April 2013

VOLUME 45 | ISSUE 7 | APRIL 2013

T HESUSTAINABIL IT Y

I S SUE

#EARTHDAY2013

2 FITMASTHEAD

ON THE COVER:

Alex Papakonstadinou, Kevin Buitrago, and Freddy Rodriguez joined artistic forces to shed those extra winter layers and showcase a clean spring look.

Letter from the Editor

W27 is PRiNTED ON RECYCLED PAPER. PLEAsE RECYCLE YOUR COPY AFTER READiNG.

After we emerge from our winter hiberna-tion, we are reminded more than ever of the impact of our actions on the envi-ronment. FIT is doing its part to affect positive change in this regard, especially through the Sustainable Business and Design Conference. This year’s confer-ence, “People, Planet, Prosperity: The Sustainable Balancing Act,” presented a multifaceted look at how we view sustain-ability now and what we can do to pro-mote it further. Read our recap on page 18 and then check out Megan Venere’s Short History of Sustainability on page 16 to see how far we’ve come since Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published in 1962.

We’ve also featured a number of FIT alumni who promote sustainable design, from Allison Parris and her recycled PET (post-consumer polyethylene terephthal-ate) dresses to Lindsey McCord’s found

objects and wood necklaces. We’ve also featured a number of current students already making waves in the world of fashion and intimate apparel such as Fusion winner, K’Luu (p. 9) and Femmy winner Tessa Saccone (p. 4).

Now that the weather is finally warming up, our Haute Culture writers suggest heading down to the New Museum for “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star,” or to Long Island City for a fresh and tasty brunch at Café Henri. So hope on the subway and head over, it’s good for the environment and your cultural life!

Caroline NelsonEditor-in-Chief

Fernanda DeSouzaSarah DillDeputy Editors

Megan VenereExecutive Editor

Rich GilmartinMiriam LustigDianna MazzoneSenior Editors

Keely-Shea SmithManaging Editor

Hermina SobhrajTreasurer

w27newspaper.com

Mollie YarsikeCommunity Manager

ADVERTisTiNG

Kimberly FergusonAdvertising Promotions Manager

ART

Christina GarciaArt Director

Kevin BraineJunior Designer

Freddy RodriguezFashion Editor

Kevin BuitragoJessica FarkasAlex PapakonstadinouPhotographers

Maddalena AlecceFrancesca BeltranLeah BordengaGeorgi DwigginsJonathan GuziDara KenigsbergChristina MacalusoMarissa MuleAshley MungoDesiree PerezAnnelie PernlingAlexandra RiveraEmilie SchwenkMedinah TiangcoContributors

John SimoneEditorial Faculty Advisor

Albert RomanoAdvertising Faculty Advisor

A FiTsA PUBLiCATiON

Photography

by Fernanda

deSouza

Correction: The article that appeared on page 7 of the March issue, We Should All Be Babyface(d)! is by Giovanna Spica, not Marissa Mule as the byline said.

3 APRIL 2013W27

TABLE OF CONTENTs

ON THE BLOCk

4 Welcome to the Boardroom4 Future Mode: Tessa Saccone5 What the Health?5 How to Design a Sustainable Workout6 Faculty Spotlight: Grazyna Pilatowicz7 A Classroom in the “Cloud”7 Club Spotlight: Sustainable Design Club8 Behind FIT’s Leading Lady, President Joyce Brown8 Blogging for Your Brand: Tumblr X W27 Panel9 K’Luu: Fusion’s Fashion Ace

DEAR iNDUsTRY

10 Shop from Your Schoolmates with Modabound10 Plastic, Paper and Bottles: Oh My! Sustainability in Fast Fashion11 Designer Spotlight: Estuaries11 Allison Parris New York: Building a Sustainable Business12 The Post-Semester Life of a Textbook: Paperweight or Profit?12 Print is Not Dead... Yet13 Beauty Buzz: Pampadour14 Fashion Editorial: Curb Appeal

sUsTAiNABiLiTY FEATURE

16 A Short History of Sustainability18 Sustainability Conference Part I - People, Planet, Prosperity: The Sustainability Balancing Act19 Sustainability Conference Part II - Companies Making the World a Greener Place

HAUTE CULTURE

20 Tuning In: Grateful Dead20 Concert Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs21 Theater Review: The Tragedy of King Arthur by William Shakespeare22 Film Review: A Place Beyond the Pines22 Book Review: Fashion A to Z: An Illustrated Dictionary23 Exhibition Review: NYC 1993 at New Museum24 Outside Your Borough: Long Island City25 Month in Review

FiT sPEAks

26 Why Mad Men Matters27 My Love Life Has Gone Viral27 Keepin’ Your Creative: Introducing Moombahton

28 Style on 27

FIT

ON THE BLOCkWelcome to the Boardroom

by Megan Venere

We are all beginning to see the light at the end of the 27th Street tunnel. The weather gets a little warmer, the sun stays out longer and summer break is the prize waiting for us at the end of the long stretch of finals. FITSA President Ana Swarup is beginning to see this light, especially after she passes the torch to new FITSA president David Hamilton. Ana sat down with W27 for her last solo interview as FITSA president to dis-cuss upcoming events, graduation and our lovely friends across the way from Kaufman Hall.

Megan Venere: So the new board was just elected before spring break. How are they doing?

Ana Swarup: The new board is fantastic! On April 6 we had our first shadowing session with them. We created a FITSA “bootcamp” detailing the policies, a Q&A session and also bonding activities. FITSA and FITSA Director Michelle Van Ess are planning a retreat for the board, just another way for us to bond and pass the torch onto them. They become the official board at our inauguration ceremony on April 25. They are all super excited, which is great to see.

MV: Is it strange to see new faces on FITSA soon replacing the old ones? Is it strange that your term as president is almost over?

AS: It is bittersweet, knowing how that was all of us a year ago. But we’ve all done so much this year, so I’m ready to graduate and to move on to the next chapter. Watching elections take place and not be a candidate was strange, after being a member of FITSA for three years. It’s also really good to see new faces and get fresh blood and fresh ideas into FITSA. They’ll do a great job next semester. Right now we are trying to organize our last events for the semester; I’m definitely going to miss it after I graduate.

MV: With the semester halfway done, what events does FITSA have planned for the remainder of the semester?

AS: We have some great events to end the year! We will be having our annual Breakfast for Dinner event, which the new board will be helping out with. It was so funny how last year’s event turned into an impromptu dance off after everyone finished eating. Stress Relief Week will

be from April 30 till May 2, where FITSA will provide all sorts of different events to detox before finals, including massages. There’s also Grad Week from May 6 through May 11; we are trying to work with the bookstore to get fun new FIT alum gear for the graduates. Formal [the annual FIT dance] will be on May 10, and it’s one of the first times we are hosting the event in the city. The theme this year is Hollywood. The Block Party is on May 4, and this year RHCC went for a nautical theme. Dance-a-Thon will be on April 26, and as always, promises to be a fun night. And then there’s Civility Day on April 22, where students can learn about different community service activities they can get involved with.

MV: How has FIT been handling the Kaufman noise situation?

AS: Recently we met with Brookfield, the company who is running the building operations, about the noise levels and construction. The construction is going to be going on for a few more years, but I’m happy to say that most of the loud drilling has been completed. However, once every two weeks Brookfield will be doing overnight construction. We’ve established

a committee of Brookfield representatives, students and the administration to stay in communication through the building process. FIT has also launched a Web page specifically for this—it’s fitnyc.edu/kaufmanhallnoise. This is a resource for students to see what progress has been made regarding noise levels, including the work schedules for that week. There is also an email for students where they can send their noise complaints so we can keep an accurate record of what complaints have been filed. Students should send their concerns to [email protected].

MV: As this is your last solo interview, what would you like to tell the FIT student body?

AS: This has been a fantastic year—thank you to everyone who made this year great. And thank you to everyone who came to our events and participated in what we presented this year! We have some open positions on FITSA on the Programming Board and Executive Board. Anyone who is interested can email the Director of Student Life. It’s been a great year with lots of changes that will be put into effect soon.

FUTURE MODE: TESSA SACCONE

by Marissa Mule

When considering “intimate apparel,” what comes to mind? Is it a bustier, or a panty? A sexy piece of lingerie, or a skin-ny satin slip fit to the utmost perfection? The annual Femmy Design Competition showcases it all. Sponsored by the Underfashion Club, a non-profit, educa-tion driven supporter of the Intimate Apparel Industry, the Femmy Design Competition acts as a fundraising vehicle to enable the Underfashion Club to con-tinue its extensive Scholarship, Awards, Internship and Grants (SAIG) programs. One of this year’s three winners, Tessa Saccone, debuted a beautifully draped bustier and boudoir skirt, sewn to excel-lence. Flirtatious and seductive, Saccone’s

design aesthetic and unique point of view stood out from those of her competitors. Inspired by art, fashion, traveling and culture, Tessa Saccone is a winner in every sense of the word, serving as a true inspiration to all who aspire to follow their dreams.

Marissa Mule: Who are your inspirations?

Tessa Saccone: My main inspirations are Alexander McQueen, nature, and dark smoky colors.

MM: What motivates you?

TS: A drive to succeed and to be known for creating beautiful clothes that people will want to wear are my main motivations.

MM: What is your dream job?

TS: My dream job would be to work for the intimate apparel line at Alexander McQueen, or to start my own business.

MM: Tell me about the Femmy award. What did you have to do for the competition?

TS: The Femmy Design Competition is an intimate apparel competition in which

Tessa with her final design.

Photos courtesy 0f Tessa Saccone

nine students are initially chosen based on sketches. The group is later narrowed down to six based on construction and actual design execution. The theme for this year’s competition was “Midnight Garden: Seduction of Flowers.” It was a rigorous competition—I had only a few months to create an original couture ensemble on top of my other work from regular classes. From the bottom up, I created a bustier, panty and boudoir skirt; meaning I did the designing, draping, pattern making, cutting, and sewing.

MM: What is your design aesthetic? How would you classify your style?

TS: My style is edgy and seductive with subtle prints that enhance dark and smoky colors creating a bold and show-stopping look.

MM: At what age did you start designing/making art?

TS: I have been creating art since I could find my fingers and adopted a love for designing fashion through my love for fine art. I began at such a young age, I cannot even remember. I was late to learn to sew though, and did not learn until my freshman year at FIT. I struggled initially, but through practice I have become a strong and confident sewer.

MM: What is your favorite medium? What do you work best in?

TS: I work best with fabrics. To be able to create a three-dimensional work of art that people wear out into the word and adopt as their own is the most beautiful thing to me.

MM: What are your strengths/weaknesses?

TS: My strengths would be in conceptual design, drawing inspiration from the world, choosing colors and fabrics. My weaknesses are time-based. I always wish I had more time to create.

MM: Do you have a favorite class?

TS: My favorite class is the BFA Draping class, where I have the freedom to create anything I can imagine and bring it to life. I design with high hopes in seeing my designs walk down the runway in the BFA Fashion Show coming up in May.

MM: Do you have a concentration plan?

TS: My concentration is in Intimate Apparel.

MM: What is your typical client like?

TS: I design clothes for an independent, seductive, intelligent and well traveled woman who is creative and unique with the desire to express herself through fashion.

MM: Whom do you look up to? Do you have a favorite artist?

TS: I love Alexander (Lee) McQueen, Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams and Marcel Duchamp.

MM: Lastly, what gets you through the day?

TS: This quote by John Keats: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

5 APRIL 2013W27

by Sarah Dill

WHAT THE HEALTH?

April showers may bring flowers but they also carry allergens. Spring is the season where most of us look forward to shedding our winter gear and watch-ing New York City bloom. Although warmer weather is approaching, sniffles and sinus problems are bound to come up. Pollutants and irritants can cause anything from itchy eyes, postnasal drip, coughing or even worse: allergy attacks for those with asthma. Between the high costs of medication and the sheer variety of options on the market, it can be very difficult to pinpoint how to get rid of those pesky sniffles. Toxins and allergens may lurk in places like your dorm room or hang in the air, which is hard to fight off. With the right cleaning and around the home products, however, breathing will become much easier. Hang up your rugs, spray your desk clean, wash your sheets and clear your sinuses with easy-to-do remedies to beat out the spring sweats.

Ω Another one smites the dust: Spring is a signal to get cleaning and throw out those old dusty boots you picked up from the thrift store in order to make room for that new summer dress you’ve been eyeing. Closets, under the bed, furniture and the kitchen are hidden allergen landmines that can be cleaned and swept up to keep you breathing easier. By cleaning everything in your apartment from top to bottom, you can see where pollutants gather and how you can prevent allergens from coming indoors to bother you in the future.

Ω Be fair to the air: There are always irritants floating in the air that can cause the harshest seasonal allergies, even if they don’t necessarily cause sneezing fits. Sprays like Febreeze and

The Season for Sneezin’:Homeopathic Remedies for Spring Allergies

Carbs are so last season. This turkey-meets-lettuce combo is perfect for a light spring snack. The turkey is covered in lettuce to make it the cool way to gobble a wrap down. Spring may change from cold to hot more frequently, but with this spicy and cold meal option, you'll be prepared for any temperature change coming your way. Recipe taken from deliciousbydre.com/asian-turkey-lettuce-wraps/

DORM DISH RECIPE

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

How to Design a Sustainable Workout

other air fresheners may seem to mask air toxins, but when it comes down to it, those pesky pollutants won’t stop you from sneezing. The best way to get rid of bad air is to humidify your place and get an air purifier that filters out the bad from the good. This will reduce the levels of air pollutants and make your place a healthier and all-around happier space to live in.

Ω Kill with kindness: The proper diet goes hand-in-hand with staying healthy and leads to less sneezing. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and other antioxidant-laden foods can help battle inflammation in your body, which is one of the most important factors in controlling spring allergies. Healthy eating habits can alleviate asthma and allergy attacks more frequently.

Ω Drink and not be so scary: One of the best things you can do for your body is drink, drink and drink. Not alcohol of course, but water and tea are the perfect liquid body boosts. Being hydrated keeps your system flushed and thins out your mucus to support your sinus drainage. Sinus congestion can lead to dry mouth and without the proper liquids, tooth decay and gum disease can occur. Antioxidants in herbal teas are both immune boosting and a perfect late night drink to soothe your allergies and keep you in the clear for the morning.

Ω Rest is best: It goes without saying that stress and lack of sleep can affect your immune system and get you sick before you can say “Spring.” Between balancing a workload, school work and social activities, reducing stress can

iNGREDiENTs:

1 cup (cooked) lean ground turkey breast

1 tsp rice vinegar (no sugar, no sodium)

When you think of fitness and working out, the word “sustainable” might not nec-essarily come to mind. You go to the gym, beast it out on the elliptical until the calo-rie counter eats away some of your guilt, maybe do some weights and then get out. You’ll spend an hour sweating and generally hating yourself, and at the end of it you might barely feel like you got any-thing done. This, unfortunately, is not a very sustainable approach to fitness. What do I mean by sustainable? I mean the abil-ity to get the maximum amount of results in the least amount of time. It’s the luxury of making the entire world your personal gym and playground, without being reli-ant on expensive gym memberships or fancy equipment.

Instead of wasting an hour doing slow chronic cardio on the treadmill, trying to get to that elusive “fat burning zone,” (all those fancy blinking lights on the treadmill are pretty useless indicators of anything, by the way) try running up

by Jonathan Guzi

seem near to impossible. However, a little bit of physical exercise can help reduce stress. Also, making an effort to hit the hay an hour earlier than usual everyday will help your immune system stay up and allergic reactions stay out.

Ω Spray away: The main target for irritants is your nose. Nasal sprays

may seem scary and bothersome to use, but they can provide the moisture you need. Simple saline sprays and the right vitamin supplements can keep your nose at ease. To keep your nose moisturized, rub some vaseline around the passage to make sure you’re in the clear and lessen the likelihood of getting red and chapped.

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp sriracha hot chili sauce

1 ounce diced water chestnuts

1 tbsp chopped green onions

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1–2 tsp chopped unsalted cashews (or pea-nuts) as topping

1 heart of romaine (any lettuce will do, i've just found romaine hearts to be sturdiest for lettuce wraps)

iNsTRUCTiONs:

Mix warm ground turkey with all ingredi-ents except nuts.

Spoon onto romaine leaves (I like to dou-ble mine up so they don't fall apart)

Sprinkle chopped nuts on top!

and down the stairs of the Business and Liberal Arts Center [B Building]. Better yet, run outside for short, intense interval sprints. You will not only burn more calo-ries in a shorter period of time, but you will also build a more functional type of strength and speed.

Cardio is also not always the most effi-cient way to get in shape or lose weight. Be “sustainable” by incorporating strength training into your workouts. Stronger muscles will promote a faster metabolism and better overall fitness. Your body will become a fat burning machine without you even trying. If you can’t get to the gym, or don’t have time to, there are numerous bodyweight exercises you can do that are safe and challenging. The best part is that you can do them any-where. In your dorm, outside, on the sub-way…ok, maybe not on the subway. The point is, there is no need to waste your time or money on long cardio sessions or useless gizmos (if you own a shake

weight, please throw it out), all you have to do is be consistent, intense and have fun. Gyms are still great though, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes you need that gym environment to get you in the mood. They’re not very sustainable, however. Many of them have become grotesque car-icatures of what fitness should be. Not to mention the fact that all those machines and TV screens probably waste a whole lot of electricity. When you’re spending more time socializing with your friends, watch-ing a rerun of Friends on your treadmill screen, and then rewarding yourself with a very sugary Jamba Juice smoothie, you kind of just wasted a perfectly good hour there. But hey, at least you brought your own water bottle, right?

Here are a few simple exercises that you can do anywhere:

Start off by warming up for five minutes with a light jog, running in place, or jumping. The first exercise is the one-legged squat, otherwise known as the pistol squat. Hold your arms out in front of you for balance and squat all the way down on one leg, making sure to thrust your hips and glutes out first while keep-ing your core tight. Repeat for 5-10 repeti-tions on each leg. If you don’t have the strength or balance to do these yet, you

can hold onto a nearby pole, doorknob, or anything sturdy.

The next exercise is a true classic, the basic pushup. There are so many variations of this exercise that it would be impossible to cover in one article. If you’re not strong enough to do push ups yet, practice on an elevated surface such as a sturdy chair, a wall or a bench. Around 10–12 repetitions on this one should do the trick.

Lastly, the plank is an excellent core exercise that is far superior to the com-mon crunch, and much healthier on your lower back as well. The basic plank is performed by holding your body straight while resting on your forearms. Engage your abs and keep every muscle in your body tight. Work up to two minute planks if you can, gradually increasing the time every week. Perform two to three sets of each of these exercises, combining variations, while resting minimally in between sets for added intensity. Chances are you’ll get a better workout than ever, while wasting less time. It’s also beauti-ful outside which makes it downright criminal not to take advantage of all that fresh air!

Photo courtesy of deliciouslydre.com

6 FITON THE BLOCK

by Richard Gilmartin & Mia Lustig

Grazyna Pilatowicz has Played a huGe role in shaPinG the cultural landscaPe at Fit, First as a student and now as a ProFessor and chairPerson oF the new sustainable interiors environments masters ProGram. she is an industry trailblazer in both desiGn and sustainability, and, Frankly, one oF the most beloved ProFessors within the interior desiGn dePartment. W27 had a chance to interview ProFessor Pilatowicz on her resPonsible and thouGhtFul aPProach to desiGn.

Richard Gilmartin: Where did you grow up? What were you like as a child and how did you discover you had a passion for interior design?

Grazyna Pilatowicz: I grew up in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, behind the Iron Curtain—an ideological and physical division of the post World War II Europe that lasted from 1945 until 1991. During that time, many central European countries were politically and militarily controlled and influenced by the former Soviet Union.

If there was anything in my childhood that led me to the interior design profes-sion, it was my mom, who always moved furniture around and constantly rear-ranged our apartment. Even if we stayed somewhere for one night, she had to make the place her own. The surrounding environment was important.

For a long time, I thought that I would study mathematics, then I fell in love with history, and, all along, I liked to draw. Today I find all of my previous interests very helpful in the practice and education of interior design.

RG: What did you study in college and where did you study?

GP: In Poland, I studied Art History with a specialization in the history of architecture, urban planning and contemporary art. After I graduated, I worked for a while documenting art and architecture in rural areas of my country. It was fascinating and very important, as there was not enough funding to preserve monuments of the past and landmarks of unique vernacular architecture. The drawings, descriptions and photographs—that was all we often could do to preserve the memory of the past. Many other aspects of our lives didn’t work the way they should either: we had limited access to information and limited ability to travel; all publishing and teaching was censored; opportunities for professional development were defined by political alliances. In 1980, I illegally left Poland, went to refugee camp in Austria

Faculty Spotlight:

Grazyna Pilatowiczand asked for political asylum. From there, I chose the United States as my second homeland and accidentally arrived in New York. It took a few years before I felt comfortable enough to try to find something I could be passionate about again. I was looking for a profession that would allow me to combine my knowledge of art and architecture with my ability to communicate through drawings and would provide an opportunity to positively impact people's lives.

RG: I understand you are a tenured professor at FIT, what first brought you to this school? How has your time here affected you, and how have you affected FIT and the Interior Design department?

GP: I took some evening courses in

Interior Design at FIT and decided to continue as a full time student earning a BFA in Interior Design. Throughout the program, I had amazing faculty and classmates, and we had great discussions! I remember designing an information center for HIV/AIDS and studying the homeless community at Tompkins Square in the East Village in order to design portable structures that would protect them from the elements. At the end of the program, for a senior design project, I wrote the initial version for what later became Eco-Interiors, the first textbook devoted explicitly to sustainable interior design.

After I graduated, I went to work as an in-house interior designer for one of the nation’s biggest substance abuse pro-grams. I came back to FIT a few years later to develop and to teach a course based on my book. This was the first course devoted to sustainable interior design within New York interior design programs. The course was initially offered in the evening, but in a short time

became part of the requirements for the Bachelor’s degree. I also started to teach institutional design studio, which brings discussions of evidence-based design that can positively impact and support the lives of special needs populations (i.e., people with psychological or physical challenges, socially or financially fragile communities, children, or aging individu-als, etc.).

Fourteen years ago, we introduced sus-tainability to the undergraduate interior design department. This year in May, the first group of students will gradu-ate from the new Sustainable Interior Environments Master of Arts program. With support from the college and the help of many colleagues, I developed, and for the past two years led as an Associate Chairperson, this research-based graduate program. We can now offer our Interior Design BFA graduates the possibility to earn an MA degree with a specialization in sustainability. In this part-time evening program, students can continue their education while working during the day.

RG: You teach a class based off of your book, Eco-Interiors: A Guide to Environmentally Conscious Interior Design. In your own opinion why do you find sustainability in interior design to be such an important cause? What are some simple everyday things that people can do to be more conscious of their environment?

GP: All design decisions impact peoples’ lives. Through their design decisions, interior designers impact the global environment, people involved in the industry and the health and wellbeing of the future occupants of the spaces. At the same time, learning how to implement sustainable strategies into interior projects provides a great foundation to taking responsibility for all our design decisions.

We should make adjustments in our lives and strive for good decisions: support local farmers, buy local products, walk and bike rather than drive, recycle elec-tronics, use cleaning products that do not contain harsh chemicals and/or toxins, etc., but we will have even more impact if we act responsibly in our professions. Imagine the impact you have when you buy a new carpet for your living room, which is about 30 square yards. Compare that to the impact you have when you specify carpet for a chain of hotels with thousands of square yards. Or, think about the impact of material selections for a childcare center, where 30 children crawl on the floor and experience and learn the world by putting everything into their mouths…

Sustainability principles are an inherent part of the interior design professional’s responsibility to “enhance and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.”

RG: You are a co-chair on the Sustainability Council here at FIT, how do

you plan to make FIT a more sustainable environment in the future?

GP: To make FIT a more sustainable environment, the change needs to take place in all aspects of our activities: curriculum, administration, buildings and grounds, food services, printing, technologies, everywhere. We are already changing many aspects of our life at FIT and we can still improve.

But the most difficult challenge is in the change of peoples’ behavior. It is easy to change the lamp or install a motion detec-tor for energy efficiency; it is much more difficult to make us remember to turn off a projector when not in use. It was con-siderably easy to distribute recycling bins throughout the college, but it seems quite a “mission impossible” to instill individu-al responsibility for placing the right item into the right container. We have our work cut out for us in engaging and educating the whole community.

The FIT Sustainability Council gathers representatives of students, faculty and administration. The two main activities that the Council is overseeing are the annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference and the annual awards of $15,000 in grants for sustainability ori-ented projects and activities proposed by the FIT community members. We are supporting and proposing various college-wide activities and initiatives, bringing attention to current issues, voicing opin-ions, etc.

Through supporting curricular initia-tives, through lectures, exhibits, mov-ies and other educational activities, we need to assure that the next generation of professionals leaving our school consider sustainable strategies as an inherent part of their profession, and that these strate-gies play a role in design processes and in business operations. FIT graduates are the future of the design industries: we have a responsibility to make sure that future sustains.

Photo courtesy of FIT

sUsTAiNABiLiTY PRiNCiPLEs ARE AN iNHERENT PART OF THE

iNTERiOR DEsiGN PROFEssiONAL’s REsPONsiBiLiTY

TO “ENHANCE AND PROTECT THE HEALTH, sAFETY, AND

WELFARE OF THE PUBLiC.

7 APRIL 2013W27

MOOC, otherwise known as “Massive Open Online Courses,” have become a popular trend among today’s modern learners. MOOC websites offer lectures online in subjects ranging anywhere from basic courses like English or Statistics, to more in depth classes like Sustainability of Food Systems or The Fiction of Relationships. With new users signing up each day, the total MOOC population has reached millions already.

MOOC classes are offered on an ongoing basis, usually lasting anywhere from six to eight weeks. These courses are typically free of charge and while they do not pro-vide actual course credit towards a degree, many offer a certificate of completion signed by the instructor upon success-ful completion of the course. Courses are taught in lecture format via online video posts and may also include discussions, papers, Q&As with the instructor and short quizzes or tests. Although course registration is very high, the rate of actual course completion is under 10%.

The three most popular websites offer-ing MOOC classes are Coursera, edX and Udacity. Through these websites, users may register for any course of their choice, taught by instructors from some of the most prestigious schools such as Harvard, Stanford and Duke. No prerequi-sites are required to register for an MOOC course—just an ambition to study any of the hundreds of subjects offered. You might ask yourself why someone would want to complete a course for which they will not be receiving credit? AMC major Francesca Pirraglia stated, “I’m currently taking Health Policy and the Affordable Care Act through the University of Pennsylvania and I love it. It gave me the chance to take a class in something I’m interested in that isn’t offered at FIT. Over the summer I think I’m going to sign up for an economics class to give me a little head start on the course material for when I have to take Microeconomics at FIT in the Fall. Besides, who wouldn’t want to say they took a class from a university like Harvard?”

The Sustainable Design Club at FIT pro-vides a platform for sustainable design education and development for an envi-ronmentally conscious community. The club is in its fourth active year on campus and provides education to members as well as networking opportunities and inspiration to be used both in and outside the classroom. Currently the club officers include Kait Newkirk, president; Liana Fan, treasurer and Erica Cahn, Student Council representative.

Bi-weekly meetings include various guest speakers such as Lorraine Smith, a sus-tainability consultant for SustainAbility, a company helping other businesses in being sustainable, and various workshops promoting the trade. On April 4, the club hosted a workshop where members cre-ated skirts out of recycled men’s button down shirts purchased secondhand from the Salvation Army. On April 9, the club attended the Sustainability Conference held at FIT where they were able to attend workshops and lectures as well as host a table of their own to bring awareness

A Classroom in the “Cloud”

CLuB SPOTLIgHT:

Sustainable Design Club

by Christina Macaluso

by Christina Macaluso

to the idea of environmentally friendly clothing.

The Sustainable Design Club is very active outside the halls of FIT as well. A popular off campus activity for the club is participating in field trips to the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn for workshops and lectures on vegetable dying. On April 22, 2013 the club will be heading to the Green Festival at the Jacob Javits Center for Earth Day festivities.

According to current club President Kait Newkirk, “Sustainable design is a growing industry and we’re trying to get students and FIT itself more involved in the movement.” In fact, the Sustainable Design Club created a petition just last year urging the school to better incor-porate sustainability education into the curriculum of majors such as Fashion Design, AMC and FMM.

Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of the month in room C318 from 1 to 2 p.m.

Photography by Christina Macaluso

8 FITON THE BLOCK

President Joyce F. Brown was honored with a prestigious award from City & State magazine for her achievements in educa-tion and contribution to academics. Far from being merely a pop culture maga-zine, City & State highlights politics, busi-ness, education and renowned individuals throughout New York City and New York State. The emergence of the Above and Beyond awards was to honor recognizable women who provided exceptional civic leadership throughout their communi-ties. President Brown, along with another honorary guest, accepted their awards at a formal gala held March 13.

President Brown was appointed the first female president of FIT in 1998; she is now entering her 15th year in this

position. Since her appointment, she has established a culture throughout the school that both faculty and students find beneficial on many levels. Cleanliness, unlimited extracurricular activities, the usage of innovative technology and a keen focus on progress are just a few factors that contribute to a steady and pleasant learning experience. Under her guidance, FIT has become one of the foremost art and design universities in the country.

One might wonder how she does it. In her interview for City & State magazine, President Brown states, “You really have to work at keeping the student at the center of the universe.” Her words come to life upon entering a three-hour lecture and realizing that you are actually being

Behind FIT’s Leading Lady, President Joyce Brown

by Medinah Tiangco

by Alexandra Rivera

It’s true what they say—you are what you blog. A panel was hosted by W27 on March 19th, which focused on the topic of social media and how to effectively use it to market your brand. The six panel-ists: Valentine Uhovski, Tumblr’s fashion evangelist; Jimmy Lepore Hegan, social media strategist at Nanette Lepore; Lisa Salzer, founder and designer of jewelry brand Lulu Frost; Taisa Veras, digital manager at Giles & Brother and for-mer W27 editor-in-chief; Arushi Khosla, personal style blogger of Bohemian Like You and W27 contributor and Rachel Schwartzmann, style blogger of The Style Line and Le Style Child, answered a vari-ety of questions and offered their unique perspectives on blogging from all corners of the fashion industry.

THE sOURCE FOR iNsPiRATiON

Tumblr is known for its collections of imagery, writing and art and is a key platform in communicating a brand’s personality in the digital age. As a plat-form for inspiration, bloggers can use Tumblr to share what inspires them

Tumblr X

W27Panel

BLOggINg FOR YOuR BRAND:

with their viewers. As an image driven platform, Tumblr modernizes the tradi-tions of blogging through works of art. It is the site’s artistic emphasis that makes it attractive to personal bloggers as well as businesses across more than 100 mil-lion blogs. Tumblr also fosters a sense of collaboration and unification among users. Its “strong sense of community and stream of constant inspiration,” as fashion blogger Rachel Schwartzmann noted, “is what sets Tumblr apart.” It also allows for a blogger’s voice to shine through and be shared across the world.

sOCiAL MEDiA As A BUsiNEss CARD

“Your blog is a business card,” said Lisa Salzer, founder of Lulu Frost jewelry. It is the first way people see if you are worthy enough to somehow invest in. This is particularly true for Salzer who has hired bloggers simply because she liked their blog. What matters most, she explains, is what the blog looks like and the basis of the content. Being insightful and offering a unique point of view are factors that will push your blog ahead in the eyes of an

employer. The most important part of this “business card” aspect of online branding is showing the amount of work you can produce, and that you can do it quickly and consistently.

UTiLiziNG DiFFERENT sOCiAL MEDiA PLATFORMs

While Tumblr was the main focus of the panel discussion, each panelist recog-nized the importance of creating a pres-ence across all social media platforms. Each platform has an individual voice and personality. “For us, there is clear, organic Nanette voice for Facebook and Twitter, and Tumblr gets to be the cool guy voice,” said Jimmy Lepore Hagen, social media strategist for Nanette Lepore. The num-ber of blogs continues to grow daily, so it is crucial to set your brand apart. Each platform has its own exclusive features for each brand. How you use these features to develop a voice can make a brand unique. “If you regurgitate the same information across all of your social media platforms then what’s a person’s incentive to follow you across those platforms?” noted FIT student and style blogger Arushi Khosla.

“The key is developing different strategies and creating unique content that reflects your personality across each platform.”

THE FUTURE OF BLOGGiNG

As social media continues to grow and our lives rely increasingly on the inter-net, the nature of blogging continues to change. The only certainty is that digital media will continue to grow. The concept of individuals writing about things that are important to them and prompting people to share that information is what sets successful brands apart. But writing is going all digital. “There will essentially be no print media in six or seven years,” said Valentine Uhovski, Tumblr’s fashion evangelist. While there is no way to know for sure, this opens the door for quality-driven, original content, which will be necessary to survive in the blogging industry in years to come. This exclusivity will drive the future of blogging. While the changes are unpredictable, blogging will undoubtedly continue its reign well into the foreseeable future.

taught a curriculum that was created by business professionals. Her dedica-tion to all things FIT becomes apparent when entering the Dubinsky Center [A Building] lobby that is now a mini lounge complete with Mac computers and furni-ture. The impact does not stop there.

Along with President Brown’s contribu-tions to the school, she has impacted the community beyond academia. She is an active participant in numerous statewide professional organizations that focus on domestic violence, domestic disputes and child care. President Brown is indeed a key to both campus life and the commu-nity and will continue to make her mark on our world.

Photography by Caroline Nelson

9 APRIL 2013W27

Weeks have gone by since this year’s Fusion Fashion Show and designers can now enjoy some much needed relaxation after months of sketching, sewing and prepping for the show. W27 met with FIT’s K’Luu, this year’s prize-winning designer, and discussed his Fusion experience, the ins and outs of his collec-tion and what’s next on his agenda as an emerging designer.

As soon as he walked through the doors of Moda Espresso Café it was clear he was wearing one of his own designs: a loose and layered silhouette respecting a rigorous black and white color palette paired with comfortable all-black Chinese slippers.

After sipping a cappuccino for a few minutes, K’Luu started talking about his collection, Sentiment. “Most of my inspiration comes from how I’m feeling. I thought about how there is a lack of emo-tion in people these days. Everything is so fast and there’s just no time to breathe anymore. I created a collection that is very clean and serene,” said K’Luu. Sentiment, in fact, is a very simple yet genuine collec-tion. The idea behind it was that of trans-forming an emotion such as vulnerability into sartorial form and picturing how people, in this case women, could wear it.

As opposed to most designers who choose to have their models wear high heels or sandals, K’Luu had his models walk basi-cally barefoot. The designer purposely chose to wrap the model’s feet in silk cloth instead. “I don’t find much interest in footwear. I wanted the focus on the clothes rather than shoes. I don’t like high heels– I feel they are forced on women,” he said.

Originally from Seattle, K’Luu is now

K’Luu, Fusion’s Fashion Ace

FuSION FASHION SHOW:

in his last semester at FIT. He will be graduating with an associate degree in Fashion Design this coming May and does not plan to return to school, at least not for now. “I’ve been exposing myself to the idea of self-education. I would like to take an apprenticeship with a sustainable designer and learn how to make clothes in a responsible way,” he says.

As far as his $1,500 scholarship courtesy of Maybelline goes, the young designer knows exactly where he is going to invest it: right into his career. Although Fusion 2013 is done, K’Luu’s Fusion journey isn’t over yet. The designer will be opening next year’s show and, of course, needs to start thinking about his second collection, one he very much looks forward to creat-ing. That is where his prize will go—the same place where he got it from.

Fusion’s founder and director Jimmy Ramey only had good things to say about the young designer. “K’Luu is such a success story because I truly believe he learned so much from the process. He’s a star if he wants to be. This is just the first step on a very high ladder for him,” said Ramey.

As our time together was ending K’Luu revealed a few tips for prospective Fusioners next year: “If you’re going to do Fusion you have to have faith in yourself and trust what you’re doing. Think about Fusion as a platform and be strategic throughout the whole process.”

by Maddalena Alecce

Photography by Ryan Duffin

by Desiree Perez

DEAR iNDUsTRY

With a full schedule of school, work and internships, who has time to go shopping? Sure, shopping on eBay can be good, but not when you have to pay shipping and handling and wait for your clothes as well. If only there was a website that connected college students wanting to shop for clothes and those wanting to sell them.

That's what Columbia University students Carolina Garcia and Alexa Varsavsky were looking for during their senior year, but they couldn't find it. The founders of Modabound weren't the only ones look-ing for this website that didn't exist. They found that 75% of girls shared clothes with their friends and many didn't wear half of what was in their closet.

“We felt there was no website that talked to us or catered to us,” said Garcia. With so many e-commerce and resale sites like eBay and Craigslist, Modabound stands out for who it serves. It's made for college

Shop from Your Schoolmates with Modabound

students that are price conscious and want a simple transaction with people similar to them. It's a website that's made for local students who are willing to meet up and exchange clothing for a price. But don't worry about meeting a “Craigslist Killer.” To sign up, you must have a col-lege email, thus ensuring you're a stu-dent. Garcia believes that making trans-actions with people of your age in your neighborhood makes it more comfortable.

Having majored in History and Political Science with no background in creating an online business, the recent graduates looked for other ways to become business savvy. They did everything from attend-ing meetups and mixers to keeping up with blogs to learn how to begin their e-commerce site. The information they learned served them well for the website that would become Modabound.

But it wasn't as easy to get the idea they

envisioned on a website that would be quick and straightforward like Facebook or Pinterest. “The main obstacle was to start with a really complex idea and start stripping down until you get to the core,” said Garcia. To her, envisioning the website was the easy part, but if you can't translate it into a simple system that your audience can understand, then it's not useful.

Support from their parents motivated the young entrepreneurs to work harder to make the idea into an “actual product.” After conducting surveys and finding out about college students' wants and needs in shopping, they pushed on with the website.

Something the founders enjoyed in the process of creating Modabound was recruiting engineers and building a team. “Anyone who starts working with us is very attached to working with us. We have

Lindsey McCord had always enjoyed the creative challenge of incorporating “found” items into her natural, one-of-a-kind jewelry collection. Today, McCord has developed her hobby and talent into a line called Halsey Jewelry.

McCord is an FIT alum who graduated in 2012 with an associates degree in Fashion Design. She lives in Brooklyn and is cur-rently continuing her studies at Brooklyn College.

Meet McCord as she explains how she established Halsey Jewelry while still in college, how the materials she finds provide the inspiration for her designs and how she continues to develop Halsey Jewelry. As they say, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” or in this case, exquisite jewelry.

Madeline Thompson: First and foremost, what motivated/inspired you to establish Halsey Jewelry?

Lindsey McCord: Since elementary school I was known for carrying handmade clutches made from recycled Altoids cans and embellished popcorn boxes. I used to

have a habit of staying up late and making a necklace that coordinated with my outfit for the next day (sometimes I still do), so this isn’t new for me--I just think now I’m more of a developed artist with more focus in what I want to produce and contribute to my field.

MT: Where do you find inspiration and how does that show in the jewelry pieces?

LM: I love traditional weaving and beading, I’ve actually really been trying to modernize some of those methods and incorporate them into my work. I don’t really buy magazines any more...I’m not trying to unintentionally copy or reinvent something. I want these necklaces to stand alone.

MT: Where do you find the materials to make the jewelry?

LM: All my pieces contain “found” items, whether salvaged from the Brooklyn Flea or dragged from the woods in Georgia. People save things for me all the time because they know all I have to do is drill a hole in it and make it into something wearable. Because the bases of all my necklaces are wood beads, they tend to feel very earthy and full of personality.

If I see a broken table leg on the street in Bushwick, I’m going to carry it home with me. [Also] my uncle is a sculptor and he passes along cool species of wood he col-lects from diseased trees that have been cut down. Beetles leave amazing veins of color in the wood as they’re killing it. Poetic, huh?

I love recycled sari yarn, which I have bas-kets of, and I use remnants of fibers and fabrics from my swatching days at FIT.

MT: The pieces are one-of-a-kind, is it difficult to keep every piece different or do you have a routine?

LM: I don’t plan pieces or sketch; sometimes I’ll assemble something five times until I’m happy with the weight and balance. The quantity of materials I have is frightening, so I usually work on the floor and fan out pieces all around me...like a nest of beads.

I try to include at least one piece of fur or fiber, a wood bead, a found piece and recycled hardware in every necklace.

MT: What differentiates Halsey Jewelry from other jewelry companies?

LM: I’d have to say the general lack of metal. I’m not casting and I’m not mass-producing. Everything is knotted, woven, and sewn...so it automatically is going to yield a more multi-textural necklace.

MT: Why is the company named Halsey Jewelry?

LM: My first real apartment was off the Halsey stop in Brooklyn, and this was my first real attempt at selling something so it seemed simple and fitting, while being painfully obvious and uncreative.

MT: You studied Fashion Design at FIT. Have courses at FIT helped you develop Halsey Jewelry? If so, how so?

LM: Yes, I’d say knowing the advantages of a market that hasn’t been tapped yet, knowing your customer, cost of production…blah blah blah. It helps. Knowledge of textiles and sewing has led me to favor fiber-based jewelry instead of strictly beading and metalwork.

MT: How do you balance being a student and developing Halsey Jewelry?

LM: Oh I don’t. I think when you are this in over your head with this scale of a project your reality is skewed. What you’re learning about is already being put into practice and developing in the real world. You would much rather that be graded than a project you’re going to throw away and feel self-loathing a month later. It’s just a matter of priorities. I’ve made this mine: Signed: “Star Student.”

MT: How do you continue to develop and grow Halsey Jewelry?

LM: Right now I’m preparing for a show (which is crazy and exciting) and from there hopefully I’m going to be able to start increasing my distribution and presence in Brooklyn and Manhattan based boutiques. This show will make or break me.

For more information about Halsey Jewelry and to order your one-of-a-kind piece, please visit halseyjewelry.com.

FIT Alum Carves Her Passion Into Jewelry Line

by Madeline Thompson

great interns and a team in general. They believe in the product.”

Garcia and Varsavsky believe in the great results that come from working together as a team and not treating anyone differ-ently based on their status. After all, they want the same thing for Modabound: for it to grow and bring college shoppers together.

“It's practical but more than that, it's a way to bond in a community over some-thing you love. We all like clothes. It has an emotional component that brings people together,” said Garcia.

Who knows? Buying through Modabound may not only get you a new Michael Kors bag, but maybe a new shopping buddy.

For more information, visit Modabound.com.

Photo courtesy of Lindsey McCord

11 APRIL 2013W27

by Dianna Mazzone

by Madeline Thompson

Dianna Mazzone: Could you tell us a little bit about your background? Where you grew up, when your interest in fashion first began and how you came to be a stu-dent at FIT?

Zhu Ru: As a teen, I was always curious about fashion and individuality. To dress the way you feel and be different. My interest started young, we were always around fabrics and pattern pieces because my mom is a seamstress. I think being around that definitely influenced my interest in fashion. Additionally, growing up in Hawaii gave me a sense of beach and life, and having made the choice to come to NY and attend FIT expanded my vision.

DM: What was your college experience like? Do you feel it gave you a solid foun-dation on which to build your business?

ZR: I would like to say FIT gave me a solid foundation. FIT is design oriented and we are taught to focus on our vision and to create it. Then applying those skills as

Estuarieseast meets west, that’s the insPiration behind estuaries swimwear. soPhisticated new york sensibilities meet the careFree sPirit oF hawaiian style in this line oF decidedly modern and chic swimsuits. desiGned by sisters zhu ru (an Fit alum) and layla chen, estuaries has Grown by leaPs and bounds since its incePtion, scorinG an eXclusive deal with intermiX earlier this year. W27 cauGht uP with ru to talk all thinGs Fit and about what’s neXt For estuaries swimwear.

I worked in the fashion industry after I graduated fine tuned my foundation in building Estuaries. It’s been about a year and a half now since we started working on Estuaries. I always wanted to create a lifestyle label.

DM: Estuaries is a joint endeavor with your sister, Layla. How do you go about balancing your life as both sisters and business partners?

ZR: Swim was perfect for both Layla and me. It takes us back in time to our younger days at the beach. We wanted to bring this to our current city life now. We always have been close as sisters. Estuaries really brought us steps further. Now we are partners as well as sisters. I think there is no better person to work than with Layla. We are very different and so our opinions meet to create a balance for Estuaries.

DM: How would you describe the Estuaries girl and how does she influence the look?

ZR: The Estuaries girl is independent and a visionary. She is a forward thinker with open senses but will never forget there is humor and sunshine in life. [Each season] we look back at who our girl is and what she will appreciate. We research about current fashion trends and tie that into swim silhouettes. Fabric selection also plays a big role on how the collection will look.

DM: Where do you see the brand in five years? Ten years?

ZR: We would like to be able to expand our label internationally. We would love to have our own store, in this way it will allow us to really portray the core image of the brand and the lifestyle.

DM: This is the Sustainability issue of W27—does the issue of sustainability or working in a "green" way play a role in your design process?

ZR: We find a lot of talent in the factories we work with and we're really happy to be

able to keep our production in the USA. We are also cut to order, which eliminates waste of material. I would love to explore sustainable fabric for collections in the seasons to come. I think that it is extreme-ly important to keep our environment in mind in what we do.

Building a Sustainable BusinessALLISON PARRIS NEW YORK:

DESIgNER SPOTLIgHT:

A pioneer in eco-friendly fashion, FIT alum and contemporary designer Allison Parris creates feminine party dresses with a conscious. Utilizing the latest in sustainable practices, Allison Parris has created a business based on “retaining moral values” and upholding environ-mentally friendly ideals. From reclaimed trimmings to organic silks, Allison Parris incorporates recycled materials in her decidedly fresh, modern designs. W27 spoke with the New York based designer about building a sustainable brand in a “fast fashion” obsessed world.

Madeline Thompson: First and foremost, what motivated/inspired you to create a sustainable collection?

Allison Parris: Just a personal belief more than any PR tactics or anything… if you can do something to be less destructive to the environment and it doesn’t affect your design or quality at all, I can't imagine why you would choose not to.

MT: In what ways do you achieve sustainability in the company?

AP: We use recycled, organic and repurposed materials a lot, produce our garments locally in NYC and generally try to reduce waste—whether it’s in how we cut the patterns, the amount of printed

materials vs. electronic, or anything else.

MT: The garments are manufactured in New York City. By locally producing garments, does it help build a more sustainable company?

AP: Definitely—something that people don’t often take into consideration is the amount of fuel it takes to ship something from China to here—it’s halfway around the world and the emissions that are released in that are staggering. Cutting out that alone is a huge step.

MT: Garments by Allison Parris New York are based around the concept of “retaining moral values” and “being able to wear beautiful, well made clothing.” In what ways do you accomplish that mission?

AP: In any way we can… we don’t have set rules on exactly how we need to go about creating this “feel good” brand, but our goal is pretty simple—it’s hard to feel good about a party dress purchase when you think about the fact that you’ve had to trample on human rights and the environment to get it, so we do everything we can to fix these negative side effects that can sometimes come about due to the garment industry. We produce here in factories where we can ensure fair labor, and we are continuously researching new

advances within the eco textile field.

MT: When selecting fabrics for the collection, what sustainable qualities do you look for? Where do you commonly source materials?

AP: Anything/everything/all over… there’s really no answer to this question since we’re open to anything new…

MT: What is the most difficult task about retaining a sustainable company?

AP: It’s not all that much more difficult to be eco… the hard part is the day to day of managing a growing company, but that would be true for any start up whether it’s eco or not.

MT: Has Allison Parris New York received any benefits for being a sustainable company? Such as brand awareness/increased productivity/employee retention?

AP: We started about five years ago when eco fashion was not a popular thing, it’s starting to gain traction today and I think we get a bit of an edge for it now, but that wasn’t always the case.

MT: Sustainability is an ongoing process. How will the developments

of sustainability influence the fashion industry? In what ways will those changes influence your company?

AP: As the sustainable textile industry develops, it follows reason that the fabrics will get to be better quality and less expensive. As they get more mainstream and competitive I think most people will switch over. No one is actively against being eco friendly, I think a lot of people still just don’t want to put in the small amount of extra effort and are too concerned with the slight difference it might make in their bottom line at this point.

MT: In what ways do you hope to improve APNY to be more sustainable?

AP: In any way we can... it’s hard to say right now since the eco fashion industry is still young and no one really knows what all the possibilities are yet!

Photo courtesy

of facebook.com/

allisonparrisllc.

Photos courtesy of

Estuaries

12 FITDEAR INDuSTRY

Thanks to a recent United States Supreme Court ruling, students can rest secure in their right to resell their textbooks once they are done using them (as very expen-sive paperweights, perhaps) at the end of each semester. Once you have finished rejoicing, you may read on to learn the story of how this right came to be in and then out of jeopardy and what this means for you.

It all started when Supap Kirtsaeng, an enterprising student attending USC, realized that he could make extra money by purchasing cheap copies of textbooks abroad and reselling them to U.S. stu-dents for a slight markup, which still amounted to far less than the cost of buying the textbooks new. (Tangential soapbox rant: Short of binding a textbook between a cover of 24k gold, there is nothing publishers can do to make

The Post-Semester Life of a Textbook:

Paperweight or Profit?by Mia Lustig

by Leah Bordenga

textbooks worth what they get away with charging! This is a classic example of how, in a country where education is understood to be the most direct path-way towards upward mobility, students are often taken advantage of.) Kirtsaeng’s small import business turned into a mutually beneficial arrangement between Kirtsaeng and the select e-commerce-savvy students looking to save on their required academic readings that he sold to via eBay. Things were going well for young Kirtsaeng—according to court doc-uments he had made roughly $100,000 in profits through this operation.

Enter textbook publishers John Wiley & Sons. Once they discovered this little operation, John Wiley & Sons filed a civil suit against Mr. Kirtsaeng for copyright infringement. Initially, Wiley won the case and a jury determined that

the student owed the publishing firm $600,000 in damages, a decision that was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Kirtsaeng appealed once again, this time in front of the United States Supreme Court, arguing that his business was protected by the “first sale” doctrine, which states: “Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106(3) [granting the owner exclusive distribution rights], the owner of a particular copy or phonore-cord lawfully made under this title . . . is entitled, without the authority of the copy-right owner, to sell or otherwise dispose of the possession of that copy or phonore-cord.” 17 U. S. C. §109(a)

The Court decided in favor of Kirtsaeng in a 6-3 vote, reversing the initial judge-ment in favor of Wiley. This decision is bigger than just textbooks—the majority opinion affirms that foreign copyrighted

items may be resold domestically at the buyer’s discretion without violating U.S. copyright law. The Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Kirtsaeng protects both consumers and businesses. On the business end, secondary markets such as Amazon, eBay and Goodwill (or any thrift shops, for all you “thrifters”) can continue to operate. On the consumer end, buyers, including students, can continue to buy second-hand items that they may not be able to afford at the full, direct-from-seller price. Now go and celebrate by selling those textbooks you bought but likely have never read (although you may want to hang on to them for finals)!

Have an art or design related legal question? Email it to [email protected] with the word “legal” in the subject line and it may become the topic of a future W27 legal column!

Walking through the Feldman Center [C Building] lobby of FIT on your way to class, you can’t help but glance over by the windows where students are sitting; every one of them has their hands bound to a smartphone or tablet. Is there really absolutely nothing else to do in the thirty minutes you wait for your next class besides stalking Facebook, Instagram or Tumblr? Or maybe they are reading and this consumption of our social-media-obsessed generation has gotten the better of our thoughts. Where is the book, that rectangular bundle of papers that you can touch and feel with your own hands—that you spend hours searching for in Barnes & Noble or the library? Have we traded flipping pages for scrolling through them with just a touch? The future of print in books and magazines has been up for discussion over the years. But don’t worry, fellow brick and mortar lovers, your local bookstore is not likely to close down just yet.

Technology provides us with so many choices in our everyday life—there isn’t just one source to get the news from. Just like we fashion students choose where we buy our clothes, we must also choose our reading sources. Having options is great, however it lessens the value of one medium to another. With apps, e-books and blogs, media is so accessible. We can purchase books on our Kindle at 3 a.m. instead of waiting until that bookstore three miles away opens at 10. Consumers

PRINT IS NOT DEAD...YET

are always looking for ways to multi-task and save time; thanks to digital print, our favorite books, fashion news and media entertainment can be searched and read in an instant. Even with the digital rise though, there are still those who might scan the web for light reading, but choose to read more text-heavy material from an actual book.

Professor Allison Leopold, FIT journal-ism professor and writer/editor, points out that many associate their computers and handheld gadgets with work. People want to sit down and relax with a book, not their BlackBerry. With that being said, when she asked her students about their reading source of choice, only three out of 27 students in the class actually own a iPad or tablet. We are not at the stage yet where everyone, students especially, owns more than one or two technological products.

While we see print declining, mostly all major publications are offered in digital. Lucky Magazine has been struggling with their pages. WWD tells us, “In the first half of the year, Lucky lost 15% of its news-stand sales, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.” Their General Manager, Gillian Gorman Round, must now find a solution through e-commerce, with no intentions of stopping print. Let’s hope turning Lucky into a multiplatform com-pany can make up for their losses. That’s

really what it’s all about these days—offer-ing your publication on every gadget.

Digital advances have created opportu-nities for expansion and growth in the editorial and publishing world, as well as improving print. David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, told CBS show This Morning that “the magazine has gener-ated 50,000 new subscriptions just on tablets, including the iPad and the Kindle Fire.” Just think of these advancements as a piece of the puzzle. The Internet serves as a great stage for excitement and insub-stantial news, keeping in mind that every-thing we read on the web is not always true. This provides value in the book, or print, which we also associate with his-tory—it bestows a sense of validity. New writers have such an advantage in that they can be seen and heard in more ways (hello bloggers), even though the end result is more than likely to be published in print.

There will always be a place for print in this digital age, but the future is unknown. Professor Leopold says, “To me, what counts is content.” As long as this generation and those to come keep reading, media will shift to suit their pref-erence and lifestyle.

13 APRIL 2013W27

by Dianna Mazzone

BEAuTY Buzz:

If your idea of the perfect Saturday is a trip to the salon to dish beauty tips and tricks with your closest friends, we’re betting you’ll have Pampadour, a new online platform focused exclusively on beauty, bookmarked in a matter of min-utes. As the brainchild of self-proclaimed beauty junkie Jennifer Hakimian and her brother-in-law Roy Hakimian, Pampadour combines the best of Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to serve as an all-inclusive destination to share, organize and discov-er beauty products online. Members (who register completely free of charge) are invited to create unique profiles to store and save “collections” comprised of their favorite cosmetics. Users may also browse Pampadour’s central feed for inspira-tion and reach out to fellow members for beauty advice and product reviews. Simply “pamp” an item to share it with friends or “adour” a post to save it to your personal profile. Before you know it, you’ll have cre-ated a user profile unique to your personal preferences. Sound like a beauty lover’s paradise? That’s because it is! W27 spoke with co-founder Jennifer Hakimian about the ins and outs of one of the world’s first beauty-centric online platforms.

Dianna Mazzone: How did the idea for Pampadour first come about?

Jennifer Hakimian: I had this idea that I wanted to do something with beauty and something with the Internet. Friends would always ask me about my lipstick and I’d have to say I couldn’t remember its name. I’d look in my bag and see the color name or number worn off. It was a series of these exchanges of, “Ooh, can you tell me what that is?” or “Where can I buy that?” that made me wish there was a way to share this, to capture this product and be able to share it with my friends. And so that’s really how the idea came about. If I could have a beauty cloud—that’s how we originally thought of it—where I could share my products with everyone.

DM: The social format allows for great dialogue between users.

Pampadour: The Internet’s Prettiest Platform

JH: I saw social networks developing—everyone just communicating on Facebook, and Twitter, so I thought it’d be great if there was a place to share beauty online. Of course there are stores where you can have your favorite products and restock, but you get it from everywhere. How do you keep that information? I wanted to have a place where not only can I store it, but that I could share it with a friend. So if someone asked me for a recommendation, I would say you know what? Let me “pamp” it to you.

DM: I have to ask—how did you arrive at Pampadour as the name for the site?

JH: We were just thinking and thinking—the name is probably the most difficult thing to come up with. It wasn’t me who came up with the name. It was Natalie, who heads our technology. She came up with Pampadour. It’s a mixture of things, pampered and adored. Adored, which is like love—it was a thing of loving and pampering. It was an ah-ha moment! It was luxurious, and with my background, half French and half Persian, it was like the French side of me. It just worked.

DM: You’ve taken cues from the best of social platforms to create the site. Which inspired you most?

JH: What I loved about Facebook was the ability to actually connect with somebody—to have that link between people. We also love the visuals of Pinterest. The beauty and the images, it’s just very inspiring. But I felt like I needed to be able to send stuff to somebody and share it with them, stored in my cloud. We also wanted to be able to deconstruct something, so if say, a makeup artist did a beautiful look, how could you then see what they used? So as Facebook has the technology with people, we did the same thing with photographs of products.

DM: Could you describe the typical Pampadour user?

JH: Basically our goal right now is to really build a community, to really get as many people on board as we can. Everyone who comes on is just really enthusiastic. It’s for people who just love beauty. It’s a mix of the college girl who’s out there exploring, who’s just looking for ideas, and professionals storing their products, sharing their wisdom. We really have a great mix of people. And some use it in different ways, but they all come together and converse with each other. It’s quite cool to have, for example, this Maybelline BB Cream come up on a post. And the discussion and what went on around it was just incredible. I hadn’t seen it anywhere else. It was really gratifying to see that the vision that we have for Pampadour is really manifesting itself.

DM: What’s next for Pampadour?

JH: Right now our beta site has been open for three weeks [at the time of the interview] and we have a little over 3,000 users and its all been by word of mouth, through our Facebook and Twitter. We’re now building brand pages for brands that want to be able to showcase their products

and connect with consumers. We’re also in the process of going mobile, which I think will be great. You’ll have access to your products, your profile. If you’re out with a friend and she asks about your lipstick, you can just say, “Oh, I’ll pamp it to you.”

Visit pampadour.com to register.

Pampadour’s website.

Courtesy of Carole Hallac

Jennifer Hakimian, Pampadour’s

CoFounder

curb appealPut the Pedal to the metal this season in cool Pastels and relaXed, slim Fit Pieces. yayi Perez creates one-oF-a-kind watercolor insPired shirts sure to leave you with a sPrinG in your steP.

PhotoGraPhers: aleX PaPakonstadinou and kevin buitraGo

stylist: Freddy rodriGuez

model: marcel FlorussShirt: Yayi by Yazmin Perez

Pants: Shipley & Halmos

Shoes: Florsheim Limited

Bracelet: Giles and Brother

Watch: Casio

Shirt: Yayi by Yazmin Perez

Pants: Shipley & Halmos

Watch: Stylist’s own

Bracelet: Giles & Brother


Jacket: Isaora

Jeans: Shipley & Halmos


Watch: Casio

Bracelet: Stylist’s own


Shorts: Venroy Sydney


Bracelet: Giles and Brother

16 FITFEATuRE

A short historyin the 21st century, sustainability is a term commonly thrown about in all asPects oF our lives: From our clothes to cars and our utilities. but rewind to 1900, and the word sustainability wasn’t on anyone’s radar. althouGh the notion oF ProtectinG the environment and creatinG sustainability has been around as early as the 1700s, a real Push For ProtectinG our environment wasn’t made until the latter halF oF the 20th century. here, a timeline to hiGhliGht key moments in the sustainability movement:

by Megan Venere

1962

Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring. The novel chronicles pesticide use in crops. The book explained how the use of these pes-ticides leads to damaging effects on both humans and animals.

1973

OPEC oil crisis begins and lasts until 1974. This event ignites the “limit-to-growth” debate.

The Endangered Species Act is passed. The U.S. becomes the first country to give legal protections to wildlife, including fish and plants.

1978

President Carter declares a federal health emergency at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York. The location is now a Superfund site.

1985

Several British and American scientists discover an ozone hole in the earth’s atmo-sphere over Antarctica.

1986

Chernobyl nuclear explo-sion releases radioactive toxins into the planetary environment.

1969

The National Environmental Policy Act is passed by Congress, which set the groundwork for assessing our environmental impact on the world. The U.S. was one of the first nations to pass such a law. At the same time as Congress established the National Environmental Policy Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created.

1970

First Earth Day is observed in the U.S., established as a way to teach about environmental issues. Approximately 20 million participated in demonstra-tions across the country.

First Clean Air Act is passed, following and expand-ing upon the Air Pollution Control Act of 1963.

1972

DDT is banned in the U.S. The Water Pollution Control Act is also passed.

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17 APRIL 2013W27

of sustainability

1987

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is put into effect to begin eliminating ozone-depleting chemicals from production processes.

1998

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is created by the U.S. Green Building Council.

1999

Dow Jones establishes their Sustainability Indexes, which allow investors to view a particular organization’s sustainable development principles.

2005

The Kyoto Protocol is devel-oped, binding countries to benchmarks to reduce greenhouse gas emis-sions. This also established the Clean Development Mechanism.

2007

Former Vice President Al Gore produces An Inconvenient Truth which alerts the public about the climate change situation. The documentary won an Oscar that year.

1992

The Hannover Principles are established as a set of guide-lines for building and design-ing that take sustainability and environmental impact into consideration.

1995

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is cre-ated, with “formal recogni-tion of trade, environment and development linkages.”

1996

ISO 14001 is adopted to set an international standard for gauging corporate environ-mental management.

2010

BP oil rig explosion leaks 25 million barrels into the Gulf of Mexico, damaging wildlife, natural habitats, the local economy and tourism.

2012

One of the first UN Millenium Development goals is achieved before the 2015 deadline. The percent-age of the world’s population who did not have access to safe drinking water is reduce by 50%.

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18 FITFEATuRE

This year’s susTainable business and design conference broughT a wide range of eco-minded experTs To John reeves greaT hall on Tuesday, april 9. all of The speakers had diverse backgrounds and views, each discussing Their own unique Take on susTainabiliTy. aTTendees were exposed To many perspecTives on The complex subJecT and received help and guidance in geTTing an up-To-daTe grasp on iT.

Starting off the conference was speaker Ethan Nichtern. Nichtern studies, practic-es and teaches Buddhist philosophy, about how individuals and groups come to live with and adapt to the truth of interdepen-dence. Nichtern explained how we need sustainability in our minds if we want sustainability in the world. He believes that there is no such thing as a singular cause, because along with one element there are many different elements that are connected. Everything is affecting every-one, and everyone is affecting everything, therefore the mind of an individual and the world are interdependent.

Nichtern spoke about three levels of practice: personal, interpersonal and collective, with emphasis on the relation-ship between the personal and collective levels. People practice meditation on the personal level to escape from the collec-tive level. The collective level—the world, is a stressful place and sometimes people need to get away in the search for inner peace. Meditation reminds us that we are a part of the world, and while meditating,

People Planet Prosperity:The Sustainable Balancing Act

by Annelie Pernling

all emotions and desires in a person’s spirit comes to the foreground. His or her mind is filled with thoughts that might not even be his or hers. Even though the person who meditates is retreating from the world, that person never meditates alone. The whole collective is brought along with the person, and the mind can end up being cluttered, just as the world can be.

“Meditation settles us down in that sense that we become more familiar and friendly with our inner Times Square,” said Nichtern.

A person’s individual mind is the center of everything, and to move towards sus-tainability we have to learn how to become connected to the world and one another. We need to learn how to be compassionate instead of selfish, and courageous instead of scared. According to Nichtern, we need to move away from the three S’s: separate, selfish and scared, and instead, move towards the three C’s: connected, compas-sionate and courageous.

Nichtern left listeners thinking about the mind and its interdependence regarding sustainability.

“There is nothing we can do to change the world right this minute, and there is noth-ing we can do to change our relationships in our mind to find inner peace right now,” Nichtern said. “We have to build these things into our lives day to day.”

“We don’t want to be the disposable society, ” declared the next speaker of the day, Assistant Vice President for Administration at FIT Rebecca Fraley-Corrado.

This bold statement grabbed everyone’s attention. She then made a comparison to stockings and remarked about how they tend to rip after only one wear. “If we can find stockings that do not rip right away, we would be better off,” she claimed. Her point was, we need product and energy sustainability. FIT is very seriously com-mitted to the cause, and Fraley-Corrado spoke about what the college has done and is doing to reduce its emissions.

In 2007, FIT entered the Mayor’s Carbon Challenge, a New York City-wide effort to reduce the city’s carbon footprint by 30% by 2030. In just four years, FIT has reduced its emissions by more than 40%. The college has been able to do so by implementing many different changes. One change has been installing new, high efficiency refrigerators, washers and dryers in the residence halls. FIT also recycles surplus inventory. Used products that the school no longer needs, such as tables and chairs, are being reused and recycled by other companies. The print service has also been improved in order to release fewer chemicals. The printers now operate via laser and can also print on demand, which saves paper and the environment.

An important step in continuing FIT’s goal of increased sustainability is the green roof that can be found on top of the Goodman Center in the E building. An extremely “green” undertaking, the roof houses vegetation and attracts wildlife in the form of birds and bugs. In addition to cooling the building down, the roof also absorbs rainwater, which goes into the col-lege’s sewer system. Another green roof is being installed on the Dubinsky Center [A

Building] and plans for more roofs to go green are in the works as well.

According to Fraley-Corrado, the changes that FIT has implemented so far have saved the school nearly $1 million a year. Many smaller-scale renovations have occurred throughout the campus, with more being planned. What is remarkable about these renovations is the materials being used. Much of it is recycled, and through it, many areas that are being ren-ovated will become more energy efficient and sustainable. For example, the ceiling materials that will be used are composed of recycled cotton, which will provide high performance sound blocking. And by renovating parts of the plumbing system, walls, floors and lightning, FIT is on its way to becoming extremely sustainable.

After Fraley-Corrado told conference attendees about the efforts on campus, a representative from the Mayor’s Carbon Challenge, Jenna Tatum, took the stage to talk further about the challenge. Tatum is the Carbon Neutral Challenge coor-dinator, Mayor’s Office of Long Term

Planning. She explained that since build-ings account for the largest footprint in the city, the Mayor’s Carbon Challenge has focused mainly on universities and hospitals. Since the challenge began, 17 universities have entered and have cut emissions by 13%. Since 2009, 11 large

hospitals have undertaken the challenge and during those three years, they have cut their emissions by 6%.

Tatum told listeners that five of their participants have already reached the 30% goal, and that FIT is chief among them. Together, the five leading achiev-ers are saving $20 million in energy costs annually.

The last speaker of the morning ses-sion was Mark Coleman, an independent sustainability strategist and management consultant. Coleman spoke generally about sustainability, giving the listener a clear view on what it really means and is.

Coleman said that we, the people on the planet, are the drivers of change. We are the sustainability generation, and we are the common denominator to a more or less sustainable world. Sustainability is about “You, me and we.” It requires all of us to collaborate on identifying and priori-tizing the needs of today. We have to stop thinking about what sustainability can do for us, but what we do for sustainability. Taking personal responsibility and action is up to every single one of us.

Unfortunately, said Coleman, sustain-ability is not easy. It is very complex and it is not static at all. As we grow and age, so do our needs and wants. We need to look at consumption as individual consumers that can support the entire society. There is no one size fits all definition of sustain-ability, which makes it difficult to grasp.

“If a financial crisis will not crush us, refusing to achieve sustainability will,” said Coleman. He continued to say that all our decisions reflect on the individual’s relationship to the earth and the society at large. All objects and materials are derived from the earth and people’s cre-ativity and designs. Our decisions decide sustainability.

“

“PART I

ETHAN NiCHTERN

MARk COLEMAN

All photos courtesy of FIT

19 APRIL 2013W27

by Dara Kenigsberg

“

“

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 marked FIT’s 7th annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference. The focus this year was on the balancing act of people, the planet, and prosperity. Each speaker conveyed the same message. The first speaker was DJ Spooky: That Subliminal Kid, aka Paul D Miller, a conceptual artist, a writer, and a performer. He has performed at venues all over the world, and has had instilla-tions at galleries on every continent. He is currently in residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where he will be the first person to, over the span of 10 months, present a series of lectures in conjunction with five performance works and pro-grams that respond to the collections that are on display at the Met. He is the first person to ever hold this position in the Met’s entire 140-year history.

Miller recently traveled to the bottom of the world to Antarctica and the South Pole and wrote a book related to his trav-els called The Book of Ice. In it, he uses propaganda art, film stills, photographs and re-appropriated archival materials to demonstrate human beings’ relation-ship with the natural world. He discusses ice core sampling and how it is an exact measure of the change that is happening to our climate. Because climate change is happening everywhere, and he uses Antarctica as a point of entry to the rest of the world, he considers how the con-tinent could liberate itself from the rest of the world. During his presentation at the conference, Miller deliberately points out that Antarctica is the only continent that does not have a government, nor is it controlled by any one nation. The book, which also contains essays, envis-ages a world where this is possible, and

Antarctica becomes the People’s Republic of Antarctica following a revolution. The book reflects on Antarctica and the cur-rent crisis that climate change is causing by looking at the history of the land itself, a vast array of cultural phenomena related to Antarctica and literature on explora-tion of the continent. The Book of Ice was part of a larger multimedia project called “TerraNova: Sinfonia Antarctica.”

Miller has long been interested in sustain-ability and how we can effect change. “The impact, the accountability that people have to our actions reflects back to our environment. If you throw a piece of plastic in the Hudson River… eventu-ally a fish will die from eating it… Every tiny fluctuation generates something called the butterfly effect.” The butterfly effect basically states that a small change or occurrence in one place or state will ultimately result in a larger change some-where else along the same linear plane.

We need to realize that the small things we are doing will later have a great impact on our environment. Instead of believ-ing that one person can’t make much of a difference, it is time to start understand-ing that everything we do now will have consequences at some point.

The next speaker was Mark Orlowski, founder and executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a special project of Rockefeller philanthropy advisors. He graduated from Williams College, earned an associates degree from Berkshire Community College, and got his master’s in nonprofit management at Harvard University. Orlowski was instrumental in executing the first grad-ing system for sustainability. The College Sustainability Report Card evaluates and grades different colleges in the United States and Canada on their efforts to be and policies implementing sustainability.

The Green Report Card has nine catego-ries with a total of 52 indicators. The cat-egories include: administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities and shareholder engagement. The grades are based on the points generated within each indicator. They are weighted equally and add up to a 4.0 GPA. From there, the score becomes an overall letter grade and that is assigned to the schools that participate. “It was me and small group of advisors and a couple of funders with a tiny bit of money, real shoestring, so we sort of decided to focus on the low-hanging fruit, the obvious stuff that could affect major change. Our report card led to dozens of institutions hiring sustainability directors, creating offices and departments of sustainabil-ity, establishing green building policies which then led into things like requiring certain LEED standards.” Started in 2007, the Green Report Card is the only com-parative assessment of its kind and has

the highest participation rate of all other programs like it.

Orlowski also heads the Billion Dollar Green Challenge, which turns potential expenses of transforming energy into high-return investments. The Billion Dollar Green Challenge urges universi-ties, colleges and a slew of other nonprofit organizations to invest $1 billion collec-tively into funds that they can manage themselves that finance energy efficiency improvements. These funds are called

revolving funds because they loan money to certain projects, which in turn pay for the loan through the money they save in the utilities budget. This is better than investing in a one-time project because there are no additional benefits beyond that project. Having revolving funds insures that there will be money for future sustainability projects.

Closing the conference were two speak-ers with positions within the fashion world. The first was Amy Hall. Hall is the Director of Social Consciousness and a member of the Leadership Forum at Eileen Fisher. The second was Meme Snell, Women’s Product Development manager at prAna. Both women dis-cussed how their companies were involved in sustainability and in making the world a greener place.

Eileen Fisher, based in Irvington, New York, is a 28 year old company with almost 1,000 employees. The com-pany and Fisher herself have long been involved with women’s and girls’ pro-grams. Recently, they launched the Ampersand Campaign, which allows cus-tomers to recycle their old Eileen Fisher clothing items by bringing them back to

Companies Making the World a Greener Place

PART I

the store. The items are then washed and fixed (if needed) and resold. This is all a part of the company’s sustainability effort. As of 2012, all silks made in their Chinese factories are BlueSign certified. This means that they are dyed and finished using fewer chemicals, less water and less energy. To achieve this, instead of treating wastewater to remove the chemicals after the fabric is dyed, the dye house removes the toxins before the fabric is manufac-tured. “It’s no longer good enough for us to be socially responsible or doing less

bad, we really have to think about healing the earth. It is kind of like that analogy when you go camping, you leave the site better than when you first arrived and this is how we are starting to think about our impact on the earth.” Even Fisher herself is saying we can’t continue taking small steps, we must take big leaps.

“PrAna is a company that makes sus-tainable, organic clothing. The company was started in 1992 and made clothing specifically for yoga and climbing, but has since evolved into a full line of both men and women’s clothing, all of which have a purpose. The company supports initiatives like wind power, fairtrade and organic cotton as well as other social and environmental programs. They are low energy and believe in doing something for someone without expecting something in return. This mantra is taken into their daily decisions. The vision of the company is to inspire healthy, mindful and free-spirited living. Like Eileen Fisher, they are BlueSign certified. 40% of the company’s 350 different styles in its Spring 2013 line are sustainable. 20% of their products have organic cotton in them, 4% have some kind of blend, 15% have a recycled polyblend, 14% are BlueSign fabrics and 4% are fairtrade. “This is how we mea-sure our success each season, and how we go forward each season.” The products are not the only thing that prAna is con-cerned with. Environmental safety, along with the safety and happiness of their workers is imperative.

Meme Snell opened by saying that “a lot of times the really small choices are the ones that have a really big impact.” This idea was a theme at the conference. Every speaker made it clear that every person counts. Even the things that we think won’t make a difference do, and so it’s time we are accountable for our actions. It is the only way we can start to effect a positive change.

Dj sPOOkY (PAUL D. MiLLER)

AMY HALL

HAUTE CULTURE

Sustainability, by definition, is the capac-ity to endure or the ability to be upheld. This is unarguably true of the Grateful Dead, a band whose legend and music live on and still permeate today’s music through various contemporary incarna-tions. The band was an integral part of counterculture through the years and cultivated a devoted following of “Deadheads” during their decades of performing. Using eclectic styles ranging from psychedelia to folk, their long impro-visations during live shows made them the pioneers of so called “jam bands.”

One of the most contemporary embodi-ments of the Grateful Dead’s sound, still touring to sold out shows, Further, is com-prised of original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh. Formed in 2009, Further borrows songs from the extensive catalog of the Grateful Dead but keeps it fresh by adding their own material and covering other performers from the 60s like Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin as well. Named after a psychedelic bus that was

graTeful deadby Georgi Dwiggins

Tuning in

used to tour America in 1964, the “fur-ther” destination of the bus represented the change from the Beatnik attitude of the 50s to the hippie counterculture mindset emerging in the 60s. The band will have a few three night runs at the Capitol Theatre this month including, 4/19–4/21, and 4/23–4/25.

Also continuing the legacy of the Grateful Dead today is Dark Star Orchestra (DSO), who began playing together as a Grateful Dead Tribute band from Chicago in 1997. The band performs entire Grateful Dead shows from history, matching the set list from the past while adding their own vocal arrangements and instrument choices. Many original members of the Grateful Dead have joined to play with DSO, as well as members of fellow jam band Phish, and other guests paying trib-ute to the enormous number of unique sets the Grateful Dead played. DSO will have their turn at the Capitol Theatre 5/9 and 5/10, before making their way to the Brooklyn Bowl on 5/13 and 5/14.

On April 7, the trio took over the stage of the sold-out Webster Hall to present some songs from their new LP, Mosquito (to be released on April 16). Even though the show was said to be a “record release con-cert,” the setlist was in fact a beautifully crafted combination of new tracks with some of the band’s good old classics.

concerT review:

yeah yeah yeahsby Francesca Beltran

Songs like “Mosquito,” “Sacrilege” (the LP’s preview song) and “Wedding Song,” which that night Karen O dedicated to her husband (and missed her entrance que), were irrefutable proof of Mosquito’s qual-ity and diversity that still encompasses the band’s punk rock soul. On the other hand, “Gold Lion” from Show Your Bones (2006) is one of the best songs played live, and “Zero” from It’s Blitz! (2009) proved to be as good and powerful as it sounds on the record. Finally, “Turn Into,” also from Show Your Bones, was without a doubt the most pleasant surprise; imagine “hope I do, turn into you,” with Karen’s velvety voice –SIGH.

Mrs. O’s ravishing performances are now legendary and this show wasn’t the exception; constantly bouncing from one side of the stage to the other, the singer proved she still has the “rock star” crown well placed on her head and that she isn’t afraid to (charismatically) show it off.

Furthermore, even though Nick Zinner (guitars) and Brian Chase (drums) have more of a low-key attitude on stage, their talent with their instruments invariably makes them both stand out, proving that they key to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ success relies equally in each one of its members.

Toward the end of the night, Zinner took out his camera and snapped some crowd photos generating a nice moment of euphoria. The 14-song main set then end-ed with “Heads Will Roll” from It’s Blitz! getting everybody in the room dancing hysterically. Rightfully considered a cult New York City band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’s legacy was clearly reinforced by the audi-ence members who showed their adoration and excitement throughout the show.

When the band returned to stage for the encore, Karen sang “Happy Birthday” to a certain Christina in the crowd. Then the

leave it to the yeah yeah yeahs to remind us all what a Good rock concert is all about. outraGeous outFits, sPittinG water, breakinG mics, a crazy-enerGized PerFormance, hard drums and mind-bloWing guitar riffs... all in one eveninG.

trio went on to play two of their most icon-ic songs from Fever To Tell (2003); “Maps,” which she dedicated to the audience, and “Date With The Night” that ended with O repeatedly smashing her microphone on the floor, leaving every little sweaty soul in the room wishing for more.

Photo courtesy of Francesca Beltran

Photo courtesy of stereogum.com

21 APRIL 2013W27

The Tragedy of King Arthur By William Shakespeare, written by Arthur Phillips and directed by Jordan Reeves, is an adap-tation from Phillips’ critically acclaimed book, The Tragedy of Arthur. In this five-act history play, a man conveniently named Arthur (Jacques Roy) inherits from his dead father a supposedly authen-tic Shakespeare play that contains the true story of Britain’s King Arthur from the Bard’s point of view.

Far from sticking to the truths and well-known myths surrounding the tale of King Arthur and his knights of the round table, the story really focuses on a man’s attempt to overcome his skepticism by allowing the one-of-a kind manuscript to be published. In order to do this, Arthur first needs to forgive his father, a

The Tragedy of King arThur By William

ShaKeSpeareby Francesca Beltran

convicted swindler, and let go of his many grudges against him.

Intertwining the current life of Arthur with scenes taken from the text, the play goes back and forth between Arthur’s complicated relationship with his father, and a story of epic war, love, courage and honor. With the help of his sister (Sarah Hankins) and five other sympathetic characters, Arthur tries to cast away the doubts surrounding the text’s origins. However, the task becomes increasingly difficult as similarities between the text and his life continue to appear, reinforc-ing his idea that the text is another one of his father’s many frauds.

What begins as a light, humorous play, slowly but surely transforms into heavy, lengthy scenes composed of

one-too-many monologues and long lines in Shakespeare’s English (ZZZZZZ). The very intricate language and the few characters playing all those roles on a small stage, ultimately results in a bit of confusion, particularly for those who are not familiar with (or interested in) King Arthur’s story. On the other hand, those

TheaTer review:

who are familiar with it may be a tad disappointed by the absence of Lancelot, Morgan, Merlin, Excalibur and some other key components of the epic tale.

The play however, is not devoid of insight and entertaining moments thanks largely to the great performances given by all the players. “Does our birth decide our destiny?” seems to be one of the central questions and Phillips, with the help of his characters, does a great job in pointing the audience towards an answer.

The Tragedy of King Arthur By William Shakespeare is presented by The Guerrilla Shakespeare Project, and is now showing at TGB Theatre (312 West 36th Street, 3rd Floor). For more information about the play visit guerrillashakespeare.org.

Photos courtesy of The Guerilla Shakespeare Project

22HAUTE CULTURE FIT

a place Beyond The pineS

faShion a To Z: an illuSTraTed dicTionary

by Fernanda DeSouza

film review:

book review

Director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) welcomes us to the upstate New York town of Schenectady (the Iroquois translation for the film’s title), which has been left pure and untouched by the outside world. But beyond the pines, problems brew for motorcycle stunt driver Luke Glanton (Gosling) as he discov-ers that a past fling with the small town girl Romina (Eva Mendes) resulted in the birth of his otherwise unknown son. Luke steps up to the job and decides to stay in town and provide for his child. But when he fails to cash in enough money to do so, he turns to robbing banks with a local mechanic and speeding away on his motorcycle.

The performances delivered by Gosling and Cooper are, needless to say, riveting. Here we are exposed to masculinity at its finest from two different characters that we have not seen on screen in years. Gosling is reminiscent of James Dean, vulnerable, lost and childlike at times, yet maintaining this cool persona through grungy clothes, chain smoking and a body dripping with the most tattoos in movie history (including the face tattoo Gosling reportedly regretted). Cooper portrays a cop who is shrouded by guilt (perhaps a

look into the broken systems of the police force in this country?) and who strug-gles to cope with his job and conniving co-workers, but who later evolves into a charismatic lawyer bidding for the district attorney seat. The bare, forest-filled set-ting is perfect, as it allows room for such a story between two contrasting power-houses to bloom and burst.

Don’t expect to be let out of the cinema for a good while. Cianfrance splits the movie into a triptych, depicting Gosling’s story, Cooper’s story and their sons’ stories separately. The choice of linear chronology in Pines may have been bold, as Cianfrance uses each break effec-tively to portray his artistry in narrative, something we previously witnessed in Blue Valentine. The tension Cianfrance builds between Gosling and Cooper is

Photos courtesy of Focus Features

This is not your average dictionary. For everyone from the fashion savvy trend-setters to the average sweatpants clad college drudge; this illustrated guide gives you a look into the progressive history of clothing and style. Fashion A to Z, by Alex Newman and Zakee Shariff touches on every stitch, medium and process pertain-ing to garments and textiles, along with a short history of each, giving meaning to some of the foreign fashion-lingo you hear floating around the halls at FIT.

by Emilie Schwenk

electrifying, despite both actors shar-ing the screen for a brief moment in the movie.

This is a story of redemption, familial issues, a story of the relationship between fathers and sons and the social responsi-bilities that each carry. An action packed drama that tugs at our heartstrings, something we don’t often see in between gunshots and blaring police sirens. You will leave shocked, perhaps touched more so than you expected upon entering the theater. You may hold your breath once in a while (don’t forget to breathe, we know Gosling and Cooper are to die for). You might cry. Then you should call your father to assure him of the ample appre-ciation you have for him...but then again, that is just a suggestion.

Complemented by the illustrations of artist Zakee Shariff, this book at the very least can serve as a reference guide for anyone who has wondered about the story, terminology, craftsmanship and technology involved in today’s fashion industry. With fool-proof facts and memo-rable illustrations, Fashion A to Z can make the most antiquated slob into a fashion expert, or at least brazen enough to impress those Fashion Design majors at the cool table.

Photos courtesy of Laurence King Publishing

23 APRIL 2013W27

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time? Well, the New Museum does just that. It’s newest exhibition “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star” offers a collective recollection that documents a particular time in a ravishing and up-and-coming art scene in New York City throughout the 90’s. The crowded exhibition was essen-tially a time capsule full of art antiques saved up and brought together from the past to reproduce a year worth remember-ing. So, hop into your time machine, and take a trip back to the compelling year of 1993.

Walk up and down the stairs, across each floor, and find yourself either amused or completely disturbed. The visceral emo-tional reaction that 1993’s historic events spark are more memorable than the art itself. “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star” draws its subtitle from the signature 1993 album by New York’s Sonic Youth, and demonstrates the intersection between music, art, pop culture and politics.

“I think that the New Museum’s ‘NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set and No Star’ exhibition fearlessly pinpoints the height of social, economical and global contro-versy through the eyes of people whom these issues were affecting. ‘NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set and No Star’ displays how art and the world are not separate entities. This exhibition is a visual rep-resentation of how the critical debates of 1993 are still very much the debates of 2013,” stated Katherine Dibella, a Fine Arts Major.

The fifth floor contains the most con-temporary and relevant pieces in the whole show. As history repeats itself, the bulk of the works chosen reflect the tensions of twenty years ago, such as the terror of AIDS, and reflect the motifs being explored by contemporary artists in the fickle art world today. The exhibi-tion turns a different table when focus-ing on works not many would even feel

nyc 1993 aT new museum

by Marissa Mule

exhibiTion review:

comfortable looking at. The broad take on the New York art scene that the exhibit displays, allows the viewer to recognize the discomfort and distress of those living in the 1993 era, even if they were born after.

“The New Museum’s exhibit, 1993, was something new. Yes, at times the artwork was a little weird—but a good weird—an eye catcher,” said another Fine Arts major, Hamoi Floyd.

“NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star” is so awe-inspiring that it allows the audience to react in a variety of different ways. Whether the exhibit makes you sad, happy, disturbed or even uncomfortable, the exclusive art of 1993 is truly something to take in—to look at and become involved with—to understand its history and meaning.

So, if you’re willing to leap out of your comfort zone, take a trip down memory lane, or just a trip down the Bowery to the New Museum, and experience the nostal-gic year of 1993.

NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is on view at the New Museum at 235 Bowery until May 26, 2013.

Photography by Marissa Mule

24HAUTE CULTURE FIT

ouTside your borough:

long island ciTy

If you’ve been to Long Island City and read The Great Gatsby, you will come to realize that it is the spitting description of Fitzgerald’s City of Ashes, or the real thing itself. The Long Island Rail Road train tracks cut through loud avenue intersections. Roads veer off into high-ways and most street corners lack walk-ing signs. Needless to say, it may not be your cup of tea. But don’t let the stark-ness be a turnoff, especially if you visit it on a rainy day, like I did. Long Island City is the westernmost neighborhood of Queens, bordering Astoria and the East River. It is also home to Silvercup Studios, where multiple shows such as Gossip Girl are filmed (who would have thought Blair Waldorf would ever step foot into Queens?).

But if you overlook the roaring trains and cars, Long Island City will open up and not seem so bad and industrial. You will find a little slice of Paris in this neighbor-hood as you jump off the Vernon-Jackson stop on the 7 train. Café Henri sits quietly across the street from the subway and you wouldn’t take it for a fancy, over the top French brasserie. Because it’s not. Café Henri is a quaint café with polished red tables, Drucker chairs, a touch of yellow on the walls and blue-accented doors and counter spaces. We luckily enjoyed a quiet brunch in what otherwise seemed like a bustling restaurant. The music was good (indie playlist) but you easily start to forget Miike Snow playing in the background and concentrate on the plate of food in front of you. I haven’t had such great eggs Benedict since I was vacationing in Miami five years ago. The Hollandaise sauce was spot on. We finished our meal with a Nutella crepe and, with great

by Fernanda DeSouza

service and satisfied stomachs, we left Café Henri ready to tackle the dreary downpour.

Long Island City felt like Paris for a few minutes but it quickly turned into Chelsea. Galleries and art spaces in LIC vastly outnumber those of the other neighborhoods in New York City. Around the corner and up a few blocks from Café Henri, you will run into an old Romanesque Revival building that houses MoMA’s cousin, MoMA PS1. Despite hav-ing previously been a public school, the interiors of the much empty museum and white walls gave off a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest feel. We unfortunately chose a bad time to attend, as multiple exhibits were in the middle of installation. PS1 promises to be a better experience dur-ing the summer season when it holds its Warm Up music series where attendees gather in the outside courtyard. A small bookstore with quirky books—competi-tion to Chelsea’s Printed Matters perhaps, and the M. Wells Dinette, filled with com-munal tables and chalkboards depicting the menus that sporadically change are also inside the museum. But note to self, don’t expect to be treated too nicely at MoMA PS1. Art snobs do exist, and you’ll find them in their natural habitat here.

[Carefully] cross the street and face the infamous 5 Pointz: The Institute of Higher Burning. First established in 1993 by Pat DiLillo under a program called Graffiti Terminators that was established to discourage “graffiti vandal-ism,” this outdoor art exhibit space may be the only legal graffiti “canvas” in New York. Aerosol artists from all over the world have left their tags on the façade of this old factory building—Biggie Smalls’s head being a favorite. And if you don’t feel like walking around the perimeter of the space, look out your window on the 7 train on your way into Queens, as you will get a great view of the artwork. But beware—don’t start filming your next music video or shooting your Outfit of the Day blog post in front of the building without consulting the owners inside, as 5 Pointz is very strict and requires per-mits to utilize the artists’ works.

Photography by

Fernanda DeSouza

25 APRIL 2013W27

monTh in reviewby Ashley Mungo

obama begins second Term

wiTh middle easT diplomacy

Just a few weeks ago, President Obama made a historic trip to the Middle East, focusing on Israel, the biggest ally to the United States in that region. Relations between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been strained and the Obama adminis-tration hoped his trip would ease some of that tension. Obama proved himself a leader equipped to deal with the issues of the region, specifically the ongo-ing Arab-Israeli conflict between Israel and Palestine. While overseas, he urged young Israelis to lead the push for peace in the region. Many Palestinians felt that Obama, while often expressing strong support for an independent Palestinian state, didn’t push strongly enough for their cause.

While in the region, Obama first stopped in Israel to prove that America is a truly supportive ally. Obama made huge prog-ress on some accords while in Israel, as he successfully persuaded Prime Minister Netanyahu to apologize to the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for deadly actions by Israel during a 2010 raid on a Turkish ship. He also gave his most important speech in Jerusalem to a crowd of more than 2,000 in which he stated that the youth of Israel should empathize with their neighbors in Palestine, by “look[ing] at

the world through their eyes.” He also made a stop to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where he urged Palestinians to talk to Israel even if they don’t meet all of their demands, especially the crucial one of stopping Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories.

President Obama ended his trip to the Middle East with a stop in Jordan, where he treated himself to a tour of the ancient city of Petra before heading back to the United States. What is clear from President Obama’s trip is that he was able to stabilize the strong relations between the United States and Israel, giving Israel a sense of security in the unstable region due to the Arab Spring and Iran’s nuclear program. What the trip did not do was resolve the longstanding conflicts between Palestine and Israel. The future of Palestine is still highly uncertain.

supreme courT hears doma and prop 8

During the first week of April, marriage equality hit the forefront when two cases were heard in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The cases were pertaining to two important laws that affect marriage equal-ity: the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which is a federal law stating that same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, and Proposition 8, the California law banning same-sex marriage.

To understand the immense impact that overturning these laws will have on same-sex couples in the United States, it’s important to understand the laws them-selves. DOMA is a federal law signed by President Clinton in 1996 (which he now expresses regret over) that restricts federal marriage benefits to only “traditional” couples consisting of a man and woman. Section 3 of this law states the non-recog-nition of same-sex marriage for all federal purposes, including insurance benefits, social security, immigration and the filing of joint tax returns. Currently the Obama administration has deemed Section 3 unconstitutional and, though they will continue to enforce the law, they will no longer defend it in court. DOMA will be

affected if Section 3 is deemed unconsti-tutional by the Court, as same-sex couples that are legally marriage in states that recognize same-sex marriage will have access to benefits that only heterosexual couples have enjoyed until now.

The second law that came before the Supreme Court is Proposition 8, the law that California passed banning same-sex marriage in the state. Same-sex marriage was legalized in California in June 2008 due to a ruling by the Supreme Court of California, but was then overturned by Prop 8 the following November. Therefore, California is unique because they do not continue to grant same-sex couples marriage licenses due to the pas-sage of Prop 8, but recognize the ones that were granted before Prop 8 was passed. In 2010, a federal district court declared the ban unconstitutional, which opponents then appealed to bring the case to the Supreme Court.

The hearings are now over and the Supreme Court has until June to make a decision on both cases. There are nine justices that will rule on this decision, with many believing that Justice Anthony M. Kennedy will hold the decisive vote. At this point, analysts believe that the Supreme Court will most likely deem Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional, allowing federal benefits to same sex couples. With Prop 8, however, the out-come is less clear, leaving many on both sides of the debate to worry about how the Supreme Court will decide.

Photo courtesy of change.org

Photo courtesy of The Washington Post

FiT sPEAks

iT’s QUOTABLE

Don’t lie. You memorized most, if not all, of the slogans Don and his team have come up with in the past five years. Lucky Strike’s “It’s toasted,” Hilton Hotel’s “How do you say hamburger in Japanese? Hilton,” Mohawk Airlines’, “There’s a new chief in the sky,” or Belle Jolie’s “Mark Your Man.” Let’s not forget the most beau-tiful piece of television occurred in the finale of season one where Don delivers the Carousel speech to Kodak. Had me in tears and browsing eBay for my own projector. And when it’s not the slogans, we look to the more profound quotes that have popped up in previous seasons.

WHY MAD MEN MATTERSby Fernanda DeSouza

can i Get a thank God uP in here? waitinG one year and chanGe For the new season Premiere was very diFFicult because other than game of thrones and girls,

television just isn’t the same without don draPer and his GanG oF coPywritinG Fiends. so let’s take a steP back and aPPreciate all the liFe lessons the ladies and

Gentlemen oF sterlinG cooPer draPer Pryce have tauGht us and only hoPe For more in the season to come or else my liFe will sPiral down into

a dark and chaotic abyss and leave me questioninG what would draPer do? (#wwdd iF you want to start that on twitter.)

“You want some respect? Go out there and get it for yourself” (S4E9). “Being with a client is like being in a marriage. Sometimes you get into it for the wrong reasons, and eventually they hit you in the face” (S1E10). “But that’s life. One minute you’re on top of the world, the next min-ute some secretary’s running you over with a lawn mower”(S3E3). My favorite though? “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation” (S3E2). And I’ll admit to having used that in a cover letter when applying for a copywrit-ing internship. Did it work? Probably not, I never heard back. Regardless, the genius writers of the show have basically compiled a collection of How To Make It in the World quotes—AMC Network should pitch that to a publishing com-pany—for us to live by. They are not only applicable in the advertising world but also to “real” life itself.

iT’s FAsHiONABLE

Yeah, I went there, FIT. Fashion. The fashion we see in the show makes me want to cry: 1. For its beauty and quality 2. Because we no longer have the luxury of beautifully made clothes when everything is being mass-produced in China—unless we are willing to pay a pretty penny for the “Made in USA” label and 3. It is a constant reminder of the disgrace that has happened to fashion today (booty shorts are so Miami Ultra, get over it girls!). Call me old school, but that hint of elegance has gone down the drains. My secret is to go to the Plaza Hotel for high tea to pull off this sort of wardrobe choice. Ignore the looks walking down the street in a Betty Francis outfit; everyone loves to dress up and Halloween shouldn’t be the only time you get to do it!

iT’s FiT

There isn’t a moment when I’m sitting in a marketing class where I’m not think-ing… “I wonder if they were like Don in their heyday…” I begin to associate my

professors to the characters of the show. Were they a Harry Crane media guy or a Kenny Cosgrove writer-on-the-side-guy? Or maybe she started off as a secretary and pulled a Peggy Olson? Now you’re going to enter your next copywriting or brand management class analyzing your professor. Professors, if you get funny looks from your students, I apologize in advance.

iT HELPED ME PAss

I’m going to flat out say it. Half of the marketing books I was required to order—books I never ended up read-ing unless professors threatened us with weekly quizzes—sat on my desk, neglected and dusty. I didn’t start watch-ing Mad Men until the end of freshman year of college. By that time, the show had been a hit for three years. But I couldn’t ask for a better time to start following it. Three-hour lectures on how to communi-cate effectively with your target audience, doing SWOT analyses and finding a way to brand your image comes in through one ear and leaves out the other. I’m not saying the professors are boring, the sub-ject just can be dense and the attention span of a human is 45 minutes, so you can’t blame us for feeling a little dazed and numb after three hours have passed. So I made up for my lack of attention in

class when I bought my Netflix subscrip-tion and watched it all unfold before my eyes. Every pitch and every client dilem-ma—it is all there in those episodes. It was like having an internship without getting out of bed. A shout-out to the boys who handle accounts (that’s you Pete Campbell, you sly dog) for teaching me all about budgets because clearly, numbers

aren’t my thing. I wonder if AMC Network is willing to hash out diplomas and if those would be legitimate when applying for a job at Ogilvy & Mather…?

iT TAUGHT ME TO DRiNk

Never would have picked up a glass of whiskey without the help of Don Draper. You wouldn’t understand abusive alcohol consumption until you’ve seen the men and woman (Peggy) of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Don’t believe me? Go on Netflix and see for yourself. Time doesn’t seem to matter—whether it’s a glass of champagne in the morning to celebrate landing Mohawk Airlines, six martinis during a client luncheon at 1 p.m., or a neat whiskey (followed by pack of ciga-rettes) after lunch. I’m happy to say the show has not encouraged me to pick up smoking, but it has taught me to appreci-ate an old fashioned like no tomorrow. I’ve come to almost prefer savoring a drink whenever I’m out then shot-gunning a beer (poking a hole through a beer can and chugging. Yeah, some of us do that, professors). Jon Hamm looks too irre-sistible siping his elixir of life—because that’s ultimately what alcohol becomes to him and his colleagues. Luckily, I have not acquired an alcoholic dependency but I recently spoke to other Mad Men fans at a premiere party who have admitted to reach-ing for a drink (or cigarette) every time one of the characters drink in the show. Is that psychological advertising or what?

But don’t worry, I’m very much legally 21 and have the opportunity to channel my inner Draper on Friday nights after a long week.

27 APRIL 2013W27

Its official, the entirety of what was once known as my social life has been dis-carded and instead has been replaced by a series of apps that rest on the third row down on my iPhone. The invasion began in 2009 with my first BlackBerry, the combination of instant Facebook access and an unlimited data plan, (which I no longer have, and to be honest I’m still very much disgruntled with Verizon about it) lead to a long term addiction that I am still coping with. Unfortunately, with the new app Tinder now taking over what was once known as my romantic life, there seems to be no hope for me in sight. I am now completely dependent on my phone, but I think I’m ok with that.

As an introverted person living in New York City, I often find myself dividing my time between when I am social and when I can have downtime to sit by myself and not have to talk to anyone. Most of my social time is usually taken up during classes and when I am at work. When I am on the job, which happens to be as a sales associate in a tourist-centric loca-tion, I have to collect almost all of my energy and focus it on performing well and making sure the store is doing well. It sucks me dry and leaves me exhausted, therefore downtime is a must. This leaves little to no time for me to be social outside of school and work, thus rendering my

I’m sure that as the students of a half art school most of you are aware of weed smoking much in the style of Workaholics, accompanied with cheap food, beer and slow-mo Trap music moves, as well as the brain-sucking sounds of dubstep aka alien sex. However, I am here to speak about the God of all mixed sounds, Moombahton. It is no secret that music in general affects your mood, I’ve read numerous articles on how metal, for example, makes people aggressive while classical seems to have a calming effect; duh right?

I’m sure many of you ask yourselves what kind of music is best for the particu-lar project at hand, what will inspire? Although I might not have the absolute answer to this question because music is relative, I can offer what I consider to be uplifting sexy beats. Unlike the numb-ing and chaotic sounds of many modern music mixes, Moombahton is different in that it combines the energy and power of

My Love Life Has Gone Viral

by Richard Gilmartin

love life completely void of any attention.

The brilliance of social media apps is that I am now so addicted that it is something I can do in passing. I check Facebook and Twitter, but it’s just to get my fix. Tinder is set up in the same way so while I sit on it, I am passively just rating photos, and anonymously at that! Might as well be totally honest and express how you really think if you can’t hurt anyone, right?

The problem here, however, is that I have trained myself to just continuously swipe to the right, indicating that I enjoy the physical features of the potential lover. Many times I find myself racing to see how many connections I can make in a day. It’s become a game to men. Factors such as racing to find the oldest match (here’s looking at you, cougars) to com-ing up with outrageous pickup lines have become a main source of entertainment. Some of my very best have been known to find their way to the Internet, only to be found about a week or so later by myself while searching for new blogs to read.

What I think is most addicting about this new app is that not only am I able to pas-sively enjoy it, but I also have the opportu-nity to be social if I choose to in a secured way where essentially almost no bad can come from the situation. That is, unless of

course, you are me and you use it as more of a game than a potential way to meet the ultimate love of your life. After all, you are just connected based off of looks, who’s to say you would actually enjoy that person’s

Introducing MoombahtonKeepin’ Your Creative

by Giovanna Spica

electro house with the sensual baby-mak-ing tempo of reggaeton.

Now as movie-like and crazy as this advice is going to sound, I strongly suggest you all skip your next class, go get new speakers, run to your apartments, go on YouTube and pull up:

Ω Diplo & GTA—“Boy Oh Boy”

Ω Moomba Blasta! Exclusive Moombahton Minimix Vol. 1 by D!RTY AUD!O

Chances are something inside of you will explode. Remember the feeling, control it, harvest it, then go Goku energy blast all over whatever you’re working on. Just like trying a new workout makes you aware of muscles you never even knew you had, new music will make your body move in ways you wouldn’t have imagined. Seriously, listen to the songs. Adios ami-gos, check out next month’s column.

Photography by Jessica Farkas

sTYLE ON 27

sPrinG has awoken From its deeP slumber, and students have been sPotted welcominG the seasonal chanGe with a chanGe in wardrobe. shades oF turquoise, maGenta, yellow and Forest Green juXtaPosed aGainst the traditional new yorker’s uniForm oF all black and layers indicates that warm weather is almost here. W27 asked students what they do to Promote sustainability in their daily lives.

Hailey Steed | FMM | 4th year | Recycles

Rachel Alley | FMM | 1st year | Wears her mom’s old clothes

Carissa Randazzo | Advertising and Marketing | 1st year |

Recycling

Kayla Johnson | FMM | 1st year | Uses reusable water bottle

April Bennett | FFM | 1st year | Uses reusable water bottles

David Cappella | Textiles Surface Design | 3rd year | Rides a

bike

Melissa Tolve | Fine Art | 1st year | Uses reusable water

bottles

Courtney Skeen | Photography | 1st year | Been a vegetarian

for 7 years

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April 2013

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