April 2011
83 posts
“The whole point (of fashion) is reinvention—not what it was, but what it can be,” The Olsens have taken up this blue-collar cause by producing their collection in factories in New York and, to a lesser degree, Los Angeles. (Their handbags are produced in Italy, as are a few of their superfine knits.) →
newsweek.com
“What they do has become successful, and everyone needs to give them that,” Gilhart says. “They really concentrated on product, not fashion so much. Their pieces fit into the trends yet weren’t trendy.”
The Olsens twins do business around a banquet-size table decorated with a bouquet of white roses and lilies. Ashley tends to zero in on the technical aspects of the collection. Mary-Kate is more likely to highlight pure aesthetics. Both, however, are adamant about what they want the collection to be. “We really want The Row to be an American luxury brand,” Ashley says. “We believe in not just American by representation but American by make.”
To that end, the Olsens traveled to Washington last year, where they lobbied the East Wing on the importance of the garment center: fashion provides New York with 28 percent of its manufacturing jobs. It puts $10 billion annually into New York’s economy.
Election 2011: Canada's health centres release federal party responses on commitments to health care →
cachca.ca
Canada’s political parties have responded to a five-point questionnaire asking them to describe their commitment to key issues affecting the health and health care of Canadians. The parties’ responses were released today by the Canadian Alliance of Community Health Centre Associations (CACHCA), a group that advances community-based health care innovations across Canada.
“We are very pleased to see strong commitments to preserving Canada’s publicly-funded health system and to improving the quality of health care for Canadians through several new and innovative federal health programs,” stated CACHCA’s Chairperson, Jack McCarthy. “We are particularly heartened to see recognition of the impact made by community health centres across Canada, and openness on the part of several parties about the need for a strong network of community health centres across the country. This is really critical to improve access for Canadians to the sort of high-quality health care they want and deserve.”
McCarthy also described some of the association’s concerns. He underscored the fact that the Conservative Party of Canada was the only political party that refused to respond to the election questions, noting that they were also the lone hold out when the Canadian association issued a similar questionnaire during the 2008 federal election.
Museum of Arts and Design: David Bowie Retrospective →
mediabistro.com
On May 9 the Museum of Arts and Design in New York will be exhibiting “David Bowie, Aritst,” and showcasing “the too-often-overlooked diversity and multifaceted nature of Bowie’s total artistic output,” according to a press release issued by the museum. The program includes a film series—from Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Marsand The Hunger to Basquiat and a new 35mm print of The Man Who Fell to Earth—as well as kiosks showing music videos, interviews, concert footage, and other audio-visual goodies (fingers crossed for Labyrinth)!
FREE/MAN Interview: Dolbeau or Montreal →
freemanbrand.com
Dolbeau recently launched by long time good friends David Caplan and David Gross, headquartered in Montreal. As I’ve mentioned before, Montreal is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada and the oldest in the country. Darin Hocking from FREE/MAN interviewed them to find out how they got started in customizable neckwear, their inspiration and the importance of producing in Canada.
Canadian federal election, 2011: REASON'S TO VOTE ON MAY 2!
The 2011 Canadian federal election will be held on Monday, May 2, 2011 to elect members to the House of Commons of the 41st Canadian Parliament.
The writs of election were issued by Governor General David Johnston on March 26, at the request ofPrime Minister Stephen Harper, whose Conservative government was defeated in the House of Commonson a motion of non-confidence which declared the government to be in contempt of Parliament.[2] This is the first time in the Commonwealth of Nations, that a government has fallen on a contempt motion and it is without precedent in countries governed by a Westminster-style parliament.
Issues- Political honesty[17] – government fell on motion of non-confidence after being found in contempt of Parliament. This was the first time in the British Commonwealth that a government was found in contempt. The New Democratic Party (NDP) stated that both the Conservatives and the Liberals cannot be trusted. The NDP accused the Conservatives for creating “Liberal-style scandals“ [18] and accused the Liberals for flip-flopping on issues such as corporate tax cuts, and the Afghanistan mission.[19][20][21]
- Internet surveillance and Warrant-less Wiretapping – The Conservatives have promised to re-introduce Internet surveillance legislation that they were not able to pass, and bundle it with the rest of their crime bills. They said they plan to fast track the legislation within 100 days after taking office.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]
- The Conservatives plan to purchase sixty-five F-35 Lightning II jet fighters through a sole-source, untendered contract. Stating “Our defence policy is broken” the NDP announced that they would prioritize investment in naval ships over new fighter jets. The NDP stated that this would be a good opportunity to keep shipbuilding expertise and jobs in Canada.[30][31][32][33]
- Health care - The NDP have pledged to train 1,200 more doctors and 6,000 more nurses.[34][35][36][37][38]
- The NDP promised to hire 2,500 more police officers to patrol the streets.[40][41][42][43] The Conservatives plan to expand the prison system.
- Conservatives pledge to cancel the per-vote subsidy.[44]
- NDP promises to cap credit-card rates at five percentage points above prime.[45]
- Conservatives and Liberals promise $4.2 billion in loan guarantees to support the Lower Churchill River power project.[46]
- Due to outcry from Quebec over the pledge to provide loan guarantees for the Lower Churchill project, the Conservatives promise Quebec a $2.2 billion transfer to ease the QSTto HST transition.[47]
- Canada Pension Plan payouts – NDP promises to double.[48]
- Improved internet – both the Liberals and NDP have made statements stating that they will try and improve internet services in Canada, either by removing usage based billing or by improving internet infrastructure, especially in rural communities.[49][50]
- Liberals propose the establishment of an “Immigration Fairness Commissioner” to provide oversight on the entry of immigrants with professional qualifications (doctors, engineers, etc.), and to increase the number of family reunification visas.[51]
- If BC voters were to reject the HST in the upcoming referendum, the NDP promises to ensure that the penalties to be imposed by Ottawa on the HST agreement will be cancelled.[52][53][54][55]
- Conservative assertions that the Liberals will form a coalition with the more left-leaning NDP and Bloc Québécois have played a large role in Conservative rhetoric.[citation needed]
- Balanced budget – the Conservatives promise to eliminate the budget deficit by 2013.[56][57] Critics and political analysts, however, argue that Paul Martin’s Liberal government left a $13 billion budget surplus, before the Conservatives took power.[58][59] The Liberals and the NDP have released platforms promising a balanced budget by 2015 (within 4 years).[60]
- Recession – Many Canadians credit Harper’s handling of the economy during the 2007-2010 global financial crisis. Economic analysts counter that Harper’s Liberal predecessorsbanking regulations and Paul Martin’s blocking of proposed bank mergers is what actually sheltered Canada from the worst effects of the recession.[59][61][62]
- The Conservatives plan to cut corporate taxes from 18 to 15%[63] The NDP have promised to lower the tax rate for small business from 11% to 9%, while at the same time increasing the tax rate for bigger corporations to 19.5%.[64]
- Personal taxation – Conservatives have promised income splitting for tax purposes for families with children to be delivered with the balanced budget.[65]
LA’s Stussy & Co. has teamed with Canadian bag label Herschel Supply Co. for two custom backpacks. →
highsnobiety.com
The packs are characterized by a safety orange ripstop bottom and double labeling from both Stussy and Herschel. The clean and simple Settlement bag and laptop-ready Village bag are each limited to 45 units worldwide and will be available April 22, 2011, exclusively at the Herschel shop-in-shop at Stussy Los Angeles.
http://www.viceland.com/blogs/en/2011/04/19/hopping-across-canada/ →
viceland.com
Train hopping started gathering mainstream popularity around the time of the Great Depression when migrant workers searching for a cheaper solution to paying for transportation out west started hitching rides on open box cars. Since that time hopping has declined a fair bit within the homeless community, but leave it to stoners, hippies and wayward travelers to keep the hobo lifestyle alive. Of course it’s also good for those who like to take advantage of the brief Canadian summer before the weather turns into total bullshit again.
Read the rest at Vice Magazine: HOPPING ACROSS CANADA - Viceland Today
“VANCOUVER, Canada — Vancouver may be far away from the traditional centres of the fashion world, but in recent years this laid-back Canadian city has produced two fashion success stories that are taking the North American market by storm. The first, of course, is Lululemon. The second is Aritzia, a vertically-integrated fashion chain targeted at 15-30 year old women with a penchant for style and the disposable income to buy it. The company seems to have hit its mark. With over $200m in sales and more than 40 stores, some of which are said to approach a whopping $2000 in sales per square foot (reportedly four times the industry average), Aritzia is one of the top performing retail chains around. Read more at the BOF - CEO Talk | Brian Hill, Chief Executive Officer, Aritzia http://www.businessoffashion.com/2009/08/ceo-talk-brian-hill-chief-executive-officer-aritzia.html”
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