As an ever-changing industry, hairstyles, clothing and makeup techniques go in and out of style in the blink of an eye. Though it may seem as if trends are born out of thin air, they are often born of the appropriation of styles from marginalized communities toward the creation of mainstream fashion.
The past decade has seen a significant uptick in the popularity of secondhand shopping. Thrift stores have seen more traffic than ever due to an increase in trendiness and a decrease in the taboo of buying used, according to NPR. Run-of-the-mill thrift stores are now seeing a new generation of shoppers with different ways of thrifting, and the industry is having to shift in response. According to ThredUp’s Resale Market and Trend Report, the secondhand resale market saw an uptick of 58% in 2021, meaning supply and demand, as well as inflation, have caused these “shifts” to affect a good portion of low-income households.
Since 2018, Street Meet New Mexico has been an avenue for local creatives to build connections and strengthen both their professional lives and community ties. Street Meet is a monthly scheduled meet-up in which local models, photographers and cosplayers — hobbyists and professionals alike — come together to take photos. The Albuquerque event was first started by former University of New Mexico student Megan Kamauoha as part of the larger Street Meet collective, which exists in several other cities including Los Angeles and Seattle.
Tactile sensitivity associated with sensory processing disorder can be make-or-break when it comes to personal fashion style and choices. And still, when you look online to find solutions for sensory sensitivities, the answers have a practically nonexistent range between “meeting sensory needs for kids” and lists of colorless, shapeless adult clothing. Neither of these solutions genuinely address the issues or acknowledges that people with sensory sensitivities might still want to express themselves with fashion. If you like wearing a beige strip of fabric every day, more power to you — for the rest of us, there are some simple changes to maintain levels of sensory comfort while still wearing the things we like.
In recent years, discussion around the ethics and practices of fast fashion has expanded: what it is, where it comes from and what it looks like. Fast fashion — clothing manufactured to reflect a trend — directly contributes to climate change, waste and overconsumption. Slow fashion, which is the more environmentally and ethically conscious approach to clothing production, places its emphasis on well-paid labor, good working conditions, handmade pieces and well-made garments, according to Forbes. In order to combat the popularity of fast fashion, it is important to figure out how we can all fit ourselves into the slow-fashion movement, according to Joey Wagner, a senior at the University of New Mexico studying journalism who has made their own clothing since 2020.
The Meow Wolf artists collective, initially founded in 2008 “as an informal DIY collective of Santa Fe artists,” has had a successful last few years with the founding of their flagship branch in Santa Fe in 2016 and opening subsequent locations in Denver, Las Vegas and a recently announced location in Grapevine, Texas, according to their website. With this expansion in popularity and monetization comes questions of authenticity — is Meow Wolf still the homegrown art exhibit it started as in 2008?
As we jump into the 2023 season for the beloved Albuquerque Isotopes, now is the time for fans, both casual and die-hard, to think about what they’ll be stepping out in on their way to the stadium. The Isotopes are known for their unique array of jerseys which are rotated in and out for special occasions (and available for sale for lovers of the game). But which jerseys knock it out of the park, and which are a swing and a miss?
It takes a lot of people to stage a production. Many, such as costume designers, remain behind the scenes even as their creations draw audience attention center stage, according to three costume designers at the University of New Mexico who want to educate audiences about what goes into costume design. Because they work offstage, the general public makes certain assumptions about what happens in costume shops, according to Emma Harrison, a student at UNM majoring in design and technology for performance with a concentration in costumes.
As the new year is well under way, so is award season. Whether you love or love to hate celebrity culture, there is no doubt that you have stumbled across some of the season’s most memorable red carpet looks. From Zendaya to Michelle Yeoh to Jenna Ortega, the biggest stars in Hollywood have given us all some much needed inspiration for our 2023 wardrobes. While many of us may never get the chance to walk a real red carpet (sigh), that doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate some of the glitz and glamour that we see on our favorite celebrities into our own outfit rotation.
This past Wednesday, March 1, University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes delivered the State of the University address during her sixth year in office. The speech highlighted achievements by the University over the past year, and its plans for future projects and goals. However, it failed to touch on several other events from the past year. Stokes talked about safety at the University and spoke about projects the University has worked on, including Wayfinder — a website to navigate support options after being harmed or harassed — keycard access to buildings, along with requesting money for more keycard readers and lights. However, she failed to mention the shootout that took place on campus in November 2022 that led to the death of a New Mexico State University student.
On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the University of New Mexico men's basketball defeated the Fresno State University Bulldogs 94-80 in their final home game of the season. They improved to a 8-9 record in conference play. It was senior night at The Pit: Emmanuel Kuac, KJ Jenkins, Josiah Allick, Jaelen House and Morris Udeze were honored before the game. They received flowers and a framed photo of one their highlights. Fans celebrated the players with a standing ovation and a "thank you seniors" chant. Besides Udeze, all players have an extra year of eligibility they earned for the year they lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Vintage Hippie Joint, located in Albuquerque's Old Town, offers a variety of goods from the 1960s, including clothes, books and more. Owned by Tonya Taylor-Ducker, who also designs for the store, and David Ducker, the namesake, opened the shop in the latter half of August 2022. The Vintage Hippie Joint is packed with items for sale and decorations covering any empty space left over, leaving the owners with the struggle of finding space to put new inventory. “We have to stay on top of it because it is a small space. I'm constantly nip-tucking and moving things around,” Taylor-Ducker said. “‘We should put this thing over here, there's about two inches over there that'll fit’.”
The National Forest Service began an aerial gunning operation in the Gila National Forest to kill the population of feral cattle in the area which descend from cattle that were abandoned on a grazing allotment within the Wilderness area in 1976. The operation, which started on Thursday, Feb. 23, comes in response to the damaging effects the cattle have on the habitat and water quality of the Park, though the operation has been met with contention due to claims of animal cruelty. This project is part of ongoing efforts since the ‘90s — both lethal and nonlethal — to remove the feral cattle population from the land. The first aerial gunning on the population was done in February 2022 in which 65 cattle were removed, according to Maribeth Pecotte, public affairs officer for the Gila National Forest.
The Health and Sciences Library and Informatics Center at the University of New Mexico introduced an anatomy virtual dissection table, a 3D printer and three VR headsets into their program for student and faculty use, according to the HSLIC staff. The anatomy virtual dissection table, the only natural and thoroughly segmented 3D human anatomy system, was added in October 2022. It is the latest model (Table 9) by the company Anatomage, according to the Anatomage website.
As artists have long known, beauty can be found as readily in a study of the grotesque as in the sublime. “Monstro/us,” the 2022-2023 University of New Mexico faculty dance concert, demonstrates this with four original dance compositions that examine the horrors of war and the darker side of the human psyche. Playing for six performances from Feb. 24 through March 4 in the Rodey Theatre, “Monstro/us” consists of two flamenco and two contemporary pieces in an alternating repertoire. A production of the Department of Theatre and Dance, “Monstro/us” features choreography from both resident and guest faculty and performances by students in the UNM dance program.
UNM had a great game; they beat the Aggies in every statistical category: they won the rebounding battle, had less turnovers and made 39 of their 71 shots. The team had 7 players with double digit scores. Every Lobo had a good game, but the seniors had a stand out performance. McGruder led the team in points with 17 and grabbed 7 rebounds. LaTascya Duff had 13 points, three assists and three rebounds. Brown had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. LaTora Duff scored 11 and had a team high six assists.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team lost to the #22-ranked San Diego State Aztecs 73-71 via buzzer beater on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Lobos fell to 7-9 in conference play after the loss. It is now unlikely the Lobos receive an invite to March Madness. The only path to the NCAA tournament is to win the Mountain West conference tournament. The Lobos may have a losing record in conference play, but were very competitive in all of their losses; this is a team that could learn from adversity and apply that to the tournament.
Last year, New Mexico’s Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1 which guaranteed a living wage to all public educators teaching pre-K through 12th grade. This year, New Mexico’s Legislature should enact House Bill 417, a bill that proposes to establish a comparable living wage for all faculty teaching at New Mexico’s public colleges and universities. The establishment of a living wage for faculty at New Mexico’s public colleges and universities will be especially important for our state’s adjunct faculty.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science near Albuquerque Old Town explores the local connections and the global history of chocolate in “Chocolate: The Exhibition,” which opened to the public June 17, 2022 and is set to close March 12, 2023. The exhibit was originally developed by The Field Museum in Chicago. It tracks the history of chocolate through a multisensory experience. It leads viewers from the bitter cacao seed grown in the rainforest to the sweet spot it commands in our global marketplace and personal diets. As part of the exhibit, The Museum of Natural History and Science also hosts family days and lectures that investigate the local connection to the story of chocolate.
On Friday, Feb. 17, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History opened their Black History Month exhibit. The exhibit, which focuses on the achievements of African Americans in the fields of science, engineering, technology and math, will be on display through Tuesday, Feb. 28. With the exhibit, the museum hopes to promote diversity in the sciences by highlighting some of the many contributions African American scientists have made to our world, according to curator James Stemm. “We feel it is important for people from many diverse backgrounds to see themselves represented in the sciences and to encourage an interest in science in all our visitors,” Stemm said.
Solutions by The State News
