Week 6 - Carson Ho - Hip to be Asian

Carson Ho

In Parminder Bhachu's chapter "It's Hip to be Asian," Bhachu discusses Asian influence in British fashion during the 1990s and focuses on the commoditization processes involved in the production of the salwaar-kameez suits. I found the article interesting when it talks about how the salwaar-kameez was made popular once they reached British fashion icons, but the start of how the suits became globally commoditized is truly credited to Asian women entrepreneurs. The salwaar-kameez was known as a commoner's immigrant clothing, but these Asian women entrepreneurs shifted the consumers spaces for the clothing that the stereotypes and perceptions of the suits changed dramatically. I'm fascinated by how the globalization of local cultures can allow common items and practices to become extraordinary and rare for global consumers. The globalization of local cultures has allowed opportunities for certain fusion cultures to arise, such as how Indian sauces and foods made their ways into British cuisine.

image from https://www.utsavfashion.com/salwar/grey_contemporary?p=3&stock=1

I am also interested about how Bhachu mentions that "there are many ‘depoliticizing material cultural moments through such commodity dynamics in global cities like London and its markets which facilitate their appropriation – the kidnapping of the salwaar-kameez suits by upper-class women, by various other white and black groups and by powerful mainstream designers with access to enormous penetrating’ markets, who aggressively entered these arenas in the late 1990s, to produce ‘Britfash’ versions of the formerly politicized ethnic clothes" (56).  The conversation of cultural appropriation vs cultural appreciation appears often when local cultures are thrusted into global economies. I believe that the line between appropriation and appreciation comes down to the intent of production and the respect for the origins.

?: what other trends have been started by Asians but made mainstream by Euro-centric influences?