ART3110 – Assignment 1

It was interesting to learn that Versace did collections for H&M as I considered Versace to be a well-known, high-end brand that stood on its own. The fact that the majority of famous couture houses rely on perfume and bath oil sales for profit was also interesting. I like that the author combined “high fashion” and “high street” fashion into this book as it gives insight into both aspects of class. When really thinking about it, there are no differences between “high fashion” and “high street” fashion. It’s shocking to see how deep the racial divide goes in the fashion industry. I never thought about the amount of work it takes for something to be made, but then only to be used a couple times. This work can also be dangerous to the workers health. Hoskins makes it very clear that capitalism is the big problem the fashion industry faces. The type of fashion someone wears plays a big part in how they are viewed and the “power” they have similar to Queen Victoria in 1837. I like this line that Hoskins wrote, “the ills of the fashion industry are the fault of the consumers.”