2012 Walkleys MediaPass Student Industry Day

On Friday, March 30, I attended the annual Walkleys MediaPass Student Industry Day.

Up and coming writer, Megan Burke asked me to contribute my experience on her brilliant blog as a guest poster.

Check out my wrap up here.

A big thanks to Megan, the Walkley Foundation, Industry Super and of course, the fabulous panelists. 

- Lana

Fashion: it's all in the ethics.

It’s the debate that trumps all others in the fashionable style stakes; do you buy well made, quality garments as investment pieces, or do you buy cheap, inexpensive items that are trendy?

With the allure of the cheap, China made bargain that has managed to dominate our shopping centres and High Streets, it seems the days of the ethical Australian rag trade is slowly dwindling, and with the economic gap between rich and poor households growing bigger and bigger by the week, looking good seems to be a decision made on the weight of the wearer’s conscience. 

Is buying Australian made fashion ethically sound? Photo by Chooyutshing.

“At the moment, when the economy isn’t stable, people don’t like spending lots of money,” says Alice Edgeley, of Melbourne label, Edgeley Designs.

“There are some people who like to buy things that they know are made well, but a lot of people are not buying a lot at all, and if they do, they are buying things that are cheaper.”

For young emerging designers like Ms Edgeley, this is the current harsh reality of the fashion and retail worlds.

Having seen several major Australian companies, such as Fosters, Qantas, Bonds and Ford shift the majority of their factory work overseas, it’s astonishing that young designers and emerging Australian companies are feeling any form of optimism. 

“A lot of suppliers are shutting down, which means getting materials locally is harder,” says Ms Edgeley.

“Even if the economy does go further downhill, I think things that are one-off or really unique are going to be things people are willing to pay for.”

Despite the current doom and gloom, there are some major fast fashion Australian companies that are thriving every day at a Westfield near you, with young consumers as young as eight years-old decking themselves out in inexpensive, fashionable clothing stitched in the masses by poorly paid workers throughout Asia.*

Commonly known as sweatshops, many retail chains have invested in the preferred process of sending simple designs to foreign manufacturers and having hundreds of boxes of clothing made out of cheap versatile fabrics shipped back to our shores and into their stores.

From a business point of view, it’s an easy avenue to make huge profits by simply slapping on a price tag with a mark-up of up to three hundred per cent.

Ashleigh Becker, owner of local fashion label Ash MayBe, has studied the industry’s practices and believes major clothing companies have no choice but to source labour internationally.

“The difference in price is enormous; the total costs of locally manufactured garments would be approximately three times the price of overseas production.” says Ms Becker.

Having networked closely with a handful of major companies during the term of her studies, Ashleigh says success in today’s environment comes down purely to affordable prices.

“I think smart companies will thrive in the current climate, if they are willing to change, and adopt different strategies.

 A company such as Cotton On has barely been affected by the GFC (Global Financial Crisis), and are successful because they are cheap and fashionable.” explains the soon-to-graduate designer.

“Although they are far from ethical.”

Alice Edgeley agrees.

“It’s definitely cheaper to have garments made out of the country, but as I have only been in business for six months, I can’t afford to get heaps made in China. They usually have a minimum of one thousand garments, and almost everything made here is for the [Edgeley store] racks,”

“It’s a real juggling act, I don’t want to pay a lot of money to have my clothes made, but I also don’t want to barter or battle people to get their prices down when they’re making something good quality,” she explains.

When asked to comment on the manufacturing operations,Cotton On Group failed to respond to at the time of printing. Similarly, when asked to comment on the validity of their Australian made labels, a spokesperson from Supre stated the company “do not have the resources to respond to questions”.

Once upon a time, purchasing brand new clothes was a rarity. It was only when a family member was getting married or it was one’s birthday that a nice, neat lace dress or a smart suit was hand-made by the tailor down the road and boxed beautifully with a silk ribbon. Fast forward a few centuries and the majority of Australia’s working class purchase new clothes every month, but it is evident that the quality and life of the clothing is nowhere near as long and worthwhile as they used to be.

“My wares are hand-sewn and I often wonder if people or notice or not,” ponders Ms Edgeley.

 “Younger people especially, today, have never experienced that quality, that workmanship. It seems they can’t actually wrap their head around the idea, sadly it’s incomprehensible.”

For the future of ethical, Australian made clothing and wares, it is hard to predict whether a following will ensue as an alternative to today’s dominating chain wares that are readily available.

As a student, Ms Becker supports Australian made clothing, but simply cannot afford to buy them on a regular basis.

“As a student, they’re not really in my budget. If more brands stocked Australian made products, prices would be more competitive... it really comes down to marketing.” She says.

While the industrial revolution brought mass produced, European influenced fashion garments available to the public, as opposed to the rich and the wealthy; there is discussion as to whether the retail sector’s pricing standards have toppled itself in competition with the accessibility and ease of online shopping.

“At the end of the day, we all buy cheap t-shirts, but in recent times it seems to have bitten itself on the bottom” says Ms Edgeley.

While there are a small number of labels and online eco-stores producing and selling Australian made wares, it seems money overrides morale in the fashion world. Good or bad, there are pros and cons between buying Australian made clothing and supporting the international sweatshop industry; however it’s clear that the real power of fashion  lays with you: the individual.

*Poorly paid in comparison to the average annual Australian working wage. 

Has Melbourne gone ga-ga for Zara?

Zara's opening this week in Melbourne has caused a flurry of ferocious fashionistas flocking to the new flagship site in the heart of Bourke Street Mall - but is the Spanish giant's fast fashion worth the fight?

Day #1 of business: Zara is warmly welcomed by Melbourne

European retailer Zara has this week hit heights of dizziness in the land fashion. The term 'globalisation' has been given a whole new meaning, with our city's most famous shopping strip seeing record numbers of women, men and children pounding the pavements in the last 72 hours, to experience the stylish giant herself.

Organisers went to extreme measures to ensure the zoo of Zara remained under control - trams travelling through the Mall were sectioned off with festival fences, and security stood at every inch of the store's radius, controlling crowds, counter clock in hands.

While the opening party went off with a celebrity filled bang, the party still continues in ridiculously high numbers.

I had no interest in elbowing my way past pushy parents with prams and stiletto-wearing sticks, but by day two I couldn't contain my curiosity, and found myself winding through the rope restricted black carpet.

While I am no stranger to the beauty and appeal of Zara's garments (almost every capital city visited during 2009's backpacking trip accounted for at least one day of shopping for clothes I couldn't afford,) the sheer volume of hormoes buzzing around the three story building was off-putting.

Shoppers push past to snatch some European style.

Black-clad staff members buzzed like bees to a hive, re-hanging blouses, sorting through tables of strewn jeans and organising accesory walls, while hungry shoppers crunched their credit cards all in the name of looking good.

There was no need to express selling skills here - customer service was au go-go, with register bells pining as navy paper bags were shoved with wares and perched proudly on arms.

As I made my way to the back of the store, the craziness increased, with a fitting room line so long, a wait on our healthcare's heart transplant list would be quicker... and I wasn't the only one thinking this - desperate girls got their fashion fixes in front of family, friends and mirrors, bypassing the privacy of the change rooms and stripping in the middle of the store.

Sure, Zara's presence in Australia is considerably history making - this is the first time such a large, highly adored leader in world wide fashion has opened it's doors on our shores...but with whispers that the store's current stock has been fast tracked from the reject racks of the chain's European outlets, as well as the company's spokespeople confirming that Australian designs will soon differ to that of the European market, I wonder, has the hype of Zara's arrival been a molehill turned into a mountain?

Australian consumers will no doubt be pleased to see a 'Made in Morocco' label as opposed to a 'Made in China' one, but the exotic appeal surely will wain when one glances down to see sticker slapped with an (increased) dollar price over the original printed tag.

Upon walking out of the crowd and back onto the street, across the road I noticed the flagship stores of retail giants Sportsgirl, Adidas, Diva and Jetty Surf were comparably quiet...

Highly hyped: Day #2 of business on Bourke Street Mall.

Zara's arrival in Melbourne and Sydney has certainly started with a strong stance, and I have no doubt will continue to thrive on the High Street, as well as online.

 However, I think the Spanish retailer's influence is, if anything, a sign of things to come for our troubled  and competitive retail economy. Consumer wise, choice is at an all time high, and I predict the future of our shopping centres and strips will soon allure other major, international retailers.

I may not have been pissing my pants to parade through the doors of Zara, but should UK retailer Topshop open a store or two? I'm so there, girlfriend.

Excessive Word Focus: Lord Mayor Loves Community

On Thursday, April 16, I attended and documented the historic launch of digital community radio, at Melbourne's Federation Square. 

As apart of a University assignment, I interviewed a handful of people from various community radio stations. I was fortunate enough to snub a few minutes with Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, who was a guest speaker at the event and initiated the official 'switch on'. 

After playing back my gathered audio,  I noticed a reoccurring trend during my interview with LM Doyle - he seemed to be quite fond of the word 'community'.

In the space of 1:10, I counted 14 times! Take a listen of my (original, unedited) interview below for yourself, and see how many times you notice 'community' being used....

Community Community Community Community Community Community Community Community Community Community Community Community Community Community

To be or not to be: A straight girl's Midsumma adventure in a gay world.

Just like every other student at the end of last year’s academic semester, I was brimming with excitement. I couldn’t wait to finally relax, hang out with my friends and really enjoy the upcoming silly season.

But four months of sweet summer lovin’ is quite a long time. So to ensure I didn’t become the squeaky wheel, I set out a goal to get some work experience under my belt.

Forward on several weeks of lazing in the sun, slaving the retail hours away (it wasn’t a complete break – let’s blame my landlord’s incessant monetary needs for that one!) and relishing in the act of sneaky, but oh-so-satisfying Facebook stalking, I found myself in the offices of the Adam Lowe Group, who coordinate Melbourne's Midsumma Festival.

I had landed a gig helping out the very lovely Marketing and PR Manager, James Findlay, in coordinating the festival’s radio program, along with the odd job of photocopying, compiling publicity statistics and photocopying those publicity statistics.

I was pretty nervous at the start. Not because of the workload, or the expectation I had on myself to make a “good impression”, but because I felt a little out of my comfort zone.

You see, Midsumma Festival is a festival for the GLBTIQ community. It’s a festival that celebrates visual and performing arts in queer Melbourne, and from mid January to early February, hundreds of venues across the city take part and host the wonderful works that are produced, performed and put on.

The day after my initial interview for the placement, I made the weekly catch-up phone call to my Grandma.

“So I had an interview for a work experience placement yesterday. It’s for the Midsumma Festival. I think it went well...”

“Did you tell them you were a lesbian? Because if you told them you were a lesbian...”

“NO GRANDMA! I did not say I was a lesbian! You can’t lie like that!”

“Why not? They won’t know!”

“Because Grandma, they will know! They’ll make a funny joke, or ask me a question and I probably won’t know what to say, and then my lie will be out! It’s one thing to lie on your resume, Grandma, but to lie about your sexuality in a volunteer job that is loosely based on the idea of sexuality – it’s just not ethical!”

I will admit the thought did cross my mind.

Having a couple of friends who are out, the overall idea certainly didn’t faze me, it excited me.  But I was nervous in the fact that little old me would be thrust (so to say) into the depths of gay culture.  Would I understand it? Would I get all the gay-themed jokes that were to thrown around the office as phone calls and emails were attended to? The possibility of not having a funny input into a perfectly adult conversation scared me.

But the more time I spent working on what would become my queer little baby – Tasting Midsumma Radio on JOY94.9FM – the more I felt at ease.

As producer of the 4 week, 2 hour program, it was my job to contact the artists and talent to secure the interviews, think of interesting questions to ask and to formulate a running schedule - basically, run around like a roasted chook with a bit of stressing on the side!

With the festival guide in hand, I felt this new responsibility to be not (that) scary, but rather liberating, exciting and full of fabulous opportunity! Along with James’ informative suggestions and assistance, I selected people who I thought would come across well to the broadcasted ear.

I had a general expectation that the visual artists would speak deeply and darkly, and the theatre performers, actors, actresses and comedians would have streaks of ‘flamboyant diva’ in their blood. But very quickly those expectations flew out the door. Over the four weeks, my world was enlightened and enriched with the occasion to meet some incredibly talented people, all who were very down-to-earth and most grateful for a shot to promote their work.

I also learnt some valuable lessons which have helped change my outlooks as a developing professional, a slaving student and as a true, festival loving Melburnian:

1. I learnt about community groups that I never knew existed – did you know there is a gay and lesbian running group, a dance group, a tennis club and queer life drawing classes? I certainly didn’t. 

2. I learnt the dress codes of gay men’s nightclubs, and where they go (Fitzroy’s Smith Street is a popular choice, as is Prahran’s Chapel Street, if you’re wondering) and what they sometimes do.

3. I learnt that you should always proof-read anything you write. After quickly smashing out the usual request-for-interview email, I accidently neglected to put the line “of Tasting Midsumma radio” in the opening sentence.  I also didn’t realise that this email I had just sent was going directly to the boss of the festival. So, instead of reading “My name is Lana Wilson and I am the producer of Tasting Midsumma radio for the Midsumma Festival...”  He read it as “I am the producer for the Midsumma Festival”.  Oops, a little too much responsibility for one interning-student!

4. I learnt that in radio, timing is king and Plan B is Queen. Suggesting all phone interviews be connected 5 minutes prior to the scheduled time was a good idea, as was having an ‘emergency contact’ list of numbers to call any late-comers.  With my running schedule broken down into 5 minute blocks, I had each arrival and telephone call marked to the minute. But when the Lord Mayor of Melbourne forgets to call the studio, and all you have is a personal assistant’s number, sometimes that crucial element of timing requires ‘Plan B’  to be exercised. (It should also be noted that ‘Plan B’ should also involve some form of stress management or calming factor.)

5. But most importantly, I learnt that everyone is the same.

My concerns early in the job were quickly banished as I watched and laughed at YouTube clips of English sketch show Little Britain with the other festival coordinators in the office. I embraced the opportunity to not only gain the much desired industry-relevant addition to my CV, but to gain it in an alternative and incredibly unique environment.

I found complacency in the fact that I too, could drool over the buff bodies of those fit model men in the gay magazines, and that for once I didn’t have to hide my secret love for Ke$ha, Rihanna and Lady GaGa. Possibly toying with the term of being a ‘fag-hag’ to the gay world as a whole, here - I realised its okay to be straight and be involved in such a vibrant, accepting and fun-loving society.

Northern Exposure

The weather has quickly turned cold, and Melbourne has resumed work after the long summer holiday away -
I just love Winter! Winter is a time where true Melbournian style arises from the depths of corporate blacks and woollen scarfs.
Although Summer is full of festivals, music, balmy nights and long carefree days, the heat and humidity tend to play havoc on energy levels and force one into a 'minimalist is better' clothing policy.
But Winter allows more freedom in dressing. There are so many ways to create differant outfits and and play around with styles with fabrics designed to cover and insulate the body warm.
Long, leathery black boots, richly tinted trench coats and a secret obsession with corporate shorts teamed with patterned stockings all get me giddy.
In Winter you can wrap yourself up in glorious materials, slurp copious amounts of coffee without feeling guilty in the slightest and snuggle to those close.
Winter is allowing and kind to the soul, and I can't wait for the season to kick in at it's fullest - Melbourne rain, icy haze and all!

My place, not yours!

Today after work, the parentals dragged my brother and I to Castlemaine's 'The Restorer's Barn' a shabby chic-esque, corrugated iron walled world of vintage, collectable and sometimes overpriced junk store. Think a St.Vinnies crossed with Bunnings.

Items included old door handles, tea cup and saucer sets and lamps to oriental furniture, rusty tools and boroque metal sheets- for all things renovating, interior decorating or pure personal pleasure...dahhhling!

I didnt take any photos, because I wasnt feeling the bright crayon in the box, but the little 20 minute trawl did inspire me towards recent thoughts of decorating my future bedroom when I move back to Melbourne.

I have invisioned walls of crazy colour; black, pink, purple, blue, green and canary yellow, with a big, comfy IKEA style bed, an overflowing wadrobe jammed full of clothes (scattered on the floor), fairy lights, a white shag pile carpet and painted birdcages repainted in colours to complement my walls....

 Visual inspiration from google

Perhaps?

I cant help but look to the future.
I'm in the middle of an amazing adventure- the best I have ever embarked upon! But with 2 weeks to go, I'm subconciously having odd dreams of home instead of the next city I'll be in tomorrow...

I think, I think, I think...

Hmmm.
When I return, I'll enforce some fresh changes into life.

The thought of Melbourne... dare I say? Bores me a little. I think very, very soon it will be time for a location change....

you goin' my way...?