Introduction

It is almost ironic how difficult introductions can be. You try to encompass who you are, I mean who you really are, in a total of about five seconds. So here I go:

My name is Aislinn Chan. I am a second year university student in the department of Human Ecology. My major is in Clothing and Textiles and my minor is in Design and Product Development. I believe that fashion is a huge part of our identities and how we relate to those around us. I love working with textiles and being creative, so I really look forward to working in the fashion field as an outlet of individual expression.

The Hippie movement was about a plea to end the war in Vietnam, a rebellious movement, reflected in their clothing, as the group wore.

What we wear makes up a huge portion of a first impression. Clothing can tell its own stories. But more than that, interaction takes place at all levels of the clothing industry. Designers need to know what people want, what would be most effective, what is already working, and what is maybe not working. Feedback on this first level is so important for improvement in design (and also, success of the design). Designers themselves do not work alone. Communication between the team is important so that the designer's vision can become a reality, in the most feasible way. Selling a product is all about communication; magazines, television commercials, articles, and advertisements communicate ideas of what the product symbolizes, what it is capable of, even who made it and what was involved in the process. 

Very recently, online shopping has become an important part of this industry. New designers can now put themselves out there and sell products, without having to own their own physical stores. For example, Stella & Dot, a jewelry 'store'. Some of these experiences online can be quite personal, informative, and easily accessible. 
I look forward to what I can learn from ALES204. I hope to improve my ability to communicate using technology.

(A quick reference to two of last year's students: Brianne Cheng and Arisha Seeras, and their blogs. They were super helpful!
http://areekatz.blogspot.com/
http://ales204briannecheng.blogspot.com/)