On Tuesday the 10th, we went to visit New York’s Chinatown, the largest Chinatown in the United States, so as to collect primary research about our Urban Adaptation Theme, which in my case was Transportation. After having been in Chinatown for two whole hours observing people, how they move, how they relate between each other, lots of things could be said about the town.  The first thing that catched my attention was the horrible smell. There was fish smell everywhere, as there were lots of stands of people selling fish. It was a penentrating and horrible smell which made me wanna stop breathing literally. Chinatown is covered with people selling things at the open air, shops tend to be outside so as to catch peoples attention. Of what I could see, there where no precious items to be sold, everyone  was selling the same items, for example fish, fruits, souvenirs, fake jewelry, amongst others. There where no unique products, as all the sellers offered the same stuff. I notice how there was lot of competition between them, everyone was trying to sell you they products, you could walk in peace without people trying you to convince you to chose them. Moreover, the face expression of the majority of the population working there, could express that they really don’t want to be there, that they don’t like their job. Everyone was in a hurry, trying to end the day as quick as possible. Regarding the noise, all I could hear were Chinese people talking loud, and their voices intercept and collide making it irritable. There is a lot of movement of people walking. Although there is traffic, there wheren’t so many cars driving, as people tend to use bicycles or transport walking. All the shops offer the same things, this is why there is a lot of competition present. The constant competition turns sellers into annoying people as whiles they talk, it appears as they are forcing you to buy their products. Products are of bad quality and a low value, I’ve couldn’t find a unique piece anywhere in Chinatown. Moreover, it is crazy to notice that everyone is doing the same thing, selling the exact equal product, and wearing the same clothes. Most Chinese woman wore products with flowers for example. Furthermore, there is a weird, maybe tense, atmosphere present. Everyone is in a hurry. I didn’t saw any one happy about what they where doing, or enjoying it. Their faces transmit some kind of feeling that their life is so routinary, that they almost looked like robots. Making reference to the buildings, although they seem boring, with every decoration on them, it is transformed into something attractive and colorful, nice to see and be around. Besides, a mixture of cultures is present in Chinatown. Firstly, Chinese food and resourants, as well as Chinese items (for example, clothes, or fortune cats). But on the other sides, there are lots of Italian restaurants present, or souvenir shops selling t-shirts, cups, caps, etc, with NYC’s logo.

INSPIRATIONS

GARMENT 1

My idea was to create a poncho with lots of pockets of different colors and bells in them.

I get inspired because of the way people look, stressed, and carrying lots of bags, cell phones, bottles of water, amongst others. People go to Chinatown to buy things generally, not to make tourism, this is why everyone you see walking is carrying lots of things. Everyone is in a hurry, and bump into each other normally, or things fall of their body, because of the rapid way they move. This is why, I thought a poncho would be a very intelligent solution to take. A poncho is a very comfortable coat, 🧥 loose, which is very practical to use whiles walking, specially when you are buying staff as in Chinatown.  The poncho will protect them from the cold, specially because of the strong air conditioner from each store, as people in Chinatown just go to enter shops and buy things, not to be at the open air. The white/black poncho will have lots of pockets all around it, of saturated colors of all kinds. I chose to put saturated colors in the poncho as Chinatowns buildings are very boring, but with the incorporation of colors all over the town, everything is more attractive to see. The use of colors in the town is essential to give life to it, this is why I decided to continue this mechanism of putting color to give life to things. Moreover, every pocket will have a little bell in it, avoiding people bumping each other. This bells are the ones biciclos have to avoid having an accident, and I am willing to use the same idea but in fashion clothing. Lastly, inside every pocket, I will put repetitive objects that appear regularly in Chinatown. Some examples are fish, cell phone cases, fans, fortune cats, a cup from New York, a pizza, pasta, duck, a massage cream, broccoli, an apple, cherries, fake jewelry, massage oil, a buddha, a box of rice, dumplings, amongst others. This effect is a representation of the tipical things people buy whiles visiting Chinatown. Trying to avoid them carrying lots of bags for many different things, this Argentinian poncho will solve the problem and leave their hands empty.

GARMENT 2

My second idea was to create a black and tight dress which women at Chinatown could use to sell jewelry. There is a great competition in fake jewelry, as a huge number of shops offer the same products. This is the reason why I came up with this conclusion. My aim is to create a compact and inflexible dark, boring dress which women could use to hang up different options of jewelry with their prices in it. This will make it much more easier to show the products they want to show, and at the same time avoid competition. Being constantly in a static position isn’t very helpful in Chinatown, a town where everyone offers the same stock. But being circling all around the city, in this authentic and original