ASA 141
Week 6
This week I came across the reading "It's Hip To Be Asian" by Parminder Bhachu. In the article, the author discusses the trend of British fashion and the style and consumption of cultural products, making examples of particular garments that were popularized by famous individuals. Fashion capitals are no longer exclusive to the West. The emergence of Asian cultures, designers into the westernized fashion industry represents a new era, but it also raises questions around the popularization and accurate representation of cultural clothing. There has always been 'fetish' with Asian culture. Ever since the globalization of western power in the East, Asian culture has been represented in exotic ways. Asian culture became 'trendy', and designers began to explore elements of Asian fashion and incorporating them into their own work.
While popularizing Asian fashion brings awareness to Asian culture, it also brings up the issue of how and who popularizes Asian fashion. It is interesting to see celebrities dressed in kimono-styled or other traditional-inspired gowns MET Gala, it is a nice way to celebrities bringing attention to cultural clothing. But what about the underlying messages behind these traditional pieces? What about small indigenous designers that do not have a chance to publicize their creative work in opportunities such as MET? Larger brands such as Chanel, Dior, LV constantly draw design inspirations from different cultures and traditional clothing. Most of the time, celebrities fall to these brands because they are reputable and have an existing name in the fashion industry. However when it comes to traditional clothing. I personally do not believe that these brands should have the 'most say' or 'influence'.
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