YOU GOTTA BE THE FIRE IN THE DARKNESS.

Source
I hear you Taz. I soooo hear you.

OUT & ABOUT QUESTION OF THE WEEK: "WHAT'S BUTCH DIVA???"

BUTCH DIVA is a bold and cutting edge bran offering a range of innovative styling and attire suitable for a young woman looking to make a statement at work, at the trendiest parties, and also within the intimacy of her home. The “BUTCH DIVA” philosophy thrives off the potential and intentions of aggressive, androgynous females looking to succeed at what some consider only masculine roles, and yet still keeping in touch with their passions, sexuality,and femininity. "BUTCH DIVA" also serves as a psychological description I came up with for a woman who handles her business and takes control of all that contributes to her fulfillment in life and well being.
The BUTCH DIVA goal is to offer a lifestyle collection that empowers women regardless of what they're engaging in, as BUTCH DIVA offers a wardrobe consisting of trends, comfort, and endless confidence . So many females today want to be the ring leader and in control of all that they do and BUTCH DIVA plans to gear them up as they make their commanding statements.

BUTCH DIVA...ITS NOT JUST A LABEL - BUT A LIFESTYLE.

xo- BUTCH DIVA's Boss Lady >>> Tiffany LaStar

VIKTOR & ROLF FALL 08 CAMPAIGN GETS BOLD AND STAYS BEAUTIFUL

A GLAMOROUS PURPOSE IN LIFE...

The M·A·C AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of M·A·C cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. The M·A·C AIDS Fund is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working with underserved regions and populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical donor in the arena, the Fund strives to raise awareness of four key issues in the fight against HIV/AIDS: prevention, the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS, access to care, and adherence to medications and treatments. To date, the M·A·C has raised more than $95 million (U.S.) exclusively through the sale of VIVA GLAM lipsticks and lipglass, donating 100 percent of the selling price to the M·A·C AIDS Fund.


For more information,visit www.macaidsfund.org

M.I.A. for Marc Jacobs...

...Yes - I think the Marc Jacobs new ad campaign is aesthetically cool to the eye, in which it features celebs such as M.I.A seen above, and Victoria Beckham a.k.a Posh...but ask yourself for a sec, how completely different are these two people? M.I.A vs. Posh?? When branding and marketing yourself, you're suppose to keep a consistent image in which your customer can relate to. Granted, Marc Jacobs is such a universal and well known designer name that he can afford to reach out to celebrities to be the face of his brand and it doesn't matter how total opposite one is from the next, his only point is to prove he can get them...
but No - I don't particularly agree with the marketing scheme no matter how cool of a tear sheet it makes. The fashion Industry is totally losing all sense of being different and being individual. There are no longer models with a different look you've never seen, that have been personally scouted to appeal to the customer, its all about which celeb is gonna model in the next campaign...and how do we relate to celebs?? They can wear whatever they want!

Do you or don't you want to feel that personal attention when spending your money on something?? Feedback welcome...

DESIGN WITH A PURPOSE >>> H&M's 'FASHION AGAINST AIDS' PROJECT

H&M wanted to join in on the effort to get young people's attention in realizing the risk of infection applies to everyone and protecting yourself is more than just the sensible thing to do but the necessary thing to do. They rounded up a group of personally chosen artists and designers to create artwork for tank tops, t- shirts, hoodies and so on. Every artist designed at least one piece of clothing, and then H&M produced a Fashion Against AIDS apparel collection - all made of 100% organic cotton and currently selling in stores. 25% of the sales proceeds are donated through DAA (Designers Against AIDS) and YouthAIDS, to raise awareness and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FACTORY WORKER...

So you may know where your clothes come from by looking in the tag, "Made in China"..."Made in India"..."Made in the Philippines" etc...but do you know what these factory workers go through in a given 15 hour day of working, just for us to look fly? I had the opportunity to learn a lot about production, on a designer level as well as corporate, in which I managed the responsibility of coordinating the production process both overseas and domestically over the last few years. I've worked for design houses such as TSE, in which I was in charge of their Quality Control, french designer Catherine Malandrino who produced in China, HK, and knits in Uruguay, and more of the higher end garments in Italy, then Alice and Olivia who began to produce right here in NYC, and American Eagle Outfitters who had agents that connected them to factories in India and HK...




Children picking cotton...that later becomes the tees on our back...


...When I managed domestic production, some of the day was spent sourcing fabric and trims, but the majority of my day was spent visiting factories up and down 35th, 38th, and 39th st btwn 7th and 8th ave. FYI, those buildings are full of factories and cutting rooms and soon they'll actually be kicked out of their space for more residential and office space to the city. I remember how it was my job to rush the workers to finish production so we could ship the goods out and get it on the selling floors...we were rushing spring and summer production while it was still winter!! Its an industry of selfishness and greed...a "eat your child" industry as I once heard it described. Little do my supervisors know though, I would try to make it as easy on the workers as I could...I would do most of the foot work for them in getting patterns and trims they needed, plus I would tell them the desired completion date, but I would also whisper to the factory managers "if it can't be done, then I understand", and I would just deal with the headache back at the office of not meeting a deadline, just to be able sleep decent at night knowing I wasn't promoting sweatshop type labor. I remember how I thought to myself, I could care less if the goods made it to the floors of Bloomingdales and Scoop...or if the sales girls made their commission or not for shipping on time...I wanted the factories to remember my face and know I had a heart and consideration for them.

I feel like once BUTCH DIVA starts mass production, I know for sure I'll be more comfortable finding sources domestically where I can have more control over the quality of conditions and the wellness of those working for me... There are so many stories, articles, and resources that will educate you on child labor, horrible manufacturing conditions, and the life of a factory worker, in addition to all the laws that were created to protect workers, but they don't. I strongly suggest others look into this matter, it would blow your mind! See some just some of the links I came across during my research below > copy and paste. Plus I'm talking about paying practically nothing to have something produced overseas, and then labels marking the product up anywhere btwn 50-200% to make profit! This is obviously the main advantage that drives the greed to get things produced at the cheapest rate available and still keep up with the latest trends and developments...The fashion industry - I have a love > hate relationship with it...all I can do is be pro-active and share these resources with you in hopes of making a difference...

CHECK OUT >>> www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-9/focus.html
CHECK OUT >>> peopleandplanet.org/tradejustice/highcost
CHECK OUT >>> chinaview.wordpress.com/category/people/worker/

BUTCH DIVA Boss Lady
Tiffany

BUTCH DIVA: CONTROVERSY SELLS!!!

BUTCH DIVA!!! Always a fan of a lil scandal, and a strong believer that controversy and sex sells! Love it or hate but it's the truth. So if you can still utilize this fact but tastefully, you may be on to something!! The first question I alwaaaaaaaaaaaaays get is "BUTCH DIVA??? what is that?" or "what does that mean?" or "whatcha trying to say with that?" and then I go on to explain to them that "BUTCH DIVA" is a way of carrying yourself, its an attitude and a psychological way of handling your business! A woman doing everything men are doing and sometimes even more successfully. Its the woman wearing the skirt and the pants in the relationship...the boss at the office...the female at the top of her game and not letting anyone who's not capable of bringing her up, bring her down! She's still very in touch with her femininity and sexuality, yet accepts her masculine tendencies. So I've become accustomed to explaining the controversy associated with what BUTCH DIVA means. But it's ok, I accept that because in the end, it still strikes interest and that's what matters!

See below of the many big names known for controversial advertising and marketing. Got your attention or don't got your attention???

Betsey Johnson at the launch of her home collection…



The infamous Calvin Klein ads that launched his career in denim…



Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci ads banned…



How crazy is this one!!!

And I couldn’t speak controversial without mentioning Mr. Tom Ford who is king of it and yet the fashion industry adores him! Can he get any bad asser with cover shot on OUT magazine and his new ad campaign for his men’s cologne.