For my final project of the INF 103 sec 2 class, my group’s theme to be discussed was #6, Protection of Privacy and Security. We prepared a document that expanded on what was discussed on the Tarea #6 which can be found clicking here. The document and powerpoint we presented during class can be found here.
Adopting Sustainable Practices
With the widespread popularity of fast-fashion, some consumers are turning against the tide and advocating towards slow-fashion practices. To learn more about slow-fashion, you can read my article about what this concept means by clicking this link. Since this lifestyle stands for using sustainable habits as designers and consumers, it’s time to define simple practices that consumers can adopt in their shopping habits.
In an interview with All The Pretty Birds to the canadian Content Creator, Blogger and Ecostylist Alyssa Lau, Lau listed some ways to buy sustainably. Firstly, you can buy from brands who abide by Fair Trade laws and explicitly state their process. Some shops and brands that comply with these sustainable processes and guidelines are:
By buying ethical businesses, we can push the fashion industry towards a more transparent path. Supporting local designers and small brands is another way of helping the industry shift gears. Other ways to get your clothing through sustainable practices that are more budget friendly are by:
- Buying through thrift shops such as Electroshock and Tropi Trades
- Swapping items with your friends
- Repurposing and “upcycling” garments
- Buying secondhand items through platforms such as Poshmark or Depop.
According to Alyssa in the interview, “buying one item used over new reduces its carbon footprint by 82%, while also saving it from landfills or flooding the local markets in developing nations”. There is a long way to go in order to break free from the fast-fashion trend, but by adopting some of these practices, you can help create a change for the better in the industry.
INF 103 Course Reflection
As the INF 103 course comes to an end along with the semester, the professor has asked us students for a reflection about the works done and lessons learned throughout the class. The class required the fulfillment of several assignments; here is each assignment listed along with its link to access it.
- Tarea 1: The Web and I; My Perception and Use of the Internet and the Web
- Tarea 2: About Page
- Tarea 3: Feedly
- Tarea 4: Crowdsourcing
- Tarea 5: Privacy and Security
- Tarea 6: Group Project: Cybersecurity
- Tarea 7: Diigo
- Tarea 8: Coding | Was completed in Studio.Code.Org as AlejandraVR
Since my first publication, a total of 33 users have visited my site during the duration of the class’ semester. I’ve also had a total of 53 post views. It’s been interesting to see the different countries from which the users have visited my page. The most viewed article has been How Clothing is Affecting Performance during Quarantine.
The INF 103 Class has certainly been an eye opener in the best way possible. I had heard about the class through a friend from the same university who had previously taken it and had a positive experience creating her first blog. I honestly did not expect to learn much since I already have had previous blogging experience running multiple websites with different purposes, but still had to take the course since it is prerequisite for another course required in my Graphic Design minor. However, I was very pleasantly surprised that this was just a fragment of the class and we were able to learn about much more than just the basics of blogging.
During the class we discussed different topics regarding the web and the Internet, and now I know that these two are not the same. I learned more about cybersecurity and different apps that help with this, coding through exercises and different technologies that will surely affect the way we live and interact with each other in the near future. Some of these technologies definitely left an impression on me. The following video was one of the most interesting I saw during the class that shocked me as to how advanced technology already is.
I definitely feel that I learned a lot throughout the course and made the best of it. The two most interesting things discussed during the class were firstly how easy it is to track a person’s movement through the different applications one uses connected to a web and the different uses of AI in different industries. I truly enjoyed discussing these topics and they were very shocking. I’d also say the top two things I learned during the semester were the basics of cybersecurity, through my group project, and different applications that can help me read relevant information in my fields of interest, such as using Feedly. I truly don’t think I would change anything about the class.
INF 103 was a great course and it was a pleasure to be a student of this class. I’d definitely recommend it to my friends.
Careers in Fashion
The fashion industry is abounding with creative talents that play different roles within itself, yet, not many people are aware of the countless opportunities that can be found in it. Most of the public’s perception of jobs within is limited towards the designers and models, but there is so much more that goes on behind closed doors. Alexa Chung is a fashion writer, designer and model who hosts a series on the British Vogue Youtube Channel called Future of Fashion where she examines different roles within the industry and how certain external factors are affecting it.
In the video shown above, she names two very important roles in the industry, a fashion buyer and trend forecaster. A fashion buyer is a person who is in charge of curating a shop’s collection to be sold. This being said, the person must have an eye for what the consumer wants and what the store wants to portray, have great negotiation skills and be aware of the trends that will be emerging. On the other hand, trend forecasting is gathering information about what people are wearing, what is being shown in catwalks and what styles are being adopted all over the world so that brands may use this information to create pieces that are more appealing to their consumers. These are just two important jobs in the fashion industry who aren’t known as others. Other five important roles in the fashion industry as listed by Draper Jobs are:
- Community Manager– A community manager is a brand’s ambassador who opts to generate and grow it’s digital community through different strategies.
- Visual Merchandiser- Visual merchandisers organize a shop’s floor plan with the goal to make the items as appealing to the clients as possible and generate more sales.
- Garment Technologist- Garment technologists experiment with different textile components to innovate and better it’s durability, color saturation or texture, amongst others.
- Stylist– Stylists can work directly with clients becoming their personal image guide by providing selected pieces or with magazines by curating the clothing pieces to be worn on photoshoots.
- Public Relationists– PR experts in this industry work alongside designers and brands to achieve their goals relating to their image and public perception.
These are just some of the often overlooked crucial roles in the fashion industry. According to Fashion United, the industry is worth 406 billion dollars. This being said, there are numerous opportunities within it and there is definitely a place for everyone in it.
Tarea #7
Diigo is a highly useful bookmarking extension that serves as a tool for studying, preparing research, jdfs. As an assignment on my INF 103 class, I had to add the extension to my laptop and use it to bookmark twelve important links, six referring to the final project and six referring to the topic of my blog. You can access my public library by accessing the following link (https://www.diigo.com/profile/avelasco60).
As mentioned, the first six links I bookmarked all serve as references when preparing my final project for the class. The project’s theme is cybersecurity in Puerto Rico. One of the links I bookmarked is an interview titled “PR Uno de los Países con más Ataques Cibernéticos” from 2016’s Puerto Rico Cybersecurity Convention where experts are questioned regarding this topic. Another page I bookmarked is Info Security Mexico’s guide to cybersecurity where the basic definition of the concept and its history is exposed. I also bookmarked an article published in the newspaper El Vocero titled “Prácticas que ayudan a mitigar riesgos de ciberseguridad” that lists different ways that you can protect yourself from cybersecurity attacks. Yet another reference I bookmarked is a podcast dedicated to explaining the use of certain technologies in Puerto Rico called La Resistencia .IO, specifically their episode pertaining to the State of Cybersecurity in Puerto Rico. Another bookmark I have listed is one that leads to an article that explains the key role that your response time to these threats have, which is titled “En ciberseguridad, “la velocidad lo es todo”. The final page I have bookmarked is a directory called GetApp to the best software platforms that provide cybersecurity services.
The last six links are my go-to sites to find out more information pertaining to the fashion industry, my blog’s theme. The first link listed is the Business of Fashion since, as I’ve previously mentioned, views the happenings around the fashion industry in a point of view that regards more towards the business aspect than the creative side. Another link I listed is Man Repeller, a site where many writers from different backgrounds expose different tips, trends or fashion history, amongst others. Another link I saved is the M2M Youtube channel, since they have insightful videos showcasing different talents in the industry. I also chose to bookmark the Council of Fashion Designers of America since they provide the latest resources available to designers and creatives in the fashion world. I also bookmarked Retazo since they provide important information and articles related to the slow fashion movement in Puerto Rico. The last bookmark I have is to V Magazine, a magazine that provides articles about the most relevant movement, items or news in the fashion industry.
How Clothing is Affecting Performance during Quarantine
As the deadly virus COVID-19 has continued its spread, governments have taken social distancing measures including enabling quarantines in order to minimize the number of people contaged with it. The enforced isolation caused professionals from every industry and students to continue their jobs and studies in a virtual remote setting. This practice implies that individuals do not have to carry out social interactions that were an accustomed daily norm and have the flexibility of collaborating through lenses if needed. Since people do not have to go out, most do not feel the need to dress in what they normally would and opt for more comfortable items. Does the change in our style affect performance in any way?
According to psychologist Gaura Sarda-Joshi from Brain Fodder, the answer to the question is yes. Gaura presented in her article 7 Ways Clothes Change the Way You Think the video presented above. It focuses on a study that concludes stating that clothes have an effect on a person’s performance depending on the association each individual has with the piece. This being said, Gaura notes that some examples of these can also be found when individuals wear formal wear versus casual wear. A study conducted in California State University found that dressing in suits led to the men being studied to think more about long-term implications of their decisions. Yet another experiment showed that casual-wear made men’s testosterone levels drop by 20%. The saying “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have” certainly gains more credibility after analyzing these studies. The way you dress influences the way you act.
When at home, most people tend to seek for comfortability in their clothing pieces rather than thinking about it’s presentability in a social context. As a result, clothing pieces associated with productivity and power such as suits and blazers are being kept in the closet. In the United States, there was a 7.2% decrease in productivity by employees since the shift to a remote workplace, while length of an average workday increased by 40% according to Jennifer Fabiano, the SEO writer for Ladders News. I truly believe that the way we dress is a micro-factor that is influencing the decrease in productivity. There are many articles written with tips on how to increase your productivity at home, most notably those published by Success, Dream Host and Thrive Global, and all of these have a common item on their list: dressing up the part.
You don’t have to wear a full uniform to work remotely, but changing out of your pijamas can certainly help with productivity. A simple way to enhance your performance during these times is by simply dressing up a bit. By causing a change in your appearance, there can be a shift in your productivity.
Fashion from Home
2020 has begun with a challenge for the world: managing a pandemic called COVID-19. The deadly virus, whose death toll by the time of this article’s publication is 195,119, is easily spreadable amongst individuals which is why many countries have enforced social distancing and quarantine measures. As a result, a lot of professionals have had to continue their businesses via online platforms, if they can. According to a survey conducted to 1,500 professionals in the fashion industry by the Business of Fashion, 85% of these are working from home. Shifting a large part of the workforce of an industry to working remotely must surely have its implications, which is what this article seeks to explore.
The survey mentioned by the Business of Fashion pointed out that 60% of the workers stated that this shift has marked a negative impact on their productivity. The fashion industry is filled with creatives that constantly seek to create, innovate and design products that come from the heart. Being in an enclosed space where the surroundings are constantly the same and interactions with others are limited may dull out these creatives. They constantly need to be inspired and motivated to generate pieces that truly make a difference.
Another challenge that comes with working remotely is the management of individual situations. Every person is facing their individual challenges that are ever-present in their current environment, which could be dealing with a poor wi-fi connection, taking care of a family member, coping with a mental illness such as anxiety, amongst others. These difficulties are added factors that were not present during regular business settings that may impede a person’s performance.
However, within the current difficulties, there can be a silver lining in the industry. This situation has been a fail or fly for the way in which professionals dedicated to content generation and community management have responded with their strategies. Community and social media managers were forced to generate innovative strategies in an extremely short time frame to stay relevant and grow their following. Fashion brands know that sales are dropping and the majority of these have responded by fostering their community and solidifying their relationship with customers by generating content that boosts engagement. These include creating memes, such as the one pictured above by the brand PrettyLittleThing, giving discounts, generating #s that promote the brand and staying in home, such as #stayinginwithnastygal by Nasty Gal who has over 1000 posts using the hashtag in Instagram as pictured above, and collaborating with different artists by having “IG Lives”to promote their brand, such as Levi’s had a IG Live with the music artists Doja Cat shown below, amongst others.
During these turbulent times, it’s important to recognize that there has been a shift in the way professionals conduct their businesses. Creatives in the fashion industry are facing new hardships that affect them in a personal and professional context and this should be taken into consideration by their employers. Flexibility and effective communication should help along the way. On a lighter note, this has allowed for better communication with customers. Creative strategies have surged and flourished in social media that will shape the way consumers interact with fashion brands from now on.
3D Printing in Fashion
Some people’s perception of clothing can be confined to strictly referring to garments made out of different textiles and fabrics, but have pieces made out of 3D printed items ever crossed their minds? 3D printing is the practice of creating 3D objects made out of different materials such as plastic, nylon or ABS, amongst others, through a digital program. This practice is mostly used to create mock-ups, automotive parts, dentures and even buildings, amongst others. However, an odd application of it is it’s use in the fashion world as a tool to create truly unique designs.
Iris van Herpen is one of the world’s first designers recognized for her use of 3D printing technologies in her creations. The following look presented above is called Liquid Labyrinths which was made using “3D laser cut silk dendrites”. Her looks seem out-worldly and often mimic shapes found in nature. In the following Youtube video, she explains how she lets her creativity flow and uses this technology to achieve her vision.
This technology let’s designers express themselves and create designs that they maybe couldn’t have done before. It can be combined with other materials and technologies and leaves an endless gamma of new possibilities. Anouk Wipprecht is an innovator in this field; she combines fashion with 3D printing and engineering creating one of a kind looks. Below one of her creations.
3D Printing is just starting to find its place in fashion. Designers are starting to take notice and incorporating this practice into their designs. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend appear much more in runways allowing for new and exciting designs to take over the industry.
Tarea #6
Como parte del curso INF 103 Sección 2, tuvimos la tarea #6 asignada para completar en grupo. La tarea corresponde sobre una introducción y búsqueda sobre la historia, tecnologías y expertos sobre nuestro tema: la ciberseguridad. Abajo encontrará un botón que le permite bajar el documento que elaboramos en grupo.
Pasarelas Digitales
Todos las empresas dedicadas al pronóstico de tendencias del futuro, tales como Accenture, Biztech Magazine y DataHub, concuerdan que el mundo digital está en auge y estará infiltrándose en todas las industrias. La industria de la moda no se queda atrás, pues ya hemos presenciado el auge de Instagram cómo punto de venta y publicidad, el uso de “social media influencers” y la efectividad de plataformas de venta digital, tales como Etsy y Poshmark. Una práctica que lleva años utilizándose en la industria también está teniendo un encuentro con lo digital, y esta es la pasarela. Abajo mostrado hay un video de la diseñadora Angel Chen utilizando esta plataforma, un show virtual, para demostrar su colección.
Para el tiempo de esta publicación, el 9 de abril del 2020, el mundo ha estado enfrentando un reto grande: una pandemia llamada COVID-19. Ante la amenaza del virus, diseñadores y línea de moda han tornado a sus plataformas digitales para mantener su relevancia y ventas, pues, muchos se han visto en la obligación de cerrar sus tiendas y oficinas física. Dentro de estas plataformas digitales las empresas han realizado estrategias y tácticas tales como mostrar sus colecciones. Una manera de presentar estas colecciones han sido a través de runways digitales. Algunos ejemplos de estos han sido Angel Chen y WhyJay.
Las pasarelas digitales son una manera de presentar colecciones a través de plataformas digitales. Es decir, son pasarelas que están siendo presentadas por aplicaciones digitales. Estas pueden ser presentadas en vivo o ser presentadas luego de editado. Esto puede ser una herramienta tremenda debido a que las presentaciones pueden cobrar otra vida luego de la adición de efectos especiales y editaje de tomas.
Lo que ha mostrado este evento es que si las empresas en la industria de la moda aún no han solidificado su presencia digital, deben de hacerlo instantemente. Un aumento en la participación del mundo digital ya era pronosticado, sólo está siendo propulsado por esta situación. Además, ha mostrado que efectividad que tienen los medios digitales para realizar actividades que antes eran presenciales. Esto puede significar una reducción en gastos para la empresa y surgimiento por idea innovadoras. Por esto, las pasarelas digitales están popularizando y seguirán en uso después de está situación.
Moda como Herramienta en Suspiria (2018)
Para definir un personaje en un filme, la vestimenta que utilizan es altamente importante, pues es la representación de este. El vestuario puede expresar gustos e intereses, tener connotaciones secundarias, crear un ambiente para el filme, exponer sus ideologías y personalidad y hasta guiar a la audiencia sobre el tiempo en el que se sitúa dicha película. Una de mis películas favoritas es Suspiria no tan solo por su tema, si no, también por la atmósfera y esencia que existe en cada escena. Suspiria (2018) es una película de horror dirigida por Luca Guadagnino donde un hombre examina unos hechos raros que están ocurriendo en una de las compañías de danza mejor reconocidas internacionalmente. Una herramienta utilizada para lograr el ambiente deseado por el director en el filme es la vestimenta de los personajes.
En una entrevista entre el director de la película y Grace Coddington, una de las directoras artísticas más reconocidas en la industria de la moda, Guadagnino le expresó que “This is why I love fashion: It’s a lot of of brain, a lot of precision, a commitment, passion”. Además, él expresó que no tuvo el presupuesto para poder contar con un departamento de vestimenta y únicamente utilizó conexiones personales para lograr su finalidad. La única persona acreditada por el vestuario en la película es su amiga y colaboradora para otras películas, Giulia Piersanti. Ella fue nominada en las categorías de mejor vestuario en una película por su trabajo en Suspiria en los premios CIFCC y Seattle Film Critics, y ganó dicho premio para los premios Silver Ribbon, Golden Ciak y Fright Meter Awards.
En la mayoría de la película las integrantes del grupo de danza utilizan colores pálidos o mutados, tales como grises, amarillos, rosas pálidos y colores neutrales durante sus ensayos, como mostrado en la foto arriba. Esto ayuda crear un ambiente totalmente abrumado y misterioso a lo largo de la película. Las personas que contrastan el estilo de las integrantes son las profesoras de danza. Ellas utilizan colores más saturados y oscuros que el resto de ella, especialmente la profesora principal, Madame Blanc interpretada por Tilda Swinton. Ella utiliza vestidos negros, largos y conservadores a lo largo de la producción, dándole un sentido de autoridad sobre las otras. Esto es mostrado en la foto abajo, donde su personaje es contrastado por una bailarina utilizando una camisa roja vino.
El uso del color rojo en la vestimenta en esta película es altamente importante. Un dato importante de la película es que la escuela de danza sirve como una máscara para un aquelarre de brujas que utilizan la danza como un método para llevar a cabo sus rituales. La única vez que el rojo es utilizado en los vestidos es cuando está ocurriendo un ritual donde habrá sangre derramada. El mensaje implícito del ritual puede evidenciarse con tan solo el uso de un color. El imagen mostrado abajo presenta un baile de la compañía donde utilizan vestidos con un pentagrama en su pecho y el color rojo brillante. Claro está, el baile fue parte de un ritual organizado por las brujas.
Suspiria es una película visualmente estimulante. Cada escena tiene su propia atmósfera llena de tensión y parte de esto se debe al uso de vestuario. Recomiendo esta película para quien desee ver como el vestuario puede ser utilizado para crear un ambiente en una producción. Es una película que debe de presenciarse para percibir el la emoción y atmósfera detrás del vestuario.
Courtney Love’s Personal Style
If I ask you to think of Courtney Love, what type of clothing do you picture her in? Chances are you probably envisioned her wearing a loose, babydoll type dress, and let it be known, this vision is of her own making.
Courtney Love is one of the most influential women of rock and a style symbol in the grunge community. Courtney Love was the lead singer from the highly acclaimed 90’s rock band called Hole. She is certainly a bold and rebellious person which was translated to the image she created for herself throughout fashion. Love’s style was one full of contradictions; she wore silk dresses, but would pair it with mary janes, or wore nightgowns with bows, but wrote “witch” on her arms with a red marker. It can best be described as the lovechild between the babydoll style and rock n’ roll. Some term the style as “kinderwhore”, marking it as a sub-style in the grunge style. However odd it sounds, this look suited Courtney and defined a style for a generation.
As mentioned, Courtney’s style was an enigma of her own making. According to Hal Rubenstein in his book The Looks of Love, Love knew that each type of fabric created a specific statement. She created her own look that would define her by buying nightgowns made of crepe and having them tailored into babydoll dresses. She created her own aesthetic whose elements then influenced grunge female fashion in the 90s. The image she created was so captivating that designers were influenced by her and the babydoll dress became a staple of the 90s fashion.
It’s interesting to see how Love used clothing as a tool in order to promote the image she created for herself. She caught the attention of everyone, designers and consumers alike with her daring looks. This helped her make an impact in not only the music industry, but the fashion community as well, solidifying her status as an icon in the Rock community.
Tarea #5- Privacy and Security
Cybersecurity is one of the biggest threats we are facing today. Our society depends so much on digital platforms and software programs, which comes at a cost and a security hazard to all of us. All the information we input into these platforms and programs is stored in their databases which can be used and sold for whatever reason they choose. Our professor in our INF 103 Course sent us videos and readings that relate to our privacy and security on the web.
The first reading that was sent to us related to the information that can be known by these sites by our “friends”. When we add people as friends on a social media platform, these platforms can identify which traits and interests are shared between them and yourself, creating a virtual profile of your likes. The second reading relates more specifically to Facebook and how it stores all of your personal information, even if you delete it from the site. It also showcases how this information can be sold to different companies that can now have access to very personal details such as your phone number, address, age, etc. The final reading further emphasizes on the availability of your information on Google and Facebook. For example, they know exactly where you have been, all of your search history, all of the apps you have, amongst others. These lectures emphasize that almost every activity we do is being monitored and stored.
Our professor also sent us different videos that relate towards personal security on the web. Video #1 talked about how every site and platform that is deemed as free really comes at the cost of your information. For example, if you’re using a free picture editing app, they can use the pictures you upload as advertisements. Video #2, demonstrates the consequences that allowing these platforms to access, use and sell your information can have. Your information can be sold to different third party organizations and they can use your information for good or for bad. The third video explains the pros and cons of facial recognition software. This highly powerful technology is still in it’s starting stages, so it isn’t as reliable as shown by high percentages of misidentification in the video, but demonstrates that there is a want for it from law enforcement agencies. The backlash stems from comparing this identification to the taking of fingerprints without consent, which is totally valid since our faces are being tracked and monitored without our consent.
As an exercise to see how much of our personal information these sites have, our professor told us to search My Activity feature and Ad Settings in Google . These sites knew exactly which sites I had visited and how long I stayed in each page. This allowed for Google to build a profile for which ads it would show me according to the history. Google assumes I am 65+ years old, am a female, frequently search for advertising and marketing things and really enjoy using Youtube. Most of the information it assumed about me was correct, so the ads it shows me are the ones whose target market meets my criteria and likewise.
Thankfully, there exist different extensions and software programs that limit the amount of information that can be accessed by these platforms. Disconnect is one of these extensions that helps secure it’s users’ security. I put it to the test by visiting two sites, Canva and Motel Rocks, that I frequently visit and the information that arose from that was alarming. Disconnect let me see the different sites that have access to my information just from visiting those two websites. Below are the images that exhibit this information.
It can be scary knowing how much of your information is being shared online and the threat that it poses. Some may use it as a wait to sell their products, but hackers can use it as a way to steal your identity. For these reasons, it is important to be aware of the dangers of sharing your information on the web and what steps you can take to protect yourself..
An Unlikely Mix: Streetwear and High Fashion
As the saying goes, opposites attract. How could two completely different fashion styles merge into one? Trends come and go, and it seems that streetwear has been one of the most defining trends of the late 2010’s. From celebrities sporting looks, to runway inspired collections and a recognition of these designers in the most coveted awards, streetwear has certainly had an uprising in high fashion. If you want to learn more about the scale at which streetwear as dispersed throughout the fashion industry, watch the following video by the CBS Sunday Morning show where experts from the industry are interviewed regarding the topic.
As the designer Heron Preston said regarding streetwear’s influence, “you can’t ignore it anymore”. Designers and brands have taken notice in the uprising of this trend and have incorporated it in the creation of their designs, expanding their line of products so that they may cater to their audience. Some designers from different segments in the fashion industry, such as the featured Carine Roitfelt in the video, are venturing into this emerging trend to benefit economically by it, even though it isn’t their favorite style. Similarly, fashion houses and brands that are considered as high fashion have adapted their products so that they fit within this category. Below is an example of a Gucci Ad where the models are wearing distinctly streetwear clothing in an urban setting.
Why has this movement suddenly had an uprising in high fashion since it’s been around for decades? There are so many factors that have led to this uprising of the unification of these two fashion components, but amongst these, social media marketing has been a key factor. Social media has provided a platform where people from different backgrounds, races, incomes, styles and ideologies are in the same playing platform where they can generate content appealing to their audiences. Brands have created tactics, such as the use of specific hashtags, give-aways and influencers, in order to spread the reach of their brand. All of these tactics involve a creative process where captivating visuals are made and spread. Streetwear is recognized for pushing the boundaries, being at times colorful and creative, keeping in mind comfortability and being accessible to everyone. These characteristics have led to an increase in the use of this trend in audiences from every race, income status and profession. Even the top followed Instagram influencers and celebrities can be seen sporting streetwear looks, such as Kylie Jenner with 166 million followers.
With the upsurgence of this trend, fashion businesses belong to a multi-billion dollar industry that will take advantage of every opportunity they get. This is why so many streetwear lines are being created by celebrities that are considered as the faces of high fashion, such as Robin Fenty’s Fenty, and why respectable fashion houses such as Gucci and Fendi have jumped on this movement. The unlikely mix of fashion concepts that seem to belong to two different worlds has resulted in a very inclusive movement that encompasses the usage of pieces with a similar functionality and style by people with entirely different lives.
What is Slow Fashion?
You’ve probably heard of the term fast-fashion, but do you know what slow-fashion is? Whereas fast-fashion is rooted in cost-efficiency, maximization of laboral resources and rapid production, slow-fashion is the opposite. Slow fashion consists of using natural fibers, providing a fair wage and laboral facility and a humane production system.
H&M, Zara, Forever 21 and Fashion Nova are all recognizable fast-fashion brands. Can you name four ethical fashion brands? We are currently living on an on demand society where consumers are used to instant gratification. However, the consecuences of these behaviours can be even deadly. Fast-fashion relies on quick garnment production in order to fulfill the consumers’ demand. This implies that the workers have to work quickly and use easily findable materials, which leads to two major issues. The first one is that workers are exploited; most of the brands that cater to this form of production have sweatshops in countries where there are much less laws that protect laborers and are not kept in the best conditions. A tragic example of sad outcome that can result from this is the Bangladesh factory collapse that fell under this category. The factory was overpacked with machinery and workers that exceeded the buildings limitations in order to comply with the demand, yet it fell apart leaving over 1,000 workers dead. Another negative impact fast-fashion can have is contributing to global warming. The fashion industry is the second-most polluting in the world. Part of it due to the excess buying of garnments from consumers, from the usage of poorly compostable fabrics and lack of recycling. The fabrics used are popular due to their cheap adquisition cost, yet are of poor quality and take a long time to decompose, such as cotton is.
Slow fashion is the alternative to fast fashion. Slow fashion abides by the Fair Trade principles that look for providing a just environment for laborers from every industry, using natural fibers that decompose easier and is recognized by it’s timeless style. While most fast fashion pieces are created so that they instantly cater to emerging trends, slow fashion designers are recognized for creating pieces that withstand the test of time and trends. Slow fashion is much more ethical than fast fashion in every sense. The fabrics used in slow fashion seek to reduce their impact in the environment as much as possible; these include the use of natural fibers. Also, the creation of these pieces are assured to be just in every step of the production process. An important factor in the rise to fast fashion has been it’s cheap prices. When a clothing piece comes very cheap to the consumer, it costs the producers something. It may be the quality of the piece, the money spent on paying adequately their workers, or something else. Slow fashion tends to be a bit higher priced than fast fashion pieces, but keep in mind, these pieces are assured to be of the best quality and be made ethically. This poses a moral question to the consumer, would they rather pay cheap prices for a garnment that implies so much harm or a higher price for the assurance of a proper production?
In Puerto Rico, there are various designers that comply with slow fashion guidelines. Some of these are Yayi, Marimu, Isleñas, Knot Predictable, Agnes Anna and Sally Torres Vega, amongst many more. In Puerto Rico, we have a saying that goes “El que busca, encuentra”, which translates to “whoever searches, will find”. After learning a bit more about slow fashion, I encourage you to search for slow fashion designers close to where you reside or look up ethical fashion brands. A change in one consumer’s habits can spark a chain reaction and hopefully better the industry as a whole.
HW #3
Feedly is an online platform that allows it users to subscribe to various news from channels in an organized and categorized manner. For my INF 103 course, I had to subscribe to all of my peers’ blogs, ten channels pertaining to the topic of my blog, being fashion, and ten channels that correlate to technology. Below is a picture showing the blogs run by my peers from my INF 103 that I follow.
As, I mentioned, I also follow ten blogs pertaining to the topic of this blog: Fashion. Here is a brief description of the blogs I follow with a screenshot of them.
- All The Pretty Birds– Dedicated to showcasing the latest fashion trends in all facets: from the runway, to models, influencers and celebrities.
- Fashionista– Publishes the latest news from the fashion industry, highlighting career opportunities and trends.
- Fashion United (UK)– Showcases a macro-perspective from the industry, from retailing to business information.
- Freshness Mag– This site is all about streetwear: the trends, designers and brands for both male and females.
- Hypebeast-A site dedicated to showing men’s streetwear and lifestyle
- Man Repeller– This online magazine is a female-run platform that prioritizes fashion in the female perspective.
- Putting Me Together– This blog is run by a fashion stylist who gives her best tricks and tips for putting on stylish outfits for everyone.
- The Business of Fashion– As the title implies, this magazine analyzes the fashion industry with a more business approach.
- Vogue– One of the leading and longest-lasting fashion magazines that is highly respected in the industry.
- Who What Wear– Covers celebrity fashion and style.
As also mentioned, aside from the fashion topic, I also follow ten blogs pertaining to Technology. Below is a cropped screenshot showing the blogs I follow that relate to this with a short description.
- Coolest Gadgets– Keeps their audience update with cool innovative creations made pertaining to every industry.
- Digital Trends– Showcases the trends that are taking over the digital world throughout different platforms
- El Nuevo Día: Tecnología– A subsection from the puertorrican newspaper El Nuevo Día that highlights news pertaining to Technology.
- Gizmodo– A blog focused on science fiction and futurism.
- Mashable– Digital media website that informs on the latest information and how it relates to technology
- The New York Times: Technology- A subsection form the newspaper The New York Times that highlights news pertaining to the topics of Techonology.
- Tech Insider– Gives an inside scoop to its audience to the latest technologies being developed and the process behind these.
- TechCrunch– Reports mostly on the business side of developing technologies.
- The Next Web– Provides conferences based on new techonologies and emerging startups.
- The Verge– Online news magazine that provides the latest on technologies from different industries.
Tarea #4
La Tarea #4 del curso INF103 está basada en la colaboración. El profesor creó un Google Doc donde los estudiantes de mi sección, la 2, participamos de un ejercicio de “Crowdsourcing”. La información que yo expuse en el documento es la siguiente:
Nombre: Alejandra Velasco
YouTube Channels:
- The Punk Rock MBA– En este canal Finn Mckenty, un profesional de mercadeo dentro de la industria de la música, da sus opiniones sobre ciertos movimientos y bandas dentro del género musical del “Rock”. Él analiza los factores a lo que se debió su surgimiento y/o decadencia.
- British Vogue- Canal de la revista de moda altamente reconocida en el mundo. En este canal de la versión británica, puedes encontrar distintos vídeos relacionados a la moda con un tono más profesional y serio que el americano. Además, encontrarás un “playlist” de videos dirigidos por Alexa Chung donde entrevista profesionales dentro de la industria de la moda y expone distintos oficios y oportunidades dentro de la industria.
- Business Insider– Este canal es dedicado a contestar algunas de las preguntas más interesantes en todas las industrias. Además, hay videos que explican las claves del éxito de ciertos negocios, a que elementos se le puede atribuir a su supervivencia.
Instagram profiles:
- Galore– Es la página IG de la revista online de Galoremag.com. La estética de la página es totalmente colorida y llena de referentes al “Pop-culture”
- Merodea– Es la página de IG de la revista online de Merodea.com. Publican contenido bien interesante para las mujeres caribeñas tocando un sinnúmero de tópicos como la salud mental, la moda, la política y la comida. Ponen stories muy interactivos con frecuencia.
- Hypebeast– Es la página de IG de la revista online de hypebeast.com. Es una página que expone la moda, músicos y todo elemento referente al “streetwear” masculino.
Libros:
- The Looks of Love: 50 Moments in Fashion That Inspired Romance– Hal Rubenstein, el autor de este libro quien es un consultor de moda altamente reconocido en la industria, expone en este libro 50 momentos dentro de la industria de la moda que impactaron a los consumidores y a los diseñadores.
- The Outsiders– Este libro cuenta la historia de un grupo de amigos que son considerados como delincuentes en los ojos de la sociedad, pero va a fondo con sus luchas económicas, sociales y emocionales.
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo– Este thriller narra la historia sobre la búsqueda de la desaparición de una niña hecha por un detective y una hacker. Esta historia es una fuerte, llena de drama, a veces triste, a veces morbosa, pero siempre te deja en suspenso.
Films o series:
- Almost Famous– Esta película narra la historia de un periodista de escuela superior emergente quien siguió a una banda durante una gira estadounidense y cuenta sobre todos los incidentes que pasó con estos, basado en una historia real.
- Corpse Bride– Corpse Bride es una película de stop motion de amor totalmente atípica, donde un hombre profesando su amor a una mujer sin querer se lo profesa a una difunta quien revive y decide ser su esposa.
- The Handmaid’s Tale– Esta serie totalmente oscura, dramática, realista y chocante muestra una realidad distópica a la que puede llegar la sociedad si adoptamos prácticas donde existen concubinas bajo una dictadura.
Asignación #2
Como parte de la Clase #Inf103 #Sec2, tuvimos que crear un About page en el blog. En la página de About, puede aprender sobre la autora del blog y el propósito del blog. La página de About de la Elixiere puede ser accedida al oprimir aquí.
The Web and I: My Perception and Use of the Internet and Web
The Internet is such an important and fundamental piece of technology that allows us to create, share, communicate and learn about an infinite amount of subjects. The web is the most powerful tool we have and should take full advantage of it. I’m a freelancer who is dedicated to social media marketing, writing and graphic design, amongst other skills. With this in mind, it is essential for me to have an understanding of the Internet and the power within it.
As a social media marketer, that is part of digital marketing, it is essential for me to know in what direction the Internet is headed. Will the future lie on the web? Or somewhere else? I always like to watch videos such as the one listed below to keep me informed as to which trends will appear and which will sway away over time. It is important to be up-to-date with the innovations that may arise in your field as to not fall short with your competition. For these reasons, I often watch Eric Siu and heyDominik’s videos to keep myself updated with the latest trends.
Aside from being a digital marketer, I’m also a writer. I’ve worked with several companies by creating articles for their webpages. I love creating written content for my clients since it is the base for everything else. The original and unique content a company or page produces is what will pave the way for its success or demise. From there, a company can market their content however they please, but the most important thing is to set it apart by producing fresh content that shows that you are an expert in a certain field. My field of expertise is fashion, and so I’ve written various articles for Retazo, a circular fashion platform, and Merodea, an online media company. Amongst these, my favorite articles that I have written are Nuevo año, nuevo clóset: tendencias a velar en el 2019, Kenia Barbosa: The fashion designer known for her “upcycling” techniques and Fair Trade in Puerto Rico.
Yet another skill I possess that is closely tied to the Internet is graphic design. I am a self-taught artist, but self-taught with help from Instagram and Youtube Videos, which is where the help of the web comes in. Artists such as Ariev Soeharto and Haze Long dedicate their social media platforms towards providing tutorials on how to use different Apps for Graphic Design. The Internet has allowed me to grow as an artist by allowing me to access art tutorials and important information that I would not have gotten anywhere else. It also exposed me to new artists that I had not seen before that have inspired my art in ways I never thought imaginable. Below is a picture from Kelly Dot’s page; one of my favorite artists that was introduced to me via Instagram. Since seeing her work, my style has been influenced by her.
To me, the Internet plays a key role not only in my everyday life, but also in my professional development. It is the platform where I have cultivated and grown my skills, and where I will continue to flourish. It also serves as a gateway to create and publish any type of content and find a community who supports it. The web is the glue that sticks everyone together and the soil with seeds where, if treated correctly, flowers will bloom.
La Elixiere 