fashion as over/underpriced
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/fashion/29PRICE.html
I think Saskia and I observed this first hand in New York-- shirts for $4, sandals for $3 or even $1.50. I'm not for $4000 purses, but someone is getting underpaid in this transaction. But it's hard to justify paying more out of principle since you know that the laborers in China are not the ones earning the extra profit on the $4000 purse.
Anyway, I think this is an interesting trend, reflecting the true cost of manufacturing which on one hand makes fashion accessible to more people; on the other, maybe robbing the true value of that which is bought. On some level, I don't value my $1.50 sandals even though I really like them, and it encourages an attitude of disposibility if I think I can easily replace my shoes often at no real financial cost to myself.
(sorry to be a downer with my first post! maybe i'll be the depressive-non-photographic-one on this blog..)
I think Saskia and I observed this first hand in New York-- shirts for $4, sandals for $3 or even $1.50. I'm not for $4000 purses, but someone is getting underpaid in this transaction. But it's hard to justify paying more out of principle since you know that the laborers in China are not the ones earning the extra profit on the $4000 purse.
Anyway, I think this is an interesting trend, reflecting the true cost of manufacturing which on one hand makes fashion accessible to more people; on the other, maybe robbing the true value of that which is bought. On some level, I don't value my $1.50 sandals even though I really like them, and it encourages an attitude of disposibility if I think I can easily replace my shoes often at no real financial cost to myself.
(sorry to be a downer with my first post! maybe i'll be the depressive-non-photographic-one on this blog..)
posted by jenny at
9:17 AM
1 Comments:
I work above the underground mall (yes, that does sound improbable at first read, lot's of prepostions, but it's true.)and am bombarded with "product" everytime I walk through. Cheap product. Cheap, ugly, derivative product that practially yells out to the purchaser: "Hey, buy me for nothing, use me, abuse me, throw me out and come back for more!".
It makes me feel like I might never want to buy anything again that I can't somehow learn to make myself. I'm fed up, as it were.
Even the 4000 dollar purses, how many of those does Paris Hilton have? How many does she forget she even has? How many new ones does she buy each day on her coffee and new purse run? It IS depressing.
However, we will take their leavings and create new and magnificently unique objects that will thumb their metaphorical noses at such wastefull mindsets! What do you think of never making more than one of anything as our ethos? No mass production of any sort. Hmm? Too lofty? Or Lofty like a fox?
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