In 2004, Fashion Designer Charm Logan attempted to gather a lineup of all-indigenous models for her fashion show, Fashion Nation. After discovering that there were simply not enough Indigenous models signed to talent agencies, she had to scout aspiring actors and models in First Nations communities. In 2019, fifteen years later, another fashion designer named Leslie Hampton attempted the same thing for her Toronto Fashion Week debut, only to find that, once again, agencies just did not have enough Indigenous models, so she also had to scout for models in native communities. Though both these cases took place in Canada, the same rings true in America. The unfortunate truth is that there is a notable lack of Native American representation in the fashion industry, especially modeling, which means someone like Denali White Elk being featured on the cover of Vogue Italia is a surprising headline.

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One of the defining characteristics of the fashion industry is the constant changing of trends. Every six months, fashion brands churn out a new season of looks, and buyers are expected to embrace the new while discarding the old. The fast pace is certainly entertaining from a consumer perspective, but an oft-overlooked drawback is the huge impact that it has on the environment.

According to BBC, ten percent of global carbon emissions come from the fashion industry, and it also contributes 20% of the world’s wastewater. With climate change becoming a more urgent issue each passing day, the fashion industry needs to pursue more sustainable methods of production. Luckily, fashion designer Sandra Sandor is stepping up to the plate with her eco-friendly clothing brand Nanushka.

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Ask anybody how they listen to music, and the majority of their answers will probably be Spotify, Apple Music, or some other online streaming service. Thirty years ago, if you wanted to listen to a specific song on demand, you would have to go to a record store and buy a copy of the album or wait for it to be played on the radio. Since then, the way we consume music has constantly evolved. In the early 2000s, digital music downloads were invented, and streaming services like YouTube, Pandora, and Soundcloud followed soon after. Some record stores survived, as a lot of people still wanted to buy physical copies of albums. Mixtapes, however, found themselves in a perilous situation. They didn’t find their home online immediately like mainstream album releases did, but the advent of streaming services meant that many did not want to buy mixtapes from the corner, or wait for them in the mail. Mixtapes eventually found their home on digital platforms, but for a while, their future was unclear. DJs who made a living making and selling these tapes had to find a way to adapt, or risk being lost to obscurity.

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One of the persistent pitfalls of art discussion is the idea of “natural talent.” A phrase that commonly accompanies this topic is that someone was “born to be an artist.” This is not an inherently wrong statement, but it often leads people to discredit or forget about the blood, sweat, and tears that a truly great artist will pour into their craft. The idea that people are good at something because they were born to be skilled at it fails to acknowledge the many exceptional individuals who were able to overcome all odds in order to become great at what they do. Portraitist Marius Kędzierski might have a few words on the subject because he has to work harder than most to create his artwork. Kędzierski only has a partial right arm, he was born without hands.

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It has been proven time and time again that nothing quite brings the world together like music. Whether it is the widespread meme appeal of bhangra hit “Tunak Tunak Tun,” or the inexplicable K-pop phenomenon, music has the power to link cultures from across the globe. One group attempting to harness this power is Major Lazer, a Jamaican-American trio that brings a Caribbean sound to mainstream pop and electronic dance music.

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