An Environmental Cleanup in Every Aisle

For this weeks' blog, I read an article on www.nytimes.com called 'An Environmental Cleanup in Every Aisle'. The article is about a new store called Green Depot, which sells only environmentally friendly home improvement products.

One of the major advantages of the store is that it is organized into sections according to interest, instead of according to specific product. There are sections for energy and lighting and air and water filtration, for example. The store also plays up-tempo indie type music to appeal to younger audiences. Another thing the store has going for it is the fact that they sell products that appeal to pretty everyone: biodegradable dog poop bags, eco-friendly rugs, packing peanuts, and even cribs. With such a huge variety, people from all classes and backgrounds can find something that they like instead of just having to look up to celebrities who can afford expensive eco-friendly products.

In order to remain a good company, it makes sure to assess and evaluate every single product, as well as examine all of the ingredients to make sure that the products are free of harmful chemicals. The products have different chemicals on them to let the consumers know the characteristics of the product they are buying.

I think that this is a very good idea. People are becoming more and more conscious of the environment and treating it well and having a store that sells eco-friendly products for relatively low prices will be beneficial. People from all social classes and backgrounds will have access to products that are not so bad for the planet.

Irresistable and Affordable

For my blog this week, I read an article called 'Irresistable and Affordable' on www.nytimes.com. The article is about how people who normally spend a lot of money on their clothing are trying to save money by trading their Saks 5th Avenue Jimmy Choos for consignment store Jimmy Choos.

The article addresses how more and more designers are sprucing up their clothes for lower priced markets. They know that the economy is bad and consumers do not have as much money to shop and so they are trading down from Neiman Marcus to places like Macy's and Ann Taylor. These stores want to make sure that they are offering stylish clothing that looks expensive but is actually very affordable. Stores like Ann Taylor and Talbots want customers to feel like they are buying designer clothes without the designer price.

The challenge that places are facing is that people these days are really shopping out of necessity. Stylish clothes are not a necessity (usually) even if they are in the lower price range. Stores have to come up with a way to get people in the stores and actually buy things instead of just passing by or browsing. Some places are trying to revamp the basics (like the little black dress, and classic dress pants), because these items are things people always feel like they will wear.

I have noticed a slight shift in the style of clothing, especially passing through department stores. Macy's offers lines from big companies and designers, like Michael Kors and BCBG, but for much affordable prices. Designers are trying to compensate for the lack of sales in their showrooms and boutiques by offering clothes to a wider audience; one that might be able to afford the prices.

Fashion Finds a New and Bigger Role in India

For this weeks' blog I decided to read an article on www.nytimes.com about how the fashion industry is developing in India. This is very interesting to me because my best friend is Indian and I've learned a lot about the culture and the country. I also like to see how fashion is doing in developing countries.

I was surprised to see that there are three separate fashion weeks in India: Wills Fashion Week, Delhi fashion week and Lakme fashion week. I think that India will soon become a major destination as far as fashion is considered. They know how to mix traditional and modern looks and they are starting to appeal more toward the masses, as opposed to just the elite few. It was disappointing, however, to see that only a handful of these designer labels are sold abroad. I would love to be able to see firsthand how high fashion is in India and the limited exposure it gets is a let down.

There are still the major Indian designers, but many are making their way into the fashion industry and have promising futures in design.

For Spring Clothes, a Lost Season?

For this week's blog, I decided to read an article on www.nytimes.com called 'For Spring Clothes, a Lost Season?'

This article addresses how the retail industry is suffering right now because of people trying to save as much money as they can. The article focuses mainly on high end retailers like Nordstrom and Saks 5th Avenue because they are having the hardest time. Some very high end stores are even willing to discount their merchandise because the regular priced items are selling so poorly. People no longer want to spend $800 on a purse or a pair of shoes and that is evident by the emptiness in these stores. Luxery stores are concentrating a lot of energy on making customers think that they absolutely need a very expensive piece of clothing or other product. They are also trying to cut production costs wherever they can.

Some stores are optimistic about the future of shopping while others are more pessimistic. It is hard to say whether or not these luxery brands will be able to bounce back from such a bad financial situation but some people think that it will be able to given some time. From my perspective, it is hard for me to imagine people going back to frivilous spending after having to go so long spending less money. I think that some of the stores will come out of the slump, but others may never be able to come back from this.

If the Apple store sold clothing...

For my blog this week, I decided to read an article from www.nytimes.com called 'If the Apple store sold clothing'. The article is about a new line of clothing from Adidas called SLVR.

I was immediately interested in this article because of the title. I thought: is Apple selling clothing now? But then I found out that it was about the new Adidas line, SLVR. I decided to read it anyway because the picture of the store looked so cool: a clean, white store with a lot of neutral clothes and a boutique vibe with the attitude.

It is hard to imagine anyone wanting to introduce a new line to the US in this economy. However, it combines two things people like: cool, reasonably affordable clothing and an expensive looking atmosphere. The prices at the store range from about $70-$180. I have to admit that the price range isn't necessarily mine, but it is cheaper than the designer clothing a lot of people have given up in favor of saving money.

Another thing that is important to mention about the line is that it is eco-friendly. The majority of the garments use as little material as they can. The decor is made from felt and wood planks; the hangers are 100% recycled cardboard.

SLVR is trying to appeal to my generation: people born around or after 1980. People who are environmentally conscious and do not want to spend a lot of money for clothing. Even the name appeals to the generation that has grown up with cell phones and text messaging.

As someone who likes to look put together and fashionable, yet not too fussy, I appreciate the asthetic of SLVR. Simple, neutral clothing that fits well. It also makes me optimistic about the retail industry which is taking a huge hit with the economy the way it is. Maybe if this company can survive and grow, other companies will follow its example and triumph in this time of decline.

A New Angle on Trousers

For this weeks' blog, I read an article on www.nytimes.com about how men are dressing differently these days. I think that menswear is interesting and definitely a part of the industry I am interested in learning more about.

The article goes into detail about how men's pants have spent too long fitting poorly and now there is more emphasis on trousers fitting appropriately. I have noticed over the years how men have started wearing closer fitting pants and have appreciated it. Before, men would wear unflattering, too-baggy pants that looked pretty bad. Now men are taking better care of themselves and focusing more on their looks which means the they want to wear clothes that look good on them.

Troubling Signs Around the Shows

For my blog this week, I chose to read an article on www.nytimes.com entitled Troubling Signs Around the Shows. The article was about how designers and companies and brands are coping with the economic crisis happening right now.

All this fashion talk is especially prevelant now since New York fashion week just kicked off about two weeks ago. Designers are very concerned at this time because they do not know how much longer they will be able to last when people are saving money as much as they can. They are having to take money out of their savings accounts instead of being able to rely on customer sales. Even Bloomingdales is having to rely on selling Barbie dolls in order to stay afloat.

Everyone is worried right now; big companies, small companies, designers, pretty much anyone in retail. Companies are trying to stay optimistic because there really is not any other option. They have to cope with reality. Designers and stores are still trying to lure customers in to shop because they have to stay alive somehow, but they are also having to deal with much slower traffic.

Designers and companies are doing what they can to revamp, but it is only going so far. People are shopping much less these days and there is not much anyone can do about it.

How the bad economy can be a good excuse

For this weeks' blog, I decided to read an article on www.nytimes.com about how the bad economy can be a good thing in some situations.

There were many people interviewed for the article about how the bad economy could be spun into a kind of good situation. Most of them said that it works in their favor when they would like to get out of something they would prefer not to do. Nobody can argue with the excuse that someone can't afford to do something because of the economy. An example that was given was a woman who wanted to fire her nanny, but instead just let her go because she couldn't afford her any longer. The same woman got a new nanny soon after that.

People are using the economy to put off different things too. One man said he was blaming his postponement of his wedding on the economy instead of wedding jitters. One couple turned down a trip to Disneyworld with his family to save up for a vacation later in the year.

This put a new thought into my head. I had never really thought about how a terrible economy could actually benefit people but, now that I think about it, I have probably given that excuse and been given that excuse by others. It's a good thing and a bad thing. It's a bad thing for the people having to deal with these excuses from other people. It's a good thing because it's a reasonable excuse to use when you don't want to hurt someones' feelings.

The Make or Break Season

This week I decided to read an article on www.nytimes.com about how the bad economy is affecting designers and smaller stores.

It was no big surprise to me to read that the fashion industry is struggling slightly. It seems that everything around us is crumbling down and it shouldn't be shocking that the fashion industry is too.

Fashion week has just started and designers are excited about getting the exposure, but are worried about the effect the economy will take on them once fashion week is over. Stores will not be ordering nearly the amount of clothes that they have in previous years because they don't have the money to do so. Less orders from stores means less money for designers. A lot of small companies and stores are also closing which means that designers will not have as many places buying their clothes.

Up and coming designers are some of the hardest hit. At this time, it is hard for them to get people to buy their clothes because they are expensive. People would rather buy from familiar designers because they feel more comfortable doing so. Buyers are also hesitant to buy from newer designers for this reason.

One major concern of stores is how expensive designer clothes still are and how well these will sell in this rough time. People are looking to skimp wherever they can and that includes how much they are willing to spend on clothing.

In order to save money, some designers are bringing back things from the past. Brian Reyes recently made clothes out of fabric that he had left over from another season. Most designers are trying to save money wherever they can. They can't afford to make clothes that people can't afford to buy.

I think that the most surprising thing in this article was the little part that said some designers that I have heard of have lost their financial backing. I would think that already established designers would have a pretty stable base but I guess in this economy, nothing is stable.

Consumers get frugal, so retailers get creative

I recently read an article on usatoday.com about how people are shopping much more sensibly these days because of the economic condition. The article discussed the effects that more reasonable shopping is having on the retail industry. It also talked about how retailers are trying to get people to shop at their stores.

I thought that it was interesting how retailers are emphasizing how their products are really important to have. I know that retailers have always been doing that so that people will want to buy their products, but it seems that stores are doing it more now, trying to convince people that they need this product and that it will last for a long time.

Something that I thought was very interesting was that it is predicted that the switch to more selective purchasing will probably continue for awhile. Even though I really like to shop, I have been trying to watch it where I can and I think that, in general, people have too much stuff. A switch to less stuff can only benefit us.

Another thing that I found a little surprising was the fact that even people with a lot of money are cutting back. Maybe it's just the coverage of celebrity purchases, but I've always been used to rich people buying a lot of stuff, regardless of economic conditions. I guess these days, everyone has to worry about their money situation.