What are the patterns, trends and commonalities evolving from your observations?
The most common brand seen is the name of our university “The New School”. With its eye-catching font and color, the name seems to have become a brand that is stamped on every item being sold even if it is not school merchandise. Most of the trends encountered are in regards to student fashion, lifestyle and events. Every flyer, poster, food package, etc is designed in a youthful way to attract students. On reading the text, it can be seen that they are made to meet students’ needs either by providing services, job opportunities, food or other such necessities. Another common trend that has evolved from my observations is the concept of sustainability. With the intstitution’s encouragement and support of environment-friendly attitudes, students are trying to incorporate this trend into their work.
What kinds of structures/realities allow for these patterns and trends? In other words, what causes and allows these patterns and trends to exist?
Students especially, purchase school merchandise to blend in with the school, buy cafeteria food, use brands typically advertised by the school like “Apple” to stay with the trends, and respond to the various informative brochures and flyers. With the constant provision of infromation to them, students are bound to be affected by the on-going trends. Advertisements are everywhere and people can’t miss them even if they want to.
What is the impact of these patterns? (Which are intended and which are unintentional?)
Some of these patterns lead to the formation of communities within the student population, which may be intentional. However, this can also unintentionally cause classism. For example, the school advertises trips being conducted for students that cost exorbitant amounts. Students unable to afford such trips may feel neglected, especially if their counterparts on the other hand are able to attend them. Similarly, certain higher priced brands may not be owned by every student. All of us come from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Everyone cannot have the same lifestyle or similar taste. Another significant and puproseful impact of these patterns is the promotion of resources or brands provided by the university.
The strongest or most vulnerable part of this system of fashion sustainability is the responsibility of the consumer to recycle the garment. The wearer of the particular garment must be aware of the enormous waste created by fashion and how important it is to reuse and rewear fabrics. There are several fashion recycling organizations in the nation, but they highly depend on the contribution of customers by handing in old and worn-out clothes. With the absence of this node, the system of fashion sustainability is interrupted.
Another crucial node of this system is the starting point which involves farmers growing the necessary crops. Without the crops, there would be no fibres, no fabrics and thus no garments. The knowledge of the entire process is also an ecouragement for students to recycle clothes.