Reflection

Week 11
Zoe Martin

Reflection

          I really enjoyed this course and I feel like I learned a lot. It covered a lot of topics about Asian American fashion—culturally, socially, politically, and economically which is really cool. I also appreciated how much I was able to learn about Philippine fashion and textiles and was able to pursue my own research and ideas for my final project. I think that the topics covered are relevant to the fashion industry today and are ideas that should be discussed. For instance, I think the section about cultural appropriation is very necessary and is something to really consider when designing clothing and drawing inspiration from a culture other than your own. Moreover, I really appreciated how many different cultures and regions of Asia we were able to cover. I am now able to appreciate and have knowledge about traditional clothing I was unaware of such as the ao dai and hanbok.

Additionally, I learned a lot about myself and my contribution to the waste that the fashion industry creates. The Be Green Challenge was daunting at first, but I am glad that I was able to create an impact in my consumer habits. I thought I was a thoughtful shopper—I have always been attentive about fiber contents of my clothes and always tried to choose natural and more sustainable fabrics. However, now I am aware of sustainability on a larger scale. I always question where the fabrics came from, where the product was made, and under what conditions? I am very grateful that this course allowed me to learn these concepts on my own, and my perspective of the fashion industry and its relationship with Asian Americans has definitely changed.