Tell me that it works !!!!!

Test 2

A couple of months ago MTV screened their annual VMAs. Amongst Katy Perry’s denim tribute to Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus’ homeless date and Nicky Minaj’s wardrobe malfunction – it was (of course) Beyoncé who stole the night with her 16-minute performance - a prelude to receiving the Video Vanguard Award.

It took me a long time to decide what I thought of Queen Bey’s VMA performance. During her 12-track melody of her self-titled album, her rendition of “Flawless” saw her silhouette stand boldly against the giant, neon letters spelling out the word “Feminist”. Whilst she stood, an extract of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TEDx speech “We should all be feminists” played in the background. I questioned whether this performance had single-handedly just established Beyoncé as the new face of feminism or if it was just a closely calculated marketing stunt.

To say the least Beyoncé’s feminism is not flawless. People have accused her of “double standards” referring to her sexually explicit lyrics, her semi-nude magazine covers and her raunchy music videos. However, this relates back to when Achidie says “girls are taught not to be sexual beings like boys are”. Feminism is very much a personal process; one which also includes embracing, celebrating and owning your body. She openly addresses her sexual desires and pleasures- promoting self-love and inner confidence.

Often referred to as the “F-word”, feminism is laden with “heavy baggage, negative baggage”. Rush Limbaugh claimed the movement only existed “to allow ugly women access to society”. One of the main obstacles of feminism is to no longer make it taboo. If the Queen of music stands by it, why can't we?

Beyoncé is a career woman, an entrepreneur, a committed wife and a loving mother. She is the epitome of a modern, empowered woman and demonstrates that in a world where women are frequently told to make a choice between identities, she proves that actually, you can have it all.

Adichie’s speech has been hailed as a speech that can change the world. She clarifies what feminism is. It’s not a fight for women, fought by women, but an issue that all of humanity should be concerned with. She claims gender as it functions today is still a grave injustice. And it’s true, it is. 

For example, in the UK, the gender pay gap is 19.1%. In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive a car. In China & India, there is a high prevalence of female infanticides. In 2008, it was reported that 1 in every 3 women are likely “to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime”. The list continues with sexual exploitation and violence, forced child marriages and so on.

“Gender matters. Men and women experience the world differently”. Gender colours the way we experience the world. But we can change that”. 

We must realise that women are not only responsible for addressing these struggles. These are humanity’s struggles, which we are all responsible for – man and woman. In her speech, Achidie defines a feminist as “a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes”. And so, as the title of her speech states “We should all be feminists”!!!

Saveena Mangat

Test

Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner, the fathers of ‘Freakonomics’, argue that economics can serve as a vehicle to explore the hidden side of everything. They have been quite successful at using economics to explain the most random things one could think of, so when I had a look at my growing sneaker collection, I could not resist to attempt it myself. Allow me to rationalise the landscape of the vibrant sneaker market - one that is much more than mere consumerism.

Source: Freshness Mag

With an estimated global market size of around $55bn according to Matt Powell, chief retail analyst for SportsOneSource, and a $88bn projection by 2018 according to Transparency Market Research, sneakers are serious business. Historically associated with sports, sneakers are now even more prominent in casual footwear. They have become ingrained in streetwear culture to the extent of creating a self-professed urban tribe: sneakerheads.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Despite an undeniably strong demand for sneakers, it is perhaps the supply side that defines best the economic fundamentals. Industry majors tend to restrict the supply of new silhouettes, creating hype for the brand and essentially “justifying” inflated prices. In this business, exclusivity can easily be monetised. Although I will spare you (most of) the economics jargon, the concept of an oligopolistic market structure is extremely relevant to the global sneakers market. That is because the top 5 players (Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Puma and Asics) retain roughly 80% of the market share according to Transparency Market Research. With an industry dominated by a handful footwear behemoths, it is hard to believe that small brands may thrive along their cash-rich competitors which devote a massive chunk of their budget to marketing. Manufacturing costs may not deter new entrants in the industry altogether, but cost leadership certainly gives an edge to the big boys - hence why relatively few rising starts make the top ranks.

Arguably one of the most fascinating aspects of sneakernomics is its resemblance to the art market. The role of the secondary market - where sneakerheads and speculative re-sellers meet to trade rare items - is perhaps more important than actual retail launches.  The parallel between art exhibitions and sneaker conventions is not so dissimilar. The same way private collectors flood auction houses for paintings and sculptures, sneaker aficionados have marketplaces available to exchange premium shoes for sometimes obnoxious amounts of money (try googling Air Yeezy Auction). Ebay being the standard exchange vehicle, other platforms such as Klekt have emerged to cater for a growing, more refined customer base. The fear of purchasing counterfeits is shared between both types of collectors - no wonder why there are so many videos available online to spot fake sneakers.

Source: Slam x Hype

Yet independents do have room for growth. Big revenue figures overshadow smaller yet successful sneaker brands. That is the case of Gourmet Footwear, founded in 2005 by Jon T. Baucemi, Greg Lucci and Greg Johnsen. A brand with Italian-American heritage, with a style that 944 Magazine best summed up as a blend of ‘Nike Air Max crossed with Vans and Visvim’, embodies the ‘you can do it on your own’ attitude. Once an underdog in the sneaker market, Gourmet is now well established and generated revenues of approximately $5 million in 2012. For all the Jordans lovers out there, Gourmet’s 35 silhouettes certainly would be a nice addition to your collection - a fusion of traditional luxury materials and a streetwear design.

But aren’t they just shoes? Hopefully the next time you tie your shoelaces, you too will realise that, as in the art market, there is a lot of crappy material yet footwear masterpieces are coveted by savvy collectors. In a multi-billion industry dominated by a few apparel titans, there are some of us who believe that prices sometimes reflect the beauty of an outstanding design.