Robert M

VISA 1500-01

September 22^nd, 2020

The Blue Sky Clothing Company: An Advertisement Analysis

For our first assignment, I wanted to find an advertisement that was relatively simple, with as little visual ‘noise’ as possible. As I was walking downtown Kamloops, I stumbled across this A-Frame advert (named for the shape the stand makes when open) from the Blue-Sky Clothing Company, located on Victoria Street. According to the company’s website, the Blue Sky Clothing Company was founded over two decades ago by “Marilyn Cobban […] out of the back of a VW van in small-town Balfour BC” (Blue Sky Clothing Company). The advertisement is used to promote the companies clothing line.

As seen in the image, the advertisement portrays a young adult subject sitting on a fence, presumably in a park or a hiking trail. The photograph itself is well lit, utilizing the brighter colours of the subject’s shirt in the foreground and the natural, less saturated colours of the grass and trees in the background. Utilizing the rule of thirds, observers will witness that the subjects’ posture forms a straight line, from the fence where they sit, to the top of the picture itself.

The intent of the advertisement seems to be to inform potential customers that wearing this clothing may make them feel good, by virtue of looking good. At first glance, the aesthetic works well.  The subject’s smile looks natural, as though to say they are having a great day, perhaps made better by the feeling of the ‘natural-fibre’ of their clothing. Although the subject is ‘out and about’ enjoying nature, they are doing so in a ‘fashion conscious’ way, with the bright blue top, accented by the black mini skirt, and the mid-calf high leather boots, complete with heels.

Although the advertisement mentions that the brand carries clothing sizes from extra small to 4x extra-large, the picture reinforces societal gender typecasting by featuring a person of less than average physical build.

As of this writing, The Blue Sky Clothing Company has amassed a total of 34 customer reviews on Google, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Many of the reviews cite the company’s variety, comfortability, and price of the garments sold. Lydia Dickson, a fashion blogger out of North Carolina, explains why she values their product when she writes, “Blue Sky Clothing Company is Canadian based and takes pride in making clothing for women of all shapes and sizes that’s also fairtrade (SIC) and eco-friendly. They’ve got pieces that fit in the workplace or weekend with both great basics and more adventurous designs as well, in sizes XS-4X” (Dickson).

Previous to seeing the advertisement on the street in downtown Kamloops I had never paid attention to this business. While I believe the advertisement is skewed towards a particular demographic (younger, slimmer persons), the company’s practices of using ethically sourced natural fibres, such as bamboo, are refreshing.

Works Cited

Blue Sky Clothing Company. https://blueskyclothingco.com/pages/blue-sky-clothing-our-story. n.d. 22 September 2020.

Dickson, Lydia. http://www.lydiadickson.com/p/ethical-plus-size-fashion.html. n.d. 22 September 2020.