My Engagment in Designer-Brand Warfare

This blog was posted and written by Noemi A. Gonzalez, freshman at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications -- ASU 

Because in the last couple of months the U.S. has been pulling out of Afghanistan and now Karzai, president of Afghanistan, is asking the U.S. to keep the troops for more years to come, I probably should reconsider renaming this blog post.

But I digress (before I engage in the blogging of political affairs), I finally received my first subscription issue of NYLON Mag.

TANGENT: I received the October issue featuring Elizabeth Olsen, instead of the November issue...

One of my favorite things to do is read all the "dear NYLON" messages, and one in particular caught my attention:

"I never knew that NYLON existed in my country--it's so hard to find it out here. Then, one day my dad came home with an issue of NYLON and said, 'This is what you called, 'everything,' right?' I was ecstatic! I collect all of your issues even though it's really expensive in my country. NYLON is worth it." -Khalis Fadillah, Surabaya, Indonesia (NYLON, p. 042)

Photo taken of page 42 of the October issue of NYLON Magazine

Surabaya, Indonesia is for the most part modernized, and if you "Google" Surabaya, Indonesia, the information that pops up pertains to travel data.

However, there still exists a city inhabited by a major brothel. Brothels are typically governed by an older woman whose superiors are men; within the brothels, girls and women are coerced into prostitution.

No. Khalis is not a prostitute in the brothel, and by the looks of it, she's fluent in English and although expensive, can afford NYLON. But I'm trying to make a point that is seemingly turning out to be reckless: fashion is seen as an outlet of freedom. Beautiful Afghan women are superbly modest, and I admire that of them, and it always fascinates me to see the colors used for their hair scarfs.

Although an aesthetically appealing realm, fashion creates a conglomeration of culturally-diverse ideas, which thus develops pieces of clothing where most of the time the clothes apply symbolically significant colors.

This blog post was mostly a way for me to share with you all the significance some arenas of the fashion realm has across the world -- and try to express my convoluted thoughts.

And for the hell of it: I'm listening to Mintgreen by the composer Andrew Shapiro and to LIGHTS newest album: Siberia...so you should listen to them, too.

Right: So why call this blog post "designer-brand warfare"? Well, it's still pertains to NYLON, so if you happen to have your issue open -- let's make this an interactive post -- have a look with me. Found on page 52, I encountered a maroon/brown high-waisted skirt with "disc" buttons. And yes, you're right, I fell for its deceitful beauty. No, no. I don't mean to say the skirt comes from a fraudulent designer. In all actuality, I find it deceiving because it costs $750.

Photo taken of page 52 of the October issue of NYLON Magazine

Thus, I'm going persuade my mom to get me a sewing machine for the upcoming holiday, turn myself into a seamstress, and design my own high-wasted skirts that will probably costs me about $15 to make using fabric from a coat I can hopefully find at Goodwill or Savers. Cunning is not my name. I give props to the seamstresses of the world because it's a tough job. (This is me declaring war with expensive clothes...weaponry will consist of fabrics from old clothes and a sewing machine.)

If I had loads of money stashed somewhere to afford Mulberry clothes (the brand of the skirt), I probably would purchase a thing or two. But in my journey of becoming a journalist and an advocate for women worldwide, I'll stick to becoming an autodidact individual...which I know most of you probably already are.

**Furthermore, I'm hoping to be featuring a student designer who has sewn some of her or his clothes in the upcoming days!