table of contents
2 Editor’s Letter 22 Switzerland is the Image of
A word from the editor
3 What Is This?
A quick explanation of sustainable
fashion and the personal project
4 Out With the New, In With the
Old
A look into the rise of vintage
culture
6 Vibe Check
These are the trends we loved in
2019
8 Starlet Scarlett
An interview with actress Scarlett
Earls
12 BuJo with Karina Yang
Meet Greener Bujo, Karina Yang’s
Personal Project
14 Light and Layering
Playing with lighting and layering
down at the DIA
Sustainability
Tanvi Anand explains the greener
way of life in the Alps
24 There Is No Planet B
Analyzing an image from the
Detroit Climate Strike
26 The Unity After Separation
Life and lights at the El Paso
Border told by writer Jese Garcia
28 A Prickly Situation
Lenna Peterson is reviving the
Conant Garden
31 I Found $40 Dior
What resale is, plus our best finds
this year
32 Savitri Op Ed
Savitri Anantharaman on the role
of labor in sustainable fashion
36 Street Creds
A photo editorial on streetwear
43 That’s My Type!
A guide to the fonts in this issue
1
 FRIDAYS VOL. 1

editor’s
letter
I have this unhealthy obsession with fashion. In fact, it is something I am
known pretty well for. Every morning starts with a crisis as I dig through my
closet, looking for eclectic pieces to put together. Every day ends with me
lying in my bed, scrolling through the endless beauty of outfit inspiration
on Instagram. Fashion has this way of making people feel things, whether
it be love, fear, disgust, or confidence. For people that love it, wearing
something that makes you feel good can change the way you act. On test
days, I try to dress even better than usual because it makes me feel more
confident that I’ll ace my assessments.
WHAT IS
SUSTAINABLE
FASHION?
Fashion is terribly destructive. If it were a country, its carbon footprint would be third in
the world. As we have turned to cheaper options for clothing, fast fashion retailers like
Zara and Forever 21 have grown. Yet, there is a deeper price we pay for low cost clothing.
Materials are cheap and made of unsustainable plastics that fall apart quickly. Factory
workers are paid next to nothing while working in deadly conditions. Our constant need
to keep up with trends and replace low-quality clothing creates a continuous cycle where
we unsustainably purchase more and more. In order to improve the lives of garment
workers and save our planet, sustainable fashion is on the rise. Sustainable fashion uses
eco-friendly materials and humane labour to help produce clothing or accessories. While
the costs for items usually run higher than their fast fashion counterparts, the pieces last
longer, leading to a better investment in the long run.

Yet, fashion is a double-edged sword. Especially in a school like mine, what

you wear can make statements about your economic wellbeing. We try to
fit in by buying expensive shoes or keeping up with the ever-changing tide
of fashion trends. Sometimes, we begin to value logos over the actual
aesthetic of a piece. As a result, when someone cannot afford the hefty
investment of a designer item, they turn instead to the vast market of fakes
or fast fashion. With our need to constantly buy more and more clothing,
the fashion industry has become a stronghold for environmental and
WHAT IS THE
human destruction.

The quality of the clothing most of us wear has gone down as we have
begun to choose quantity over quality. We’re all guilty of this! In fact, I feel
like it is something that fashion-lovers do persistently. In our effort to mimic
what we see on the runway and on social media, we seek for dupes. In fact,
I just bought this dress from a fast fashion retailer because I didn’t want to
pay the heftier price tag of a sustainably made dress. But as trendsetters, I
believe that we have a duty to promote sustainable fashion. That’s why I
wanted to create Fridays. For me, Fridays have always been the day that I go
shopping with friends, do a photoshoot, or take the time to design
something. This is the way Fridays are for a lot of us. Through photoshoots
and editorials, Fridays hopes to change that special day of the week into
one that is sustainable. Along with fashion, I also love photography and
graphic design. It was so much fun for me to create this magazine. I hope
you like it just as much as I do.
Heather Chen
Editor in chief
PERSONAL
PROJECT?
Fridays is the personal project of Heather Chen. Because the Bloomfield Hills School
District is part of the International Baccalaureate, all students in the 5th through 10th grade
are part of the Middle Years Program, or MYP. The MYP offers an alternative approach to
individualized learning. As the program comes to an end in tenth grade, all students must
complete an MYP Personal Project. This project, only limited by the imagination of the
student, is an accumulation of the education gathered in the MYP. Reiterating the
emphasis on individualized curriculum, it’s parameters are defined by each student. The
overarching guidelines consist of the following: one must research a topic, one must record
their findings/work in a process journal, one must create some sort of product over the
course of several months, one must create measurable success criteria that may be used
to track progress, and one must write an essay about the process and product of their
project. At the end of this extensive process, each student gives a presentation to a judging
panel. For their process, product, and essay, students receive a score on the MYP scale.

2 3
 FRIDAYS
out with
the new,
T
he dream of the modern teenage
bedroom is the image of an Urban
Outfitters lookbook; it’s a room lined
with polaroids and instant cameras, with a
in with
Crosley record player, next to a closet full of
mom jeans and vintage tees. We live in an
age where modern pop culture is
overwhelming in how we can immerse
ourselves into it. With our constant access
and exposure to the internet and the social
media platforms, our lives have become so
dependent on our devices. We are so
constantly connected to the people and
world around us, whether we like it or not.
In a time where our lives seem to be
moving faster and faster, an admiration for
vintage culture has begun to emerge.
the old.
When I was in seventh grade, all I wanted
was one of those Instax Fujifilm polaroid
cameras. You know exactly what I’m
talking about- those chubby pastel
cameras that every girl seems to have. My
father is a software engineer, so he is
always very much in the “now”. As a former
professional photographer and a tech
junkie, he couldn’t understand why I
wanted a polaroid camera so bad. I
remember him telling me that I could
simply use filters in Lightroom to simulate
the effect.
By Heather Chen Despite the physical appeal that polaroids
have, with their saturated colors and
subtle grain, I think the real attraction
comes from the unpredictability and
4 5
VOL. 1
scarcity. With our phones and DSLRs,
photos are constantly at our fingertips. At
50 cents a picture, film isn’t necessarily
cheap. You aren’t always sure how to
lighting will turn out, or if the picture will
be a little out of frame. Maybe your smile is
just a little crooked, or your friend blinks
when the flash goes off. Then, there’s the
minutes of waiting as the image comes
into existence. Taking a polaroid has
become an experience, one where every
shot counts. It simply isn’t like taking
photos on your iPhone, where nineteen
out of twenty takes will be awful. There will
only ever be one copy of a polaroid. It
cannot be shared in the way a digital
image can. So it feels personal in a way
that is increasingly forgotten in the share-
culture we live in.
“Taking a polaroid
has become an
experience, one
where every shot
counts.”
Another factor that has driven the rise of
the vintage consumer is our attitude
towards secondhand goods. We have
become more self aware of the impact we
have on the world around us. This
especially true with clothing because so
many people consistently purchase
cheaply made goods. As a result, our views
towards reselling and used goods has
changed for the better. Even thrifting has
become the pastime of the cool girl. This
year, so many people have asked me to
take them thrifting. When I stayed in New
York, my roommate and I would run
around the streets of Brooklyn, hopping in
and out of thrift stores that we had found
out about while scouring through local
blogs. In the meanwhile, the secondhand
aesthetic has found its way into our
runways and retailers. From straight to
wide to mom, pant silhouettes have begun
to pull from decades past. Even low-rise
jeans have seen a dreaded resurgence. We
pay stupid amounts of money for mass-
produced acid-washed soft tees with
bands we have never listened to.
Our world is changing, and in many ways it
is falling apart. The nostalgia for VHS tapes
and days we never knew are appealing to
us in so many ways. We want to get drunk
on the feeling of running through the
night with our friends, with no trace left
behind except the memory in our heads.
And so we say out with the new, in with the
old.
 FRIDAYS
VIBE
CHECK
TRENDS I VIBED
WITH IN 2019
From biker shorts to PVC, 2019
fashion trends ranged from
modern to throwbacks. Through
animal prints, neons, platform
sandals, and more, designers paid
homage to decades past. These
are the eight trends that I loved
the most this year. Many of these
trends were in their hay-day
twenty to thirty years ago.
Because of this, it is easier than
ever to find a trendy piece sitting
in a closet or at the thrift store (and
be sustainable).
6 7
While this trend took a while to
grow on me, I eventually really
loved it. Animal prints come in
all sorts of patterns, leaving
endless options. Layer your
animal prints with simple, solid
colors. To go bold, choose
brighter colors or atypical prints
like cow or zebra. Choosing
faux is a must!
Skinny jeans are always an
essential, but relaxed fit pants
are simply superior. Wide-leg,
straight, flared- they’re all
great. I like to pair looser pants
with a more form-fitting top to
provide a clean silhouette. Crop
tops go great too!
VOL. 1
Short sleeved, long sleeved, cropped,
oversized- cardigans were really an it-
piece of the summer/fall season. The
only way to wear this trend is with as
minimal closure of the sweater as
possible. It’s so easy to put together
a look with the versatility of
cardigans. You can layer tops
underneath, wear all sorts of
pants. Best of all, this trend is
super comfy too.
Fanny packs are over, and shoulder
bags are in. I especially love
animal print ones, like cow print
or crocodile. They’re chic, but
more importantly, functional.
While we loved the Jacquemus
Chiquito, shoulder bags will
look great and fit all your
necessities.
Good detailing
always elevates
an outfit. This
year, cinching can be
found on tops, skirts,
and dresses. Some
cinching only consists
of stitching, but others
include tie detailing (like the
shirt above). The latter is
definitely the better of the two.
This
year, an essential
for every closet is the chunky
sneaker. It pairs well with summery
dresses, skirts, and athleisure. For
short people, it also gives a boost in
height. Buffalo London, Fila, and
Adidas are the brands to get this
shoe from.
From lime greens to
neon pinks, bright Sandal heels are what all heels should
colors dominated be like. The low heel, combined
runways throughout with the thin straps and endless
the year. I find that colors creates a shoes that is
good color simultaneously elegant and
combinations always comfortable. It pairs well
elevate an outfit. with straight or wide-
One color looks are legged pants, along with
an easy way to mini skirts and dresses.
look more put
together without
a lot of effort.
 same things for like, ten years. I do not buy
new things, and when I give away a lot of
my stuff to Goodwill which allows my
clothes to be “repurposed”. Also, I get hand
me downs a lot, which normally, people
would be like, “oh that’s disgusting”, but I
feel like there’s a lot of ways you can take
(hand me downs) and make them your
own. I hate shopping, it gives me severe
anxiety. So, anyway that I skip that process
is good.
What is something that you learned
about the entertainment industry while
in New York?
Scarlett: I learned that the idea of
“competition” in the entertainment
industry is more a myth than fact. Most
people are pulling for you and wish you
nothing but success. Being a diva is not
tolerated. My director was going to add a
line, and she wanted an extra to say it,
there were two extras in holding at the
time. When she [the director] was asked
who she wanted to use, she said “the
which one is easier to work with”.
What is your favorite memory from your
time in New York?
My favorite memory is when we were
filming in Queens, there was a van that
10
12
would take us (the people who lived in
Brooklyn) to work. One day, I got in the
van and something smelled SO BAD. The
twins (Brady and Connor Noon) were
trying not to laugh and I eventually said
“what’s that smell?” And Brady screams
“CONNOR STEPPED IN DOG POOP” and
everyone started laughing.
Would you consider moving to New York
City after your month there?
Scarlett: Heck yes! New York is an amazing
place and I loved every second there. I
would definitely move to Brooklyn rather
than Manhattan though. It’s much more
relaxed.
What are you most excited about for the
audience to see with the movie?
Scarlett: Honestly, I’m excited for people to
see the amount of talent in the movie.
There are so many amazing actors and
actresses who have so much experience.
Scarlett Earl’s acting career premieres in
2020 in Universal’s Marry Me. See her in
theatres when it releases this summer.
.
22
11
 FRIDAYS VOL. 1

W
hen I was in eighth grade, a girl in
my grade blew my mind when

Bullet
she showed me her calligraphy. It
was different than the calligraphy I had
seen before, the thin, condensed, wiry ink
type. Instead, I was being introduced to
something new- modern hand-lettering.
This was the year bullet journaling and
calligraphy began to blow up, from
endless Pinterest inspo to jealousy-
inducing Instagram pages. Suddenly, all
these girls were turning up with
pigmented Tombow brush markers, trying
their best to master those voluminous

Journals
loopy letters. Even I bought Tombow pens.
However, my lack of patience lead to those
pretty markers being utilized as
highlighters in the following months.

While I may have given up pretty quickly,

many others flourished. In fact, quite a few
of my friends started bullet journaling.
Bullet journals are notebooks that often
contain schedules, planners, or reflections.
Also known as bujo, they’re supposed to be of my friends, and was super excited to
places where you can jot down thoughts hear about the sustainability aspect.
and ideas, almost serving as a form of Flipping through the journal was an
with Karina Yang meditation. They’re typically beautiful and
well organized, sometimes themed and
incredible experience. I marveled over the
gorgeous headers she created. Color
covered in washi tape accents. All in all, palettes changed from spread to spread,
there is almost always some sort of hand- and the cute doodles and pictures made it
lettering. even better.

This year, Karina Yang, bujo-master
decided to create a bullet journal for her IB
Personal Project. However, this isn’t your
average planner-type bullet journal. Meet
Greener Bujo, a bullet journal dedicated to
educating about sustainability. Inside its
pages, you’ll find information about
sustainable fashion, recycling, carbon
emissions, and so much more. I had heard
about her personal project through some
Amongst the lettering and kawaii stickers,
there is a process to it all. Before she can
create a new spread, Karina has to do
research. It starts with finding a topic,
delving deeper into it, then discovering
how to make the subject more
environmentally friendly. When I asked
Karina what the biggest challenge was,
she said that it could be difficult to figure
out how to mesh the information and
artistic vision together at
times. Her favorite spread so
far has been the one on the
livestock industry. She spoke
on it, saying “I thought it was
the most interesting topic.
[However], aesthetically, I
liked the spread on
cosmetics”.

Greener Bujo brings together

art and environmental
awareness. Karina’s Bullet
Journal is just another way
students are channeling
their passions for the
environment through their
Personal Projects this
season.

12 13
 LIGHT
AND
LAYERING

14 15
 Sofia wears a Lexie Drew
In this shot, we were placed in a dark Turtleneck, Aritzia Tie Top
hall of the art museum. To provide
more lighting, we used two phone
flashlights. This allowed for an image
that still had enough light and
received a toned down flash effect.
While it was a sign of poor
photography in the past, the use of
head-on flash has begun to gain a little
popularity. This is due to the increased
use of disposable cameras
(@davidsdisposables) that creates this
nostalgic effect.

16 17
Emilia wears a Pacsun Floral
Slip Dress, Aritzia Mock neck
Top
While this shot was a little awkward to shoot, the idea was
to frame Emilia’s face using the leaves. The result is an
image with “layers”- a foreground, midground, background.
Layering is equally as important in fashion. By wearing
white turtleneck tops, a summery, spaghetti-strap piece
can become fit for the cooler temperatures. It also allows
more revealing pieces to be worn in everyday settings.

18 19
 FRIDAYS
I
n 2016, Zurich was named the most
sustainable city on earth by the Arcadis
Sustainable Cities Index, with Geneva,
another Swiss city, placed at number 12.
For many people living in Switzerland, this
comes as no surprise. Sustainability is
deeply rooted in Swiss culture, and this has
been implemented in many ways.
“When asked to
picture what
Switzerland looks
like, we create an
image of picturesque
mountains dusted
with snow and lush
green grass with
cows grazing upon
the land.”
Nature is an integral part of Swiss identity:
when asked to picture what Switzerland
looks like, we create an image of
picturesque mountains dusted with snow
and lush green grass with cows grazing
upon the land. This image is mainly true for
the most part thanks to a number of
policies implemented by the Federal
Council. Protection of natural resources is
a main priority in Switzerland. The Spatial
Planning Act, accepted by the Swiss
SWITZERLAND people in 1979, has two main objectives: to
use available space more efficiently and to
avoid the spread of building zones. This Act
also prioritizes the conservation of natural
areas and to ensure that there is adequate
IS THE IMAGE OF public transport within a certain distance
of a residential zone. There have been
many new iterations of this Act, with some
sections coming into effect as late as
January 2019.
SUSTAINABILITY Public transport is the main way in which
we get around. According to a PageGroup
study, around 54% of Swiss commuters
By Tanvi Anand take public transport to get to their
workplace. Public transport in Switzerland
is very efficient, with 96.7% of the
commute being rated as “on time”. This is
thanks to the large amounts of money put
into transportation: around 9.1 billion
francs in 2017. This accounts for around
13.3% of expenditures by the Swiss
government. The railway systems in
Switzerland are almost exclusively
powered by renewable energy sources,
around 91.9% of the traction current comes
from renewable sources.
20
VOL. 1
Switzerland runs on renewable energy.
Hydropower is the biggest way in which
electricity is produced, generating around
59.9% of electricity in Switzerland. This is
then followed by nuclear power (33.5%)
and non-renewable thermal energy (2.3%).
Switzerland is currently in the midst of an
energy transition. One of the main
objectives of the country’s “Energy
Strategy 2050” is to phase out nuclear and
non-renewable thermal energy sources.
The Federal Council believes that the
implementation of the “Energy Strategy
2050” will bring in new jobs and reduce the
country’s dependency on fossil fuels from
abroad.
The Swiss government has also
implemented ways to incentivize citizens
to partake in more sustainable behaviours.
Switzerland’s “Green Economy” policy
encourages its citizens to consume and
dispose of their products more
responsibly. In many parts of the country,
citizens are required to buy municipal bin
bags for non recyclable or compostable
waste - a roll of ten 35 liter bags goes for
around 20CHF ($20). This is very expensive,
and people who do not comply by this rule
are charged with a very hefty fine. This rule
very actively encourages recycling as it
now proves to be more economically
beneficial for households - the main
slogan on bin bags in the canton of Vaud is
“Trier c’est valoriser”, roughly translating to
“sorting out your trash saves you money”.
Recycling in Switzerland is very easy as
there are recycling stations in every
supermarket and within walking distance
of most residential areas.
With a predicted temperature rise of 2°C in
2050, the approaches we are taking to
sustainable living might simply not be
enough. CO2 emissions in the country
have stayed more or less stagnant in the
past few years, but the government is
ambitiously projecting an overall 15.8%
decrease in CO2 emissions from 1990-
2020. If this is not achieved by the end of
the deadline, we may have to take some
more drastic measures. Switzerland has
been hailed as “the champion of
sustainability”, but it’s about time other
countries followed suit.
21
 THERE IS NO
PLANET B
Across the world, there has been wave after wave of climate strikes.
Sparked by Greta Thunberg and other environmental activists, these
global strikes are a reaction to the growing catastrophe of climate
change. Each Friday, students and workers alike have taken to the
streets to demand that governments and corporations enact policies
that will help move countries to net zero carbon emissions and stop
the climbing global temperatures. In this image, we find ourselves
looking at a mother and her daughter at the December 6th Detroit
Climate Strike. The woman is down on one knee, speaking to her
young daughter as she holds a protest sign that reads, “There Is No
Planet B”. The generational divide between the two and the young
age of the girl serves as reminder of the range of people that have
joined in on the climate crisis fight. And at the forefront of the sit-ins
and picket lines, we see the youth leading the way. Our activists are
becoming younger and younger because many are rising up as
climate anxiety increases and governmental inaction becomes more
concerning. For them, it is an emotional and impassioned fight to
preserve their futures.

22 23
 FRIDAYS
N
othing can possibly be more
magical than the heartwarming
the
experience of unity and an
atmosphere full of what nothing else
besides love can describe. An atmosphere
that can’t ever be described to it’s fullest
potential with only words. It’s an
experience one has to live for themselves
because the music and the heartbeats will
unity
touch you with a lasting imprint.
If you’ve never lived in a community like
the lovely border towns of El Paso and
Juarez, it’s difficult to look around the
common stigma towards the Latin
community. Yet, nights like this prove the
opposite of what one expects from two
cities sharing one border. It’s a night filled
with reciting childhood poetry and sharing
music unique to each country while
people tell stories of their side of la
frontera. The only way to describe it
enlightening to be able to connect with
people from a different country that is only
a ten-minute drive away from home.
The Border Tuner is an interactive light
and sound installation that also uses radio
technology to communicate with
strangers just on the other side of the
border fence. No one has a way of telling
who you’ll be able to share stories with and
whether it is a fifteen-year-old girl telling
you about family or an eighty-year-old
man singing tales from his youth, there is
a unique connection formed in the hearts
of both those in El Paso and Juarez.
The most amazing part? All around the
project and instillation you can see the
catharsis and emotional reaction in all
sorts of people. Tears and smiles are shown
in those who have all sorts of experience
involving the separation of communities
that learned how to love the same. For not
only does the border wall and division
after
separate our mixing cultures but families
and friends.
Young couple, Veronica Grijalva and Marco
Gómez were happy to share their thoughts
on such a heart warming project that really
shows how much love and unity we, as a
separation
community, really do exhibit.
“When I heard about this I thought it was
one of the coolest things to
[communicate] across the border through
light,” Gómez expresses as he admires the
beauty of how the light connects just at
the two country’s divide. “This was
By Jesie Garcia transcendent-
transcendence.”
this was about
24
VOL. 1
He also has the pleasure of sharing his
childhood experiences of “border-
hopping” and how immigration and
border issues has changed the way he
used to be able to freely move between
both the culture in El Paso and in Juarez.
“Now crossing the border is crazy,” he
stated, “Now it’s becoming impossible.
They’re trying to divide the city,” and really
expresses how this shows that something,
even as powerful as laws and stereotypes,
can’t stop us from spreading the
welcoming energy from “two halves of a
whole city.”
Grijalva adds on to this statement, “they
really stigmatized us. They made a stigma
against El Paso. We’re not a terrible city.”
The young couple also strongly express
their beliefs on how this breath taking
project and instillation really has a way to
show our unity despite recent matters on
the border wall and even hate crimes
against such a humble and genuine
community. “The border wall is all we talk
about and it brings a disconnect. [The
Border Tuner] is a different type of
installation. It joins us.”
As Gómez adds on, “we are truly a living
community.”
What an excellent way to be able to
describe such a beautiful community,
found in two countries, with rich history
and an unbreakable bond. To really close a
beautiful night of dancing and, a common
‘Mexican’ way of showing love, eating, is a
couple contacting fifteen-year-old Jessica
from just a mile away, over the border and
the Río Grande. “No importa lo que dicen,”
they exclaim their words of love and
reassurance to the young girl just on the
other side. She shall neither fear or tremble
at the horrible acts of the world and those
made towards our community.
“There is much racism and injustice in the
world but just know that [El Paso] will
always send our love.”
“There is much
racism and injustice
in the world but just
know that [El Paso]
will always send our
love.”
How beautiful to find unity and equity in
even the places they’ve tried to divide the
most.
25
 A PR I C K L Y
T T
SI UA I o N
Through rebuilding an elementary school
garden, Lenna Peterson is bringing her love
of nature to young kids
W
hen I was a third grader at
Conant Elementary, our PTO
went to great lengths to create a
school garden. It was a place filled with
beds of diverse flora, from winter melon to
string beans to carrots. The idea was that
the garden would be a learning experience
and a way of making money- the produce
would be sold at the end of the growing
season. I have warm memories of digging
through dark soil and planting seeds
during class with my friends. We played
with the worms, and
threw fistfuls of dirt
26
at each other. When the fall came around,
vines curled around the bean poles, and
cucumbers hung from their stems.
Despite its good intentions, the program
fell apart rather quickly. Only a few years
later, it had already become an abandoned
project with garden beds filled with weeds
and dead plants. The school had given up
on it. But the students who had been
touched by it still had hope.
Enter Lenna Peterson, a sophomore who
took on the challenging of reviving the
garden for her personal project. As an
environmentalist and former Conant
student, this project felt like the perfect fit.
By working with Conant administration
27
 FRIDAYS
and recruiting her friends, she is helping to
turn the garden around. To start off, the
seven garden beds needed to be cleaned
out. This hasn’t been an easy task though.
“The garden beds has an invasive species
called Canadian Thistle in them, which is
extremely difficult to remove since the
roots grow super deep and intertwine.,”
Lenna tells me as we stand with shovels in
hand. I got the opportunity to work on
removing the thistle with her, and it was
some hard work. The Canadian Thistle is a
hardy plant, and it’s also one that can very
easily invade a habitat. To avoid further
spread of the plant, we had to carefully
place all the roots into large trash bags. If
even a small bit of the root isn’t removed,
the plant will grow back again. Because of
this, Lenna will be making returns
throughout the winter to keep the thistle
from returning.
11
28
VOL. 1
Yet, despite the difficulty, Lenna thinks its
worth it in the end. “We clean out the
thistle so that in the warmer weather the
school can utilize this community garden.”
She sees this as a way to not only expose
students to gardening, but also as a way to
teach them about sustainability. “ I think
that it’s really important that students
learn about growing fruits and vegetables
themselves because its really something
that can help make our world a better
place, especially now with the looming
climate threat.” She feels that more than
ever, it is important for kids to learn about
these skills. Gardening provides a hands on
approach that can help youth connect the
ideas they learn in class to the real world.
When spring comes around, she’ll help
lead classes in planting the gardens. I
already know it will be just as memorable
as it was for me.
A GLANCE INTO RESALE
D
uring the summer, my instagram feed was filled with perfect
pictures of rows of pastel sandal heels. These low heeled
Lenna wears a North beauties graced the feet of streetstyle icons. I was head-over-
Face Jacket, Hunter heels in love with strappy kitten heels, and I wanted them so bad.
Boots, H&M Sweater, Unfortunately, it seemed like all the pairs I saw were upward of $300.
Lululemon Leggings In my desperation, I did the shameful thing oof searching through
Zara and Urban Outfitters for a cheaper option. Yet, even the low-end
ones I managed to find were at least $60. Then, one Wednesday
morning in August, I struck gold. While pacing around the local
designer resale store, I stumbled upon a pair of Dior kitten heels. That
day, I snagged them for $40- half the cost of the Zara ones I had been
eyeing. Resale is an amazing thing that has only been getting better
in the recent years. Take TheRealReal as an example. It’s admittingly
scary to touch a Birkin. Even though it’s only a bag, the legendary
piece is rare and expensive. Yet despite all that, TheRealReal has a
walk-in closet filled floor to ceiling with them at their Soho location.
As the leading consignment service, the young company is just one of
many growing startups that have changed the resale game. In 2011,
Julie Wright set out to change the luxury resale game. What was once
seen as a market of musty stores filled with used-goods has been
transformed in the eyes of the luxury consumer. Resale is not the
same as it was before. Concerns of buying fakes from eBay have been
fixed with reputable authentication from StockX to GOAT. With
consignment, costs for goods go down as they are secondhand. This
has also allowed more people to buy luxury items. Here are some of
the best finds we copped this year from a variety of resale sources.
29
 FRIDAYS VOL. 1

Depop TheRealReal

Boutiques

30 31
 FRIDAYS
One of the most popular destinations fast
fashion moved production to was
Bangladesh. With a minimum wage
equivalent to 33 cents per hour and lax
labor and environmental regulations,
Bangladesh provided the perfect setting
to produce clothing on the cheap for
brands like H&M, Zara and Forever 21. But
in April of 2013, the collapse of the Rana
Plaza factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh
renewed concerns over the labor
conditions of garment workers. Killing 1,134
workers, Rana Plaza was the deadliest
garment factory disaster recorded.
This time, the death toll was too high to
ignore, despite several incidents over
decades of garment production in the
country. Labor unions across the globe
rallied behind the Bangladesh
Independent Garment Workers Union
Federation in its efforts to pass legal safety
reforms, and two resolutions came out of
the tragedy in the following month.
Along with the resolutions, Rana birthed a
global movement advocating “slow
fashion,” an alternative and complete
overhaul of fast fashion that exploit labor
and natural resources. Among the
advocates that emerged was Fashion
Revolution, a UK-based group dedicated to
the vision of a fashion industry “that values
people, the environment, creativity and
profit in equal measure.” Fashion
Revolution’s advocacy framed Rana and
the failings of fast fashion quite simply as
an issue of exploitation that extended past
labor and into environmental
shortcomings, essentially saying the same
companies profiting from exploitative
labor standards are profiting from the lack
of environmental regulations. And Fashion
Revolution is right.
By Savitri Anantharaman
A 2019 campaign by the group begged the
question, “who made my clothes?”
Sourcing materials for textiles is where
labor and environmental exploitation
originate, and between materials sourcing
and actual garment production, there are
A
fter a garment factory in New York City caught fire in 1911, and killed 146 workers, dozens more middlemen.
the United States began instituting strict standards for labor exploitation and
safety in industrial facilities. Finding it cheaper to outsource production of For companies that have sustainability in
garments than to comply with new regulations, clothing manufacturers started mind when supply chains are originally
outsourcing production to facilities in countries with lower minimum wages, poorer mapped out, answering that question is
environmental regulation of facilities and poorer safety regulation of facilities. Not only relatively easy at every step. Popular
did this allow companies to avoid increasing production costs, differentiating ownership sustainable fashion brands like
of factories and allowed them to deny any legal responsibility to comply with standards, Reformation and Everlane heavily
so clothing companies that outsource production are really immune to the effects of emphasize transparency in their supply
disasters in those facilities. And with this, repeated horrors have occurred. chains. Reformation, for example, issues
quarterly and annual reports to document
progress towards their sustainability goals
which include paying workers an hourly
38
VOL. 1
wage higher than Los Angeles’ living wage
(where the brand is based) and becoming
a carbon neutral brand. And Everlane, too,
posts the standards they require their
manufacturers to meet including quality
housing conditions, bargaining rights and
safety measures for workers online along
with photos and information on all of their
factories.
Brands that have consciously worked
towards sustainability in their supply
chains since their creation often have
more ambitious environmental and labor
goals and can push large parts of their
supply chain towards their goals.
Companies that don’t monitor much of
their supply chain, though, can’t possibly
oversee all of this, and for that reason,
transitioning to sustainable practices after
an unsustainable supply chain has been
established is just about impossible. For
example, while Reformation took 6 years to
become completely carbon neutral, Nike’s
most ambitious emissions reduction goal
is reducing carbon emissions across its
global supply chain by 30% by 2030. Often,
environmental standards come with no
improvement of labor standards and vice
versa, too.
We have to start defining sustainable
fashion as an industry that respects the
earth through environmental stewardship
and the dignified treatment of garment
workers. This means not only pushing
‘unsustainable’ brands to evaluate their
social and environmental responsibility
but supporting brands that have led the
industry in innovative, sustainable design
and supported their workers across the
globe. And as more consumers grow
aware of fast fashion in terms of
environmental degradation, labor cannot
be forgotten.
39
 street
creds
A PIECE ON STREETWEAR

Akita wears a Main Character

Beanie,

32 33
 Sofia wears a Lexie Drew Tie
The rise of the streetwear niche has Dye Sweatshirt, Pacsun Jeans
brought all sorts of people into the
fashion fold. Comfort and simplicity are
paired with boldness in prints and
colors. In these photos, we slipped into
all sorts of places around downtown
Birmingham. From alleyway mirrors to
steel steps, we seeked for rough spots
that seemed unconventional for a
photoshoot- just like the way
streetwear and athleisure has broken
through the fashion industry.

Akita wears a Chaps Quarter Zip

34 35
Emilia wears a Zara Fur Coat,
H&M Chain
 FRIDAYS VOL. 1
Michael wears a Stussy
Graphic Tee, Nike Glasses

THAT’S MY
TYPE!
Trash Magazine is just as much about design as it is
about fashion. Here are all the fonts we used in this issue.

Le Murmure
Monument
Woodland
LIQUIDO
Montserrat
Krungthep
FREE FAT FONT
Misto
River Drive
Blackest
Roboto
Bambi
40
11 41
2