Entry #4 Depop Resellers

Image Source: Fashion round table

Depop is a popular second hand online shopping app that has changed the way people buy and sell clothing. Depop provides an easy way for its users to sell their clothing items that they didn't want anymore. Because of this, the platform was able to curate a thriving community of resellers who buy discounted items and sell them for profit on Depop. Although I think that Depop is a great app that promotes Sustainability, I think it faces criticisms due to the legitimacy of resellers.

    To start, I want to talk about the pros of Depop. Depop is an app that promotes sustainability by giving used clothing a second life. This has a beneficial impact on the environment because it is combating fast fashion. According to an article from Pixelcut, Depop provides a wider range of items people can sell compared to other platforms unlike other online retailers, they also provide direct messages between buyers and sellers. This feature provides a more user friendly experience so they can effectively communicate. depop also provides a platform for small businesses across the globe.

    Next, I would like to discuss some of the cons Depop has. One of the biggest concerns most people have is with people overpricing their clothing items. According to an Article from Medium, it claims that Depop resellers price gouge and inflate the prices of the items beyond their actual value. This causes buyers to not trust the sellers and makes the app less accessible and not affordable as intended. There are also concerns about the authenticity of the items being sold on the app. The app provides no way to show the authenticity or quality of the products which is a problem for both the buyers and sellers. According to Pixelcut, There is a limit on how many photos a seller can list so it is hard for them to fully capture everything they want to on their listing.

    To conclude, Depop resellers provide both advantages and disadvantages to buying second hand clothing. When shopping second hand, you need to find a balance between these pros and cons. Although Depop is a great app for secondhand shopping, it still has to improve itself to make it a more positive fashion marketplace for both the buyer and seller.

Entry #6 The Evolution of Denim

    As a fashion enjoyer, I love exploring textiles with different textures, colors, and durability. Denim was the first textile I really enjoyed. denim is a versatile fabric that has a timeless appeal. It has been around for centuries evolving from functional workwear to becoming a popular fashion staple.

    To start, denim has always been praised for its durability. According to an article from Cottonworks, denim originates in 17th century France under the name of serge de nimes. In these times denim was mostly used as workwear and would be commonly used for jeans, overalls, and jackets. Denim didn't start to get popular in the United States until Levi Strauss got ahold of it in the late 19th century. He was already making work pants but was making it out of canvas material which is uncomfortable to wear. The denim material was much softer on the skin and it completely changed the style of work pants. Since denim is less stiff than canvas, they had to add extra seams and pockets to the design to make it more durable for heavy duty work. This type of work pants is similar to what is seen today. It wasn't until the 1950's when denim became more mainstream in the fashion world and was no longer seen as just a work pants. Celebrities such as Elvis, caused the denim look to become more popular across America and Europe.

    By the 1960's, the classic blue jean was picked up by other designers such as Calvin Klein and began becoming synonymous with pop culture. People began to get more creative with pant styles and started to steer away from the cookie cutter work pants. Around this time is where we start to see the rise of bootcut and bell bottom jeans. As we move closer to the 21st century denim continues to remain versatile and people are still changing the way we style/design jeans. Some of my favorites I have seen are from Y/Project, Acne Studios, and A.W.A.K.E. mode. I like the way Y/Project and A.W.A.K.E Mode experiment more with intriguing designs. Acne Studios experiments more with the coloring and the wash of the jeans. As the fashion industry continues to change, it is exciting to see the way denim evolves with it.

Image Source:A.W.A.K.E. Mode

Image Source: Y/Project

Image Source: Acne Studios

Entry #5 Higher Education in Arizona

Image source: Forbes

    After reading both of these articles, I believe that it is a good thing that the Arizona government is wanting to fund higher education. In the first article, I like how they plan on bettering k-12 schooling to help better prepare people for college. As someone who recently graduated from high school, i think a lot of highschoolers don't want to go to college because they don't feel like they are prepared enough for it. College isn't always an affordable option for most people. Growing up, I never thought I would be able to go to college so I never thought about it until my senior year of high school. I think that college isn't as desirable and immediate employment because you get instant gratification from it. I think because some people can barely afford college, they are hesitant to go because they don't want to feel trapped into a career they might not like. I agree with a lot of what this article says about higher education opens doors in your life. weather that's finding financial stability or networking and making connections with people. Although I think higher education is important, I don't think it always makes or breaks a person. A college degree isn't everything and people need to consider experience, connections, and dedication. Someone might not have worked towards getting a college degree does not mean they are any less of a hard worker with skills. I believe college education is good for certain professions but for others I believe it is more about gaining connections to enter into a specific field. 

    In the second article, I thought it was interesting how different the range was for the median incomes. To piggyback off of what I was saying previously, Although being college educated is a helpful tool to make more money, it is not the end all be all. I am the first in my family to go to college and everyone keeps telling me that it is good for me to get a degree but it depends on what I do after I get that degree. In other words, if I don't apply what I learn towards a profession my degree will become nothing but a piece of paper. That's where experience comes in place. Neither of my parents got a college education but after working in their industries for 20 years, they are making similar to what people with degrees make.

    Overall, I think both of these articles presented good information on higher education in Arizona. Although I think higher education is important, I don't think it is needed for everyone to succeed in life. There isn't a set path to success. 

Entry #3 Vice Article

Image source: The University of Queensland

 For this blog entry, I decided to write on a Vice article from 2017 explaining how the fashion industry is negatively affecting the environment. This article briefly discusses the dark side of the fashion industry and how its pollution is negatively affecting the environment. I believe that this report is slanted because it discusses matters such as climate change which is usually a left leaning perspective. It also pushes the narrative to be more green and to get people to care about over consumption.

    This Article constantly uses logos and pathos throughout this report to try and stress the point that what they are saying is important. The first sentence of this report states, "A sobering new report has revealed the true scale of fashion's impact on the environment". It uses buzz words such as sobering and true scale to guilt trip the reader into reading more about this report. Throughout this paper, the author dramatizes their word choice to better communicate their position on this matter. This article also includes statistics such as "half a million tonnes of plastic microfibers from clothing making their way into the ocean each year." They use numbered statistics to give the reader a better scale of how much the fashion industry is producing yearly.

    In this report, the author clearly caters to a more environmentally friendly audience. It uses statements that lean into a more leftist narrative. The author is writing about this to spread awareness about all the pollution the fashion industry produces yearly. It gives clear examples of how the fashion industry in negatively affecting the environment. The author expects the reader to have some sort of idea about the climate and provides little context behind their statements. The topic of the fashion industry is being showcased in a negative light to encourage the reader to not over consume.

    Even though this report has a clear bias towards being eco-friendly, I think that this article still provides sound evidence and reasoning. I believe it is the readers job to be attentive to what they read and seek out opposing perspectives to not be easily influenced by slanted reports.