Race Plays an Important Role in Japanese Magazines Too

Europe and the US aren't the only ones dealing with featuring the right type of models based on their ethnicity.

Generally speaking, in Japan, as a magazine becomes more "high" fashion, the amount of Japanese ancestry in their models decreases.


Magazines for the everyday girl in Japan tend to feature full or close to full Japanese models to remain as true to reality as possible, so that readers can easily relate to the models they see and picture themselves in these outfits. Examples: CanCam and Popteen


High fashion magazines speak to women with a penchant for European luxury brands. To keep the focus on European/Western luxury, Caucasian models are used to reinforce legitimacy.
Examples: Spur and Vogue Nippon


Read more about this specific topic here and also explore that website for more excellent readings on Japan's consumer and media trends.

Italian Vogue All Black Issue Countdown

Please read Cathy Horyn's article and her accompanying blog post about the upcoming All Black issue of Italian Vogue.

If you don't have time to read either, here's my rundown:

-Available in Europe next Thursday and soon after in the US (Though for Hawai'i folks it might take longer because I went to Border's the other day and they only had the May issue.)

-Shot by Steven Meisel, makeup by Pat McGrath, hair by Guido Palau

-Featuring Iman, Naomi Campbell, Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, Toccara Jones, and Tyra Banks, to name a few

-The editor of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, says that her inspiration for an all black issue comes from Barack Obama and the "lack of diversity seen on the runways," among others.

-While it is not the case for all mentioned, the lack of diversity within the industry stems from modeling agencies unwillingness to find and properly train nonwhite models and advertisers, magazine editors, and designers unwillingness to hire nonwhite models

What really touched me about the article was that Barack Obama was one of the inspirations behind this issue. I find it amazing that him running for President has helped open new doors for black and other nonwhite models in the fashion industry. His appeal is so far reaching that it has even reached Italian Vogue before American Vogue. Aahh... I can't even describe how incredible I think this is!

I can't wait for this issue to come out, and judging by the first photos released, it is going to be a visual feast for my eyes!

Yves Saint Laurent 1962 Video

Found this video at The Moment and wanted to share it not only to commemorate the passing of one the greatest designers, but to also show how the fashion industry has since changed.

I found Edmonde Charles-Roux's comments to be very insightful into some of the fashion industry's mentalities during the 60s:

But nothing can be copied... nothing that's good can be copied.

The future of fashion? Ready-to-wear? No. It'll always be creation, the creation of haute couture that ready-to-wear can use.

How times have changed! Today, brands 'borrow' inspiration from the high fashion designers - some blatantly, some plain ugly, some I kind of like - and knock-off designer handbags are a thriving industry in itself.

As for the haute couture industry, I don't have any hard facts, but it's not hard to see that haute couture today doesn't dictate the fashion trends as much as it did forty years ago. Ready-to-wear takes it inspiration from a vast assortment of sources, from all directions in the fashion chain, including street fashion.

In contrast to Edmone's comments, the mid 60s was also a time where styles were becoming much simpler (think shift dresses) and therefore, much easier to copy. Additionally, this was a time where trends were being set from all types of designers (think Mary Quant).

Extending the LV's

WWD reports that Louis Vuitton is offering a 'soundwalk' of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing by three local celebrities, for a reasonable Louis Vuitton price of $17. The audio tour guide is available June 16 here and comes out in conjunction with the approaching Beijing Olympics.

Wow - and not to the price - but to their marketing and business skills! I would love to be a fly on the wall at their meetings and get to hear them talk about expanding in the Middle East and creating special products for traditional Indian women.

I recently read The Cult of the Luxury Brand, and remember that Louis Vuitton was a constant example of a luxury goods company succeeding internationally. They are such a crazy, ahead of the game brand. They seem to always be jumping on things when they're not even on the radar. And, that talent and ability to swoop in and capture new markets is what makes them one of the top brands in the world - in sales and recognition. I think that doing this audio guide for China, especially with local celebrities and not 'Western' celebrities, will reach out to the local customers well because it brings them closer to the celebrity, their hometown, and most importantly, to the brand. For tourists, this is a nice treat to get a Louis Vuitton produced product with some history and culture attached. Genius.

While Louis Vuitton has never really been an aspirational brand for me, I definitely admire their business skills!

Illict Trade

After watching Illicit: The Dark Trade on PBS, I walked away feeling very unsatisfied with what our world is offering and instilling into the minds of the impressionable.

I know my feelings are huge generalizations, but it’s incredibly sickening to see all the corruption that takes place around the world and how greed clouds the hearts of these people.

Those in developing and undeveloped countries know no other way of life. They don’t know their rights, they don’t know what else the world has to offer them… all they want to do is survive and take care of their family. Those involved in the illicit market take these people’s hopes and dreams and exploit them. These unknowing individuals then live through life thinking that they have no other choice. As one man in the video put it, “If you don’t sell drugs, how can you eat?”

So, how do we reverse this problem that has become all encompassing?

With extensive and extremely intricate networks that carry out these illegal trades, it’s quite simply hard to just say, “Stop.”

By no means do I have the knowledge or background to propose a solution to this problem. But, I do believe that change can happen by educating those at the bottom of the chain – the consumers, the laborers, the jobbers, the buyers. Most of us don’t know where our money goes when we buy a knock-off Prada bag, pirated DVD’s, and even as the video mentioned, kidneys. The laborers and the in between workers sometimes do not know what they are making or the extent of the pain they are inflicting across the world. By taking away the customers, who will buy their products? By taking away the laborers, who will make their products? And with no one buying and no products, where will these people get their money from?

We are not perfect, so I know that this world will never be perfect.

But, we are all equal and deserve to be treated so.