Nicole

It’s been a couple years since I’ve noticed the gradual decline of customers that trickled out of American Apparel…nowadays, I walk in the store and I’m one of the only people in there. The store used to be cute, with it’s retro designs and slouchy leg warmers. But with forever21 next door, I really don’t feel like paying 20  bucks for a colourful head band anymore.

Speaking as a sewer, I don’t find anything special about the clothes there. A pair of cotton pants with an elastic hastily sewn on the top yoke is priced $60. Everything is overrated and overdone, and the employees are dressed from head to toe like Madonna in her “Hung Over” music video. Very symbolic of the store’s image, actually.

American Apparel just looks TACKY in general, I am often embarrassed when I flip through their pamphlets to see a girl posing in an appropriate position. It looks more like a sex shop nowadays than a ballerina’s dream. And it doesn’t make sense to advertise racy photos in stores, then turn around to claim about the aid provided in Haiti. These ideas contradict each other, they don’t make sense to the customer, namely me.

American Apparel, it was fun while it lasted, but that period of my life when I would spend $100 on your cheaply made leggings is over.

“I look to the side in shame, American Apparel”

References:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/american-apparel-is-dead-done-over-thank-god/article1748038/

Ever since the company decided to open a store in Metrotown (a convenient skytrain ride away), fashion-savvy fanatics have been swarming to the mall for bargains.

It’s not hard to fall in love with the store though; the hip and trendy atmosphere entranced me during my first visit to the store. The music and bright lights, the two stories of unorganized mounds of fabric…everything seemed like a facade, an overused gimmick, but I couldn’t help myself…I left that day with two bags full of clothes, accessories and shoes.

It’s exhilarating to find something of worth in those piles.  I am guilty to know that the clothes sold there, although cheap as dirt, are dirty knockoffs of major fashion brands. I found a dress replica sold at a small fraction of its original price at Guess.

However, what actually made my decision for me to get the cheaply made piece of fabric was the fact that the store was packed from head to toe with eager customers who was certain to snatch my find as soon as I put it down. The items sold at the store was constantly changing, and during every visit of mine, I never saw the same article of clothing twice. All this willed me to open my wallet and swipe my debit card in their plastic machines.

Too bad that the company “has faced more than two dozen federal lawsuits for piracy” in the past year. But selfishly speaking, I really don’t worry about that, not currently as a full time student. Tough luck, brand labels, time to move with the times.

References:

http://sit-back-relax.tressugar.com/interesting-story-Forever-21-1074976

So that’s how the world ends, a FOOD crisis. There are persuasive and seemingly accurate evidence that calculates 2010 to be the last year. Quite ironic, since the 2012 concept of doomsday is just two years after the predicted “finale.” People have predicted the “end” numerous times, and all their hypothesises proved to be false. Everyone dies in the year 2010? I don’t think so, especially not when i’m just starting the best years of my life .

I don’t believe that the world will end at 2010, and certainly not because of a food crisis, no matter how much evidence may point towards its validity. We humans are too smart and love ourselves too much to let that happen. There is so much food in the world! What causes these food crisises is inefficiency.

We are inefficient by taking more food than we can consume. TWENTY SEVEN percent, or forty four billion kilograms of edible food is being thrown out in Canada per DAY. Think of all the people in third world countries with nothing to eat. I shed my eyes to think how much food is wasted in total by the world. Enough Said.

World population is growing exponentially, and people need to understand the concept of sharing. But we often don’t care about a problem until it happens to us. Even though I don’t agree of the concept of food related matters that end the world, I do believe that a food crisis is looming overhead, and it will be quite probable for the citizens in upscale cities to start feeling the pang of real, agonizing hunger.

Food does grow on trees, but it is subject to weather changes, leading to crop failures. The population is growing, signifying less land to grow crops and more mouths to feed. Therefore, this also means that Food IS limited, and this conflicts with our selfish overconsumption of it. It’s simple to help. Eat all your food, and don’t buy more than you need.

References:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/as-food-prices-jump-un-group-tries-to-avoid-fuelling-new-crisis/article1697548/?cmpid=nl-news1%22%20POT-T155.52-1.08-0.69%

http://www.marketskeptics.com/2009/12/2010-food-crisis-for-dummies.html

http://www.euractiv.com/en/cap/world-set-new-food-crisis-2010-un-warns/article-187695

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ideas/article/429617

Welcome to UBC Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!