. Be able to:

o   Keep the company updated on latest fashion trends.

o   Direct company/retail storewide visual merchandising in creating overall theme.

o   Create window displays and outfitting of mannequins according to these trends and themes.

o   Work closely with entrepreneurs or market researchers in developing products keyed to specific end uses.

o   Utilize high technology fabrics and processes in engineering products with special performance features.

o   Feed a constant stream of fabric, color, texture, pattern, and product style trends to designers, merchandisers, promoters, and advertisers across the textile and apparel industry.

After I had established exactly what skills I needed and wanted to obtain, I began to research what companies in the industry would best satisfy these needs. Apart from my career goals, I knew that obtaining an internship in New York City was a definite. With that in mind I knew that the University offered a Study Tour to New York City during Spring Break. I contacted the advisor over the trip and obtained a list of contacts and their information and began to narrow down the companies I wanted to contact and initiate a relationship with. After the process I had decided on two companies in which I would pursue: Kenneth Cole and Tommy Hilfiger.

Over the next six months I established and maintained a dialogue with the two companies. Doing this allowed for when a meeting in person took place we knew whom the other was and then only needed to put a name with a face.

Simply gaining contacts in New York I knew was not all I had to accomplish before my arrival in New York for the study tour. With strong encouragement and guidance from one of my professors I created a professional portfolio along with business cards and a pristine resume.

In New York I was able to obtain an in person analysis of the companies I found an interest in. A new company, Bagir international, caught my attention when we visited their office. They were one that I had never heard of before and I found what they did to be astounding so I added them to my list. During our visit I made sure to ask as many questions as I could in regards to their company so that way I could possibly add them as a candidate. Upon leaving their office I made sure to exchange business cards with both the President of the company and the Fashion Marketing Specialist.

By the time I had left New York at the end of the week I had accomplished obtaining three interviews with two different companies. Upon returning to Washington State, I hand wrote and sent off thank you cards of my own design to all the companies that had shared their time and that I had an interest in. Within the next two weeks I had two offers for internship: Bagir International and Tommy Hilfiger USA.

After being offered the internships, I sent each company the Internship Agreement Form pages to obtain the specifics that either internship would entail. When I had reviewed what each company was proposing, I made my decision on what company would best fit my career goals, interests, and the environment I would feel the most comfortable working in. The company that I chose was Bagir International.