The fashion industry is more than just glitz and glamour. For some, fashion is an outlet for expression. That expression often becomes stifled by the rising costs of fashion pieces. The following articles discussion affordable fashion with the good, the bad, and the awful. Each article tells a different perspective of affordable fashion from celebrities to major brands trying something new to make fashion more affordable and accessible for all.
- “How Kmart made the Jump into Luxe Fashion” – This article discusses how Kmart stores have made affordable fashion, high fashion. Kmart is making their own high end looks cheaper and more accessible for all. Kmart is “aiming to provide shoppers with trendier products at a lower price point than upmarket competitors”. (Aiesha Saunders, 2020)
2. “Retailers Try Clothing Rental”– This is a super cool article about retailers like Bloomingdale’s and Urban Outfitters who are offering a rental program for their shoppers. This helps to reduce the waste associated with clothes because more people can reuse the same pieces. “A growing number of them are now offering customers the option to rent clothes for a monthly fee instead of buying them.” (Associated Press, 2020)
- “More Affordable Trendy Items”– This article highlights brands that are making similar products to what you would see on the runway during fashion week but for much more affordable prices. Stores like Zara and Artizia are taking affordable fashion literally by making these high end pieces, affordable for all. Zara is “even more affordable takes on the most sought-after runway trends from fashion week” (Dale Arden Chong, 2020)
4. “Celebrities Love this Affordable Jewelry Brand”– This is the ultimate culmination of affordable fashion because it demonstrates that everyone is seeking to have less expensive pieces, even celebrities. “Jennifer Lopez has previously worn $33 earrings that would have worked nicely with her bedazzled Versace Super Bowl halftime look.” (Tara Gonzalez, 2020
- “Kaitlyn Denver paired $47 Aldo Heels with Oscars Gown” – This was interesting to read because not only did she opt for an affordable shoe brand, she also chose a sustainable and affordable dress. This shows that affordable fashion can be made ethically and sustainably. “Dever’s Glyndwr heels are currently just $47 on Aldo.” (Kate Mendoca, 2020)
6. “Clothing Designed to become Garbage” – This article is not as positive as the others because it points out exactly what is wrong with affordable fashion. “The $2.5 trillion fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters and the second-biggest consumer of water.” (Emma Newburger, 2020)
After completing this curation, I realized that affordable fashion and fashion in general is not really reported on. I had to visit a different category of websites then I would have for regular news. This week, the New York Times and CNN were just not going to cut it because they didn’t have much on this topic. I was shocked because this was Oscars week which is often called fashions biggest night but there just wasn’t a lot of stories about affordable fashion aside from how to style it or where to shop for it. This was eye opening because I really had to step out of my comfort zone and look for credible news sites about my topic. I think it’s often easy for us to see the major news networks and say that they’re credible but to look at sites that might not be your normal sources it was much harder to decide what was fact and something I should include in my post. I also found myself lingering more on social media platforms for links to websites which is something I did not do in my initial media use exercise because I just knew those sites don’t always have the most accurate information.
