13.7 It Costs More To Save: Eco-Elitism Comes With A Price Tag.

Eco-friendly consumption has a price. As it has become increasingly popular, we are seeing the adaptation of what it means to be eco-friendly in our cars, homes and fashion. This definitely has a tradeoff and being eco-conscious does not have the same connotation it did in the 70s and 80s. During these times, preserving the planet had less than a luxurious appeal. Now, the upper class has been persuaded to give a thought or two about how to sustain the planet. If you drive a Lexus, don't worry. The SULEV(Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) is being reworked to simultaneously help with saving the planet without taking away from the luxurious feel of your ride. In particular, this car comes with a price tag of $105,000 compared with the LS 460 at $63,000. BMW is also looking at its cars to run on hydrogen rather than electricity to power its cars for about $125,000. We have also been introduced to such new cars as Tesla and Fisker Karma that are being built for the very purposes of being more environmentally friendly. As for how fashion is concerned, designers have dabbled in designing with leaves and flowers. Even though this may seem like it would be inexpensive to curate, the reality is that these types of dresses can be worn only once and when the labor is considered, these dresses add up. South African designer Franz Grabe is known for his use of leaves, twigs and flowers in his designs. He calls his designs disposable art that is momentarily beautiful, fleeting and then gone.

You also don't have to worry about your living situation. If you have a million dollars, you can take advantage of a manor in Florida that comes equipped with a recycling center, composting yard, organic gardens and a farmers market. Homes will also include a solar system, hiking trails, electric community transportation and equestrian stables. While the idea of being totally sustainable and eco-conscious may have not been yet wholly adopted by those who love their Lamborghinis, even those that do love their high end products cannot help but think about their affectations in the planet, I'm sure these people will be first in line to drive off with their new, low emission Lambo or just adapt to the other options that will allow sustainability.

Welkin NYC

Sustainability is a major counterpart within the fashion industry and is becoming increasingly important. Using all the materials and extra fabric is becoming important especially in New York's fashion district. After researching Nanette Lapore, we have realized the importance that designers stress on sustainability. Zara has had some recent problems with the chemicals of their dyes penetrating into their clothing which can be a cause of cancer. The disregard for being green and healthy to our earth hurts our fashion industry as well as other industries. PETA who is commonly known for their extremist practices of no fur and nudity also take the idea of sustainability to a new level. They find that faux fur or no fur at all are better for our ecosystem than to kill animals for our fashion statements. West Hollywood has actually made it illegal to sell new furs in the city, and only used or vintage furs can be sold in stores registering in this zip code.

Welkin NYC is a sustainable children's fashion company that my sister in NYC started. She is conscious around the idea of using all leftover materials as well as not wasting fabrics to create her clothes. Belle and her partner started this line to give children trendy clothes that can be reused and ultimately ecofriendly.
When Belle had entered into the fashion industry in the early 2000's, she had seen the blatant disregard for economic awareness within the fashion industry. Since she had always wanted to start a clothing line, she knew that her importance would be in giving back to the world.


The clothing of Welkin NYC gives children a trendy, Brooklyn style that shows their artistic and unique style throughout the line. To gain enough funding for her first line, Belle actually started a campaign on kickstarter which the video below was created for. She believes that it is small lines like this that will eventually be able to influence the fashion industry in a major way.
Her children and her partner's children are the models and they love to pose for the camera!

4.7 The Enigma of Beauty

What is beauty? Beauty is subjective and based on one's own cultural standards, norms and ideals. Some believe that beauty is functional because it emanates perceived signs of fertility. Plato said what is beautiful is good, John Keats wrote that beauty is truth, truth is beauty. But some reject the notion that we are created equal because some are perceived as more beautiful than others. But is the idea of how your culture influences your thoughts about beauty entirely true? A study done with six month old babies may challenge the idea that beauty is a learned behavior. The study showed that babies looked at pictures longer of people with symmetrical faces, which is a common standard for beauty.

With plastic surgery so readily available, people have the option to transform themselves into what they want to be or look like.  In the chase for beauty and perfection, the desire to alter one's body can become dangerous. Certain illnesses such as, bulimia
and anorexia to obsession over plastic surgery may be injurious. For example, in 2007 Kanye West's mother, Donda West died from complications due to plastic surgery. One doctor refused surgery because he felt she was not healthy enough to withstand such a medical procedure so she found a surgeon who was willing to perform the desired surgeries. To the former point, we are familiar with models dying from anorexia. Have we become so obsessed with our looks that its worth our lives?

Beauty practices around the world:

• Brazilian women want to be known for a guitar shape, one that usually includes a breast reduction to emphasize larger hips and derrieres.
• In Mauritania, West Africa, adolescent girls are force fed in order to attract a husband. Some girls are sent to "fat camps" and forced to consume 15,000 calories daily.
• Many women of Latin descent view blond hair as a sign of youth.
• Teeth chiseling in Indonesia where women have there teeth sharpened into narrow points.

The chapter also speaks to ethnocentricity, the notion that one's ideals are better than others. If you put it all into perspective no one's standard of beauty is any better or worse from anyone else's. We may find some of the above actions as strange but it's no different than putting holes in the ears, lips or brows to wear jewelry or adding silicone for breast implants.

With so many variations on the standard of beauty, maybe it is just better to be yourself. One year, thick brows are in, the next year big eyes are in. I know that this is easier said than done because we are so inundated with what beautiful is, but it definitely takes confidence and self-esteem to be who you are intended to be. Celebrate yourself.

Beauty is Pain: Louboutins Truth

Christian Louboutin is one of the hottest shoe designers in the fashion industry currently, and what makes his shoes so enticing? The fact that they have a simple, but indistinguishable red sole? Or the idea of how they are designed to endow a women's figure by making her stand straight enhancing her assets. Louboutin admits to beauty is pain in one of his interviews addressing his shoes and how he wants them to make women feel. 

“I hate the whole concept of comfort! It’s like when people say, ‘Well, we’re not really in love, but we’re in a comfortable relationship.’ You’re abandoning a lot of ideas when you are too into comfort. ‘Comfy’—that’s one of the worst words! I just picture a woman feeling bad, with a big bottle of alcohol, really puffy. It’s really depressing, but she likes her life because she has comfortable clogs.”

Famous celebrities and tastemakers have been wearing Louboutins for quite some time now, and when seeing Louboutins worn, one can see the wearer's feet and the amount of wear/damage the feet endure from these shoes. 

Tom Ford, another major player, states that he too does not care about comfort when related to fashion, and will pay the price to look great.

"I recently made a gown for a friend to wear at an awards ceremony. She e-mailed me to say she loved it because it was so comfortable, and I thought 'Who cares if it was comfortable?' Comfort for me is knowing I look great, and if I have to suffer in a corset for four hours to look amazing, than that's comfort," Ford commented. 

Ford believes that clothes should be alluring and beautiful, and to be the model of this clothing, one must pay the price of comfort to look good.