Design II

Following up with yesterday's design post, there was a recent entry on the New York Times Runway blog about Sarah Jessica Parker's new project the fashion label "Bitten". There's even a follow-up piece about it's manufacturing and production policies under Steve & Barry. I'm going to focus on the interview between Cathy Horyn and Sarah Jessica Partner, but I think the second piece has some very interesting comments too, which I've quoted and linked to below.

The thing that gets me about Parker's label, or at least the way she defends it, is that she presents it as high quality, timeless, well-designed clothing. And while Steve & Barry have a laundry list of methods they use to keep costs down (manufacturing off-season, fewer middlemen, no advertising, etc.) there is just no way you can convince me a $10 purse is well-made. I think "well-made" implies more than just "sweatshop-free". Well-made implies quality materials, good construction, and thoughtful creative design work. SJP says, in regards to people criticizing the label:

"Great. Bring it on. And tell me what troubles you about women in this country having affordable, well-made clothes. Let’s talk about it."

There is also some discussion about why high end designers don't work at mass market prices. The exchange between Horyn and Parker goes like this:

Q: Of course many designers, including Vera Wang, are now making clothes at mass-market prices. They seem to want it both ways. And some designers could enter this field but choose not to. What if Olivier Theyskens did a label like this, with jeans for $14.98? He’s hip and talented.
A: And [laughing] he has the prettiest hair.
Q: But designers like him won’t touch this market.
A: But why?
Q: Pride, maybe. Sophistication.
A: I also think they just want to drop in for a minute, like the designers did for the Gap. It’s a moment, a quick affair. But with this line, you have to be a little behind the eight ball. I don’t want it to be fashion forward. A lot of women can’t wear what Olivier designs. It takes time for their eye to adapt.

I'm surprised they didn't consider that maybe many designers don't want to work at this level because you can't make many well-crafted clothes at such a low price point. I think make all this cheapy stuff is not just about "access" as Parker contends, but about a business strategy that aims to make profit buy selling quantity not quality.

Q: Did you have any concern that maybe we don’t need more stuff clogging the planet. There is H & M and Target, and Topshop wants to open here.
A: Of course. I think I would have felt that if I didn’t understand the Steve and Barry’s customer. There aren’t H & Ms everywhere. And that’s very trendy fashion—it’s not what every woman wants. I don’t feel there is this surplus, in a way. To me, it’s about access.

Parker tries to dodge the question I think. I do believe the world is small enough that fine goods are available to most everyone in first world circumstances that wants to find them. I know many won't agree with me, but between ebay and thrift stores and trades and freecycle, you can pay with time (in searching) and not money if you really want nice things and don't have tons of cash.

The one valid point I think Parker does make is about size range. Bitten is offered up to size 22, and many high quality brands don't go past 10. Especially the way Horyn describes the line:

"My own feelings about the label are that the basics are solid, especially the jeans and the striped T-shirts and cropped hoodies, but that it needed more surprise. That may come with time."

While basics are "important", I bet the clothes become more trendy over time, more H&M, and less styles available in that size 22.....but maybe I'm too cynical.

comments to this article I found interestin:

Also, a $20 coat is no bargain if it falls apart after it is worn a couple of times. LJG

“What troubles me is that her clothes look a lot like Old Navy, are priced similar to Old Navy, and are positioned as a panacea for the faltering self image of American women - as sold to us by a size zero, faux blonde starlet glued to a pair of $500 heels." Faran

Mrs Parker attends fashion runway but for “us” designs something worth 9.98?? Please.Margherita

"Having purchased quite a few Bitten items, I say hurray to SJP for making nice, very affordable clothing for the masses of women who do not fit or can afford designer clothing. While I could well afford, and have purchased designer clothing, I have grown to be opposed for ethical reasons, to buying expensive clothes. There are people starving in my city, and squandering money on items that are temporary is just ridiculous."Dwarrior

"I love the idea of getting great clothes to the masses at an affordable price, etc., etc., but the subtext of this interview — and of the other interviews with SJP I’ve read — is that the masses don’t really deserve something beautiful (that word is never used), just something workable. Just “simple American sportswear.” .......What this basically amounts to is a star who is known for wearing expensive clothing, in a massively overdone gesture of noblesse oblige, offering linen pants and tank tops to the masses, those poor ignorant people who don’t have access to Narciso Rodriguez and whose untrained eyes would be blinded anyway if they even chanced to look at anything that wasn’t a hoodie." Irina

"I live smack dab in the middle of America and am able to find plenty of stylish and cheap clothes at Old Navy, Target, etc. That is not what I want. What I want is to pay an $20 for that $10 bag knowing it was manufactured responsibly. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that even on my middle American income I would be willing to pay more for a garment if I could have more peace of mind wearing it - kind of like that feeling I get when I eat food grown from the local grower at the farmer’s market vs. eating the cheap produce at WalMart."lemissa

comments from the follow-up article:

"Someone was comparing it to the Bauhaus, or at least connecting it to that school. First, yay Bauhaus. Now that that’s out of the way, I don’t think it’s a legitimate comparison. The work of the Bauhaus was a major development in aesthetics and social ideas, in addition to being high-quality and quite long-lasting....Bitten is nothing like that; it may be cheap and available to the masses, but what sets it apart from any other pile of clothes at the discount store? THE PRESENCE OF A CELEBRITY NAME. It’s trash fashion." Anjo

"Jil Sander is too “smart”- elitist maybe? Lanvin too? But, to me, they seem so solution driven! These are two designers who appear to be thinking and really addressing women’s needs in their own way. But for some damn reason, it’s the Millys, Rebecca Taylors, DVFs, Tracy Reese’s etc that are what the mass market are looking for....Yes, not everyone has money (as most people say is the primary reason for not dressing how they “want”), but don't sit there and tell me that when instead of one pair of 400 dollar shoes, you have 30 (no, seriously), 30! pairs of 20 dollar shoes. No money? It’s that people like the cheap thrill and they like not having to stop for a minute and think about what they want to say with their clothes." J

"I don’t buy that we’ve grown used to “overpriced” goods…if anything we’re getting used to cheaper & cheaper–as a result of labor or technology or importing from “friendly countries” or “the country du jour” that is in compliance with our trade balance or even human rights policy which would be totally okay to skip all the duties, etc?"Hillary

"My fellow Americans: YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY LOW-WAGE WORKERS EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. Ask yourself when the last time the guy standing next to you on the train might have seen a dentist/had a physical/enjoyed a decent vacation from work; then, picking an obvious target such as the ready-made possibility of sweatshop labor might then become somewhat more difficult." EM

I could go on and on! So many interesting comments....go read them and tomorrow I will post my last article and hopefully tie all this stuff together.