The truth on buying into a ‘look.’

I really like American Apparel. They have great clothes, clothes that are minimal, clothes that are wearable and clothes that generally scream cool.  But, take note; when you enter an AA store, you are subconsciously entering a world of carefully cultivated marketing that is waiting to snare you, a marketing that has recently come under heat for discrimination of its employees.

SO the UK flagship Abercrombie and Fitch store is known for its hiring criteria.  Usually, you would find yourself spotted whilst browsing the store, and if you volunteer yourself, you’ll want to have modelling experience or just down right fabulous genes, as the categories candidates enter into are universally known to be based on a three tier image hierarchy. First, is model. Chiselled, tanned and naturally beautiful (female employees are warned that makeup will not be tolerated, in order to emulate the ‘natural’ image of A&F) The model role consists of standing in full Abercrombie regalia, and technically, looking hot (smiling and forcing a dashing ‘HEY! How are you?’ to customers is as complicated as it gets). Second, is ‘impact,’ an employee status where you are not quite so beautiful as the latter, and so must work a little harder- this entails helping shoppers with sizes, reaching high up jumpers and flashing that ‘all American’ smile. Lastly, the dreaded ‘stockroom’ status. Stockroom is like a death sentence for Abercrombie employees, usually saved for the less fortunate looking.  Or so I was told by a handful of employee’s from the London store.  Although brand managers will probably (well, definitely) not admit to this, I can argue otherwise, having gone through an interview in which a Polaroid is taken before an intimidating group session would suggest the importance of sales assistants physical appearance over their experience.

But back to the brand making headlines.  American Apparel recently underwent an image transformation.  Previously it had found a place in the market as a kooky brand which slotted in with the noughties new-rave trend of glittery leggings and brash spandex onesies.  Now it’s rebrand replicates the fresher minimal, prep styles in neutral shades. With this overhaul, came a questioning of the people bringing the clothes to the racks. CEO Dov Charney (A.A’S owner) saw the importance of availing of every advertising space you could get- even if it meant a literal embodiment of a certain ’look’ in his world wide corporation’s employees.  A new hiring scheme was put in place, and all applicants (alongside filling out a piece on what they envision their ‘style’ to be) now have to have photos taken, whichare then sent to a head office in L.A so an anonymous individual can browse the jpeg, and, unknowing of the individuals personality, experience or professionalism, make the crucial decision on hot…Or not.

This cut throat scheme was brought in to filter through the current employees at all American Apparel branches, and managers are ordered to take group shots from time to time so that the management from high up could separate the wheat from the chaff, a judgement based exclusively on looks. In regards to promotion, employees can only expect pay rises on submitting regular photos to assure big boy exec’s that they are keeping ‘on brand’ physically and stylistically, a truth which American Apparel spokespersons unashamedly admit, revealing ‘Your looks determine your position and pay rate, not how effective you are at your job.’

 

American Apparel aren’t stupid. They are a hugely successful, cutting edge brand that, through infamous media exposure, have broadened their buyer markets in recent years.  Don Charney even saves on models- using amateur shoppers or employee’s for photo shoots which are often publicly scrutinized for their pornographic abstraction. Any publicity, is good publicity.
It is, of course, technically illegal to discriminate in the work place based on looks, but Charney has been rumoured to have told store managers to find a way to fire those who do not live up to the American Apparel aesthetic. Charney is happy to take on any haters, answering the media uproar about the unfair means of hiring and the vanity imposed upon the unknowing shoppers of today with :

“What we do is natural, and it’s been done for years. We hire the type of people we think will resonate with our customers. Who doesn’t do that?” he argues. “This is a business where first impression is important. It’s about intrigue, not beauty.”

However, many may argue otherwise. It seems that it is the physical looks of our sales assistants that are under scrutiny, not their ‘style’ as employees wear the American Apparel brand head to toe by rule of uniform anyway, and I can safely say the only people I’ve seen folding my changing room piles are boney and beautiful.

A former American Apparel employee, Jessica Emerson relives her experience of working at a store which she was fired from, after Don Charney made a visit and spent some time staring her down.  Perhaps coincidentally, she was told the day after his visit that she was being dismissed for talking on the sales floor, but it all seems to add up. She writes:

‘it sucks because American Apparel should be a cool company: they make nice cotton basics, are made in the US, and claim to support open immigration policy and gay rights. But a company built on American values and supposed inclusively should not be indiscriminately firing people because they are not deemed desirable by the CEO.’

It’s a point to consider when you buy into these brands, perhaps, like the issues surrounding Simon Cowell and his musical industry omnipotence over the charts, fashion has too become a brainwashing power, as high up multi millionaires like Don Charney watch his minions perpetuating a certain ‘look’ over the globe. Time to visit the small chain vintage shops and home brand designers as I like diversity, not a throng of handsome yet replicate girls and boys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A video that sort of relates, Jean Kilbourne hitting the nail on the head with the current postfeminist backlash our society’s found itself celebrating: 

THANKS DON!

‘The Struggle Continues’

Most have seen the comical viral circulating you tube, entitled, ‘Eat da poo poo, (Africa do not want this sickness)’ which captures a Ugandan minister proudly condemning homosexual relationships. While watching his  bid to prove gay immorality you will have observed what, in a western view could only be argued as an intense hate speech.  Watching it, you are forced to question its authenticity, in other words, no way is this shit real? Surely, in the 21st century, no one can uphold these ridiculous views, enough to lecture their community on them? Sadly, it’s a reality in Ugandan life, and what was the subject of a hilarious you tube video has become just a fraction of the severe hatred and violence revealing itself in the international media as the murder of David Kato, a Ugandan Gay rights activist came to light last week.

The  funeral of David Kato took place on January 28th. Kato’s local village, Mukono Town came to a decision not to acknowledge the murder of the son, twin and teacher, and refused to uphold the usual funeral rites, so Kato’s friends were forced to do so single-handedly. Sadly after the struggle he endured throughout his life while fighting for the rights of his fellow country and the tragic last moments of his life, even his memorial could not be left in peace as a homophobic Ugandan pastor literally crashed the funeral, stormed the stand and stole the microphone to protest:

‘The world has gone crazy. People are turning away from the scriptures. They should turn back, they should abandon what they are doing. You cannot start admiring a fellow man. It is ungodly’

Thankfully, the support of co- activists, Kato’s friends, and his family each adorned with t shirts featuring his face and the portugese ‘la [sic] luta continua’ (the struggle continues)overwhelmed the negativity and one woman was able to rebuttal the pastors damning comments with the clear message that

‘Who are you to judge others? We have not come to fight. You are not the judge of us. As long as he’s gone to God his creator, who are we to judge Kato?’

What prompted the brutal killing of the forty six year old ex teacher and founding member of Uganda’s LGBT rights group SMUG, was a serious disregard for human rights in the Ugandan media. David grew up and taught in Mukono town, one he left to take part in the progress from apartheid to multiracial liberty in Johannesburg where he lived for a number of years; a time which influenced his views on democratic freedom upon LGBT and sodomy rights from this reformed state into his homeland.  Having seen the changes in South Africa, Kato returned to Uganda in the hope that his country too, could find solace in change, and found himself as a central part of Uganda’s Gay rights activism.  Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone, whose aim, and founding name stem from the idea that their publication functions as “a stone that is rolling to smoke out the homos,” (Giles Muhame, editor of Rolling Stone) The publication printed the photo of Kato, amongst one hundred other gay rights activists with their addresses and the condemning page heading ‘Hang them’ in October 2010.  Thankfully, Ugandan courts intervened to defend the right to privacy of personal information and on 3rd January 2011, High Court Justice V. F. Kibuuka Musoke found that the Rolling Stone was guilty of abusing the ‘fundamental rights and freedoms’ of Kato amongst others, and the sum of 1.5 million Ugandan shillings was payable to the plaintiffs (one being Kato himself) and ruled the Rolling Stone would end its publication.

Alas, the media exposure already had made its impact, and on the 26th January, while speaking to another SMUG member, Julian Pepe Onziemaon his home phone, two intruders mercilessly beat Kato to death with a hammer.  The police maintain that Kato was involved in a burglary gone wrong, however the lack of stolen goods from his home and the mid day timing of the attack suggest otherwise.  It seems an likely speculation that the Ugandan government will smooth over this investigation in order to maintain an appearance of morality so as not to jeopardise the Western Aid it relies upon.

Ugandan law states that the engagement of same sex acts are punishable by imprisonment for up to fourteen years.  Despite an outcry from the rest of the world, Ugandan MP’S aim to introduce the death penalty which will reach to the extradition of persons of Ugandan birth who are openly gay in other countries, any Gay rights activism and HIV-positive patients as outlined by the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

The brutal murder of Kato has sparked a storm of media exposure, which at least, in some respects may prove progressive as it has shed light on the battle Ugandan LGBT Activists fight for every day, and  perhaps will spark the necessary worldwide intervention Amnesty International released an official statement that they are’ appalled by the shocking murder of David Kato’ and appealed for a ‘credible and impartial investigation into his murder.’  The influential Barack Obama was appalled by the atrocious crimes and released and official statement:

‘I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato. In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David’s work.
At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate. In the weeks preceding David Kato’s murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered. It is essential that the Governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable.
LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all.’

However, some persist that American should share in the blame, as it is the US Pentecostal organizations that have so heavily influenced the religious rulings of a pious Uganda.

Sadly, the death of Kato did not force repentance upon the editor of Rolling Stone, who claimed “I have no regrets about the story. We were just exposing people who were doing wrong.’  Perhaps the saddest part of this story is not the death of a man who spent years teaching his community but it is the oppressive  religious beliefs upheld by the majority of Uganda that continue to deprive it‘s people.

In order to be irreplacable, one must be different.

God bless Coco.

But what’s Chic/Eek, a column I wrote before Christmas oh ten, so forgive me for the out-dated-ness. What a word.

Chic:

Retro Doc Martens

The clumpy boots come in lovely autumn shades- bottle green, beetroot purple and navy blues and give the allusion of tiny feet. Buy on Ebay for super cheap deals and plough down to Coppers so you can make use of your stamping power- never will you wake to high heel imprints on your bridges!

Fountains of fabric in Tacky Laquer (Here’s where I tried to update, but the truth is I might aswell re-do another column)

OH MY GOD So you saw the Christian Dior Haute Couture AW2011 collection? Have you? It’s sex. The female silouhette was wrapped in an abundances of layered fabrics featuring lacquering and feathering to move the eye to interesting aspects of the body- for instance below, the elongation of dress into wetlook sleeves gives depth to the shape of the dress as a whole, which looks about to melt in the mouth.

It seems Armani approve, and have produced this wet look baby:

This  was a darker side to the line, pictures of which are featured above which take a fetish/ pvc take on the nipped in silouhette.

Capes

Along with the catwalk, Asos and H and M have some great cape coats at the moment. Not only do they look good, you can run around pretending to be an airplane. Fashion AND thrills.

Eek:

Girls* that wear leggings as trousers.

BIG no to vajay-jay on show. No one likes a camel toe in a seminar. *Equally effective for the male gender.

Double denim.

Too much of a good thing, often seen lurking in UCD Arts block- styled with middle aged man syndrome hair and possibly a guitar case to ensure that backstreet boy reject image is thoroughly emulated.

Over plucked eyebrows.

Buy an eyebrow pencil and pretend your Kiera Knightley- you’ll love how you save on tweezers.

 

Being an Artist.

Up and coming London artist Naomi Fitzsimmons studies, lives and breathes fine art. Unlike University College Dublin students, to whom fine art is not offered*, she spends her day reading about art, viewing and considering exterior artists and developing her own projects.  There is a strict discipline to what seems to be such a broad, creative and fluid medium.

One of her most significant projects to date meditates upon radical interpretations of how and what is used to essentially, make art. The arguably most basic form, the drawing, is subverted into the mechanisms of the post industrial world we live in and she combines the idea of machines to implement drawing rather than the use of the hand. Drawing inspiration from both Jean Tinguely and Matthew Barney’s physical endurance tests, Naomi aimed to create a machine run simply by a pedalling one device, ‘It would require constant consistent pedalling to work the machine, and faster pedalling would create more clustered marks.

I then wanted to film the performance making the piece durational.  I thought about different ways of documenting the performance for example, filming a close up of my face which throughout the performance would gradually, but subtly display the strain I was under.’

But what is college life like for an artist? In conversation, Naomi tells me that she has spent her day dragging a broken bike (on public transport) so she could use it in her metal workshop, ‘But I didn’t realise I couldn’t take them on buses so I got to Liverpool Street and was fucked. Eventually got there though.’  It seems her work relies on outer help- being an artist means working with different materials which logistically needs the advice of a supervising technician, ‘so then i went to workshops talked about my ideas with technicians; I didn’t get to work on it today though as they closed early, so then I went and photographed some old work for my tutorial tomorrow.  After that I did some essay research and then I finally went home and did some drawings and my blog, as I do most nights, I suppose I am really busy at the moment; a lot of the time in college i just get coffee and cigarettes…Oh and then a crazy man on the tube kissed my face and asked me if I pray and then decided to bless me speaking in tongues or strong Irish’  Unlike my days spent in the library, a degree in Art is more about find yourself interacting with different materials, working on what physically is capable whether it be a structural or film piece but also interacting with the world around you to draw inspiration for original ideas in what is such a competitive field.

Group work for UCD students (as well as the majority of institutions) may involve an Arts or Business presentation, a fight over powerpoint font size or a frustration with who exactly, is pushing their weight, but Fine art undergrads thrive off creative group participation, as it develops original means of exhibiting their final projects and collaborative efforts. Naomi’s fellow students aim to remove art from the static gallery space and situate it in the public realm, as the curation of art upon the hidden areas of the vast cityscape appealed due to its escapist nature, an important aspect of art itself. Naomi tells me, ‘We considered the themes of movement and chance in regards to the curating, in a way that the exhibition could replicate a constant state of flux rather than the traditional structured and rigid gallery showcase.  The two ideas which came about in reaction to this was creating ‘pop up’ exhibitions on buses or other forms of transport, or more realistically bus stops’  Bus stops provide a paradoxical quality to the exhibition space- physically occupying a static space, but symbolising a mode of transport as the encompass the idea of travel, witnessing a multitude of individuals walking past, a location that allows the group’s work to reach a wider audience. Individually, Naomi’s preferred means of curation relies upon a treasure hunt into a city space  ‘This would mean that art would be hung along a specific journey and be used as directions to an end point.  This means the artistic experience would rely upon audience participation and so the journey becomes the exhibition rather than the actual end point (which we discussed would stream footage of peoples journey.)  I find this idea the most interesting as it closely relates to my practice of process made art and audience participation.  It incorporates the city and publicly displayed art and chance encounters with our work, but also creates interesting performances along the way.

It seems Naomi is just happy to be doing what she loves, being surrounded by art in her hippy convert warehouse she calls home, the galleries she regularly visits, or Chelsea Art College tutorials, her aims for the future are ‘to be a practising artist first and foremost, or a University Lecturer- perhaps both.’ It seems rare to find people who are happy to continue to do what it is they are already doing, and art is a perpetuation of creativity- unlike most degrees, you don’t graduate, thinking forward to the preparation of C.V’s for interviews, but for any budding artists, you can try hard to break yourself into the scene of professional artists who essentially have ‘made it’ through work experience in galleries and a striking portfolio.

What are Naomi’s fears? Similar to most students, it’s the worry that the academic work put into a degree outweighs the practical experience necessary to excel in professional life, ‘I should probably be gaining experience in the real world all the time instead of wasting time on assessments’ before adding,
‘and that i probably shouldn’t eat as much shit.’ Different City, different degree, but similar fears that recur in the student psyche.

*A reader has criticised me for the quote, ‘unfair slating’ I gave UCD.  I would like to make clear that I am aware that the University College Dublin institution will not and most probably never will facilitate fine art. This is not a criticism, it is a reality. Like the majority of large Universities, UCD does not have the specific neccesisties to aid students through an art foundation, or BA course that would allow for studio space, technician, neccesary technical equipment and the location that enables students to visit galleries and gain experience with ease. Anyhow, Art colleges prefer to be seperate anyhow, they are distinct from the ‘typical’ degree in that the course has specific needs only an institution based purely on art can offer as ‘ART’ is so broad- there are a multitude of sub areas that are also catered for in such art colleges.  The end.

Kinky Shoes

Kinky Shoes.

ON BEGINNING THIS ARTICLE, Louboutin’s online shop is kindly informing me that there is exactly 151 days, eight hours, thirty eight minutes and thirty nine seconds left in the countdown to his Spring Summer 2011 collection.  As shoppers browse the website they are welcomed by the image of Louboutin himself, aseemingly sinister character who is magically levitating the words ‘SHOP ONLINE’ in a mesmerising neon green.  Frankly, it’s entrancing (if not a little creepy). Clicking on it, millions are forced to sigh at the precious gems he has cultivated through leather; wistfully dreaming about how good they would look in such beautiful footwear. He knows how to captivate women and men alike into the luxury of his red soled beauties,  he knows how to make you buy,  and by God, he knows how to make a shoe.

Suprisingly, the Christian Louboutin brand was only launched in 1992, following Louboutin’s previous careers in various fashion houses, but this famed brand is hugely recognised, featuring heavily on every red carpet event, the media, Hollywood films, and bad Jennifer Lopez songs.

The most striking feature about the Louboutin is the signature red sole which is greatly recognised culturally as a symbol of ultimate luxury in footwear; a touch stemming from Christian’s experimentations with a bottle of Chanel rouge nail polish backstage at a show.  These red soles come with a status- so lusted after, the creator who aimed ‘to make shoes like jewels’ are the ultimate fashionista’s symbol.  So let’s take a trip down Louboutin memory lane…

The history of the Louboutin is just as racy as the sky scraping heels, the collections being the brainchild of a man who, at the age of twelve, snuck out late at night to take a glimpse at the Parisian showgirls on display in the 1970’s burlesque clubs. These seductive influences are present in all of Louboutin’s collections which entice window shoppers with their needle-pointed stilettos, patent leather, occasional fringing, studs or glitzy embellishments. But back to the young inspired Christian Louboutin, who spent his days dreaming of the exuberant, seductive nuances of the cabaret he visited late at night, until he falls upon what was to become his main inspiration, an image of a lone stiletto slashed with a red line to warn ladies of the impact of their heel marks upon the African and Oceanic Art Museum’s( Paris) floor. This silhouette of both the showgirl’s female form and the sharp stiletto form the backbone of his collections, even in the men’s range which feature velvet, and studding much like the interior of his teenage haunts. (By just looking at the curves of his stiletto you can see a channelling of the curvacious feminine body.)  From here it appears Louboutin’s interests in fashion develop into freelance work for noted fashion houses such as Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, earning him status in its own right. But it isn’t until 1992 until the release of his true passion- his first shoe collection. After the first Parisian Louboutin boutique opening, the brand is quickly snapped up in established department stores, opening standalone flagships across the globe, making Louboutin the word on every fashion follower’s mouth.

Not just a passing trend, the Louboutin shoe is not pricey due to an A list status, but for its quality that guarantees comfort in even the most vertical of heels, not to mention longetivity in your wardrobe.  It’s artistry has not gone unnoticed, serving a higher purpose than a ‘must have’ for Hollywood starlets, the rich and the fashionable, and Christian Louboutin has received two acclaimed FFANY awards, nodding to the fantastic craftsmanship.  Perhaps most notably, in 2002 Louboutin was the first, and only, exterior brand to work with Yves Saint Laurent and feature as a design collaboration, a once in a lifetime opportunity.

What’s better, the Louboutin brand doesn’t gender discriminate, featuring footwear for both men and woman, all of which are luxurious, colourful and adorned with various decor to ensure they do not blend into a crowd.  Sadly, with a starting price at around E375, I might have to slip back into the converse…Maybe when the first post grad pay cheque comes in. Sigh. 150 days 02 hours 19 min and 54 seconds to go.