Math+Fashion= Fashematics
Ever wonder what would fashion designers pop out if they added two unrelated items? Well that’s what Fashematics does. It doesn’t post too often, but for any first time visitor to this site, it gives you a good chuckle for 5 mins.
Image credit: Fashematics
[Via Twitter from Geekigirl]
The Kimono - Timeless Classic
Here’s a thing about traditional Japanese fashion that I find fascinating: they’ve kept the same conceptual pattern of the kimono nearly intact for hundreds of years, and have printed and embroidered and infinite number of motifs and colors without ever really being out of style.
A friend of mine and I at the Matsuri Japon Festival in Montreal
Color combinations are endless, as are the patterns that keep this distinctive aesthetic that is strictly Japanese. They’ve also been able to determine marital status and clan (back in the old days) set by certain colors and crests. Still today, the kimono astounds and impresses even in native Japan and around the world alike. It is complex as it is simplistic, gives instant elegance and definitely makes you feel special and different.
Whether it’s light cotton summer yukata (as worn in the photo above) or made of heavy silk with an impressive line of embroidered patterns, the kimono is a surefire way to impress.
I don’t think there has been any piece of clothing that has earned more respect than a kimono. And why is that? It looks so simple and uncomplicated, but yet it is the hardest contraption to put on. A yukata requires 2 ties (or belts), 1 obi, and the cotton yukata. A kimono requires two robes (including the exterior), 6 ties (or belts), 1 obi, and stuffed padding. And depending on what style of obi knot you make, the more time it could take.
Once you learn how to put on a kimono as well as learn how to fold it neatly into a rectangular pile, there’s a great sense of pride of owning something so special, yet is nearly like any piece of clothing. Plus when you think about being economical, the kimono is nearly made of only rectangular shapes, so imagine all the cloth you’re saving in the process of creating these. The Japanese really have thought about everything.
Image credits: Yamatoku Vintage Kimono
Paying for Pixel Fashion
Korean-based online game, Maple Story by Nexon, has users in a frenzy to purchase fashionable items for their little Maple characters. Users can actually purchase online (using real money) with what they call NXCash, or Nexon Cash, usually at $5-$30 for 5000 to 30,000 of nxcash. With this, they can purchase a number of personable items to customize their playing character by choosing from a range of wigs, eyewear, shoewear, tops, bottoms, overalls, and more.
With so many items to choose from, the possibilities are endless. To keep users engaged thus spending more money, purchased items last up to 90 days. So when they expire, users turn to purchase other items they may find cool to try on. GMs (Game Masters) continually update the game with newer items, much like how a retailer continually renews its stock for the new seasons, and yes, Maple Story also has sales. Holidays are a hit - they can collect other special items to carry like Jack o’ lanterns, Santa clause hats and wedding dresses for their weddings (I kid you not).
But, who in their right mind would pay money to dress up a character in pixel fashion?
Tons.
In fact, according to Min Kim from Nexon, their North American revenue saw a sharp rise between 2005 to 2008, specifically spiking in 2006 when the company introduced a Paypal options. Earning a modest sale of $650,000 in 2005 to $29.3 million in 2008, it’s safe to assume that gamers are so attached to their Maple counterparts that they’re willing to spend real money to dress them up.
The basis of Maple Story is simply to fulfill quests based on your job description: Magician, Warrior, Bowman, Pirate and Thief. Each character also has their own set of special clothes that changes every 5 to 10 levels. Users can interact through chatting and participating in party quests. Killing monsters is what Maplers do, and the more you kill, the more experience points you get, the stronger your skills.
Fashion is an integral part in Maple Story, perhaps one of the few games where how you look actually matters to the player at hand, and also one that actually brings revenue from such premise. It’s also to note that even as a gaming company, Nexon behaves much like any fashion retailer would:
Keep products relevant and engage the user to give them an experience they can’t forget.
I wonder how much of a killing they would make if they could license luxury brand names like Louis Vuitton and Gucci. That would open up a whole new realm of revenue for sure.
Image credits: Maple Story, moofey
Fashion Musings
I have long paused and wondered much about the fashion world in the last few months. Although I am sad to report that I don’t have much to add to the conversation nowadays mainly because there are some things about fashion that I find highly repetitive when it comes to certain things.
Here are some points of observations that I’ve come to realize about fashion:
There will always be new designers with new visions, new businesses emerging, as well as old names dying out, designers leaving their houses, and brands going bankrupt. I believe the fascination lies with the observation of how some businesses are successful and discovering what their secret magic potion is made of. However, it’s a topic I can’t keep up with and difficult to get a straight story from highly successful companies when things go awry. They have a lot of money on the line.
It will be a continual uphill battle for more ethical fashion as well as “green” fashion, which has yet to find a worldwide recognition system of certifying organic products. I frankly have eco-fatigue, and being greener doesn’t seem to many anyone happier. And who said being green meant being ultra ugly in fashion? No wonder their products don’t sell.
Luxury will remain of course - with ample focus on creativity and quality control, at least that’s what all true luxury consumers are hoping for. But in a continually consuming society and with tightening budgets, the need for cheap goods will certainly remain rampant for the long forseeable future. But both extremes never cease to amaze of what they can pop out next. We know how high people can go, but we also have to wonder how cheap will people go for for fashion?
I’m waiting for the future of fashion, especially in retailing. I want the stores to tell me when I scan my item what it’s made of, where it comes from, maybe a video of how it’s made, and all the tid bits you never knew about it. I want to be able to customize my clothes with the buttons I want, the colors I want, with the fabric I want and make it ready the next day. I want my shoes to be multi-purpose, heighten or lower my heels, add optional hardware and “skins”. I even want my shopping bag to be so unique that whenever I make a purchase in the store, that it becomes a billboard in my hand and advertises all the brands that I’ve bought without needing to carry 5 different shopping bags.
The possibilities are there. Who’s going to make it happen?
Image credit: Chile Fashion Week
Investigative Fashion Journalism
I have been pondering about Investigative Journalism for some time now, especially in the fashion industry in which, well, few journalists have ever gone past the glossy pages or theatrical shows. And when they do, they write a tell all book and still get to keep their day jobs (eventhough they get banned from a few shows in the aftermath). Pioneers like those writers are few and I believe there should be more of them, at least on the Canadian side.
Newspapers should be your #1 source of an investigative piece of any story and category. So I wonder why is that nearly all of the Canadian newspapers lack this investigative approach when it comes to fashion? All of the spreads I see in newspapers are written magazine style: positive, positive, positive. The fashion police and faux-pas don’t count. I’m talking about real pieces with facts, numbers, statistics, interviews, the lot. I don’t see any of this. And if I do, they’re usually tucked away in the business section. This is why I find it so discouraging for any aspiring fashion journalist that their hopes in writing something truly meaningful in a Canadian newspaper won’t happen except on a rare blue moon.
It’s especially difficult when most of the news I get have an American slant on it, thus not entirely affecting the industry in Canada. The Globe and Mail may produce the highest quality in Canadian news writing but, to be frank, their fashion reporting sucks. How many more days, weeks, months, seasons do I have to read upon another review of the must-haves and yet another thorough description of the new summer dress, and how florals are back in style? Who cares? And at first I thought it was cool to get updates on the latest sales going on over at The Gazette, but after a while, I was craving for something more serious and less superfluous.
