Do you think the words ethical and luxury brand really stick together like glue?

I have to start by saying, looking into the luxury goods industry was like the perfect assignment for me! I am one of those girls who tends to enjoy some of the finer things in life, whether it be flicking through a copy of vogue, getting my mitts on something in a shop, or actually being lucky to own something.

I’m sure there are many of you out there, who like me enjoy these things too, and have a little penchant for something in particular, for me, it seems to be jewels, sunglasses, handbags, shoes, you name it, I’m sure I like it, but it can also be music devices, cars, technology, even a nice wine.

But when I thought about the luxury goods industry for my ethics project, it actually dawned on me, can a luxury brand ever really be ethical? I mean you can look at this question from a number of different angles: do luxury brands use ethical sourcing at all? Do they give back to any communities? It is really ethical to charge huge amounts of money for some goods that may be deceptive in price?

 Take this holdall suitcase you see to the left, its made by Louis Vuitton, a world renowned malletier, or luggage makers to you and I, well to purchase this soft sided holdall, it will set you back a nice £835. Bargain? I think not considering the monogramed areas of the bag are just made of canvas brushed with plastic, its only the strapping that is leather, so now think about it this way £835 for a plastic suitcase, doesnt sound so appealing does it?

But then we do have to look at the other side of the industry, where your money may be going to a worth wile cause. De Beers are well known diamond specialists, and yes, we all know diamonds are expensive little gems anyway, but at De Beers you will pay that little bit more, but it may just be worth the money. See De Beers work alongside the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), which works to certify un cut diamonds, and prevent diamonds. The president of De Beers, Andrew Coxon is actually a founding member of the World Diamond Council and spearheaded this initiative on behalf of the diamond industry. Each diamond you buy from De Beers comes with its own De Beers diamond passport, which in their own words “clearly states our stringent conflict diamond policy and confirms that every single piece of De Beers jewellery is ethically produced and 100% conflict-free.”

So now I’ve given you these two examples of pricing within the luxury goods industry I’m asking for your input, when do you think it is acceptable to charge such large amounts of money for luxury goods and when do you not?

Have you ever thought about where all the profit is going once you’ve purchased it, from Louis Vuitton who profit everything, to De Beers who use their money to help stop conflict diamonds?

Georgina x

Adidas Jump On The Social Media Bandwagon

Sports giants Adidas have launched themselves into a whole new world this week, with a digital media campaign: the release of their miCoach app!

Well to start with, i'm sure you are wondering what the miCoach app is all about! A new app that can be downloaded onto a mobile phone becomes a personal coach for exercise, with GPS coaching, to help you work out to your best potential. The app is connected to a specialised website that allows the user to customise workout programmes tailored to their specific needs and sports. The part I think is the most fabulous about this app, is many celebrities have joined forced with miCoach, and you can download various voice settings to have one of your favourite sports stars motivating and coaching you. The campaign has the support of stars such as Andy Murray, David Villa, Reggie Bush and Victoria Pendleton.

I can tell you now, having a very large soft spot for NFL star Reggie Bush makes me want to download this app as soon as possible to have him whispering words of motivation into my ear at the gym!

Inovative and fresh, I think Adidas really have hit the ground running with this new campaign!

Georgina x

No Consent + Sex = Rape?

This week, I had an assignment at uni that involved me looking in depth at the Devon and Cornwall Police campaign, No Consent + Sex = Rape. Rapes are notoriously under-reported to the police these days, as there seems to be confusion over what "real" rape is. The aim of this campaign was to make young people aware that actually, rape isn't just commited by strangers in a public place, or a break in using force and injury, but actually that rape can also be commited by someone you may have met or known, and often happens in houses or flats. It was also important that the myths of rape were cleared up for all to see.

By talking to young girls, aged 16-21, they managed to put across the point, that excessive comsumption of alcohol can lead to them being vunerable. Not only talking to young women, but talking to men aged 17-37 they raised awareness of the consequences of having non consential sex.

To tackle this campaign they used a variety of methods, from posters and ad banners to bluetooth campaigns and facebook pages. Pretty different to see the police using facebook don't you think? Videos were also created and shown via youtube and in cinemas.

After a successful summer of campaigning, reported rapes went up 13% which is a great achievement, but as young people ourselves, what do you think would help to tackle the problem or rape, and alcohol related rape?

And to any men reading this, do you ever think about how drunk a girl is when you meet them on a night out, and what may happen later on?

Georgina x

Tuition Trouble

As  most of us are aware, this week came the student protests in London against the cuts in education funding. The cause itself is an issue that affects thousands upon thousands of people in the coutry, not just students, but parents, and universities alike.

By cutting funding for education, fewer and fewer people will be able to begin even thinking about university as a path of choice, let alone make it there. With fees being uncapped for tuition, some could look at paying £9000 a year, before they have even thought about how they are going to actually live, eat, cloth themselves, then fund the costs that courses bring with them.

How is this fair you may ask, well lets look at it from the negative side.  Many students struggle enough with the debts we have already from current fees, and granted yes, if we didn't go out and spend as much money on beer and vodka as we do, then we may be a little better off, but let's face it, thats not realistic and isn't going to happen. Being as less well off as others doesnt mean you are stupid, or don't deserve to have a fantastic education. If these cuts are not biased towards those who come from money, then pigs may fly.

But, as always, we must look at things from two sides. If there is more money from tuition fees being pumped into universitys, surely those who are lucky enough to make it into the higher education system will be getting more from their money, and a better quality education? We would hope so, as over the past three years, there have been some lectures and seminars where I was unsure how anything was relevant.

Unfortunatley, during the protests, the few outweighed the masses and had to ruin it for all. Do some ignorant people really think that by throwing fire extinguishers into the crowds, they are going to end the cuts in funding? Well, no, actually now they could be looking at being prosecuted for attempted murder and spend a fair few years in a prison cell.

Change doesn't come through bullying, change comes from listening to two sides of a story, and making a compromise, something I learned in my lectures, and something others clearly didn't.

Georgina x

Remembering The Bling

Its the time of the year where we are seeing poppys everywhere, and not because we've had a spell of sunny weather, but Rememberance Day.

Each year most of us donate some of our change, in order to recieve a small plastic and paper poppy to pin onto our coats in order to remember those who fought in World War I. This year, the small poppy has caused a huge uproar, as Swarovski, famous crystal merchants, have produced a replica of the paper poppy, covered in spangling crystals. Retailing at £84.99, this limited edition has been sported by various celebrities, notedly on this weekends X-Factor by Simon and the gang.

Have we as a nation forgotten the values of the plastic paper poppy, and opted to go fashion concious, even with our charity choices, or is it an idea that can be marketed for the greater good. For those who buy this limited edition poppy, a larger amount of money is actually going to the greater cause, in return for an item that wont get soggy in the rain, wont fall off the pin and get swept to the side of the pavement, but something that people can keep forever, and pass down if they like?

As with everything, there are two sides to every story, and I think the two sides in this story each speak for themselves, is it a sign of vanity, clever marketing, or is it a sign that times really are changing, and that nothing can ever be simple?

Georgina x

Can We Save The Stars?

Having had an early release from her jail sentence, Lindsey Lohan is now being brought back to the court house. The actress was released previously, with the promise that she would turn up, and pass drug tests. This week she was ordered back to see Judge Elden Fox, as she had violated her probation terms by failing not one, but two drugs tests. Will anyone ever be able to turn Lindsay's reputation around ever again, as it appears "Brand Lohan" is becoming tedious in the media's eyes.

I am sure we would all love to stop hearing about the issues that this Teenage Drama Queen keeps getting herself into, yet we all question how it is fair, that just because she has star status, and a few pennies in the bank, she keeps escaping a proper sentence that would probably knock some sense into the girl!

Perhaps at the end of the day, she really will follow the films she makes in her real life, and actually turn out to have a "goodie tooshoes" twin, as seen in The Parent Trap, who will come and save the day, giving her entorage of workers a little rest!

Georgina x

X-Factor Becoming Racy?

Im sure, like me, most of us have been tuning into the X-Factor on a Saturday and Sunday night. My X-Factor fix this weekend came on sunday, curtains drawn, feeling very sorry for myself nursing a rather large hangover!

Back to the point, this weeks show saw a double elimination, with Nicolo Festa, and boyband FYD being booted from the competition. This added more wood to the fire of issues surrounding the X-Factor, as some of the general public seem to believe X-Factor has some race discrimination going on. Comments being made even lead so far as to making the assumption that Cheryl had chosen majority white contestants, because Ashley Cole had put her off anyone else. Now really, how stupid IS that!? Can we not believe that perhaps, the lucky chosen few to partake in the live shows, are actually just the more talented people?
How do you feel that X-Factor bosses are dealing with combating these acusations of racism?

Another contestant to hit the headlines, is young Cher Lloyd. At just 16, Cher made news in the papers last week, with headlines such as "X-Factor favourite can't take the strain". Claims have been made that perhaps Cher isn't exactly the most stable person to be taking part in the show, but show bosses have decided that all is well with Cher. Now in my opinion, she is a bit of a nutter, with some pretty pscyopathic faces being pulled throughout her performance! But she does offer something a bit different to the show, with her "rapping", so perhaps X-Factor are just trying to change the identity of the show, from one that produces generic pop stars, who either flop and you never hear of them again (Steve Brookstien, remember him? nope, neither do I) or really do excell, Leona Lewis for example (holding a £5 million record deal), to a show that creates new artists who will actually be respected within the industry for doing something new and different?

Have your say

Georgina x