ASA 141
Week 6 Blog post
Material Mao was an
interesting chapter about the development of Asian chic. The chapter primarily
follows Zhang and Tam, the two designers behind the use of Mao Zedong as a pop
culture icon for their collection. It seems like Tam likes to use political
figures in her work to portray a sense of hope and a new start. In 2013 she used Barack
Obama on the runway as well.
In the chapter, Tam mentions that the purpose of the collection
was to portray a different perspective of China; that it was a country free
from “political complexity, social unrest, and economic turmoil” (139). Through
the use of fashion, she wanted to convey a sense of warmth and humor from China.
But it was interesting that this message was not completely grasped or understood
by both her Eastern and Western audiences. In the West, people drew comparisons
to Andy Warhol but failed to recognize the political significance of Mao. This
audience saw it more as a joke rather than a message about a country’s changing
image. In Hong Kong, her collection was met with a lot of backlash and
confusion of using Mao as a symbol. Historically, many Chinese people fled to Hong
Kong to avoid Mao so people did not understand why there was a need to put his
image on clothing. (Knowing this, why do you think Tam still approached Hong
Kong manufacturers given the history of China?)
what her audiences think they already know about China.
In the chapter, Nguyen says that Tam has been seen as a controversial
designer fashion scene because her work does not challenge preconceived notions
of China. Through this collection, the mixed reviews parallel this perception
of her. While Tam pushed the boundaries and encouraged conversation around her collection,
and it also paid off economically and commercially for her as her fame grew following
the release.
I thought it was also pretty cool that this collection was
showcased at the Met, in their exhibit China: Through the Looking Glass, in
2015. Part of her exhibit is pictured below.
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