The social revolution of the 1960s first saw the significance of ladylike manners and etiquette diminishing. Seen as a restriction of freedom of expression, society made it embarrassing to be proud of femininity.
In the 1980s, women’s acceptance into the realms of business sparked “power-dressing” which suggested authority and competence. The rejection of the ideology of acting like ladies in public peaked in the 1990s. Bizarrely, women adopted the behaviour of the men they claimed to be reacting against. An increase in financial independence among women was a clear contributor to the “Ladette” phenomenon.
Today, manners and etiquette are gaining popularity and fast becoming wielded as an effective social weapon. Femininity is no longer seen as a sign of weakness but as subversive, rebelling against feminism itself. In the current competitive job market, diplomatic protocol and social skills hold far more weight than a wardrobe or the ability to drink like a fish and smoke like a chimney.
The cultural return to embracing traditional values does not equal submission. The parallels of elegance and respect are complimentary. Debrett’s, the British arbiter of etiquette, have updated their guides to combine modern lifestyle and traditional values. 21st century chivalry should be mutual and not an affront to feminism; men should hold doors open for women, but women should reciprocate and hold the doors for men too. Is a conclusion to the age-old battle of the sexes in sight?
Daisey Cheyney
http://sixdegrees.wm.fi/6d/index.php/starters/36-starters/137-lady-and-the-tramp
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
Selling items on eBay is definitely a matter of pleasure mixed with pain. As the following example so excellently illustrates.
The following correspondence occurred after a US buyer was 'unhappy' with a product that they had purchased from a UK seller. The relevancy of some of the comments, not to mention the bizarre accusations are entertaining yet terrifying!
Message from eBay member:
I just received my package today. I cannot begin to describe my disappointment. I can tell you this is not the Meghan Fabulous I am accustomed too this looks like a cheap and poorly made takeoff. What looks so good in the picture looks so cheap in person...kind of like a bad blind date however in that case I could just say good day and be done with it. As far as the ASOS this is even worse not only tacky and cheap they have a warning on them stating 'KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE'!!! MY GOD THIS DOES NOT WORK FOR ME AT ALL!!! Please tell me how I can return this stuff to you. I just gave away things so much nicer made with quality. If this was what I would expect on ebay I wopuild never be spending the volume of money I do now in fact I would not be shopping here at all. You have given me much pause and I am now very hesitant to even rely on feedback. Initially I was confident because I really had a much higher expectation considering you are European. Not Happy but very Sincere,
Naturally the eBay seller was quite taken a back and politely replied that refunds and returns are not a problem but that they felt they were justified in reporting the buyer to eBay due to their unnecessary and offensive manner. Another reply followed...
I am so happy to hear you are going to report my email because I am reporting your product as we speak. I DO NOT have FIRE HAZARDOUS material in my home. You sent this package to my home with the intention that I would wear these items. How many inocent customers are wearing flamable material without even realizing the danger they are in! Your product has the capacity to injure if not kill! My email was to inform you of my intention to return these items and my outrage at receiving them. You will be getting ALL your merchandise back and I want my postage already paid to be refunded. There should have been a warning on the package you mailed. You obviously have a problem with HONESTY and found TRUTH insulting. As a seller you had an obligation to inform ME the consumer you were selling a product with a warning label that states specifically your product is a fire hazard. This is very serious and my outrage is very justified! Always Sincere.
I'm sure the buyer is always sincere but they are clearly ignorant when it comes to basic legislation and I could even go as far as saying they lack common sense.
Remember to be careful next time you are sitting on your Furniture Village sofa in your Marks and Spencers pyjamas because, you never know... with a label that reads KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE! you might just spontaneously combust...
The following correspondence occurred after a US buyer was 'unhappy' with a product that they had purchased from a UK seller. The relevancy of some of the comments, not to mention the bizarre accusations are entertaining yet terrifying!
Message from eBay member:
I just received my package today. I cannot begin to describe my disappointment. I can tell you this is not the Meghan Fabulous I am accustomed too this looks like a cheap and poorly made takeoff. What looks so good in the picture looks so cheap in person...kind of like a bad blind date however in that case I could just say good day and be done with it. As far as the ASOS this is even worse not only tacky and cheap they have a warning on them stating 'KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE'!!! MY GOD THIS DOES NOT WORK FOR ME AT ALL!!! Please tell me how I can return this stuff to you. I just gave away things so much nicer made with quality. If this was what I would expect on ebay I wopuild never be spending the volume of money I do now in fact I would not be shopping here at all. You have given me much pause and I am now very hesitant to even rely on feedback. Initially I was confident because I really had a much higher expectation considering you are European. Not Happy but very Sincere,
Naturally the eBay seller was quite taken a back and politely replied that refunds and returns are not a problem but that they felt they were justified in reporting the buyer to eBay due to their unnecessary and offensive manner. Another reply followed...
I am so happy to hear you are going to report my email because I am reporting your product as we speak. I DO NOT have FIRE HAZARDOUS material in my home. You sent this package to my home with the intention that I would wear these items. How many inocent customers are wearing flamable material without even realizing the danger they are in! Your product has the capacity to injure if not kill! My email was to inform you of my intention to return these items and my outrage at receiving them. You will be getting ALL your merchandise back and I want my postage already paid to be refunded. There should have been a warning on the package you mailed. You obviously have a problem with HONESTY and found TRUTH insulting. As a seller you had an obligation to inform ME the consumer you were selling a product with a warning label that states specifically your product is a fire hazard. This is very serious and my outrage is very justified! Always Sincere.
I'm sure the buyer is always sincere but they are clearly ignorant when it comes to basic legislation and I could even go as far as saying they lack common sense.
Remember to be careful next time you are sitting on your Furniture Village sofa in your Marks and Spencers pyjamas because, you never know... with a label that reads KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE! you might just spontaneously combust...
Green is the New Black: A Passion for Fashion and the Planet
The fashion industry is still one of the most socially and environmentally exploitative industries in the world. Separating domestic waste and avoiding factory-farmed produce has become second nature to most of us, but fashion seems to be an area where we are still stalling in addressing the environmental, ecological and ethical issues in full. So what exactly is fashion’s current ethical position?
Ethical fashion is a somewhat nebulous term used to describe ethical practices in design, production, retail and purchasing. In particular, ethical fashion concerns maintaining ethical working conditions, sustainable production, environment effects and animal welfare.
Globalisation provides access to a wider variety of sources for materials and labour, and cheaper sources mean costs can be lowered. But the real social and environmental cost of today’s “disposable” fashion is being ignored. Do you know, or have you even considered the real cost of your wardrobe?
Did your favourite t-shirt contribute to the estimated 20,000 deaths per year that, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), are due to pesticide poisoning from cotton growing? Did it flout local laws or those set by the United Nations convention and support child labour, forced overtime and unfair wages in the industry?
Interest in ethical consumption and sustainability is growing but ensuring your fashion choices are fair and on-trend is no mean feat. Companies’ attempts to maintain their responsibilities are often encumbered by unscrupulous suppliers and subcontractors abusing their position. Companies that both manufacture and retail such as the Los Angeles-based American Apparel, famous for such vertically integrated manufacturing, are rare.
Worldwide there are numerous organisations aiming to guarantee total ethical production. For example, The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is an alliance of companies, trade unions and organisations who work to improve the lives of workers who produce consumer goods across the world. Despite such efforts, ethical fashion does not equal plain sailing.
Catch-22
Consider the following ethical dilemma: H&M have been supporting organic cotton since 2004 and using it in their fashion lines since 2007. Despite their codes of conduct they have come under fire after some of their outsourcing has been found supporting unethical practices such as unfair pay, putting consumers in a tricky position. Buying that organic cotton T-shirt may support an ethical cause, but it also supports a company whose ethical practices need improving.
Even companies renowned for their commitment to social responsibility are continually surrounded by controversy. The UFF second-hand clothing store provides such an example.
UFF (U-landshjälp från Folk till Folk/ Development aid from nation to nation) is the Swedish branch of the international aid organisation Humana People to People who aim to reduce the rich/poor divide by aiding development. In Europe, North America and Africa, their sales and distribution of second-hand clothing aids over four million people. However, Humana is an offshoot of the controversial Danish Tvind Corporation that grew into a global corporation from an educational concept.
The organisation’s profits are allegedly used to fund development projects but in recent years the organisation has been subject to a number of investigations, including tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement. It has been referred to as a cult, due to its use of force to ensure its “collective” status. Such allegations make it fair to question what is more ethical: fast-fashion or second-hand fashion?
Use your head
The globalised and sub-contracted economy can make it difficult to keep track of what you are buying. But it doesn’t take a quantum physicist to work out that cheap garments equal less money to those that make them. Maria Kaski, fashion editor of Greenmystyle.com, a daily eco glossy magazine, shares her tip.
“A great way of checking whether or not you are buying a mass-produced garment is by checking the price and comparing it to the work that appears to have gone into the making of it. If it is ornately sequined and costs next to nothing, chances are it is not ethical.”
“Ethics in fashion should be a prevalent factor at all levels of production. Workers should enjoy a fair wage and working conditions that enable them to sustain their family and lead an enjoyable life. The environment should be considered during the creation of fabrics, whether it is organic cotton, peace silk or eel skin. Where possible, I would strongly advocate backing local artisans and businesses as it not only boosts local trade but also keeps the carbon footprint to a minimum.”
Celebrity culture is influencing the status of ethical fashion. Designer Katherine Hamnett rigorously maintains an ethical stance, Harry Potter star Emma Watson has collaborated with retailer People Tree, and Bono of U2 fame and his wife Ali Hewson founded Edun, producing fashion to aid sustainable employment in developing countries.
The prolific support encourages awareness of the humanitarian issues and reinforces how ethical choices do not mean compromising on style.
“Once the new generation of designers take on board the need to make a difference, I think there will be a complete U-turn to ethical fashion. Already big names in fashion are doing their part with projects that show a desire to make a contribution. Clements Ribeiro, Vivienne Westwood and model Lily Cole have all worked on ethical projects,” explains Kaski.
That being fashionable means you have style is a common misconception. As is that you can’t be both stylish and ethical.
“You do not have to compromise on style if you want to be more ethical in your choice of clothes, our magazine is for a new generation of eco-conscious people, and is as far removed from ‘hippy’ ideas as you can imagine.”
Landfill, overspill
The gluttonous consumer culture of the early 2000s seems to be waning, and whether due to ethics or finances, there’s a yearning for originality. Landfill overload is a serious repercussion of a disposable economy. Synthetic fabrics do not decompose and not even natural fabrics are risk free; the anaerobic decomposition of wool produces the harmful greenhouse gas methane. Recycling reduces the impact of these materials.
“Vintage or recycled fabrics are becoming more common which is a fantastic way of avoiding clothes going to landfill,” says Kaski.
Second-hand stores and flea markets such as Finland’s Fida, who celebrate their 30th anniversary this year, are key figures in textile recycling. Diverting garments from landfills is both a humanitarian endeavour and environmentally beneficial.
“People have always bought second-hand things, but probably never as much as today. New, trendy second-hand stores are popping up everywhere! I like that it’s becoming more ‘normal’ to buy second-hand. You look great and you’re setting an example. I always give my old clothes to flea-markets” says Johanna Forsblom, one half of the sister duo behind Turku’s Syster Retro second-hand shop.
Karo Hellberg from Fasaani Antikki explains: “It’s people’s search for individuality. Many people seem to have a really strong sense of personal style that the ‘ordinary’ stores don’t offer. That the item has ‘been bought before’ makes the purchase more ethical.”
To be worn again
Shopping second-hand is not only recession-savvy, but it is a positive ecological statement. Being a zealot of a recycled wardrobe is no longer socially stigmatised.
“What appeals to me is this idea of uniqueness,” Hellberg describers. “That I might not be the only one who has worn the item does not bother me; it increases my interest in it. When you don’t have to question the unethical factors, you are more free to concentrate on the aesthetic, ‘outside’ factors of the piece.”
“I dislike mass production, the cheap labour and materials. The logistics are what make the product expensive. Production has disappeared from Finland because of expensive costs and skilled people have had to lower their prices because of cheap mass production. It’s more sensible to fix and maintain a good quality old garment rather than buy poor quality which only lasts a few washes,” explains Marjo Haapasalo from Turku’s custom-made and vintage clothing store, Boutique Minne.
Faster fashion coupled with an abundance of emerging technologies in the last century means education has been forced to put less emphasis on needlework and textiles in order to make way for 21st century skills.
“The ability to create, make and mend is one that appears to have been lost through generations. We have turned into a throwaway society where if something breaks we just chuck it instead of mending it. A vast amount of waste could be saved if we learnt to sew and fix our things,” says Kaski.
With 65,000 page views per month, the online Wardrobe Refashion community is evidence of a will to “make-do and mend” and an eagerness to improve handicraft skills. Also exploding in popularity, like a 21st century version of a Tupperware party, is Swishing, where ethical savvy fashionistas are swapping not shopping.
All aboard
The negative side of popularity is high prices. “Of course the stores get dollar-signs in their eyes,” says Forsblom. “A lot of second-hand stores are getting expensive. Used is always used, I don’t think we should forget that. When second-hand clothes become as expensive as new ones, something’s wrong!”
High-street stores are capitalising on the market too. Clothing store Kapp Ahl offers a vintage-inspired collection, influenced by the 1920s to 1950s; “Vintage Stories” aims to recreate that glamour for the modern woman.
Such choices from the high street are in fact detrimental for ethical fashion. Capitalising in this way blurs the line between ethical and fast fashion. Kaski is opposed to this jumping on the bandwagon.
“Vintage-inspired lines do not come close to the real thing. The joy of vintage is in the originality of each piece and that’s something that the high street cannot offer. What I find much more inspiring is the attempt that some high street brands are making to add Fair Trade or ethical labels as concessions. By stocking these eco brands alongside non-eco clothes, it is losing that dividing line and displaying the clothes for what they are in terms of design and style”
Enforcing that companies communicate their ethical policy publically could help consumers stay abreast of what they are supporting.
“The consumer should be aware of where the clothes come from and what they are made of. It’s illogical that designers and companies that follow ethical practices should have to display this as a novelty. I feel it should be the other way around, with non-ethical companies displaying this ‘non-ethical’ tag and explaining why they have gone down this route.”
Chemically enhanced
To ensure the reputability of an ethical guarantee, strict targets administered by a standards agency, would need to be met. Exposés of child labour and poor working conditions emphasise the need for such control, as do the recent cases of textile contamination with banned chemicals.
Chemical treatments used in fabric production are a big problem for the environment. The hazardous chemicals range from common elements such as lead and nickel to compounds such as formaldehyde and dimethyl fumarate. Many are banned in the EU, but there are no laws on the chemicals used in imported fabrics. Widely used in Asia, the chemicals enter our water system when garments are washed and the chemicals are rinsed off.
This year, the Swedish Agency for Control of Chemicals found that the Average Joe Clean Blue jeans from Swedish label Nudie were contaminated with the EU banned anti-mould chemical, dimethyl fumarate. Used as a fungicide in transport and storage, the levels exceeded legal limits by 500 per cent.
The chemical is not used by Nudie in production and should not be present at all. The likely explanation is that the volatile chemical caused the products to come into contact with the fungicide as a result of adjacent products in transit. Against their environmental principles, Nudie are being forced to reintroduce plastic packaging for their garments in order to guarantee a clean product.
Last year, Swedish label Cheap Monday was also forced to withdraw a t-shirt from production after levels of nonylphenol ethoxylate, whose estrogenic function is thought to affect the reproductive organs in fish, exceeded the company’s own maximum levels.
The fashion world is renowned for being fickle, but hopefully its dalliance with ethics is not just seasonal. Apathy is no longer a problem thanks to popular culture piquing the interest of consumers but it is now time to collaborate and start networking to form a global community that can create a connected catalyst for sustained change in the industry.
Swishing Parties
Swishing parties are the equivalent of guilt-free shopping, reducing environmental and financial impacts. Everyone brings at least one item of quality clothing, and in return they can choose any item they want. Lucy Shea, founder of Swishing.org describes: "Save money, save the planet, have a party. Swishing parties are for women who want to combine glamour, environmental protection and frugality."
www.swishing.org
Wardrobe Refashion
Wardrobe Refashion began in 2006 when Nichola Prested decided to save the environment, save money and improve her handicraft skills by ceasing to buy new manufactured clothing. Participants make a pledge on the blog to abstain from purchasing new clothing for 2, 4, 6 months or radically, for life and are forced to create garments from scratch or to refashion and recycle existing ones. They are encouraged to share their creations and in any cases of falling “off the wagon”, a Monopoly inspired “Get out of re-fashionista jail free” card must be displayed!
The Pledge: “I pledge that I will refashion, renovate, recycle pre-loved item for myself for the term of my contract. I pledge that I shall create and craft items of clothing for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract”
www.wardroberefashion.net
Daisey Cheyney
http://www.sixdegrees.fi/6d/index.php/feature/40-feature/103-green-is-the-new-black-a-passion-for-fashion-and-the-planet
Ethical fashion is a somewhat nebulous term used to describe ethical practices in design, production, retail and purchasing. In particular, ethical fashion concerns maintaining ethical working conditions, sustainable production, environment effects and animal welfare.
Globalisation provides access to a wider variety of sources for materials and labour, and cheaper sources mean costs can be lowered. But the real social and environmental cost of today’s “disposable” fashion is being ignored. Do you know, or have you even considered the real cost of your wardrobe?
Did your favourite t-shirt contribute to the estimated 20,000 deaths per year that, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), are due to pesticide poisoning from cotton growing? Did it flout local laws or those set by the United Nations convention and support child labour, forced overtime and unfair wages in the industry?
Interest in ethical consumption and sustainability is growing but ensuring your fashion choices are fair and on-trend is no mean feat. Companies’ attempts to maintain their responsibilities are often encumbered by unscrupulous suppliers and subcontractors abusing their position. Companies that both manufacture and retail such as the Los Angeles-based American Apparel, famous for such vertically integrated manufacturing, are rare.
Worldwide there are numerous organisations aiming to guarantee total ethical production. For example, The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is an alliance of companies, trade unions and organisations who work to improve the lives of workers who produce consumer goods across the world. Despite such efforts, ethical fashion does not equal plain sailing.
Catch-22
Consider the following ethical dilemma: H&M have been supporting organic cotton since 2004 and using it in their fashion lines since 2007. Despite their codes of conduct they have come under fire after some of their outsourcing has been found supporting unethical practices such as unfair pay, putting consumers in a tricky position. Buying that organic cotton T-shirt may support an ethical cause, but it also supports a company whose ethical practices need improving.
Even companies renowned for their commitment to social responsibility are continually surrounded by controversy. The UFF second-hand clothing store provides such an example.
UFF (U-landshjälp från Folk till Folk/ Development aid from nation to nation) is the Swedish branch of the international aid organisation Humana People to People who aim to reduce the rich/poor divide by aiding development. In Europe, North America and Africa, their sales and distribution of second-hand clothing aids over four million people. However, Humana is an offshoot of the controversial Danish Tvind Corporation that grew into a global corporation from an educational concept.
The organisation’s profits are allegedly used to fund development projects but in recent years the organisation has been subject to a number of investigations, including tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement. It has been referred to as a cult, due to its use of force to ensure its “collective” status. Such allegations make it fair to question what is more ethical: fast-fashion or second-hand fashion?
Use your head
The globalised and sub-contracted economy can make it difficult to keep track of what you are buying. But it doesn’t take a quantum physicist to work out that cheap garments equal less money to those that make them. Maria Kaski, fashion editor of Greenmystyle.com, a daily eco glossy magazine, shares her tip.
“A great way of checking whether or not you are buying a mass-produced garment is by checking the price and comparing it to the work that appears to have gone into the making of it. If it is ornately sequined and costs next to nothing, chances are it is not ethical.”
“Ethics in fashion should be a prevalent factor at all levels of production. Workers should enjoy a fair wage and working conditions that enable them to sustain their family and lead an enjoyable life. The environment should be considered during the creation of fabrics, whether it is organic cotton, peace silk or eel skin. Where possible, I would strongly advocate backing local artisans and businesses as it not only boosts local trade but also keeps the carbon footprint to a minimum.”
Celebrity culture is influencing the status of ethical fashion. Designer Katherine Hamnett rigorously maintains an ethical stance, Harry Potter star Emma Watson has collaborated with retailer People Tree, and Bono of U2 fame and his wife Ali Hewson founded Edun, producing fashion to aid sustainable employment in developing countries.
The prolific support encourages awareness of the humanitarian issues and reinforces how ethical choices do not mean compromising on style.
“Once the new generation of designers take on board the need to make a difference, I think there will be a complete U-turn to ethical fashion. Already big names in fashion are doing their part with projects that show a desire to make a contribution. Clements Ribeiro, Vivienne Westwood and model Lily Cole have all worked on ethical projects,” explains Kaski.
That being fashionable means you have style is a common misconception. As is that you can’t be both stylish and ethical.
“You do not have to compromise on style if you want to be more ethical in your choice of clothes, our magazine is for a new generation of eco-conscious people, and is as far removed from ‘hippy’ ideas as you can imagine.”
Landfill, overspill
The gluttonous consumer culture of the early 2000s seems to be waning, and whether due to ethics or finances, there’s a yearning for originality. Landfill overload is a serious repercussion of a disposable economy. Synthetic fabrics do not decompose and not even natural fabrics are risk free; the anaerobic decomposition of wool produces the harmful greenhouse gas methane. Recycling reduces the impact of these materials.
“Vintage or recycled fabrics are becoming more common which is a fantastic way of avoiding clothes going to landfill,” says Kaski.
Second-hand stores and flea markets such as Finland’s Fida, who celebrate their 30th anniversary this year, are key figures in textile recycling. Diverting garments from landfills is both a humanitarian endeavour and environmentally beneficial.
“People have always bought second-hand things, but probably never as much as today. New, trendy second-hand stores are popping up everywhere! I like that it’s becoming more ‘normal’ to buy second-hand. You look great and you’re setting an example. I always give my old clothes to flea-markets” says Johanna Forsblom, one half of the sister duo behind Turku’s Syster Retro second-hand shop.
Karo Hellberg from Fasaani Antikki explains: “It’s people’s search for individuality. Many people seem to have a really strong sense of personal style that the ‘ordinary’ stores don’t offer. That the item has ‘been bought before’ makes the purchase more ethical.”
To be worn again
Shopping second-hand is not only recession-savvy, but it is a positive ecological statement. Being a zealot of a recycled wardrobe is no longer socially stigmatised.
“What appeals to me is this idea of uniqueness,” Hellberg describers. “That I might not be the only one who has worn the item does not bother me; it increases my interest in it. When you don’t have to question the unethical factors, you are more free to concentrate on the aesthetic, ‘outside’ factors of the piece.”
“I dislike mass production, the cheap labour and materials. The logistics are what make the product expensive. Production has disappeared from Finland because of expensive costs and skilled people have had to lower their prices because of cheap mass production. It’s more sensible to fix and maintain a good quality old garment rather than buy poor quality which only lasts a few washes,” explains Marjo Haapasalo from Turku’s custom-made and vintage clothing store, Boutique Minne.
Faster fashion coupled with an abundance of emerging technologies in the last century means education has been forced to put less emphasis on needlework and textiles in order to make way for 21st century skills.
“The ability to create, make and mend is one that appears to have been lost through generations. We have turned into a throwaway society where if something breaks we just chuck it instead of mending it. A vast amount of waste could be saved if we learnt to sew and fix our things,” says Kaski.
With 65,000 page views per month, the online Wardrobe Refashion community is evidence of a will to “make-do and mend” and an eagerness to improve handicraft skills. Also exploding in popularity, like a 21st century version of a Tupperware party, is Swishing, where ethical savvy fashionistas are swapping not shopping.
All aboard
The negative side of popularity is high prices. “Of course the stores get dollar-signs in their eyes,” says Forsblom. “A lot of second-hand stores are getting expensive. Used is always used, I don’t think we should forget that. When second-hand clothes become as expensive as new ones, something’s wrong!”
High-street stores are capitalising on the market too. Clothing store Kapp Ahl offers a vintage-inspired collection, influenced by the 1920s to 1950s; “Vintage Stories” aims to recreate that glamour for the modern woman.
Such choices from the high street are in fact detrimental for ethical fashion. Capitalising in this way blurs the line between ethical and fast fashion. Kaski is opposed to this jumping on the bandwagon.
“Vintage-inspired lines do not come close to the real thing. The joy of vintage is in the originality of each piece and that’s something that the high street cannot offer. What I find much more inspiring is the attempt that some high street brands are making to add Fair Trade or ethical labels as concessions. By stocking these eco brands alongside non-eco clothes, it is losing that dividing line and displaying the clothes for what they are in terms of design and style”
Enforcing that companies communicate their ethical policy publically could help consumers stay abreast of what they are supporting.
“The consumer should be aware of where the clothes come from and what they are made of. It’s illogical that designers and companies that follow ethical practices should have to display this as a novelty. I feel it should be the other way around, with non-ethical companies displaying this ‘non-ethical’ tag and explaining why they have gone down this route.”
Chemically enhanced
To ensure the reputability of an ethical guarantee, strict targets administered by a standards agency, would need to be met. Exposés of child labour and poor working conditions emphasise the need for such control, as do the recent cases of textile contamination with banned chemicals.
Chemical treatments used in fabric production are a big problem for the environment. The hazardous chemicals range from common elements such as lead and nickel to compounds such as formaldehyde and dimethyl fumarate. Many are banned in the EU, but there are no laws on the chemicals used in imported fabrics. Widely used in Asia, the chemicals enter our water system when garments are washed and the chemicals are rinsed off.
This year, the Swedish Agency for Control of Chemicals found that the Average Joe Clean Blue jeans from Swedish label Nudie were contaminated with the EU banned anti-mould chemical, dimethyl fumarate. Used as a fungicide in transport and storage, the levels exceeded legal limits by 500 per cent.
The chemical is not used by Nudie in production and should not be present at all. The likely explanation is that the volatile chemical caused the products to come into contact with the fungicide as a result of adjacent products in transit. Against their environmental principles, Nudie are being forced to reintroduce plastic packaging for their garments in order to guarantee a clean product.
Last year, Swedish label Cheap Monday was also forced to withdraw a t-shirt from production after levels of nonylphenol ethoxylate, whose estrogenic function is thought to affect the reproductive organs in fish, exceeded the company’s own maximum levels.
The fashion world is renowned for being fickle, but hopefully its dalliance with ethics is not just seasonal. Apathy is no longer a problem thanks to popular culture piquing the interest of consumers but it is now time to collaborate and start networking to form a global community that can create a connected catalyst for sustained change in the industry.
Swishing Parties
Swishing parties are the equivalent of guilt-free shopping, reducing environmental and financial impacts. Everyone brings at least one item of quality clothing, and in return they can choose any item they want. Lucy Shea, founder of Swishing.org describes: "Save money, save the planet, have a party. Swishing parties are for women who want to combine glamour, environmental protection and frugality."
www.swishing.org
Wardrobe Refashion
Wardrobe Refashion began in 2006 when Nichola Prested decided to save the environment, save money and improve her handicraft skills by ceasing to buy new manufactured clothing. Participants make a pledge on the blog to abstain from purchasing new clothing for 2, 4, 6 months or radically, for life and are forced to create garments from scratch or to refashion and recycle existing ones. They are encouraged to share their creations and in any cases of falling “off the wagon”, a Monopoly inspired “Get out of re-fashionista jail free” card must be displayed!
The Pledge: “I pledge that I will refashion, renovate, recycle pre-loved item for myself for the term of my contract. I pledge that I shall create and craft items of clothing for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract”
www.wardroberefashion.net
Daisey Cheyney
http://www.sixdegrees.fi/6d/index.php/feature/40-feature/103-green-is-the-new-black-a-passion-for-fashion-and-the-planet
Thursday, September 24, 2009
7 +1 Capital flaws
Why does Finland’s main urban centre attract so few highly skilled immigrants? Our safe and civilised northern metropolis-lite has a lot going for it, yet it is largely shunned by the internationally mobile creative class. SixDegrees counts down the main problems identified by researchers at the University of Helsinki that keep our capital from growing into a more cosmopolitan city: some we can change, some we have to live with.
Helsinki’s stagnant creative class
Matti Koskinen
HOW do locales appeal to international professionals in the global competition over economic and human resources? The EU-funded ACRE (Accommodating Creative Knowledge) research project combines data from 13 cities to find out what attracts skilled workforce within and across national borders in the European context.
The question is largely based on the work of American social scientist Richard Florida, say researchers Venla Bernelius and Elina Eskelä from the University of Helsinki Geography Department, one of the ACRE project partners. They have interviewed a selection of immigrants who work in creative or knowledge-based industries in Helsinki about their experiences. The countdown listed here is based on their findings.
Florida’s “creative class” theory sounds like a vindication of hipster society. He claims that when it comes to educated professionals, a vibrant cultural scene and an open-minded atmosphere – so-called “soft factors” – are more important incentives when choosing a place of residence than the traditional “hard factors” like work and economy. Companies, Florida asserts, go where the talent is, so cities need to attract skilled labour in order to maintain their economic momentum.
Helsinki, bluntly put, is screwed. The city faces a future job surplus in precisely the fields which form the engine of its economic growth. The Finnish population is rapidly ageing, but Helsinki’s ability to attract skilled workers from abroad is pitiful. The consensus among HR people seems to be that there’s really no need to tap into the international talent pool. To make matters worse, the city is unable to retain its existing talent. Finland is one of two EU countries currently experiencing brain drain.
“What we’ve found out is that to a large extent people move because of hard factors, but on the other hand it is the soft factors that mostly affect how people get on in their new surroundings,” Bernelius points out.
In short, people don’t intend to come to Finland, they just wind up here. Most either come for a job or for family reasons. The ones who don’t have a job lined up soon discover it’s extremely difficult to find one, even if they are experts in their field.
Getting ahead in the social circles can be equally frustrating. Language, of course, is a key issue, but there’s a wider tendency to exclude immigrants from social and economic life. Part of it is due to many Finns’ awkward relation to foreigners, part of it is just plain old Finnish timidity.
“We interviewed one woman who shared her office space with a Finnish male co-worker,” says Eskelä. “For a full month they didn’t speak a word to each other. After one month she asked him ‘what exactly is it that you do here?’ and they finally opened a line of communication.”
On the other hand, despite the many deterrents, most of the highly skilled immigrants who do stay rather enjoy living in Finland. Helsinki’s mix of small town and big city features – safety, functional infrastructure, urban nature – are what sets it apart from the competition. But all that is little known outside of Finland. One of the biggest problems discovered in the interviews was Helsinki’s lack of reputation. For the city to attract more skilled immigrants, not only would the job market need to start reeling them in, but its image abroad could use a bit of a boost.
1. Dysfunctional job market
It’s almost never easy finding a job. Even at the best of times it’s rare you find yourself not up against competition, and the Finnish job market in general has never really been among the world’s healthiest. It’s hard enough if you’re a Finn, never mind a foreigner looking for work anywhere outside the ICT sector. Studies have shown that difficulties in entering the job market are one of the main reasons that have made the integration of immigrants an often protracted process.
From the point of view of highly skilled workers, it’s also important to have a “thick” job market, which allows people to switch jobs at regular intervals. Why move to a place where you only have one job option, when you’re used to moving from one employer to the next every few years? All kinds of sectors are feeling the financial squeeze, including those where highly trained immigrants have often provided labour – the IT and multimedia markets, for instance.
Not surprisingly, language issues are at the core of problems. While it is understandable that Finnish should be a requirement in jobs where you actually have to talk to people, often the requirement isn’t practical. And why should someone go through the trouble of learning the language when they might only be around for a few years? Many international professionals move around and might only be interested in staying in Finland for a limited period. Not everyone comes to stay for life, but that shouldn’t prevent them from working.
Apart from the language issue, various legal criteria are commonly in place, meaning that foreigners are last in line for work. For example, if you want to work as a teacher in Finland you may do so, but if someone with a teaching degree from this country applies for the same job, they’ll get it automatically. There are many good reasons to live in Finland, but a vigorous employment market probably isn’t one of them. In fact, the dysfunctional job market is the main infrastructural defect that keeps skilled immigrants away from Finland. It certainly does nothing to pull them in.
2. Impenetrable social networks
Feeling accepted in a new community is an important part of integration. Not only can life be unbearably lonely without meaningful social contact, a lot of information and influence, including jobs, circulate through circles of friends and acquaintances. The Finns’ reputation for being tacit and inward is liable to jeopardise Finland’s attraction for many professional and creative communities. Helsinki is relatively underdeveloped in terms of cultural diversity (in comparison to other European capitals) and the social networks of many Finns are understandably close-knit. A tendency to resist change originating from outside the network is possibly more apparent among the older generations, as social networks are undoubtedly tightly connected to language.
The younger generations have been exposed to more influences from other cultures due to higher mobility in society, resulting in less homogeneity and thus more accommodating attitudes towards outsiders. The perceived prejudice is in fact more of a misconception, but it can still be a deterrent where mobility to Finland is concerned, and thus a hindrance for the country’s development.
Unfortunately, those trying to integrate into the community may become more asocial themselves for fear of feeling rejected when attempting to befriend a Finn, which may lead the Finns to assume that the immigrants do not wish to integrate. And so the cycle continues. In order to rectify the preconceived prejudice, the gross generalisation of all Finns as being introverted and lacking internationalism needs to be replaced. With a little bit of effort from both native Finns and immigrants, not only will the community be more cohesive but also undoubtedly more attractive, internationally.
4. The Climate
Mention Finland wherever and to whomever and you can bet your last euro that the subject of climate will arise. Long, cold and dark are synonymous with a Finnish winter even to those with little knowledge of the country. Finland’s distinct seasons are unlikely to be considered a significant factor for immigration, but the perpetual darkness and the cold and damp misery can certainly cause contempt for the country.
The doom and gloom can take its toll on your sanity, and like an explorer’s mirage of a desert oasis you start to imagine warm, sunny days. Then, after what feels like eternity summer finally arrives. And no sooner than it does, it disappears like ash in the wind. The idea of around-the-clock darkness and the prospect of snow can be exciting at first, but after one winter your patience begins to wear thin and the novelty fades.
It’s quite likely that the perceived preoccupation with the climate is responsible for the vitriol. In reality it’s not so bad, particularly in Helsinki which, thanks to the Gulf Stream, is milder and less extreme than many of the areas north or further inland. Once you’ve mastered the art of dressing for the fact that it is colder outside than in your warm apartment, then its just a case of remembering that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Not only will you survive, you might even start to enjoy the long winters as much as you do the long summer days! The Finnish weather has a certain alluring charm and although you might be able to spend Christmas on a beach in the Caribbean, there’s no chance of a white Christmas there!
5. Expensive and cramped housing
Square metres in Helsinki are ridiculously expensive in relation to the city’s size. Compared even to cities like London and New York, living in central Helsinki is disproportionately costly. And the flats are small, cramped, and sometimes (especially in the suburbs) quite nasty-looking on the outside. Again, the climate makes a difference. Insulation and heating are expensive necessities in these latitudes, and a smaller flat is ultimately cheaper to build and maintain. Of course, not all international professionals want to live in the city centre. Unlike the stereotypical “creative types”, many knowledge or creative workers do not leave their uptown loft every night to go hang out at Korjaamo or Kaapelitehdas. It’s often the more settled individuals that prefer to commute from Espoo or Vantaa, where square metres are cheaper.
6. Outdated attitudes
On the surface, many Finnish towns are becoming more international in the make-up of their population, but that’s not to say foreigners are necessarily made to feel welcome. The rise of the True Finns is just one manifestation of a general xenophobia, which by no means affects everyone in the country, but is an influence among large sectors of the populace. It’s not that many years ago that the presence of anyone not a blue-eyed blond-haired Nordic on the streets of Helsinki would cause people to stop and stare. These days it’s not so overt, but if you start meeting Finns above the age of 40, throw-away chauvinistic jokes and casual racist remarks are liable to surface, especially if you speak Finnish. The current “critical” discussion on immigration in particular determines prevailing attitudes in society, which in turn determine who will want to come here to live and work. The way Finns talk about immigration has the greatest effect on those who are here of their own free will and can leave any time they want. And they do react to this kind of climate change.
7. Lack of cosmopolitan culture
Compared with a metropolis like Berlin, Helsinki is not as “internationally” known and so despite its cultural offerings, it lacks the same kudos. The cosmopolitan vibe of a city can be a pivotal factor in its attractiveness. Helsinki is undoubtedly the main hub of Finland’s creative industries. There are plenty of events designed to encourage interaction between the different professions, but the urban structure of Helsinki is not as intensified as that of other cities.
As immigration levels (and population density) continue to rise, however, the way in which inhabitants interact is changing, and the urban centre of Helsinki is expanding. Culture is what differentiates cities and with an increasing multicultural vibe, Helsinki needs to be more adventurous with what it has to offer.
If you’re used to a city-that-never-sleeps such as London or New York, it can be very frustrating to discover Helsinki’s distinct lack of 24-hour services, limited nightlife and the fact that from Monday to Wednesday it might as well be a ghost town. Such concepts and services were relatively alien to Finnish culture before the increase in immigration, but slowly Sleepy Hollow is starting to take tips from Millennium City. Sunday openings, 24-hour convenience stores and after-party clubs are fast appearing. These are innovations for natives and a little familiarity for those accustomed to the 24/7 culture.
Helsinki’s close proximity to the countryside means that it has developed as an equilibrium between urban and rural which is something that distinguishes it from other capital cities. This offers Helsinki the chance to provide something unique, the ability to maintain its own identity rather than becoming a clone of other popular capital destinations. Helsinki’s internationalism still has a long way to go but with every step the city takes towards a less homogeneous, more convenient and accessible culture, the more vibrant and attractive the city will become.
+1 Nobody knows about Helsinki
One of the biggest problems with Helsinki’s reputation abroad is that it has none. While the immigrants who have settled here generally have good things to say about Finland, more often than not they come here with no idea of what to expect. The travel guide images of lakes, saunas and birch trees are only a part of the story, and often a part that has little appeal to immigrants of the creative class. And while the mystique of this wild frontier appeals to some adventurous individuals, it would benefit the city greatly to get a good word of mouth going about its brighter sides.
Nick Barlow, David Brown, Daisey Cheyney and Matti Koskinen
http://www.6d.fi/index.html/page.2009-09-24.3701970537
Changing a light bulb
AN EU directive effectively banning the sales of incandescent light bulbs began on 1 September. Expanding annually, the production and importing of all incandescent bulbs will be phased out by 2012, with the aim to increase the use of low-carbon alternatives. The first phase includes all incandescent, non-clear and 100-watt bulbs. Other less efficient bulbs equivalent in light output must be at least C-class on the EU’s energy product scale. By 2012, all bulbs should be C-class.
Criticisms of the main energy-efficient alternative, the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), centre on their high initial cost, quality and alleged negative health impacts. With a lifespan over ten times longer, CFLs are far more economical on a life-cycle basis and use up to 75 per cent less energy, as they are “cold-burning” and thus emit less energy in the form of heat.
Concerns are also raised by the fact that CFLs emit ultraviolet radiation and contain small quantities of mercury. The potential health and environmental risks can be reduced by switching to CFLs with an outer non-breakable lamp envelope. Unlike their incandescent predecessors, CFLs can be recycled. A service for their safe disposal is already being offered by stores such as Ikea.
CFLs are not the only alternative, however. Energy-saving halogens use 25 per cent less energy and emit a comparable quality of light to incandescent bulbs, but the future looks to be in light-emitting diode (LED) technology. With energy savings of 80 per cent and a lifespan of 25 years, this new-kid-on-the-block is great reassurance that the future is bright!
Daisey Cheyney
http://www.6d.fi/starters/page.2009-09-24.8759753901
Criticisms of the main energy-efficient alternative, the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), centre on their high initial cost, quality and alleged negative health impacts. With a lifespan over ten times longer, CFLs are far more economical on a life-cycle basis and use up to 75 per cent less energy, as they are “cold-burning” and thus emit less energy in the form of heat.
Concerns are also raised by the fact that CFLs emit ultraviolet radiation and contain small quantities of mercury. The potential health and environmental risks can be reduced by switching to CFLs with an outer non-breakable lamp envelope. Unlike their incandescent predecessors, CFLs can be recycled. A service for their safe disposal is already being offered by stores such as Ikea.
CFLs are not the only alternative, however. Energy-saving halogens use 25 per cent less energy and emit a comparable quality of light to incandescent bulbs, but the future looks to be in light-emitting diode (LED) technology. With energy savings of 80 per cent and a lifespan of 25 years, this new-kid-on-the-block is great reassurance that the future is bright!
Daisey Cheyney
http://www.6d.fi/starters/page.2009-09-24.8759753901
Saturday, August 29, 2009
V is for Vintage
HARKING back to a time when furniture was built to last and clothes were cut to fit, vintage styling puts the emphasis back on individuality. Foraging for vintage gems is no mean feat for even the keenest of eyes, but do not despair: it’s time for the biannual Helsinki Vintage fair!
“Vintage is kind of a cultural umbrella that holds underneath it different things: fashion, music, art, burlesque and so forth. The aim is an event that would gather all the best vintage sellers and a wide range of goodies from past decades, together with an interesting side programme and a relaxed atmosphere to hang out,” explains organiser Lotta Nyqvist. “There was a lack of vintage fairs in Finland and I wanted to create not only a vintage sales event, but a celebration of vintage culture.”
Individuality has long been synonymous with style and so the appeal of vintage style is hardly surprising. “It’s the visual and historical aspects, the uniqueness and the quality of materials used – the feeling that there’s a story behind these items.” describes Nyqvist. And the event is not purely for aficionados, Nyqvist explains: “It’s a very good starting point for people who are curious about the scene, since it offers such a wide and comprehensive selection of vintage culture in the same place at the same time.”
Sun 27 September
Helsinki Vintage
Kaapelitehdas, 11:00-18:00
Tallberginkatu 1
Tickets €9
http://www.6d.fi/starters/page.2009-08-26.3916855944
Vampires Are Forever
Myths and legends have transcended cultures and eras but none have done so quite like vampires.
IMAGINE if popular culture were the politics of the 21st century. There would be no question as to who would be leading the polls. Twilight became the highest grossing vampire film of all time. True Blood is one of HBO’s most watched series since The Soprano’s and even a new Buffy The Vampire Slayer film has been announced. Vampires are biting back.
This renaissance is hardly surprising. The allure of vampires has been apparent since the 19th century and, despite what you might suspect, the longevity of their appeal is not a result of the vampires’ glamouring skills but most likely our own conflicting desire for, and fear of, immortality.
Vampires are apt vehicles for our cultural anxieties, thus serving to represent the collective unconsciousness of society. As Ron Moger, a vampire enthusiast explains: “The Vampire as a cultural figure has managed to remain relevant largely because its form has changed through the ages to adapt for the people who were imagining it.”
Being culturally adaptive allows the traditional vampire myth to be continually reworked. For instance, the church seems to pose no threat to modern vampires, which is perhaps a nod towards society today being more secular. This ability to evolve allows the vampire myth to further become an inextricable part of cultures worldwide.
Certain themes remain constant within vampire stories, and the essential differences in the representation of vampires lay between folklore and literature. For example: Folklore vampires are not sophisticated or refined, nor are they in the slightest bit scrupulous. They are gruesome beasts rather than humans with fangs.
Moger believes that the current “domestication” of vampires has contributed to the profusion of vampires in popular culture: “Whereas I might have found other horror characters unfamiliar as a child (who can relate to the creatures in Alien?), there was always something about the vampire that struck a chord.”
Adapting their barbaric nature to fit the values of modern society, transforming from terrifying outlaws into embodiments of lust, vampires appeal to basic human instincts and desires. This has led to a shift in focus to their social relationships with humans.
Love at first bite
Modern writers tend to pick and choose their vampires’ strengths and weaknesses, customising the extent to which disbelief can be suspended and helping to maintain the enduring fascination. This flexibility has provided opportunities for the myth to exemplify its thematic diversity by successfully transcending a range of genres.
The fusion of vampires and romance is a particularly popular union. The Twilight characters, Edward and Bella, have captured the hearts of today’s teens just as Buffy and Angel did in the late 1990s. It is the emotional participation in their entanglement that ultimately sustains the interest of the readers. The fact that Edward is a vampire seems almost incidental.
Anne Rice and her Vampire Chronicles novels that spanned from 1976 to 2003 undoubtedly played a key role in the revitalisation of the genre. Twisting the established definitions of vampire lore and mirroring social ostracism in the modern world, the convergence of “old” and “new” world vampires in novels such as Interview with a Vampire has strongly influenced modern gothic identity and neo-gothic subculture. Gone is the pervasive perception of a cape-clad attacker who sleeps in a coffin and has an aversion to garlic.
“Nowadays the vampire takes on many forms, though mainly that of a carefree, all powerful individual with no responsibilities, the ability to get anything he wants and with no fear of death – powers which I’m sure that one or two people would love to be able to have themselves!” says Moger.
Goth ‘N’ Roll
Modern vampires are idols. In The Lost Boys, the 1987 cult film, the vampires don Ray Bans and drive fast cars. Vampire Bill Compton in True Blood even owns a Nintendo Wii!
Goth Tio Knight explains: “Vampires are always associated with rebellious, leather-wearing baddies who love rock n roll! For me personally, the allure can be defined by The Lost Boys slogan: ‘Sleep all day, party all night, never grow old and never die’. They always seem to embrace that whole ethos, regardless of where they stand in history or pop culture – from the Anne Rice novels or modern movies like Twilight, but it is especially true in the character of Spike from Buffy!”
Defining humans and vampires as binary pairs such as good/bad or dark/light only serves to reinforce the vampire’s role in representing the darker side of humanity – an identification that evokes empathy towards the vampires. They are not just creatures of the night; they are victims of the night. It is a powerful social and political allegory which makes their alienation and their sophisticated loneliness an attractive and appealing concept for teens.
“What teenager can’t understand a character who is isolated, rejected, apparently hated by the masses? The Vampire sleeps all day, does what he wants at night, lives to his own schedule, gets any woman he wants and, let’s face it, he nearly always lives in the biggest, baddest, house in town. Sounds to me like the perfect life!” explains Moger.
A stake in the business
It would be difficult to find a commercial enterprise that isn’t taking advantage of the vampire cash cow. American clothing brand Wildfox Couture is introducing their latest campaign with the biting statement “Boys come and go, but vampires are forever,” and selling a range of T-shirts baring slogans such as “Fangs are Fantastic” and “My boyfriend is a vampire”.
Charlotte Cheyney, a buyer’s assistant for the online clothing retailer ASOS.com, comments: “Wildfox is a bestseller for ASOS. Styles sell out within days and we expect the vampire-inspired tee to be no exception. After all, who wouldn’t want to imagine having the god-like Edward Cullen as a boyfriend!”
As our hunger for vampires shows no sign of being satisfied, more reinventions are inevitable. These range from Facebook applications such as Vampire Wars to a blatant exploitation of human intrigue and curiosity in the title of the British film Lesbian Vampire Killers (one guess as to what that film is about!).
Swedish novelist John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) and its subsequent 2008 film adaptation provide a darker alternative to the saccharine romance of the Twilight franchise. Profoundly exploring the basic nature of good and evil, the refreshing reworking of the classic vampire story received such international acclaim that the rights for an English-language remake were sold even before its theatrical release.
It is impossible to quench the unquenchable and for as long as danger, darkness and the unknown continue to fascinate, our thirst for bloodsuckers will undoubtedly last, perhaps like vampires themselves, for eternity.
Centuries of sucking
The origin of the vampire myth is a huge subject in itself, and superstitions about bloodsuckers and the myths that pertain to the vampire legend have been present in most world cultures for millennia: From bats and leeches to the South American Chupacabra (“goat sucker”) and the Ghanaian Asasabonsam-monster with iron teeth.
Many of the folktales originated in medieval times, based on contemporary spiritual beliefs and views on life after death. Theories such as miasma – the notion that diseases are caused by a noxious form of “bad air” – were little understood in the time of great pandemics like the bubonic plague. The dead were the perfect scapegoat for the continual inexplicable “attacks” on the population.
Historical events also played a key role in shaping folklore. In the 15th century, Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia became famous for his cruelty as a ruler. Hungarian Countess Elisabeth Bathory, a 16th century serial killer, allegedly bathed in the blood of her victims. In the 17th century Jure Grando, the “Vampire from Kringa,” terrorised the Croatian town’s inhabitants.
An influx of vampire superstition entered Western Europe during the 18th century as a result of the mass hysteria following an epidemic of vampire sightings in Eastern Europe. But it was in 1897 that the undying popularity of vampire fiction really began to take off with the publication of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, inspired by the story of Vlad the Impaler.
The abundance of vampires in the realm of fiction continued, from Edgar Allen Poe to Tolstoy. The original folklore image was already showing signs of transforming, but Stoker, progenitor of modern vampire stories’ Dracula character, really created the archetypical vampire in fiction. Introducing many of the common conventions including garlic, stakes and Christian symbols as weapons, it has since become the subject of untold imitations.
Daisey Cheyney
http://www.6d.fi/Lifestyle/page.2009-08-26.8482429420
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Shape Shifting
A new dawn is breaking for club culture, beckoning a future with no clear cut boundaries. It’s unpredictable and full of surprises.
It was back in 1964 when Bob Dylan first sang The times they are a-Changin'. Forty-five years on, it has never been more appropriate. As people become more aware of their lifestyle and their choices, there has been a perceptible shift in Helsinki’s nightlife. State of the art equipment, although still important, is no longer the main focus. The emphasis is shifting back to the guest’ experience and the key is to get more for less without a compromising on quality.
In cosmopolitan cities like Helsinki, both integration and the preservation of cultural traditions is important. It is therefore inevitable that cultural aspects become fused; elements of different music genres blend together and music is no longer easy to define.
Transfer this to the club scene and it encourages a community feeling in an urban environment. An attempt to create an atmosphere and experience without accompanying social or cultural complications. It is an undisputed fact that Helsinki holds considerable power where groundbreaking and innovative art forms are concerned but as this broader approach to music emerges, to what extent does Helsinki’s nightlife represent the changing face of club culture?
Children of the revolution
Acclaimed hard dance DJ, Proteus, who is a key player in revolutionising Helsinki’s nightlife explains: “Beside rock culture, Helsinki nightlife could be much better.”
“Helsinki has an amazing amount of bars and nice venues but still the club culture could be more rich and alive. The club culture in Helsinki is very much based on chill-out and house music, but Helsinki does have many rock bars with good live bands playing from Mondays to Sundays and that’s the best thing in Helsinki”
According to Proteus, it seems Helsinki still has developmental potential, so what’s next?
“I would like to see Helsinki to be someday like Berlin or London; very rich and live, lots of interesting things going on. I think there are too many commercial discos in Helsinki with a very commercial and narrow-minded repertoire… but still comparing to other cities, Helsinki definitely has the best to offer in Finland.”
Express yourself!
That clubbing was becoming too commercial is a widely held belief, and underground artists have been striving to stem the flow of constantly reissued and remixed music and provide something fresh, something innovative.
Promoter, Lili Srdic believes that a key factor for ensuring the successful evolution of club culture is communication: “[it’s] the exchange of opinions and ideas between regular club goers, including the performers and organisers themselves. The intricate fabric of this city and its potentially stimulating and diverse environments are ideal for expression and discussion, and for raising awareness.”
Is this an attempt to make hedonism give way to altruism?
Just as it is virtually impossible to confine a person to one genre, one artist or one song, club cultures are starting to reflect this. Revellers are no longer content with just a beer in a bar and juxtaposition is crucial in embracing the diversity of an audience; a variety of genres, against a variety of acts, versatile spaces and exotic entertainment.
Soundtrack to your life
Effectively, DJ’s create a soundtrack for your night out, but in fact they are willing to do much more. As the search for a less complicated life continues, it is only natural that a less complicated soundtrack to compliment it is sought. “I’m trying to bring more underground culture and different interesting events to Helsinki’s night life. I try to offer people more things to experience and hear,” says Proteus about his aims for the nightlife of Helsinki.
Tired of fickle fads, there is a growing demand among the more self-assertive new generation for more than “just a night out.” The modern short attention span seems to requires extra stimuli. People want more! Something that is perhaps a reflection of this multimedia age.
Proteus currently organises three events in Helsinki in an attempt to satisfy this. All showcase hot new acts and focus on diversity. For example: Torture Torstai at Kuudes Linja in Helsinki’s Kallio district, is a monthly club night that Proteus describes as one that “offers more special and unusual things to people; from fetish themes to punk nights and from burlesque shows to black metal.”
Melting pot
The combination of a hard house DJ with theatrical entertainment from acts such as the Burlesque dancers of the Burlesque Polaire group could be said to have evolved from the multiple clubbing events of the nineties. Sub-cultures have long co-existed but now there’s a more united front; the idea now is not to separate each individual elements but to combine them.
The Graveyard Party is another example of a symphony for the senses. A festival of sorts that takes place during Helsinki’s darker months, it encourages people to step outside their comfort zone. “A melting pot of all dark music cultures, from Goth bands to heavy industrial bands,” describes Proteus.
The analogy of a melting pot is a recurring theme with regards to the future of club culture. Each “ingredient” retains its own flavour, while playing an equal role in the flavour of the overall product. Music has long played an important part in cultural fusion and incorporated with multimedia events it helps to capture the essence of diversity.
The audiences’ tolerance, participation and acceptance of diversity in a cosmopolitan setting reflects an acknowledgement of the otherness of the future. In the case of club culture, the myriad of combinations that the cultural fusions provide, guarantee an interesting, intriguing and most likely, victorious future.
Daisey Cheyney - HT
Friday, May 29, 2009
A Hot Cup of Tea
A Hot Cup of Tea
'Coffee has long remained unrivalled in the hearts of the Finnish nation, but now a healthier obsession is beginning to challenge that position..'
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'Coffee has long remained unrivalled in the hearts of the Finnish nation, but now a healthier obsession is beginning to challenge that position..'
Shared via AddThis
Friday, March 27, 2009
A Tweet Twitterdemic
http://issuu.com/sixdegreesfinland/docs/6d3/5?zoomed=true&zoomPercent=100&zoomXPos=0.0705550329256821&zoomYPos=0.17925778661365144
Friday, January 30, 2009
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