Project 1: Garment Ideas and Observations

Chinatown is one of the many areas in New York City where visitors can go to experience a taste of a different country. From the vendors, retail, food, clothing,  and language, Chinatown has become a unique spot in the city. Stores stretch all the way down the street one after another and, as expected, are in great competition with one another. Whether stores sell accessories, clothing or food, vendors are always out luring customers in and trying to sell their items. Aside from communicating with people in order to sell products, many stores will display their products outside on the sidewalk in order to draw attention and drag people in, often resulting in a crowded mass of sectioned fruits, scarves, herbs, fish, etc. Adapting to the ways of Chinatown entails this way of selling, especially in crowded spaces. The space is so crowded and jumbled together that many people actually live above the sidewalk stores in tenements which are also sectioned off into different blocks of building much like the crowded array of foods and other products outside the shops. This crowded way of selling the fruits and where people lived inspired a very interesting garment idea.

The first garment idea includes a strapless jumpsuit with a billowy jogger pant from the waist-down. The pant section would be covered in pockets on the front -all different shapes and sizes- and the top would display the fire escapes that lined every floor of every tenement in a zig zag pattern. For the back i was thinking of adding some sort of graffiti as it was everywhere there, from the walls to the doors and even cars. The wearer of this garment will fit right in with the busyness of the streets with the different-sized pockets, the cage design going up the bodice, and the graffiti placed around to portray Chinatown. The pockets can also serve as storage for any products they pick up along the way, as many fruits are organized into bins, the pockets are designed to be your own personal bins while shopping. By using your pockets, you save plastic waste, as you will not be needing the plastic carrying bags, while looking stylish in the streets.

Garment two deals with advertising as well but more for the body of the vendor. As someone who sells something, you must become acquainted with surroundings in order to sell successfully. Vendors drag customers in by speech and huge bright signs that they display around their products. In order to bring more attention to themselves and their shop, wearing something just as bright or even put your product branding directly on an interesting outfit. A high-neck sleeveless top paired with some interesting shorts could be the highlight of your walk on the Chinatown streets. Even a place like a seafood market i saw could have some more attraction bringing more business.

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