Fashion Overload

Vogue India Uses Poor Models

Nearly half of India's population lives on less than $1.25 per day.  Despite knowing that, Vogue India  thought everyday Indians would be  perfect models for a $10,000 Hermes handbag, $200 Burberry umbrella and $100 Fendi baby bib. The models are missing teeth, have no shoes and their dirt flooring surely makes the products look like knock-offs to India's growing upper class. But thousands of indebted Indian farmers committed suicide over the past decade, leading one local newspaper columnist to call the ads "tacky... downright distasteful... [an] example of vulgarity." Vogue India's Editor, Priya Tanna responds to the criticism:  

"Vogue is about realizing the power of fashion. Fashion is no longer a rich man’s privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful. You have to remember with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously. We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world,”

Renewable Clothing: The Flexibility Dress

Fernando Brízio has created a designer dress out of green materials (bamboo cotton) that promotes the idea of renewable garments. By placing colored felt-tip pens in the pockets created all over the dress its appearance changes over time. Within an hour - to one and a half hours the colored ink bleeds into the fabric and creates a unique design that can change each time the wearer sees fit. For each occasion. the owner can then clean the dress and color it in a different way. (click image to enlarge)