tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/fashion-1850/articles
Fashion – The Conversation
2024-03-27T12:50:48Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/226199
2024-03-27T12:50:48Z
2024-03-27T12:50:48Z
Balenciaga and the influence of abstract art
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582901/original/file-20240314-20-c8hr3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1077&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Left, 'Orange and Yellow' by Mark Rothko, 1956. Right, day dress in orange wool crepe, by Cristóbal Balenciaga, 1967.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Buffalo AKG Art Museum/Cristobal Balenciaga Museoa</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In January, the TV series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16024584/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_1_q_cristobal%2520balenciaga">Cristóbal Balenciaga</a> premiered, a story inspired by the life of the Spanish designer during his time in Paris, beginning when he arrived in 1937. The plot seeks to explore his personality and what drove him, highlighting key moments in his personal and professional life, such as his relationship with other illustrious designers, the creation of the <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81720">gazar</a> fabric, the design of <a href="https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/current-exhibitions/fabiola-from-belgium-a-royal-wedding-.html">Queen Fabiola’s wedding dress</a>, and the creation of <a href="https://www.vogue.es/moda/news/articulos/cristobal-balenciaga-uniformes-air-france-ready-to-wear/34185">Air France’s stewardess uniforms</a>.</p>
<p>Though fashion is present throughout the show’s six episodes, the couturiers’s creations are placed in the background, focusing instead on personal experiences with family, friends, colleagues and employees. </p>
<p>However, several scenes in the first episode present the influences that would come to mark his work. Balenciaga is seen consulting <a href="https://museo.unav.edu/exposiciones/espacio-ortiz-echague">José Ortiz-Echagüe’s</a> book <a href="https://books.google.es/books/about/Espa%C3%B1a_tipos_y_trajes.html?id=MRhQAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y"><em>España. Tipos y Trajes</em></a> (“Spain: people and clothes”) , which details the country’s <a href="https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/descubre/exposiciones-actuales/carbon-y-terciopelo-miradas-de-ortiz-echague-y-balenciaga-sobre-el-traje-popular-.html">popular regional dress and costumes</a>. According to <a href="https://books.google.es/books/about/Balenciaga.html?id=JoCEQgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">written</a> <a href="https://www.unebook.es/es/libro/balenciaga-modisto-de-modistos_233320">works</a> on the Basque designer, much of his inspiration is derived from Spanish culture, painting and tradition. </p>
<p>For example, his 1947 <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/chaqueta-crist%C3%B3bal-balenciaga/MwFGgMwThpVpsA?hl=es">bolero in blue velvet with black felt decoration and beadwork</a> is an interpretation of bullfighters’ extravagant clothing (known in Spanish as <em>traje de luces</em>, literally “suit of lights”), characterised by chromatic contrast and rich embroidery and trimmings. In a similar vein, his 1949 <a href="https://www.pinterest.es/pin/205828645454284708/">dress with black stripes on a red background</a> bears a striking resemblance to the <a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traje_pasiego">traditional women’s clothing of the Pas valley</a>, in Cantabria. </p>
<p>These influences were also reflected in the 2019 exhibition <a href="https://www.museothyssen.org/en/exhibitions/balenciaga-and-spanish-painting">“Balenciaga and Spanish painting”</a>, where pieces by the Basque designer were presented alongside a selection of works by Spanish painters such as Velázquez, Murillo, El Greco and Francisco de Goya. </p>
<p>These included a <a href="https://www.pinterest.es/pin/170925748349805680/">silk shantung wedding dress</a> embroidered with silver thread (1957) accompanied by the painting <a href="https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte/isabel-de-borbon-esposa-de-felipe-iv/32aa7087-3c47-45ed-918f-7a9a1fee365b">“Isabel de Borbón, wife of Felipe IV”</a> by Rodrigo de Villandrando (circa 1620). Also present was an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MuseoThyssen/photos/a.165571822832/10156724616357833/?type=3">evening ensemble of cotton tulle dress, metal thread embroidery on rayon satin, and silk taffeta overskirt</a> (circa 1951), presented alongside the painting <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_Isabel_de_Portugal.jpg">“St. Elizabeth of Portugal”</a> by Francisco de Zurbarán (circa 1635).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Evening ensemble of cotton tulle dress, metal thread embroidery on rayon satin, and silk taffeta overskirt, designed by Balenciaga, and _St. Isabella of Portugal_ by Francisco de Zurbarán." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582164/original/file-20240315-26-2gzitz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Evening ensemble of cotton tulle dress, metal thread embroidery on rayon satin, and silk taffeta overskirt, designed by Balenciaga, and <em>St. Isabella of Portugal</em> by Francisco de Zurbarán.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/MuseoThyssen/photos/a.165571822832/10156724616357833/?type=3">Museo Nacional Thyssen.Bornemisza</a></span>
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<p>The subtle similarities between Balenciaga’s innovative garments and their historical influences showcase a non-literal interpretation of traditional forms. This re-imagination would not have been possible without the influence of the nascent abstract art movement that grew alongside Balenciaga’s career.</p>
<h2>New artistic directions</h2>
<p>In the early to mid 1900s, abstract currents were emerging in painting, moving the seat of art from its traditional home of Paris to New York. This was not reflected in the fashion world, as the French capital remained firmly established as the epicentre of haute couture. </p>
<p>In contrast to the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century, which expressed new values for a new world, the abstract currents of 1940s and 1950s art opened the doors to new forms of individual expression. </p>
<p>The chromatic compositions of artists like Ad Reinhardt and Mark Rohtko offered a whole new field of experimentation, with <a href="https://books.google.es/books/about/A_History_of_Costume_in_the_West.html?id=AhaPbwAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">results that were highly relevant to fashion</a>.</p>
<p>In Rothko’s case, his apparently simple works achieved complexity through the superimposition of colour fields. They are known for their careful compositional balance, achieving visual harmony with a select palette of colours, such as intense reds and deep blues, occasionally offset by softer tones. </p>
<p>Reinhardt, on the other hand, was known for his extreme abstraction and minimalist approach. He did away with all non-essential elements, and his work’s subtle impact was rooted in an extremely limited colour palette: black and dark tones predominate, allowing his geometric and rigorous compositions to generate a sense of order and structure.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="On the left, model 125 from Balenciaga's 1965 summer collection. On the right, Abstract Painting, Blue, by Ad Reinhardt, 1953.." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581948/original/file-20240314-20-8vw3ie.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Left, model 125 from Balenciaga’s 1965 summer collection. Right, Abstract Painting, Blue, by Ad Reinhardt, 1953..</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa/Whitney Museum of American Art</span></span>
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<h2>Abstract art’s influence on Balenciaga</h2>
<p>Some of these characteristics of colour, composition, precision and formal synthesis can be seen in Balenciaga’s work. Examples include the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBnTxrgKsYg/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet">orange wool crepe day dress</a> (1968), the <a href="https://xcms.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/uploads/2021/05/CBM-honestidad-saco-1-scaled.jpg">black wool sack dress</a> (autumn-winter collection, 1957) or <a href="https://x.com/museobalenciaga/status/1174368116899557378?s=20">model 125 from the 1965 summer collection</a>, made at the Maison Balenciaga in Paris.</p>
<p>Abstract art also profoundly impacted mid-twentieth-century architecture, creating a new visual language of sculptural form. This is evident in the works of <a href="https://books.google.es/books/about/Architecture_in_the_20th_Century.html?id=-GGStwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y">architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Oscar Niemeyer and Félix Candela, among many others</a>.</p>
<p>These works were characterised by an honest, unadorned use of materials that showed off their natural texture and colour. At the same time, they featured solid, smooth geometric forms. These clear lines and defined volumes dispensed with the ornamentation and compositions of past constructions, opting instead for a sculptural aesthetic rooted in abstract forms.</p>
<p>Architecture undoubtedly influenced Balenciaga’s innovative use of shape and volume. During the second half of the 1960s, several evening and <a href="https://www.mujerhoy.com/moda/novias/balenciaga-vestidos-novia-famosos-elegantes-favoritos-20240127090912-nt.html">bridal</a> dresses <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGhcwiGAqn1/?igsh=azl6NmJidWh6dnds">designed by Balenciaga</a> featured the <a href="https://www.pinterest.es/pin/7810999346968375/feedback/?invite_code=3d873773d6de4ddbb27c4f1eea672f8b&sender_id=466052398847107782">warped geometric shapes</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7I84w9iCfy/?igsh=MTZxcHpzenpnaHJtOQ%3D%3D">sculptural lines</a> typical of <a href="https://www.pinterest.es/pin/113223378115630285/feedback/?invite_code=305a87294cf14a76b4c78a154b0e6e08&sender_id=466052398847107782">the period’s buildings</a>. Other dresses, such as the <a href="https://www.pinterest.es/pin/77616793565805248/">balloon dress</a> (1958) and the <a href="https://www.pinterest.es/pin/596727019394626632/feedback/?invite_code=7e2d99fe122d49de8d3db1b04c41c09c&sender_id=466052398847107782">summer collection dress</a> (1959), were characterised by generous volumes and clean lines.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="On the left, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. On the right, an image of a model wearing a dress from the 1958 collection." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581942/original/file-20240314-18-5jphdu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Left, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Right, a model wearing a dress from Balenciaga’s 1958 collection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ajay Suresh en Wikimedia Commons/ Tom Kublin en Archives Balenciaga, París</span></span>
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<h2>An all-encompassing work of art</h2>
<p>After the second world war, Balenciaga’s output was marked by a significant shift, as he offered an image for the woman of the time that was far removed from traditional aesthetics. This ran contrary to Christian Dior’s 1947 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dior#%22New_Look%22">New Look</a>, which placed a renewed focus on the feminine silhouette as an antidote to wartime austerity.</p>
<p>In the wake of the war, the Basque couturier began to rewrite the rules of fashion with his innovative silhouettes – the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cristobalbalenciagamuseoa/posts/hitosbalenciaga-en-febrero-de-1947-balenciaga-presenta-la-l%C3%ADnea-tonneau-o-barril/2651949934835600/">“barrel line”</a>, <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/vestido-baby-doll/TQEDIm0RUmEOkg?hl=es">babydoll</a>, <a href="http://kvadratinterwoven.com/balenciagas-shocking-bodies">sack</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/273664114846987058/">balloon</a> and <a href="https://x.com/museobalenciaga/status/1204733033493991424?s=20">peacock tail</a> dresses, to name a few. These creations stemmed from a commanding control of geometry. They stood out for their formal purity, and were backed by profoundly technical craftsmanship. The result was an extraordinary sculptural sensibility built on a foundation of abstract art.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Alberta Tiburzi wearing the 'envelope' dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Harper's Bazaar, June 1967." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=948&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=948&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582163/original/file-20240315-30-ctqzsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=948&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alberta Tiburzi wearing the ‘envelope’ dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Harper’s Bazaar, June 1967.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/victoriaandalbertmuseum/photos/alberta-tiburzi-in-envelope-dress-by-crist%C3%B3bal-balenciaga-harpers-bazaar-june-19/10155097807718880/">Victoria & Albert/ Hiro 1967</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Therefore, it could be said that Balenciaga not only offered an interpretation of the past, but also a look at tradition through contemporary eyes. Abstraction is used in his work as both a lens for reinterpreting Spanish culture, and as an artistic language shared with the art and the architecture of the time. </p>
<p>While this artistic context is often overlooked in writings and research on the designer, it is essential to understanding <a href="https://theconversation.com/cristobal-balenciaga-en-busca-de-la-excelencia-223158">his excellence</a>, not only as a fashion designer, but also as a true artistic genius of his time. </p>
<p>Perhaps nobody expressed this better than <a href="https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/cristobal-balenciaga/">Balenciaga himself</a>: “A couturier must be an architect for plans, a sculptor for shapes, an artist for colour, a musician for harmony and a philosopher for the sense of proportion”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226199/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>María Villanueva Fernández no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.</span></em></p>
Cristobal Balenciaga’s work developed alongside abstract artistic movements, which had a profound influence on his designs.
María Villanueva Fernández, Profesora del Grado en Diseño y del Grado en Estudios de Arquitectura de la ETSAUN y del Programa Internacional en Comunicación de Moda de FCOM, Universidad de Navarra
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/225441
2024-03-20T13:59:10Z
2024-03-20T13:59:10Z
Fashion needs stronger storytelling that is more inclusive, relevant and responsible
<p>The fashion industry could not exist without storytelling. Compelling and aspirational stories conveyed through catwalks, campaigns and social media are the stuff that make garments fashionable, fostering a strong desire to be seen wearing them.</p>
<p>Fashion’s stories can spread positive messaging about issues that affect us all. In 2020, Stella McCartney’s Paris show featured models wearing cartoonish animal costumes. This humorous stunt emphasised a serious point about the “planet-friendly” brand’s <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a31191131/stella-mccartney-mascot-paris-fashion-week/">pledge</a> not to use leather, fur, skins, feathers or animal glues.</p>
<p>But more often, the darker, more unpalatable truth is that fashion’s storytelling drives overconsumption. And it defines unrealistic beauty expectations that exclude many by perpetuating western standards about what is normal and acceptable.</p>
<p>As a cultural historian who researches fashion, I believe the industry has to do better to effect change, and this can be achieved through stronger, more inclusive and responsible storytelling. </p>
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<h2>Fashion and world problems</h2>
<p>According to recent fashion industry <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/sustainable-fashion-communication-playbook">reports</a>, storytelling is becoming more prominent as brands seek to demonstrate their social responsibility by forging deeper relationships with consumers. The increased significance of storytelling within fashion can be linked to two themes that have defined social and political debate about the world’s post-COVID recovery: self and society.</p>
<p>Consumers want more meaningful experiences that enable them to explore their identities and connect with others. Fashion is the ideal medium for this, especially during a time of social and political unease. The industry’s global reach means that visual cues and messaging conveyed through clothing campaigns can be easily shared and understood.</p>
<p>The Business of Fashion’s report, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion">The State of Fashion 2024</a>, links the increased importance of storytelling to consumers being “more demanding when it comes to authenticity and relatability”. People want to buy brands that share and support their values.</p>
<p>The consumer group most concerned to align their lifestyle choices and beliefs with the companies that clothe them is Gen-Z – people born between 1996 and 2010 – who “value pursuing their own unique identities and appreciate diversity”. </p>
<p>The increasing prominence of storytelling in fashion is also linked to the industry’s global sway and corresponding social responsibility. Organisations like the UN are <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/sustainable-fashion-communication-playbook">increasingly clear</a> that the fashion industry will only help tackle the global challenges emphasised by COVID if it uses its influence to change consumers’ mindsets.</p>
<p>The uneven social impact of the pandemic, which <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/06/inequality-and-covid-19-ferreira.htm">emphasised longstanding inequalities</a>, provided a wake-up call to take action on many global problems, including climate change, overconsumption and racial discrimination. This makes the fashion industry, which <a href="https://fashinnovation.nyc/fashion-industry-statistics/">contributes 2% to global GDP</a>, a culprit but also a potential champion for driving change. </p>
<p>The British Fashion Council’s <a href="https://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/Innovation/Diversity-Equity-Inclusion--Belonging">Fashion Diversity Equality & Inclusion Report</a>, published in January 2024, highlights “fashion’s colossal power to influence, to provide cultural reference and guide social trends”. Similarly, the UN’s <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/sustainable-fashion-communication-playbook">Fashion Communication Playbook</a>, published last year, urges the industry to use its “cultural reach, powers of persuasion and educational role to both raise awareness and drive a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable industry”.</p>
<p>To do this, the UN’s report urges storytellers, imagemakers and role models to change the narrative of the fashion industry. They are asked to educate consumers and inspire them to alter their behaviour if it can help create positive change. </p>
<h2>Fashion’s new stories</h2>
<p>Since the pandemic, there is evidence the fashion industry has begun to change the content and form of the stories it tells, chiefly by putting a human face on current global challenges. Large-scale, entrenched social problems are being explored through real-life stories. This can help people to understand the problems that confront them, and grasp their role in working towards overcoming them.</p>
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<p>One example is Nike’s <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/nike-move-to-zero-sustainability">Move to Zero campaign</a>, a global sustainability initiative which launched during the pandemic in 2020. Instead of endless statistics and apocalyptic warnings about crisis-point climate emergency, Nike encourages people to “<a href="https://www.nike.com/nl/en/product-advice/product-care">refresh</a>” sports gear with maintenance and repair. Old Nike products that have been recreated by designers are sold through pop-ups. When salvage is not possible, Nike provides ways for people to <a href="https://www.nike.com/nl/en/sustainability/recycling-donation">recycle and donate old products</a>.</p>
<p>By encouraging relatively small changes that align the lifecycle of a product with consumers’ everyday lives, Nike’s campaign challenges the traditional idea of clothes being new, immediate and ultimately disposable by making change aspirational. </p>
<h2>Narrative hang-ups</h2>
<p>While some fashion brands are rethinking the stories they tell, my <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/hangups-9781350197268/">recent book</a>, Hang-Ups: Reflections on the Causes and Consequences of Fashion’s Western Centrism, explains that some of fashion’s most powerful and harmful stories are deep-rooted.</p>
<p>Concepts defined during the 18th and 19th centuries – civilisation, anthropology, sexology – still influence how the fashion industry engages with age, gender, race and sex. Its drive for newness and the way it pushes the idea that purchasing expensive brands brings automatic status is also based on traditional western social values that fit poorly with 21st-century perspectives and priorities.</p>
<p>The persistence of centuries-old attitudes is apparent too in Nike’s Move to Zero campaign, however well-intentioned. While the initiative is clearly conceived to influence consumer behaviour in a positive way, it still doesn’t fundamentally address what the fashion industry is and does. But at the very least, it accepts that fashion functions through high consumption and the sense of status that owning and wearing a brand confers.</p>
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<h2>Throwing everything out</h2>
<p>One of the key points I make in my book is that effective change will be more likely if we understand how the industry developed into what it is today. This calls for more audacious storytelling that critiques notions of normality, acceptability and inclusivity.</p>
<p>One example is Swedish brand <a href="https://avavav.com/en-gb/about">Avavav</a>, which commits itself to “creative freedom driven by humour, entertainment and design evolution”. In February 2024, the brand’s <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/gallery/avavav-fashion-show-trash-photos-1236222394/avavav-runway-milan-fashion-week-womenswear-fall-winter-2024-2025/">Milan catwalk show</a> concluded with models being pelted with litter. This experimental performance explored prevailing social media stories by calling out online trolls and highlighting the hurt of hate speech, within and beyond the fashion industry.</p>
<p>Naturally, it <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/62036/1/avavav-aw24-fw24-beate-karlsson-milan-fashion-week-mfw-trash">caused a sensation</a> and was widely covered in the media. A stunt perhaps, but it got people talking and drew attention to designer Beate Karlsson’s message about online hate. Clearly, compelling and innovative storytelling has the power to change minds and behaviour.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Wild does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Representing 2% of global GDP, the fashion industry must use its cultural reach to drive a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable industry.
Benjamin Wild, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Narratives, Manchester Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/224293
2024-03-11T13:10:43Z
2024-03-11T13:10:43Z
Three ways your wardrobe could help you avoid fast fashion
<p>Think about the clothes you are wearing right now. How long have you had them? How often do you wear them? Like me, you’re probably wearing favourites that you always reach for, despite having <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/citizen-insights-clothing-longevity-and-circular-business-models-receptivity-uk">a wardrobe stuffed with rarely worn clothes</a>. </p>
<p>But still, you might feel the irresistible urge to buy more. In high-income countries, <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/report-summary.html">overconsumption</a> of clothing contributes to the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0039-9">climate crisis</a> throughout the accelerating cycle of fashion, from production and distribution to <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/blog/54589/how-fast-fashion-is-fuelling-the-fashion-waste-crisis-in-africa/">mountains of barely worn clothing waste</a>. It might be true that <a href="https://hotorcool.org/unfit-unfair-unfashionable/">the most sustainable clothes are the ones we already own</a>, but has the industry convinced you that’s boring? </p>
<p>Caring about what’s inside your wardrobe, while resisting the urge to buy more clothes, might be more fun than you think. As part of my PhD research into what our relationships with our clothes might mean for sustainability in fashion, I’ve been experimenting with these simple and positive ways to reconnect with clothing:</p>
<h2>1. Put pen to paper</h2>
<p>In 2018, campaign group <a href="https://www.fashionrevolution.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/FashRev_LoveStory_18.pdf">Fashion Revolution</a> encouraged supporters to write a love story about their most-loved garment. Writing about your clothes can uncover <a href="https://wornstories.com/books/">personal stories</a>, gaps in your knowledge and a deeper understanding of why you wear <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2022.2100481">what you wear</a>.</p>
<p>I have written poems about some of my clothes and started to write break-up letters to each garment that leaves my wardrobe. It’s a mindful process that reminds me of places I’ve been and people I’ve met in a much more vivid way than scrolling through photos on my phone. </p>
<p>A recent break-up letter to a rarely worn jacket helped me to pinpoint exactly why I wasn’t wearing it, and hopefully will ensure I don’t repeat the same mistake. </p>
<p>Whenever I have invited people to write about their clothes, either at public events or during workshops that form part of my PhD, I’ve been surprised by how willingly they share their stories and the positive actions the writing has inspired. Some people have talked about digging garments out of wardrobes to be worn again and others have found better ways to dispose of unwearable clothes. </p>
<h2>2. Daily stitches</h2>
<p>On average, <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/citizen-insights-clothing-longevity-and-circular-business-models-receptivity-uk">each person wears just 74% of their wardrobe</a> and a <a href="https://hotorcool.org/unfit-unfair-unfashionable/">recent report</a> suggested a wardrobe size of just 85 items in order to limit carbon emissions and <a href="https://theconversation.com/global-heating-may-breach-1-5-c-in-2024-heres-what-that-could-look-like-220877">stay within 1.5°C warming</a>.</p>
<p>Curious about the size of my own wardrobe, I did a thorough check and counted 205 garments. I <a href="https://clothingresearch.oslomet.no/2024/01/15/an-arts-practice-approach-to-wardrobe-audits/">began to log</a> which ones I wear by hand sewing a stitch into each garment worn that day, using a different colour thread each season to create a visual marker. </p>
<p>At a glance, I can see which garments I’m wearing, how regularly and at which times of the year. I can more easily decide which clothes to keep, know where the gaps are in my wardrobe and choose the clothes I can part with. </p>
<p>This is just one form of <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/wardrobe-tracking">wardrobe tracking</a>, an activity that’s gaining popularity in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2024/jan/05/how-digitally-tracking-clothes-fashion-consumption-taking-off-online">digital form</a> with <a href="https://whering.co.uk/">apps</a> and <a href="https://hubbub.org.uk/off-the-hanger">online campaigns</a> that help people to track their wearing habits.</p>
<h2>3. Wardrobe portraits</h2>
<p>Making drawings of my clothes helps me notice overlooked details and understand what a garment means to me on a personal level. </p>
<p>While drawing one <a href="https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/c3riimpact/wendy-ward-researcher-blog-a-fashion-for-keeping/">recent picture</a> of a favourite jacket, the fluff of a forgotten jumper caught in the velcro reminded me to wear that jumper again. And once, carefully mapping the creases in a pair of leather gloves that used to be my dad’s, I noticed how the leather had moulded to the shape of his hands and I feel like he’s holding my hands whenever I wear them.</p>
<p>Drawing has long been used to study historical finds and museum collections, often exposing <a href="https://doi.org/10.3366/cost.2020.0164">undocumented details</a>. But if drawing isn’t your thing, most of us have a camera in our pocket. Take a beautiful photograph of your favourite garment or document your fashion revelations on Instagram. </p>
<p>At a garment drawing workshop I hosted in 2022 in the testing phase of my PhD, the small group of volunteers shared stories and noticed new things about their clothes that had previously been overlooked. Some suddenly saw the potential for easy repairs that could make a garment wearable again.</p>
<p>What’s the point of a slowly crafted, organic, recycled garment if nobody wants to wear, keep and love it? Perhaps reconnecting with unworn clothes lurking at the back of your wardrobe could inspire you to wear them again or let them go to someone else while freeing up some much-needed storage space. The key to sustainable fashion could already be inside your wardrobe. </p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 30,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wendy Ward does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Every wardrobe tells a story and reconnecting with the clothes you already own could reduce your need to buy more fast fashion. Here are three ways to fall back in love with your wardrobe.
Wendy Ward, PhD Candidate, Sheffield Hallam University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/223500
2024-03-08T22:16:27Z
2024-03-08T22:16:27Z
The failures of ‘Oppenheimer’ and the ascent of the foreign film – 6 essential reads for the Oscars
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580764/original/file-20240308-24-8d2882.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C4%2C2968%2C1994&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Oscars will be handed out to winners across 24 categories, ranging from best picture to best costume design.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/oscars-are-displayed-at-meet-the-oscars-an-exhibit-news-photo/56822072?adppopup=true">Kevin Winter/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Because movies are so subjective, with views on the same performances and direction veering wildly from one critic to the next, determining the best of anything – whether it’s acting, direction or sound design – can be fraught. </p>
<p>But that controversy also makes for good drama and suspense – fitting for a ceremony celebrating the ways in which actors, directors and cinematographers captivate, move and thrill audiences.</p>
<p>So before you tune into Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, here are five recent stories – and one betting tip – about the films, fashion and actors who will be featured at this year’s show.</p>
<h2>1. Can you want an Oscar too much?</h2>
<p>As Michael Schulman, author of “<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/oscar-wars-michael-schulman?variant=41063519387682">Oscar Wars</a>,” has written, the Academy Awards are not exactly a “barometer of artistic merit or worth.” </p>
<p>For that reason, in the months leading up to the Oscars, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes politicking as studios and producers make the case for why their writers, directors, cinematographers, costume designers and actors should win the top prize.</p>
<p>Sometimes the actors will make the case themselves. In recent years, more and more will promote the extent to which they prepared for their roles. </p>
<p>You may have heard that Cillian Murphy lost 20 pounds and took up smoking (fake) cigarettes to play nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, or that Bradley Cooper spent six years training in the art of conducting in order to film a key scene as Leonard Bernstein in “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5535276/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_4_nm_3_q_maestro">Maestro</a>.”</p>
<p>The anecdotes are supposed to burnish their Oscar credentials. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/bradley-cooper-cillian-murphy-and-the-myths-of-method-acting-224340">Should they?</a></p>
<p>“Yes, the media loves these kinds of stories, and they can demonstrate a certain type of commitment,” writes Holy Cross theater professor <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/scott-malia-1468175">Scott Malia</a>. “But they can also paint actors as pampered and pretentious ‘artistes’ whose process is self-indulgent. A working actor struggling to pay the bills doesn’t have the luxury of, say, insisting that everyone address them by their character’s name.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bradley-cooper-cillian-murphy-and-the-myths-of-method-acting-224340">Bradley Cooper, Cillian Murphy and the myths of Method acting</a>
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<h2>2. The anti-‘Oppenheimer’ crowd</h2>
<p>Christopher Nolan’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15398776/">Oppenheimer</a>” is the runaway favorite to be named best picture, <a href="https://www.vegasinsider.com/awards/odds/oscars/">according to Vegas Insider</a>. </p>
<p>But if The Conversation’s coverage of the film is any indication, it doesn’t deserve the win.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/charles-thorpe-1453180">Charles Thorpe</a> – a sociologist at the University of California, San Diego – explores why J. Robert Oppenheimer, in particular, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-american-culture-fixates-on-the-tragic-image-of-j-robert-oppenheimer-the-most-famous-man-behind-the-atomic-bomb-209365">has become the focus of so much writing on the bomb</a>.</p>
<p>On the one hand, it’s a lot easier to digest the complexities of science, politics and human suffering through an individual – “a human-scaled way to talk about an otherwise overwhelming topic,” as Thorpe puts it.</p>
<p>But on the other hand, Thorpe argues that American culture’s “fascination with the man behind the bomb often seems to eclipse the horrific reality of nuclear weapons themselves.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-american-culture-fixates-on-the-tragic-image-of-j-robert-oppenheimer-the-most-famous-man-behind-the-atomic-bomb-209365">Why American culture fixates on the tragic image of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the most famous man behind the atomic bomb</a>
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<h2>3. Few new insights</h2>
<p>Michigan State University historian <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/naoko-wake-1508370">Naoko Wake</a> also takes issue with what she calls the “inward-looking” nature of “Oppenheimer.”</p>
<p>Like so many other films about the bomb, Nolan applies a distinctly Western lens that, in Wake’s view, <a href="https://theconversation.com/oppenheimer-is-a-disappointment-and-a-lost-opportunity-222591">has become cloudy and cracked from overuse</a>. </p>
<p>In the end, the film’s tension hinges on decisions made by Americans, for Americans, offering “few, if any, new insights about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their repercussions.” </p>
<p>“Even if this film is seen purely through the lens of entertainment,” Wake adds, “Nolan could have chosen to recognize why the bombs are such a galvanizing subject to begin with: They have done much, much more than make white, middle-class Americans feel anxious or guilty.”</p>
<p>“Their blasts reverberated across the globe,” she continues, “tearing apart not only America’s wartime enemies but also colonized peoples and racial minorities.” </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/despite-its-big-night-at-the-oscars-oppenheimer-is-a-disappointment-and-a-lost-opportunity-222591">Despite its big night at the Oscars, 'Oppenheimer' is a disappointment and a lost opportunity</a>
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<h2>4. Foreign films take center stage</h2>
<p>But for all the concern about American perspectives dominating interpretations of history, there’s been a striking shift in the film industry, which has taken a decidedly international turn over the past decade.</p>
<p>This year, three non-English language films – “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Past Lives” and “The Zone of Interest” – have been nominated for best picture. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An Asian woman in a blue dress stands on a street in front of a big, bright billboard advertising a screening for 'Past Lives.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580768/original/file-20240308-24-ik5y2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song wrote and directed ‘Past Lives,’ which is one of three non-English language films nominated for Best Picture at the 2024 Academy Awards.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/writer-and-director-celine-song-of-the-film-past-lives-news-photo/1489366618?adppopup=true">Mat Hayward/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Miami University film studies scholar <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kerry-hegarty-1508053">Kerry Hegarty</a> tells the story of how non-English cinema has been gradually folded in the ceremonies – boxed out at first, eventually given its own category and finally winning best picture in 2020, when “Parasite” won.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-non-english-language-cinema-is-reshaping-the-oscars-landscape-222484">Hegarty explains how this didn’t happen naturally</a>; it took work. State-sponsored programs supporting filmmakers in foreign countries played a big role, as did changes in the demographic makeup of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.</p>
<p>“Streaming distribution has also democratized access to non-English language cinema,” she adds, “which was previously limited only to niche audiences in art house theaters in large cities.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-non-english-language-cinema-is-reshaping-the-oscars-landscape-222484">How non-English language cinema is reshaping the Oscars landscape</a>
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<h2>5. The guardians of glamour</h2>
<p>In the early years of the Academy Awards, what people wore to the event received little attention. In fact, even after televisions landed in millions of living rooms across the U.S., movie fans couldn’t watch the Oscars on TV: The film industry resisted broadcasting the event on the medium it saw as its top competition.</p>
<p>That all changed once Hollywood ran into some financial trouble in the late 1940s and needed television networks to help pay for the annual event. All of a sudden, how movie stars appeared at the event mattered – <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-academy-awards-became-the-biggest-international-fashion-show-free-for-all-221477">and studios decided that this eccentric coterie needed some corralling</a>.</p>
<p>Enter Edith Head, guardian of glamour.</p>
<p>University of Southern California fashion scholar <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elizabeth-castaldo-lunden-1482727">Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén</a> tells the story of how Head – and, later, Fred Hayman – maintained boundaries of decorum, while also encouraging stars to showcase the latest luxury trends and attire, turning the event into a dazzling fashion spectacle.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-academy-awards-became-the-biggest-international-fashion-show-free-for-all-221477">How the Academy Awards became 'the biggest international fashion show free-for-all'</a>
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<h2>6. 92 years old, 54 nominations</h2>
<p>When 92-year-old composer John Williams strolls up to Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, he’ll be looking to secure his sixth gold statuette.</p>
<p>It’s been a while since Williams’ last win – exactly 30 years, when he won best original score for “Schindler’s List” in 1994. Nonetheless, Williams holds the record for most nominations for a living person, with 54. </p>
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<img alt="Elderly bald man with white beard conducts a concert." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580767/original/file-20240308-20-3z5nq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580767/original/file-20240308-20-3z5nq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580767/original/file-20240308-20-3z5nq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580767/original/file-20240308-20-3z5nq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580767/original/file-20240308-20-3z5nq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580767/original/file-20240308-20-3z5nq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580767/original/file-20240308-20-3z5nq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Composer John Williams will be looking to take home his sixth Academy Award. Williams holds the record for most nominations for a living person, with 54.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/composer-john-williams-conducts-the-concert-celebrating-the-news-photo/1549425746?adppopup=true">Shannon Finney/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Rice University music professor <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/arthur-gottschalk-1508701">Arthur Gottschalk</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-jaws-to-schindlers-list-john-williams-has-infused-movie-scores-with-adventure-and-emotion-222694">looks back on Williams’ illustrious career</a> and explains how the composer’s suite for “E.T.” burnished his reputation.</p>
<p>Not only was it Williams’ first score to be embraced by concert orchestras, but it also changed the way director Steven Spielberg edited the film, “inverting the normal relationship between director and composer,” Gottschalk writes.</p>
<p>“The scoring of the finale,” he continues, “in which protagonist Elliott and his friends help the alien escape captivity, is so effective that Spielberg re-cut the end of the film to match Williams’ music.”</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-jaws-to-schindlers-list-john-williams-has-infused-movie-scores-with-adventure-and-emotion-222694">From 'Jaws' to 'Schindler's List,' John Williams has infused movie scores with adventure and emotion</a>
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<p><em>This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversation’s archives.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223500/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Before you tune into Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, check out our coverage of the stars of this year’s show.
Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture Editor
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/224009
2024-03-07T13:03:44Z
2024-03-07T13:03:44Z
From fast fashion to excessive earrings, these trends might be harmful to your health
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579487/original/file-20240304-18-67z9tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=211%2C130%2C2425%2C1666&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jennifer Lopez is a fan of the statement earring, but will her lobes forgive her?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/los-angeles-may-10-jennifer-lopez-2303119289">Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The perilous nature of some fashion items have a long history, from the potentially <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0966636221000199">hazardous heights of stilettoes</a> to the damaging <a href="https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/library-and-publications/library/blog/effects-of-the-corset/">constrictions imposed by the corset</a>. But health-harming trends aren’t a thing of the past. </p>
<p>Fast fashion, the making and selling of cheap clothes with short life-spans at mass volumes, has become a notorious modern-day phenomenon – so much so that in 2023, the <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230424IPR82040/ending-fast-fashion-tougher-rules-to-fight-excessive-production-and-consumption">European Union</a> attempted to crack down on the “overproduction and overconsumption of clothes and footwear” to <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/remodelling-fast-fashion-understanding-the-need-to-accelerate-sustainability-in-the-fashion-industry-and-how-the-uk-can-respond/">make clothing more sustainable</a> and <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/85937">reduce worker exploitation</a>.</p>
<p>Fast fashion might be cheap but its environmental costs are dear. The detrimental <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/environmental-costs-fast-fashion">ecological effects</a> of the consumer appetite for trend-driven disposable clothing – and the consequential impacts on <a href="https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/how-fast-fashion-harms-the-environment-and-peoples-health">human health</a> – are well known. But <a href="https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/1624/">toxic clothing</a> is a comparatively under-reported danger of consumers’ continuing love affair with fast fashion. </p>
<p>Affordable, on-trend clothing is often made from synthetic materials that can <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-03827-3_40">irritate the skin</a>. But <a href="https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/article/toxic-textiles-potential-health-risks-associated-with-toxic-chemicals-in-clothing/171082/">throwaway fashion</a> garments can also contain <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/pdfs/Unravelling-Harms-of-Fast-Fashion-Full-Report-2023-02.pdf">toxic chemicals</a> including <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/PFAS_FactSheet.html#:%7E:text=Print-,Per%2D%20and%20Polyfluorinated%20Substances%20(PFAS),in%20a%20variety%20of%20products.">PFAS</a> (synthetic chemicals used widely in consumer products from non-stick baking tins to clothes), <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7002841/">azo dyes</a>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html#:%7E:text=Phthalates%20are%20a%20group%20of,%2C%20shampoos%2C%20hair%20sprays">phthalates</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/formaldehyde/default.html#:%7E:text=Formaldehyde%20(CH%E2%82%82O)%20is%20a%20colorless,antiseptics%2C%20medicines%2C%20and%20cosmetics.">formaldehyde</a>. </p>
<p>Approximately <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pfas-in-clothing-household-items-consumer-products-forever-chemicals/">8,000 synthetic chemicals</a> are used in the fast fashion manufacturing process, with residues <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/jul/02/fashion-chemicals-pfas-bpa-toxic">staying on the garments that we purchase</a>. Alden Wicker’s 2023 book, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705645/to-dye-for-by-alden-wicker/">To Dye For</a>, reveals the unregulated use of <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1805/1805.pdf">potentially harmful chemicals</a> and the impacts these can have on our health. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohamed-Hassaan-2/publication/317006721_Health_and_Environmental_Impacts_of_Dyes_Mini_Review/links/5a032afaa6fdcc6b7c9d09d9/Health-and-Environmental-Impacts-of-Dyes-Mini-Review.pdf">Azo dyes</a>, for example, which are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230017301812">restricted in the EU</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-99-3901-5_3">can be absorbed</a> causing a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27635691/">range of reported</a> health issues. </p>
<p>And there are other, perhaps more surprising, potential dangers lurking in your wardrobe too.</p>
<h2>Trainers and sneakers</h2>
<p>Trainers have become the most popular shoe style of the <a href="https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/download/1991/2871?inline=1">21st-century</a>, transcending fashion boundaries of gender, race and age. The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1740144519300853">trend for athleisure</a> – buoyed by brand collaborations with hip-hop and pop stars such as <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/adidas-ivy-park-ivy-noir-collection">Beyoncé</a>, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/rihanna-fenty-x-puma-the-creeper-phatty-1234905319/">Rihanna</a> and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/27/business/kanye-west-adidas-yeezy.html">pre-scandal Kanye West’s</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/feb/15/yeezy-sneakers-adidas-kanye-west-ye">ultra-successful Adidas Yeezy</a> line – has increased consumer demand for footwear that’s both <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/katehardcastle/2022/11/29/haute-comfort-consumers-choose-comfort-over-style-says-new-research/?sh=2bdb6feb20c4">comfortable</a> and has <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-sneakers-from-commodity-to-cultural-icon-127268">cult status</a>. </p>
<p>This is a trend that shows no sign of going out of fashion: according to predictions, the global sneaker industry will be worth <a href="https://leaders.com/news/business/inside-the-growing-sneaker-resale-market/">$100 billion by 2026</a>. But how bad can it be to value comfort as well as style? </p>
<p>For example, wearing trainers too much can lead to <a href="https://www.sioux-shop.co.uk/cms/keeping-your-feet-healthy/can-wearing-trainers-too-much-damage-your-feet/#:%7E:text=Therefore%2C%20wearing%20trainers%20continually%20can,not%20need%20such%20extreme%20cushioning.">poor foot posture and the widening of feet</a>, a condition that’s impossible to reverse. The trend for platform trainers isn’t much better: this style can be a painful <a href="https://edit.sundayriley.com/are-platform-sneakers-bad-for-your-feet/">strain on the feet and gait</a>. And sock sneakers – trainers that look like thick, usually colorful socks with rubber soles attached – is the style <a href="https://www.whowhatwear.com/worst-sneakers-for-feet">most likely to lead</a> to a sprained ankle.</p>
<p>The best bet is to opt for athletic trainers that are designed to offer a supportive fit. </p>
<h2>Waist trainers</h2>
<p>Waist trainers, brought into vogue this century by <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/kim-kardashian-west-future-of-skims">Kim Kardashian</a>, are similar to the corsets and girdles of the past. They are designed to pull the wearer’s waist in as <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/do-waist-trainers-work#:%7E:text=A%20waist%20trainer%20is%20a,tough%20fabric%20and%20hard%20fibers.">tight as possible</a> to achieve an eye-wateringly <a href="https://www.instyle.com/beauty/health-fitness/what-is-a-waist-trainer">“snatched” look</a> – TikTok speak for creating the illusion of a tiny, accentuated waist. </p>
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<p>Endorsed by influential celebrities such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/corsets-and-waist-trainers-how-celebrities-and-influencers-have-driven-our-modern-obsession-with-shapewear-183859">Nikki Minaj</a> and <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a19490856/kylie-jenner-waist-training-post-baby-body-instagram-ad/">Kylie Jenner</a>, the waist trainer, if worn over a prolonged period, may help achieve a temporary <a href="https://www.mymed.com/health-wellness/body-modifications/the-practice-of-waist-training-and-corsetry/the-dangers-and-benefits-of-aesthetic-waist-training">hourglass figure</a>. And like the corset, the waist trainer does seem to <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/591218e0f7e0abcf6ce40add/t/5fbecbbfeaf37e3b64805419/1606339541761/The_Kurious_Kase_of_Kim_Kardashians_Korset_Alanna_McKnight_Fashion_Studies.pdf">have some benefits</a> – it may <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169814121000433">help improve posture</a>, for example. </p>
<p>Waist trainers and similar shapewear can also give the appearance of significant weight loss. But any actual weight loss from wearing the item is most likely because of water loss through <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/do-waist-trainers-work">sweating and muscle atrophy</a> – muscles in the core are used less while wearing waist-trainers, so long-term use can lead to muscle wastage.</p>
<p>Also, the pressure exerted on the waist and internal organs can cause appetite loss. Perhaps unsurprisingly, prolonged wearing of waist trainers can result in <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/are-waist-trainers-dangerous">gastrointestinal issues</a> such as acid reflux and, in more extreme cases, the pressure on the diaphragm can cause respiratory problems. </p>
<p>If that isn’t enough, wearers of waist trainers and corsets may be at <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/do-waist-trainers-work#are-they-safe">risk of fainting due to reduced oxygen</a>. There’s also a reported case of a woman who developed <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7566978/#:%7E:text=ALI%20is%20caused%20by%20many,abdominal%20liposuction%20and%20gluteal%20augmentation.">acute lower-limb ischemia</a> (a serious condition usually caused by a blood clot) after wearing a waist trainer – although such extreme health outcomes are very rare. </p>
<p>And while the potential health risks of wearing waist trainers might seem overwhelming, a study in the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314102718_Randomized_controlled_trial_of_abdominal_binders_for_postoperative_pain_distress_and_blood_loss_after_cesarean_delivery">International Journal of Gynaecology and Obsestrics</a> found women who wore them following a cesarean delivery experienced less pain. </p>
<h2>Heavy earrings</h2>
<p>The emergence of the <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/a46493231/mob-wife-aesthetic-trend-explained/">“mob wife” trend</a>, with its <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/28/style/mob-wife-aesthetic-trend.html">aesthetic signifiers</a> of fur coats, leopard prints and <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/royal-style/513845/princess-diana-original-mob-wife-fashion/">chunky gold jewellery</a>, has also popularised weighty earrings. But the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocd.14552">regular and prolonged wearing</a> of heavy earrings can cause elongation and thinning of the earlobe, which in extreme cases can <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/heavy-earrings-aging-skin_n_561bf656e4b0082030a35c59#:%7E:text=According%20to%20Edward%20Miranda%2C%20a%20board-certified%20plastic%20surgeon%2C,and%20ultimately%20can%20rupture%20and%20split.%20More%20items">cause the lobe to split</a>. </p>
<p>To correct the damage caused by wearing excessively heavy or large earrings, lobe surgery has become one of the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/earlobe-reduction-plastic-surgery-trend-cosmetics-a8172951.html">most common plastic surgery trends</a>. </p>
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<p>But it is not just heavy earrings that you may need to be wary of. Large <a href="https://galoremag.com/wear-big-hoops-without-getting-caught-everything/">thin hoops</a>, although seemingly lightweight, can get caught in hair and clothes. In 2023, a TikTok video of a woman showing the tear in her earlobe caused by a large hoop earring went viral, with over <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/16/i-liked-wearing-heavy-earrings-until-hoops-tore-open-my-earlobe/">1.3 million views</a>. </p>
<h2>Ill-fitting thongs</h2>
<p>Love them or hate them, <a href="https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/early-aughts-exposed-thong-trend-is-back/">the thong is a fashion classic</a>. From showgirls at the World Fair in the 1930s to 2023’s <a href="https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/trends/a42416238/celebrity-exposed-thong-trend/">whale tail trend</a> for wearing a thong peeking out from the waistband of clothing, these notorious items have been rubbing us the wrong way for almost a century.</p>
<p>Renowned for being uncomfortable, it’s perhaps unsurprising that ill-fitting thongs can cause intimate irritation and chafing, especially if made from synthetic fabrics.</p>
<p>But it’s not all doom and gloom. <a href="https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jog.13958">Research has shown</a> that a well-fitting thong made from natural fibres, alongside regular washing of underwear and scrupulous personal hygiene, can ensure thong-wearers enjoy their whale tails in comfort.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/health-warning-five-fashion-trends-that-are-terrible-for-you-43738">Health warning: five fashion trends that are terrible for you</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224009/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Naomi Braithwaite does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Keeping up with the Kardashians can be a real pain. How fashion trends from waist trainers to celebrity endorsed sneakers could do more harm than good.
Naomi Braithwaite, Associate Professor in Fashion Marketing and Branding, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/225195
2024-03-07T10:27:30Z
2024-03-07T10:27:30Z
North Korean women are now the breadwinners – and shifting this deeply patriarchal society towards a matriarchy
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580112/original/file-20240306-25-ophz0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=45%2C33%2C1998%2C1330&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Small shops, many run by women, are a common sight in North Korea. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/foliopix/21846701589/in/album-72177720301574198/">Lesley Parker</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>High heels, lace and handbags. In recent decades, there’s been a huge shift in the role of North Korean women and the choices they’re able to make – including what they wear. </p>
<p>In this episode of <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/the-conversation-weekly-98901">The Conversation Weekly podcast</a>, we hear about new research on how North Korean women are driving a new form of grassroots capitalism, and changing the country in the process. </p>
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<p>“It’s a salutary lesson to all patriarchies. You shouldn’t take your eye off the women,” says Bronwen Dalton. She’s head of the department of management at the University of Technology Sydney Business School in Australia and a co-author, with her colleague Kyungja Jung, of <a href="https://www.routledge.com/North-Koreas-Women-led-Grassroots-Capitalism/Dalton-Jung/p/book/9780367536961">a new book on the role of women in North Korea</a>.</p>
<p>Their research was based on conversations with 52 North Korean defectors living in South Korea and China, as well as insights from three trips Dalton took to North Korea. </p>
<p>North Korea is a deeply patriarchal society, and women have traditionally been defined by two words: mother and wife. But when famine hit the country in the 1990s and the public food distribution system disintegrated, it was left to women to try to earn money to feed their families. And the state, obsessed with controlling the lives of men, mainly ignored what women were doing. </p>
<p>Many began working in markets, some of which were legal, some illegal, selling what they could to supplement the meagre wages of their husbands’ factory jobs. </p>
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<p>With this shift, it became a whole new lexicon that was derogatory around men, because the economic power had shifted. Women are the breadwinners in a very tight economic times, and men were another mouth to feed.</p>
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<p>Jung was fascinated when North Korean defectors she interviewed used the word matriarchy. She related one conversation with a woman in her 50s. </p>
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<p>She stated that women often say the patriarchy has fallen in favour of the matriarchy … And if women were once under their husband’s thumbs, men are now afraid they will be kicked out of their homes by their wives.</p>
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<p>At the same time, women’s fashion choices have shifted to become more hyper-feminine. Dalton says that North Korean women will do “anything to obtain a pair of high heels”, and they wear a lot of bling, lace and embroidered parasols. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two women one with a Chanel-style brooch and another with a North Korean label pin." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580095/original/file-20240306-23-1kyepn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C9%2C1956%2C892&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580095/original/file-20240306-23-1kyepn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=265&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580095/original/file-20240306-23-1kyepn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=265&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580095/original/file-20240306-23-1kyepn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=265&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580095/original/file-20240306-23-1kyepn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580095/original/file-20240306-23-1kyepn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580095/original/file-20240306-23-1kyepn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two sides of North Korea: fashion and loyalty to the state.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/foliopix/23778076170/in/album-72177720301574198/">Lesley Parker</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Listen to <a href="https://pod.link/1550643487">The Conversation Weekly</a> podcast to hear Bronwen Dalton and Kyungja Jung talk about their research on North Korea, plus an introduction from Justin Bergman, international affairs editor at The Conversation in Australia. </p>
<p><em>A transcript of this episode will be available shortly.</em></p>
<p><em>This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany, with assistance from Katie Flood. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Stephen Khan is our global executive editor, Alice Mason runs our social media and Soraya Nandy does our transcripts.</em></p>
<p><em>You can find us on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theconversationdotcom/">theconversationdotcom</a> or <a href="mailto:podcast@theconversation.com">via email</a>. You can also subscribe to The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/newsletter">free daily email here</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our <a href="https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/60087127b9687759d637bade">RSS feed</a> or find out <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-listen-to-the-conversations-podcasts-154131">how else to listen here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225195/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bronwen Dalton receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Kyungja Jung receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Academy of Korean Studies. </span></em></p>
Bronwen Dalton and Kyungja Jung explain how North Korean women are driving a new form of grassroots capitalism. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Gemma Ware, Editor and Co-Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222569
2024-03-06T22:26:29Z
2024-03-06T22:26:29Z
Oscars 2024: How a dress goes from haute couture design to red carpet
<p>Designing an outfit for a celebrity to wear at the Oscars is often seen <a href="https://abc13.com/2024-academy-awards-oscars-ceremony-how-to-watch-red-carpet-when-are-the/14469675/">as a dream opportunity for</a> fashion designers. </p>
<p>Yet, <a href="https://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/a_peek_under_oscars_skirt/">embarking on this journey demands</a> financial investment, brand reputation, creative talent and technical expertise.</p>
<p>Haute couture literally translates as “high dressmaking.” In its strictest sense, this refers to a <a href="https://www.fhcm.paris/en/maisons?status=1">specific fashion house designation</a> acknowledged by the French <em>Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode</em>. More generally, the term is used to describe <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/haute-couture">the business of creating meticulously crafted</a> garments for an individual client or a special occasion.</p>
<p>Elite <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/La_haute_couture/1s0-NAAACAAJ?hl=en%2085">haute couture designers</a> have consistently managed to dress celebrities for the Oscars. </p>
<p>Haute couture designers include renowned names <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/zendaya-oscars-2022">like Valentino</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/she-wore-what-how-to-read-the-oscars-fashion-script-22216">Armani Privé</a>, <a href="https://www.schiaparelli.com/en/news/2022-03-28-maggie-gyllenhaal-wore-custom-schiaparelli-haute-couture-to-the-94th-academy-awards?previous=true">Schiaparelli Couture</a>, Atelier Versace, <a href="https://people.com/style/elizabeth-taylor-1961-oscars-dress-discovered-in-suitcase-decades-after-event/">Christian Dior</a>, <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/chanel-oscars-karl-lagerfeld-best-red-carpet-1203041171/">Chanel</a>, Givenchy and <a href="https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/yves-saint-laurent_9781419744372/">Saint Laurent</a>. More recently, it’s included <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-04-29/the-untold-story-of-the-dress-in-which-halle-berry-made-oscars-history.html#">Elie Saab</a>, <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/03/elizabeth-banks-vivienne-westwood-bespoke-gown-oscars">Vivienne Westwood</a>, <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a43283701/allison-williams-giambattista-valli-dress-oscars-2023/">Giambattista Valli</a>, Prada, Fendi Couture and Vera Wang, among others.</p>
<p>My passion for creativity, design, luxury and fashion has marked my professional career. Previously, I was a researcher at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, where my work <a href="https://bup.egeaonline.it/en/119/book-profiles/138/made-in-italy-industries?hl=Made%20in%20Italy%20Industries">examined made-in-Italy industries</a> and <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Masters_of_the_Sea/WdBXLwEACAAJ?hl=en">luxury design</a>.</p>
<p>As an Italian who has recently embarked on a new chapter in Canada, I invite you to delve into haute couture with me, where exceptional craftsmanship, innovative designs and strategic expertise come to life.</p>
<h2>Distinctive esthetics</h2>
<p>Giorgio Armani has described haute couture as “<a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/fashion-trends/a36424109/giorgio-armani-interview-haute-couture/">the peak of my world</a>,” highlighting it as a realm where creativity, imagination and the freedom to experiment thrive. </p>
<p>Each haute couture atelier of a particular brand is celebrated for its distinctive esthetic. </p>
<p>Valentino is famed for its <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/happy-90-birthday-valentino-garavani-a-red-dress-celebration">glamorous and iconic red</a> evening dresses, while <a href="https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847845309">Giorgio Armani Privé</a> is recognized for its attention to detail and <a href="https://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2023/03/14/giorgio-armani-armani-prive-2023-vanity-fair-oscar-party">elegant attire</a>. </p>
<p>Schiaparelli is known for <a href="https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/shocking-the-surreal-world-of-elsa-schiaparelli-hardcover">its avant-garde designs</a> that merge art with fashion.</p>
<h2>Fashion and visual art</h2>
<p>Haute couture designs can include a range of garments <a href="https://www.fireflybooks.com/BookDetails?Pid=227">such as gowns</a>, evening wear or wedding attire, all made from premium fabrics. </p>
<p>Skilled artisans <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/A_Cultural_History_of_Western_Fashion_fr/7YhHzwEACAAJ?hl=en">devote extraordinary attention to every detail</a> and finish of these garments. </p>
<p>Within each atelier, <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Haute_Couture">a hierarchy of craftsmanship exists</a>, ranging from the most experienced “first hands” to “second hands” and then to apprentices, each level reflecting the artisan’s skill and experience.</p>
<h2>Each piece remains a symbol</h2>
<p>Haute couture showcases a fusion of craftsmanship with cutting-edge design.
These pieces are designed to be timeless, crafted with durable materials and components, ensuring each piece remains a lasting symbol of beauty and craftsmanship.</p>
<p>The journey from an initial concept to a completed dress involves several months of craftsmanship, including countless fittings and continuous enhancements to achieve perfection. </p>
<p>The outcome <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Couture_Culture/VZNYHQAACAAJ?hl=en">is a work of art</a> distinguished by its intricate textures, a blend of fabrics and materials, elaborate embroidery and exceptional customer service.</p>
<h2>Initial design</h2>
<p>The design process typically begins with initial sketches, followed by the creation of a muslin or toile prototype, which is then tailored to the desired shape. This stage is crucial for refining the initial ideas into a concept that meets the designer’s vision. For bespoke orders, the designer presents multiple sketches for the client to approve. </p>
<p>The client can select the garment’s silhouette, fabrics, embroidery patterns (if desired) and additional finishing touches. Throughout this process, the client receives guidance from a highly knowledgeable salesperson. </p>
<p>The use of <a href="https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/haute-couture-atelier">luxurious materials such as</a> silk, tulle, embroidery, lace and feathers, along with innovative combinations of various fabrics, textures and decorative elements, enhances the garment’s elegance and sophistication.</p>
<h2>From pattern-making to final masterpiece</h2>
<p>For custom-made garments, the <a href="https://www.marabout.com/livre/la-bible-de-la-couture-9782501160315/">creation process starts with</a> customer measurements. A prototype garment is first made from basic fabrics. This step allows for adjustments to ensure the client’s fit and design preferences before the final, more luxurious fabrics are used. For runway designs, this prototype fitting is conducted on a model.</p>
<p>Creating a haute couture piece can involve artisan-intensive techniques such as embroidery, beading and other embellishments, demanding hundreds or thousands of hours of handwork. </p>
<p>After the garment is completed, final fittings are conducted to guarantee perfect tailoring. To further enhance the ensemble, accessories are carefully chosen to complement the dress. </p>
<h2>Celebrity and designer legacies</h2>
<p>Stylists and celebrities collaborate to choose dresses, often partnering with designers to create bespoke pieces — or <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-04-29/the-untold-story-of-the-dress-in-which-halle-berry-made-oscars-history.html">tailor existing runway designs</a>. </p>
<p>This customization process is particularly relevant for dresses showcased during the <a href="https://www.fhcm.paris/en/paris-fashion-week">Paris Haute Couture Week</a>, which occurs biannually at the end of January and in early July, marking spring-summer and fall-winter collections respectively. This is organized by the <a href="https://www.fhcm.paris/en">Chambre Syndicale de la Couture</a>. </p>
<p>Once a dress debuts on the red carpet, <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo3684378.html">it captures the public’s and the media’s attention, becoming a significant part of</a> the celebrity’s public image and the designer’s legacy.</p>
<p>The world of haute couture <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1749975519853667">thrives on these collaborative efforts</a>, with fashion brands playing a central role in orchestrating these dynamic relationships.</p>
<h2>Beyond the event</h2>
<p>In the social media age, an entire economy <a href="https://theconversation.com/barbie-isnt-just-a-movie-star-now-shes-also-a-virtual-social-media-influencer-207885">of social media influencing</a> <a href="https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1367810/pov-chris-olsen-tinx-and-more-social-media-stars-take-over-oscars-2023">surrounds formal gatherings and events</a>.</p>
<p>Celebrity endorsement is crucial for the success of haute couture brands, as it can significantly influence consumer interest and sales in <a href="https://thefactory8.com/difference-ready-wear-haute-couture/">their ready-to-wear and</a> accessory lines.</p>
<p>Unique dresses sometimes find <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300166552/100-dresses/">a place in museum exhibitions</a>, such as those at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York or the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Designers may also archive these pieces. </p>
<p>These practices underscore the dresses’ role in preserving the brand’s legacy and contributing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-422X(85)90003-8">to its symbolic value</a>, which can be leveraged for future growth and recognition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222569/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Luana Carcano does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Beyond film, the Oscars spotlights the world of haute couture, where each design house involved in creating bespoke garments is celebrated for its distinctive esthetic.
Luana Carcano, Lecturer, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221477
2024-03-06T13:33:38Z
2024-03-06T13:33:38Z
How the Academy Awards became ‘the biggest international fashion show free-for-all’
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579696/original/file-20240304-26-fvllso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C2156%2C1539&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The dress actress Lupita Nyong'o wore to the 86th Academy Awards in 2014 became a story in and of itself.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/caactress-lupita-nyongo-poses-in-the-press-room-during-the-news-photo/478056305?adppopup=true">Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Oscars are no longer just a celebration of movies. They’ve also become a fashion show, with fans, designers and the media celebrating and critiquing Hollywood celebrities as they stroll, pause and pose on the red carpet of the annual awards ceremony.</p>
<p>A sharp look can be a story in and of itself.</p>
<p>Take actress <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/lupita-nyongo-best-red-carpet-fashion">Lupita Nyong’o</a>. After she wore a powder blue Prada dress to the 2014 Oscars, she became the new “It girl” overnight. She was named <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/lupita-nyongo-is-peoples-most-beautiful-2/">People magazine’s Most Beautiful Woman</a>, became the <a href="https://time.com/49612/lupita-nyongo-becomes-new-face-of-lancome/">first Black ambassador</a> for beauty giant Lancôme and landed on the covers of Vogue, Vanity Fair and Glamour.</p>
<p>But fashion wasn’t always so central to the ceremony.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv1vtz84g.11">my book about the history of the Oscars red carpet</a>, I point to two essential figures that turned the Oscars into the fashion spectacle we know today.</p>
<h2>TV puts the Oscars in the spotlight</h2>
<p>At the end of the 1940s, the Hollywood film industry was facing economic headwinds. </p>
<p>More and more households <a href="https://guides.loc.gov/american-women-moving-image/television">were buying television sets</a>, which impacted movie-going. The studios also saw their revenues decline when they were forced to sell their theater chains <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-decrees-antitrust-hollywood-1235581215/">after losing an antitrust case in 1948</a>.</p>
<p>Financial struggles continued to mount when, in 1949, <a href="https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/photoplayjanjun100macf_4_0603">the motion picture companies refused to fund the Academy Awards</a> after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that puts on the awards, allowed British films to compete head-to-head with American productions. </p>
<p>The organization found temporary solutions to keep the event going. But when faced with the possibility of discontinuing the Oscars ceremony altogether due to financial constraints, the academy weighed the advantages and disadvantages of airing the program on television, which was seen as film’s main competitor. Eventually, the academy approached NBC and requested that the network cover the expenses to put on the event <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01439685.2022.2065079">in exchange for the rights to broadcast the show in 1953</a>.</p>
<p>Until then, the studios had carefully crafted and controlled their stars’ public image. Television was a new medium – and a more spontaneous one. Studio executives feared how their stars would appear on screen and behave during the broadcast. Furthermore, many nominees were skeptical of appearing at the event since there was no stipulation in their contracts about television appearances.</p>
<h2>Edith Head, guardian of glamour</h2>
<p>So the academy hired <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/27/obituaries/edith-head-fashion-designer-for-the-movies-dies.html">Edith Head</a> as a fashion consultant to supervise the stars’ appearance.</p>
<p>At the time, Head was Hollywood’s most famous costume designer. She’d been working since the days of silent cinema, and she was <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/900041/pdf">accustomed to the media spotlight through her promotional work for Paramount</a>.</p>
<p>Head was responsible for making sure that everyone dressed appropriately, abiding by the “decency and decorum” guidelines suggested by <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.39000007422830&seq=10">the Code of Practice for Television Broadcasters</a>. She also had to ensure that no two dresses were the same and that the outfits worn by presenters and nominees looked good on camera and complemented the set.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Elderly woman wearing sunglasses poses while sitting in a golf cart." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579228/original/file-20240301-16-un6izk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579228/original/file-20240301-16-un6izk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579228/original/file-20240301-16-un6izk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579228/original/file-20240301-16-un6izk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579228/original/file-20240301-16-un6izk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579228/original/file-20240301-16-un6izk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579228/original/file-20240301-16-un6izk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Edith Head was hired as the first fashion consultant for the Academy Awards.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/edith-head-outside-her-office-on-the-lot-of-universal-news-photo/77695597?adppopup=true">Mark Sullivan/Contour via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of her most important roles ended up being talking up fashion in media interviews leading up to the Oscars, which she frequently referred to as a fashion show. </p>
<p>“This is a very competitive night from a fashion point of view because, as I said, the stars are presenting themselves as themselves,” Head explained on one of <a href="https://collections.new.oscars.org/Details/Collection/546">her radio shows</a>. “For me, as a fashion designer, the most exciting question is who will wear what.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv1vtz84g.11">The postwar growth of the international fashion industry</a> paved the way for Hollywood stars to wear the latest creations by European designers, including Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy and Pierre Balmain.</p>
<p>However, by the mid-1960s, new fashion trends such as miniskirts, shapeless dresses, pants and bohemian styles threatened to upend the formal attire of the Oscars and the feminine ideals preferred by Head.</p>
<p>In 1968, she felt compelled to remind young actresses of the event’s stature with a <a href="https://www.oscars.org/collection-highlights/edith-head/?fid=33401">press release</a> after actress <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/65gNaXHLq9oCcbp99">Inger Stevens</a> wore a mini dress to the ceremony in 1967. To Head, this was no informal social gathering; it was a glamorous, upscale fashion parade.</p>
<p>Two years later, in 1970, she reiterated the importance of formal attire <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=xbMl6BHSMvA">while announcing the nominees</a> for the Oscar for best costume design. She reminded young actresses that the Oscars was “the most important time of the year in Hollywood” and advised them to avoid wearing “the freaky, far-out, unusual fashions.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xbMl6BHSMvA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Edith Head stresses the importance of formal attire at the Oscars.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Fred Hayman rights the ship</h2>
<p>After Head said goodbye to her position at the conclusion of the 1971 ceremony, celebrities blew through the boundaries of decorum, inaugurating an era of questionable fashion choices: <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/VEmt61vyUeNku7mn7">Edy Williams’ shocking bikini looks</a>, Bob Mackie’s memorable <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/gallery/cher-oscars-outfits">transparencies for Cher</a> and Armani’s <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/cyLTjwV1Li1c2AbN7">over-the-top informality for Diane Keaton</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman in elegant black, spidery, see-through dress holds a gold statuette." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=947&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=947&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=947&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1190&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1190&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579681/original/file-20240304-30-k64ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1190&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cher wears a transparent gown designed by Bob Mackie at the 60th Academy Awards in 1988.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/actress-cher-posing-in-the-press-room-at-the-1988-academy-news-photo/529485598?adppopup=true">Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Fashion order was restored in 1989 when Beverly Hills impresario <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/business/smallbusiness/fred-hayman-whose-giorgio-boutique-led-gilding-of-rodeo-drive-dies-at-90.html">Fred Hayman</a> became the event’s new fashion coordinator.</p>
<p>Lucky for him, in the 1990s, fashion was in fashion. </p>
<p>New successful designers such as Giorgio Armani, Thierry Mugler and Gianni Versace elbowed into the spotlight alongside established conglomerate brands like Louis Vuitton and Givenchy. <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-90s-supermodel/_gVRe27kG0w8LA?hl=en">Supermodels had become celebrities</a> on par with actors and actresses, and cable television launched specialized international networks dedicated entirely to fashion and celebrity culture. </p>
<p>Hayman was eager to capitalize on this momentum to promote Rodeo Drive as the luxury shopping mecca of the West Coast.</p>
<p>Hayman had begun his career in the hospitality industry. But in 1961, he switched to fashion after investing in a friend’s boutique, Giorgio Beverly Hills. Hayman would eventually become the boutique’s sole owner. In 1989, the same year he joined the Oscars as fashion coordinator, he rebranded his store as Fred Hayman Beverly Hills <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/08/business/company-news-avon-products-to-acquire-giorgio.html">after selling the Giorgio brand to cosmetics conglomerate Avon</a> to commercialize <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/02/style/marketing-a-perfume-the-story-of-giorgio.html">his perfume line</a>. </p>
<p>Giorgio Beverly Hills catered to the rich and famous by retailing garments from various designers and brands from Europe and New York City. As fashion coordinator of the Oscars, Hayman became the official go-to resource for what to wear to the event, attracting more celebrities, brands and media attention to Rodeo Drive.</p>
<p>Building off Head’s media strategy, Hayman <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=JjPhHwrgoAw">introduced the fashion previews</a>. These were runway shows for the press organized at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard to anticipate each year’s red-carpet trends.</p>
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<img alt="Elegantly dressed women and men pose in front of tall, gold statues." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579682/original/file-20240304-22-xp7dri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C7%2C1010%2C668&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579682/original/file-20240304-22-xp7dri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579682/original/file-20240304-22-xp7dri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579682/original/file-20240304-22-xp7dri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579682/original/file-20240304-22-xp7dri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579682/original/file-20240304-22-xp7dri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579682/original/file-20240304-22-xp7dri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Fashion retailer Fred Hayman – center, with white hair – served as the fashion coordinator for the Oscars from 1990 to 1999.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/designers-contribution-to-the-66th-oscars-news-photo/529810800?adppopup=true">Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Fashion at the Oscars took a giant leap forward with Hayman. Thanks to his efforts, the West Coast enhanced its fashion profile, prompting luxury brands to open flagship stores along Rodeo Drive. </p>
<p>He continued in his role for a decade until he was replaced by stylist <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/nyregion/lwren-scott-found-dead-in-manhattan-apartment.html">L’Wren Scott</a> for the ceremony in 2000. </p>
<p>Through their media savvy, Head and Hayman were able to recast the Academy Awards ceremony as a dazzling spectacle of glamour – what Head frequently described as “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv1vtz84g.11">the biggest international fashion show free-for-all</a>.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221477/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Through their media savvy, two consultants were able to make the Oscars as much about the attire as the gold statuettes.
Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén, Fulbright Scholar and Sweden-America Foundation Research Fellow, University of Southern California
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/224684
2024-03-01T13:43:13Z
2024-03-01T13:43:13Z
Mugler’s fashion makes women look like goddesses but feminist critics can’t agree if that’s a good thing
<p>Two years after legendary French designer Thierry Mugler’s death, his brand, now under creative director Casey Cadwallader, continues to be committed to its <a href="https://www.mugler.co.uk/mugler-world/heritage-chapter2.html">creator’s vision</a> of <a href="https://www.mugler.co.uk/womens-day.html">“a new woman … fierce, sultry, powerful and enigmatic”</a>. </p>
<p>Mugler became an icon of haute couture in the 1980s, but it was in the 21st century that he shaped mainstream imagination. He spent his last decades dressing mega-celebrities including Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, inventing, almost single-handedly, the style of our current pop divas: what he called the “<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/brooklyn-museum-thierry-mugler-2207033">glamazon”</a> look. </p>
<p>Staples include corseted waists, futuristic metal plates, exaggerated breasts and shoulders, insect-like and reptilian gowns, skin-tight bodysuits and plenty of theatrical opulence. This look remains central to the Mugler brand and is likely to be reflected in designs in the upcoming Fall/Winter 2024-2025 Mugler show at Paris fashion week. </p>
<p>By the time Mugler passed away in 2022, headlines said he had made <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/thierry-mugler-dana-thomas">“feminism sexy and powerful”</a> and called him a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10437367/A-1980s-Cosmopolitan-editor-recalls-Thierry-Muglers-power-shoulders-liberated-women.html">“visionary who let women mean business”</a>. However, earlier in his career, Mugler was often <a href="https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/10/24/Fashion-turns-sexy-and-sexist/1013404280000/">accused of sexism</a> and of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/21/style/notes-on-fashion.html?searchResultPosition=1">being offensive to women</a>. </p>
<p>Despite the evident change in public opinion towards his work in recent decades, the vision that garnered him criticism is still present in the Mugler brand identity and continues to be worth a closer examination. </p>
<h2>Sex subjects or objects?</h2>
<p>One of Mugler’s last critics was feminist scholar Sheila Jeffreys, who accused him of reducing women to <a href="https://archive.org/stream/BeautyAndMisogynyHarmfulCulturalPracticesInTheWestBySheilaJeffreys/Beauty%20and%20Misogyny%20-%20Harmful%20Cultural%20Practices%20in%20the%20West%20by%20Sheila%20Jeffreys_djvu.txt">“objects for men’s sexual excitement”</a>. His designs prevented breathing, contorted the body, hypersexualized women and portrayed them as insects. For Jeffreys, this was all evidence of <a href="https://books.google.com.bz/books?id=nTBdDljmslcC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA100#v=onepage&q&f=false">“extreme misogyny”</a> and of women being treated as things to be bent to the will of the (male) creator, rather than as human beings.</p>
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<p>But many insisted that this was a misunderstanding. Mugler was taking femininity and making it a source of power rather than of subordination. Feminist art historian Linda Nochlin said Mugler’s approach was “so extreme that these women aren’t sex objects; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/17/magazine/encounter-whose-vision-is-it-anyway.html">they’re sex subjects”</a>. Journalist Danièle Bott saw him not as objectifying the body, but rather as “embarking on a spiritual quest in search of perfection, a celebration of the <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Thierry_Mugler.html?id=-_pLAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y">cult of the body”</a>.“</p>
<p>These designs make women so sexualized that they turn from objects to subjects; so cinched that they are not objectified but celebrated.</p>
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<p>At the recent <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3Ybx4xN5Kx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">Dune: Part Two premiere</a>, American actor Zendaya stunned fans in a vintage futuristic robot suit from Mugler’s archives, complete with see-through buttocks and breasts. The actress was hailed as an <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/zendaya-stuns-in-see-through-robot-bodysuit-at-dune-part-two-premiere_uk_65cf30fee4b043f1c0aac649">"otherworldly”</a><a href="https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle/fashion/celeb-style/zendaya-channels-metal-marvel-at-dune-part-two-premiere-in-archival-mugler-article-107742016">“metallic goddess,
”</a>, not a mere sexual object. </p>
<p>Time and time again, Mugler’s designs manage to revive an almost religious attitude of reverence towards women that makes them feel and look powerful. But where does that power come from?</p>
<h2>Divine things</h2>
<p>One aspect of Thierry Mugler’s creative genius was the array of figures populating his shows: mermaids, dominatrices, vampires, Amazons, cowgirls, ancient goddesses, bird-women, insect-women and space-age robots. There was always a new, exciting heroine to delight his audience. But this variety also reflected a fundamental principle of Mugler’s vision: in all these guises, the Mugler woman is fundamentally a fantasy, unreal and shapeshifting. </p>
<p>This constantly morphing quality is what makes a Mugler woman an alluring mystery. This is also why it’s important that her body look impossible.</p>
<p>When Mugler designed an illusion water-dripping, flesh-coloured dress for Kim Kardashian’s 2019 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxJMGe2nKrv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">Met Gala appearance</a>, the result was so extreme <a href="https://www.papermag.com/kim-kardashian-met-gala-corset#rebelltitem2">the internet was left wondering if ribs had been removed</a>. But the <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a28325846/kim-kardashian-met-gala-corset-pain/">painfully corseted</a> latex was essential. Its strangeness changed Kardashian from a flesh and bone human into a powerful <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/fashion/celebrity/a27381769/kim-kardashian-2019-met-gala/">“rain drop queen”</a>.</p>
<p>It’s unclear that this is the kind of empowerment feminists should be after. Philosopher Simone de Beauvoir warned about this in <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/360348/the-second-sex-by-simone-de-beauvoir/9780099595731">The Second Sex</a>: “As powerful as [a goddess] may appear, she is defined through notions created by the male consciousness.”</p>
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<p>In George Michael’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ2DVwSVIIo">Too Funky music video</a>, it’s Michael in the roll of cameraman that watches those divine supermodels dominating the catwalk in Thierry Mugler’s creations. Being a fantasy is a heady experience, but it requires an onlooker, a worshipper. And worship is a tricky thing because the power it confers is precarious and unstable.</p>
<p>Fashion critic Marylou Luther <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Thierry_Mugler.html?id=ubiFQgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">noticed that Mugler</a> sent “super-supermodel <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/met-gala-first-person-pat-cleveland-as-madonna-eighties-thierry-mugler-show-1984">Pat Cleveland to fashion heaven as the Virgin Mary</a> one season, (…) banishing her to hell as the bride of Lucifer the next”. In her eyes, this was just one of his <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Thierry_Mugler.html?id=ubiFQgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">“playful irreverences”</a>. But this oscillation is emblematic of the core logic of “woman as fantasy”. To keep being a mystery, a stimulating riddle, she must be ethereal goddess one moment, diabolical vamp the next. </p>
<p>We should be wary here. Being a fantasy is a double-edged sword and contains within it the seeds of both worship and profound hatred. Mugler’s cult of woman as a transcendental goddess is dangerous because it can quickly turn into demonising women and seeing them as the embodiment of evil. In fact, it requires that turn. Eventually even the most sparkling angel becomes boring and predictable.</p>
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224684/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Filipa Melo Lopes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Thierry Mugler’s extreme contours and lines have been said to empower rather than objectify women.
Filipa Melo Lopes, Lecturer in Social and Political Philosophy, The University of Edinburgh
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/224310
2024-02-23T17:44:26Z
2024-02-23T17:44:26Z
Violence, dominance and passion on the big screen – and other things you should see this week
<p><em>This article was first published in our email newsletter Something Good, which every fortnight brings you a summary of the best things to watch, visit and read, as recommended and analysed by academic experts. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Click here</a>to receive the newsletter direct to your inbox</em></p>
<p>I am very particular about horror films. I want films with a meaty story that haunts, unnerves and, of course, scares me but is not a total gore fest. I don’t like to see people slashed to pieces, especially if there’s no real plot. I enjoy horror films like The Shining, The VVitch, It Follows, Tale of Two Sisters and Midsommar. So, when my colleague Anna sent me the trailer for Out of Darkness, I knew I would love it. </p>
<p>Set 45,000 years ago in the Scottish Highlands, the film follows a small tribe of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens who have found themselves in a new land beset with unknown dangers. They soon realise their survival plans will have to involve more than gathering food and finding shelter, as a mysterious monster begins to hunt them down one by one. </p>
<p>As our reviewer Penny Spikins, an expert in the archaeology of human origins, explains, filmic representations of this period have often verged on the ridiculous – being either wildly inaccurate (10,000BC) or crassly comedic (The Croods and Ice Age). The creators of Out of Darkness have, however, managed to pull off a deeply unsettling and surprisingly accurate stone age survivalist horror. </p>
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<p>They have clearly done their research, with the tribe’s clothes and look fitting what experts know of the period (no fur bikinis or loincloths). Our reviewer was also impressed by their inclusion of locations known to have been used in this period as burial grounds and hunting sites. They even worked with a linguist on creating an authentic-as-possible language, which manages not to sound jarring or cartoonish. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/out-of-darkness-im-an-expert-on-human-origins-heres-how-this-stone-age-thriller-surprised-me-223614">Out of Darkness: I’m an expert on human origins – here’s how this stone age thriller surprised me</a>
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<p>The Settlers is a brutally violent film with a lot to say for itself, which also plays with genre. It can be seen as a sort of western, following follows three riders in the early 19th century as they journey through rugged landscapes on a mission that sees them violently suppress native populations to further European interests. It’s a well-known narrative in westerns, but The Settlers uses it to starkly condemn the exploitation and colonisation of Chile’s Tierra del Fuego under the orders of the Spanish landowning elite in the country’s capital, Santiago. </p>
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<p>The film is the debut of director Felipe Gálvez Haberle, who does not shy away from the unremitting horrors of this campaign while telling this story of settler colonialism and genocide from the perspective of the perpetrators. As our reviewer Barry Langford notes, Haberle’s choices have been made to redress the whitewashed history of this period, and to incorporate Indigenous trauma into Chile’s narrative. He is urging viewers not to look away, and to witness the horror the country has chosen to ignore for far too long.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-settlers-flips-the-western-genre-to-explore-cinemas-role-in-colonial-crimes-223914">The Settlers flips the western genre to explore cinema's role in colonial crimes</a>
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<h2>Something sweet</h2>
<p>Both Out of Darkness and The Settlers feature deeply atmospheric cinematography that shows the beauty and violence of their natural landscapes. However, if you’re looking for something less violent and a lot more rich and lovely, then we would recommend you go see The Taste of Things. Our reviewer, Thi Gammon, thought it was gorgeous, which is much in keeping with director Trần Anh Hùng’s growing oeuvre. </p>
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<p>I am someone who shows my love through food, and this film speaks deeply to that side of me. It follows cook Eugenie and her boss, the famed French gourmet chef Dodin, over 20 years as they impress the world’s best chefs and grow closer in the process. Dodin wants nothing more than for Eugenie to be his wife, but things are not so easy in the world of romance as they are in the world of food for the pair.</p>
<p>It’s a simmering and sumptuous period romance with stellar performances from Juliette Binoche (Eugenie) and Benoît Magimel (Dodin). The process of cooking is given a lot of attention, with entire scenes given over to the dizzying processes of their kitchen. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-taste-of-things-review-this-gastronomic-french-tale-is-a-feast-for-the-senses-216035">The Taste of Things review: this gastronomic French tale is a feast for the senses</a>
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<p>If you’re looking for more romance, then why not watch the new Australian romcom Five Blind Dates? This film treads familiar ground, following a young woman who, to the dismay of her parents, is more concerned with running her business than looking for love. Tea shop owner Lia is forced to go on five blind dates, one of which her fortune teller tells her she will meet the love of her life. </p>
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<p>It’s the sort of film that’s perfect for when you want something comforting and familiar, but don’t want to rewatch your favourite romantic comedy for the umpteenth time. Our reviewer, Jodi McAlister, found it refreshing to see a film about a Chinese Australian woman that, while treading a lot of familiar romcom tropes, managed to be distinct. It also only lasts 90 minutes, which in a world of two-hour plus films is something to celebrate. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sargent-and-fashion-the-american-painter-brings-silks-and-satins-into-the-limelight-224212">Sargent and Fashion: the American painter brings silks and satins into the limelight</a>
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<p>Cocoon yourself further in beauty and romance at Tate Britain’s new exhibition, Sargent and Fashion. Did you know the American artist John Singer Sargent was a dab hand with pins and fabric? The man could make a dated cloak look new and dramatic again with a bit of time and a lot of vision, as the opening portrait to this exhibition attests.</p>
<p>Fashion historian Serena Dyer felt a bit drab next to Sargent’s impressive portraits of women in swirling taffetas and carefully draped silks – despite being kitted out for her visit in a great outfit and even accessorising with a Sargent painting necklace. It’s not a perfect exhibition – it fails to acknowledge the many anonymous women who created the fabulous garments on show and doesn’t say anything too exciting about Victorian fashion. However, what it does do is bring Sargent to a different audience, fashion lovers, and for those who are already fans, sheds light on a new and important side to his work. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sargent-and-fashion-the-american-painter-brings-silks-and-satins-into-the-limelight-224212">Sargent and Fashion: the American painter brings silks and satins into the limelight</a>
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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A thrillingly accurate Stone Age horror, a violent Chilean wester, a sumptuous food romance, a comforting rom-com and a new look at a master painter’s love of fashion.
Naomi Joseph, Arts + Culture Editor
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/224212
2024-02-22T17:23:50Z
2024-02-22T17:23:50Z
Sargent and Fashion: the American painter brings silks and satins into the limelight
<p>Another exhibition celebrating male artistic genius through depictions of elite women may sound rather dull, but the Tate Britain’s new exhibition on John Singer Sargent is a refreshing look at this master’s skill of painting fashion.</p>
<p>As a fashion historian, whenever I visit an art exhibition, I tend to leave with a camera full of photos of the sitters’ clothes, rather than their faces, anyway. I am often in awe at how masterfully the rich tones in swishing silks and the twinkling light in bejewelled details can be captured.</p>
<p>Among art critics, fashion in portraiture often receives prejudiced derision. Already, Sargent and Fashion has been described as “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/feb/20/sargent-and-fashion-review-tate-britain-london">canvases … crowded by old clothes</a>” and a “<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/sargent-and-fashion-tate-britain-review/">surfeit of sweetness</a>”. Misguided and outdated notions that clothing is frivolous and unimportant are, unfortunately, still prevalent among art critics.</p>
<p>Yet this exhibition, collaboratively curated by the Tate and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, attempts to redress this antiquated and blinkered attitude. Sargent would not be Sargent if it was not for the way he handled fashion. This exhibition compels the visitor to consider that skill with a paintbrush also required skill with fabrics, needles and pins.</p>
<p>The importance of fashion was well established with the Victorian fashionistas that Sargent painted. They understood the intense image-making power that their clothing choices had. </p>
<p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Dress.html?id=tN3yzQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y">Margaret Oliphant</a> noted in 1878: “There is now a class who dress after pictures, and when they buy a gown ask, ‘Will it paint?’” Fashion and art were innately intertwined and fashion’s modernity, dynamism and cultural relevance is present in every brush stroke.</p>
<h2>Sargent the fashion stylist</h2>
<p>Stepping into the first room of the exhibition feels much like being welcomed into a salon by its hostess. A 1907 portrait of Aline de Rothschild, Lady Sassoon, greets visitors as they enter. Draped in a dramatic fantasy of crisp black taffeta, the sitter’s face glows out from the swirling darkness of her opera cloak. Even in my carefully chosen fashion historian chic, it managed to make me feel remarkably under dressed.</p>
<p>But perhaps my sense of personal sartorial drabness is because I need Sargent’s transformative skill as an artistic director to elevate my look. This exhibition frames Sargent not just as a painter, but as a stylist. </p>
<p>He wielded not only paintbrushes, but pins, to manipulate and engineer fabric into dizzying shapes around his subjects. The curators compare Sargent to an art director at a fashion shoot. His paintings do not meticulously record the fashions of the day, instead they are carefully constructed visions of his own aesthetic agenda.</p>
<p>The cloak Rothschild wears in her portrait is displayed close by. The cloak dates to 1895 and predates the portrait by a decade. It serves as another reminder that fashion in this context is not about constantly evolving trends. Even a ten-year-old cloak could by styled into a vibrant moment of modernity through Sargent’s pinning and draping.</p>
<p>Throughout the exhibition, the paintings are slotted back into the broader cultural landscape of the turn of the 20th century. Satirical drawings which lambasted the fashions, photographs of the sitters at work and play, and the garments and accessories Sargent depicted are peppered through the exhibition.</p>
<h2>The women we don’t see</h2>
<p>While Sargent’s work as an artist and stylist is present everywhere, the makers of the fashion items themselves (usually poorer women) remain relatively obscure. </p>
<p>Aside from a short panel on <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wrth/hd_wrth.htm">Charles Frederick Worth</a>, whose importance within 19th-century fashion is often overemphasised, there is minimal acknowledgement of the hands which cut, pinned and stitched the glorious concoctions. The garments and accessories on show throughout the exhibition are often accompanied by the tag “maker unknown”. </p>
<p>The exception to this is the curators’ inclusion of <a href="https://apollo-magazine.com/the-glamorous-family-behind-one-of-sargents-best-loved-paintings/">Adele Meyer</a>. Painted by Sargent in 1896, Meyer was both a stylish woman of fashion and a pioneer of garment workers’ rights. </p>
<p>Along with Clementina Black, Meyer authored <a href="https://wdc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p21047coll2/id/6062/">Makers of our Clothes: A Case for Trade Boards</a>, which was published in 1909. This volume was an investigation into working conditions in the dressmaking and tailoring trades. </p>
<p>The book is displayed next to the painting, but very much cast into the shadows when next to the glittering brilliance of the painting. Together, this display serves as a reminder of, rather than a resistance to, the ways in which garment makers’ labour is overshadowed by the beauty of fashion.</p>
<h2>A gently feminist exhibition</h2>
<p>The exhibition does gently push back against power structures in other areas.
Traditionally, these paintings are known in art historical circles by their sitters’ married names. </p>
<p>Mary Louisa Cushing is known only as Mrs Edward Darley Boit and Mathilde Seligman as Mrs Leopold Hirsch. Following Victorian etiquette and sensibilities, these women lost their own names and were swallowed up into their husband’s identities.</p>
<p>Radically (although it shouldn’t be radical at all) the curators have twinned these official titles of the paintings with the sitter’s own maiden names. This is a subtle switch, which will go unnoticed by exhibition-goers unfamiliar with this convention. Yet it is an important normalisation of these women as individuals and not the property of their husbands.</p>
<p>Ultimately, this is an exhibition which subtly moves in the right direction. The opportunity to see the infamous Madam X, the socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, in her iconic and sexy black gown will no doubt be a major draw for visitors. Yet the exhibition does not say much new about fashion history. Instead, it is a gentle realisation that Sargent’s skill with fashion was fundamental to his success as an artist.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Serena Dyer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Art critics are wrong to discount what we can learn about the master painter from how he engaged with fashion and the fashionable.
Serena Dyer, Associate Professor, Fashion History, De Montfort University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/223156
2024-02-14T14:13:58Z
2024-02-14T14:13:58Z
The New Look: Apple TV drama shows how Dior brought optimism to a war-weary world
<p>Christian Dior’s 1947 “<a href="https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75379/bar-skirt-suit-christian-dior/?carousel-image=2018LB9107">new look</a>” – a collection of extravagantly brimmed hats, wide full skirts and cinched waists that drew attention to the female silhouette – signalled a new post-war era of optimism, pleasure and a sense of life returning to normal. </p>
<p>Dior’s <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/education/fashion-az/haute-couture">haute couture</a> collection remains a historical moment for post-war fashion, and lends its name to Apple’s new ten-part series. The drama explores the state of Parisian couture in the final year of the second world war and the years that followed through the lives of important designers. This includes Dior and his contemporaries Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, <a href="https://theconversation.com/disneys-cristobal-balenciaga-reveals-the-power-the-politics-and-the-drama-of-high-fashion-222528">Cristóbal Balenciaga</a>, Lucien Lelong, Hubert de Givenchy and Pierre Cardin.</p>
<p>Inspired by true events, the series stars Ben Mendelsohn as Dior, Maisie Williams as his younger sister Catherine, Juliette Binoche as Chanel, John Malkovich as Lelong and Glenn Close as the US Harper’s Bazaar fashion editor Carmel Snow.</p>
<p>The series begins in the wake of Dior’s huge success with the launch of his <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Golden_Age_of_Couture.html?id=lEXrAAAAMAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y">new look</a> collection in 1947 with a Q&A at Sorbonne University in Paris. After a riotous welcome from an audience of fashion students, the Frenchman explains: “For those who lived through the chaos of war, creation was survival.” </p>
<p>This is the theme of the series, revealed in flashback: how the destruction and horror of war affected the world-renowned Parisian fashion market – its designers, design houses, those who worked within the industry and the people of France themselves.</p>
<p>A central character on and off screen is Dior’s <a href="https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571356539-miss-dior/">courageous</a> sister Catherine, who is little known and rarely mentioned in the history of Dior’s life, beyond the naming of his perfume <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliapelloux/2021/11/07/the-house-of-dior-celebrates-catherine-dior-miss-dior/">Miss Dior</a> in her honour in 1947. Throughout the series her fate is emblematic of the French population’s experience of occupation, and is depicted as the driving force of Dior’s dedication to couture.</p>
<h2>French fashion during wartime</h2>
<p>In June 1940, Nazi forces took control of northern and western France and its textile industry. By November 1942 the remainder of southern and eastern France fell to the German army.</p>
<p>Prior to the occupation, many non-French designers, such as Elsa Schiaparelli, left the country for London, New York and Los Angeles in anticipation of war. Once Nazi forces invaded, Paris and its international fashion markets were effectively cut off from the rest of the world.</p>
<p>The couturier Lucien Lelong occupies an important place in the series as Dior’s supportive employer – although much more could have been made of the key role he played in keeping Parisian couture open for business. “Creation cannot stop the bullets but creation is our way forward”, the character states. True to his word, as war raged, Lelong employed some of the most successful post-war designers in his atelier including Dior, Pierre Balmain and Hubert de Givenchy.</p>
<p>Lelong was elected president of the prestigious <a href="https://www.fhcm.paris/en/our-history">Chambre Syndicale de la Couture</a> in 1937, and <a href="http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/Le-Ma/Lelong-Lucien.html">faced down threats</a> from the Nazis to move the entire couture industry to Berlin and Vienna. He negotiated, persuaded and outmanoeuvred the Germans throughout the war by insisting that couture – and the domestic textile industry it depended on – was uniquely French and therefore could not be replicated elsewhere. </p>
<p>The couture industry experienced severe rationing of fabric. But the series successfully demonstrates that Paris fashion <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/paris-fashion-and-world-war-two-9781350000261/">continued</a> with determination and innovation. As fashion designers were forced to limit the amount of material they used, unnecessary decorative additions such as ruffles and pockets became expendable. Instead, wartime couturiers turned to embroidery and beading for decoration – trends that continue to characterise haute couture today.</p>
<h2>The rival ‘American look’</h2>
<p>With the end of the war and freedom from Nazi occupation, Paris fashion was in a fight for its life. Its biggest rival was the American <a href="https://fashionunited.uk/news/background/the-contrast-between-haute-couture-and-ready-to-wear/2023063070291">ready-to-wear</a> apparel industry, an aspect of the story this new series dramatises to great effect.</p>
<p>Though the American industry also faced fabric rationing during the second world war, it was not occupied, and the restrictions weren’t as debilitating. While Asian silks and Italian wools were no longer available, good American cotton was plentiful.</p>
<p>A new generation of American designers came into their own with a homegrown design aesthetic. In 1945 <a href="https://sova.si.edu/record/nmah.ac.0631">Dorothy Shaver</a>, vice-president of the luxury retailer <a href="https://www.retaildive.com/news/a-look-back-at-the-long-history-of-lord-taylor/583823/">Lord & Taylor</a>, developed a marketing campaign around the phrase “<a href="https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/fspc_00208_1#abstract_content">the American look</a>”. This successfully encouraged American women to remember their roots and not return to the collections of the newly liberated Paris fashion houses.</p>
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<h2>Dior’s beacon of hope</h2>
<p>Dior’s 1947 <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/story/christian-dior-the-new-look-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art/kwWhkHJ-Ok8UIg?hl=en">Carolle collection</a>, was renamed the “new look” at first viewing by American fashion editor Carmel Snow. Snow claimed it represented the creation of a new femininity – which Dior would later call “<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Golden_Age_of_Couture.html?id=KrSljgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y">the golden age of couture</a>”.</p>
<p>It stood in stark contrast to the austerity wardrobes of wartime Europe and America – wardrobes millions of women around the world would continue to wear in everyday creative adaptations and alterations for years to come.</p>
<p>In my view, leaving the proper substance of the new look story until episode eight of a ten-part series suggests a lack of balance, and makes the title of the drama feel a little misleading. Despite the voice-over in the trailer saying so, Dior’s new look did not reinvent fashion. Rather, it celebrated the end of the grim years of wartime trauma, misery and lack.</p>
<p>What Dior did through his collection was usher in a sense of optimism that women could once again enjoy the pleasure of pretty, feminine clothing that reflected individuality and joy. While the rationing of food, fabric and everyday essentials continued into the 1950s, this new look offered an exhausted Europe the sense that life would begin once more.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Kealy-Morris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
After the ravages of war, Christian Dior’s groundbreaking 1947 collection of supremely feminine designs signalled a sense of leaving the dark days behind.
Elizabeth Kealy-Morris, Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Dress and Belonging, Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221495
2024-02-07T19:17:23Z
2024-02-07T19:17:23Z
How First Nations artists are reclaiming colonial objects and celebrating culture through garments
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570281/original/file-20240119-29-mkg6j4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4019%2C3011&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Treena Clark</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A few years back, I started collecting <a href="https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/387828">vintage Australian tourist scarves</a> that portray First Nations people as primitive caricatures and noble savages. Now, I own more than ten scarves with images ranging from Western depictions of First Nations art and objects, to Indigenous people in tokenistic scenes.</p>
<p>Collecting these tourist wares isn’t new. Kitsch items are often <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-politics-of-aboriginal-kitsch-73683">gathered and reclaimed</a> by First Nations peoples, artists, designers and academics.</p>
<p>My fascination with kitsch scarves involves wearing them as outfits, which I recently did at the Darwin <a href="https://www.ifp.org.au/events/country-to-couture/">Country to Couture</a> runway show. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573946/original/file-20240207-32-6mio03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">I wore one of my kitsch scarves to a runway show as a creative response to my academic work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Treena Clark</span></span>
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<p>I did so as a creative response to my academic work on First Nations fashion, art and style and to engage with the practice of First Nations garmenting – the use of clothing and adornment as art.</p>
<h2>Aboriginalia and Koori Kitsch</h2>
<p>Artists such as Destiny Deacon and Tony Albert use several names to describe items with Western depictions of First Nations people, art and objects, including Koori Kitsch and Aboriginalia. </p>
<p>You can find these depictions in souvenirs and bric-a-brac in the form of tea towels, tablecloths, postcards, ashtrays, dolls, scarves, badges and patches.</p>
<p>Destiny Deacon (KuKu/Erub/Mer) has used Koori Kitsch objects for decades. In one work titled <a href="https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/146112/">Border Patrol (2006)</a>, Deacon photographs a white doll atop a tea towel featuring Australian landmarks, plants, animals and Aboriginal people hunting. </p>
<p>Tony Albert’s (Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji) art often features <a href="https://theconversation.com/tony-alberts-politically-charged-kitsch-collection-confronts-our-racist-past-97696">vintage souvenir ashtrays and textiles</a>. Albert has been credited with creating the term “<a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2017/29819/">Aboriginalia</a>” to describe the portrayal of Western stereotypes of First Nations peoples and cultures in kitsch items.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BWwlxA7FPDS/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="https://kaitjames.com/work.html">Kait James</a> (Wadawurrung) has decolonised vintage souvenir towels through embroidered embellishments to highlight their problematic designs and reclaim them as First Nations art. James recently also disrupted the Barbie doll by creating a custom Aboriginal flag dress and banner saying “Faboriginal Barbie”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv1R3CyLUID","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>In Kayla Dickens’ (Wiradjuri) 2022 exhibition, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-26/karla-dickens-interview-return-to-sender-carriageworks/100780016">Return to Sender</a>, collage backdrops featured enlarged vintage postcards with superimposed images, symbols and text interrogating colonisation and colonial sexual exploitation.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CYm4JyxNNml/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>First Nations garmenting</h2>
<p>First Nations peoples are also using Aboriginalia within fashion. Paul McCann (Marrithiyel) has embellished couture outfits with vintage textiles depicting First Nations peoples, animals and plants. </p>
<p>One of McCann’s designs at the 2022 Australian Fashion Week, Blinged Out Warrior, disrupted a kitsch item of an Aboriginal man by placing it front and centre on a bedazzled top. This form of work, termed “<a href="https://madmuseum.org/exhibition/garmenting-costume-contemporary-art">garmenting</a>”, emphasises contemporary artists’ use of clothes in their pieces.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CdkuzayLE7l/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>While Aboriginalia and Koori Kitsch are popular terms, First Nations garmenting is a recent definition yet to reach mainstream use. It’s an emerging trend adopted by many First Nations artists whose work is interested in confronting or reshaping history, highlighting the current world, or imagining a new future. </p>
<p>This could look like creating modern versions of traditional pieces, or critiquing and talking back to colonial clothing forced upon First Nations peoples. Several artists also create works that reflect contemporary protest wear, or futuristic pieces that depict fantasies or predict trends.</p>
<p>Peter Waples-Crowe’s (Ngarigo) <a href="https://citymag.indaily.com.au/culture/partnership-culture/feeling-proud-with-peter-waples-crowe/">Ngarigo Queen – Cloak of queer visibility</a> (2018) features a reworked possum skin cloak with rainbow colours and a train to reference his two identities of Aboriginal and queer.</p>
<p>Kelly Koumalatsos (Wergaia/Wemba Wemba) uses possum fur as a stamp to create cultural fabrics. Significant works use these fabrics to form colonial and Western outfits that speak back to colonisation. </p>
<p>When displaying her garments in galleries, Koumalatsos also includes old family portraits within the works to further contextualise the forced colonial clothes.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CI2lb9HlkgJ/?img_index=0","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="https://www.nsmithgallery.com/artists/53-kyra-mancktelow/overview/">Kyra Mancktelow</a> (Quandamooka) specialises in creating garments in sculptural or print form to interrogate colonial histories of forced Western clothing and the removal of cultural wear. The items she recreates range from forced military jackets, to outfits worn in missions, to contemporary forms referencing the history of activism.</p>
<p>Carly Tarkari Dodd’s (Kaurna/Narungga/Ngarrindjeri) exhibition, <a href="https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Carly-Tarkari-Dodd--Royal-Jewels/4CA24E4E9971C35E">Royal Jewels</a> (2022), showcased Indigenised versions of jewellery pieces owned by the English royal family. Using cultural weaving techniques to replicate the English monarch’s jewellery collection, Dodd confronts colonisation by turning the tables and inspiring truth-telling about this country’s history. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cexw42ZJPNE/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>The artist <a href="https://www.charlotteallingham.com/">Coffinbirth</a> (Charlotte Allingham, Wiradjuri/Ngiyampaa) illustrates designs featuring First Nations people in unique outfits across time. Coffinbirth notably reimages or recreates First Nations culture or issues through pop-culture graphics and comic-style art.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/By6rlzWFnFC/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Dennis Golding (Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay) <a href="https://nit.com.au/15-01-2024/9303/dennis-golding-offers-lessons-in-finding-power-and-pride-with-new-the-future-is-here-exhibition">creates hand-painted superhero capes</a> to celebrate the power of First Nations identity. He often works with young First Nations people to develop their own versions.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/C18upPPpB3d/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>Disrupting, reclaiming and Indigenising</h2>
<p>Many First Nations people have an inherent need to expel harmful histories and channel cultural practices creatively.</p>
<p>This can be through artists exhibiting their works, fashion designers telling their stories, or everyday First Nations people who like to practise culture through outfits. When First Nations artists use colonial souvenirs and garments, they can disrupt colonisation and celebrate their culture.</p>
<p>Wearing my kitsch scarves means I join a distinguished group of First Nations artists who use these objects and clothing within their works and creative expressions.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-brief-look-at-the-long-history-of-first-nations-fashion-design-in-australia-219328">A brief look at the long history of First Nations fashion design in Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Treena Clark has received funding through the University of Technology Sydney Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellowship scheme.</span></em></p>
Colonial settlers made myriad objects with problematic portrayals of First Nations people. Now, a number of artists are using these objects in their work to retell these stories.
Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221063
2024-02-07T17:30:28Z
2024-02-07T17:30:28Z
‘Digitising’ your wardrobe can help you save money and make sustainable fashion choices
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574112/original/file-20240207-28-3dsoc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=98%2C74%2C8144%2C5413&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/high-angle-above-view-photo-stressed-1819488686">Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Spring is traditionally the season for a good clean – and maybe a clear out. Taking stock and having a bit of a declutter can <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362960760_The_cultural_practice_of_decluttering_as_household_work_and_its_potentials_for_sustainable_consumption">freshen things up domestically</a>. </p>
<p>One popular new way <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2024/jan/05/how-digitally-tracking-clothes-fashion-consumption-taking-off-online">of doing this</a> involves targeting your wardrobe by making digital inventories of your clothes – and then tracking what you wear. You note the price, brand and category of your garments (and shoes and bags) and then record how much use they get. </p>
<p>The idea is that having this information can then lead to better choices in the future, whether that’s saving money or having a more sustainable approach to fashion.</p>
<p>And <a href="https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/253310/">better choices are needed</a>. The clothing industry in Europe is ranked fourth in terms of its detrimental <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/nations-wardrobes-hold-16-billion-items-unworn-clothes-people-open-new#:%7E:text=Catherine%20David%2C%20Director%20Collaboration%20and,ambitious%20targets%20of%20Textiles%202030">environmental impact</a> after housing, transport and food. </p>
<p>Clothing is heavily underused, with the number of times a garment gets worn reportedly <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/fashion-business-models/overview">decreasing by 36%</a> globally between 2000 and 2015. In the UK it has been estimated that 65% of women and 44% of men have clothing in their wardrobe which they <a href="https://www.saveyourwardrobe.com/blog/how-to-spend-lockdown-2.0-save-your-wardrobe/">are yet to wear</a>, while one survey found that many women consider garments worn once or twice <a href="https://cdn.businessoffashion.com/reports/The_State_of_Fashion_2019.pdf">to be “old”</a>. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-a-social-media-detox-may-not-be-as-good-for-you-as-you-think-new-research-217484?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Why a social media detox may not be as good for you as you think – new research</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/four-ways-men-and-women-can-improve-their-health-before-trying-to-conceive-220260?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Four ways men and women can improve their health before trying to conceive</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/expert-advice-to-help-young-people-keep-their-new-year-resolutions-220451?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Expert advice to help young people keep their new year resolutions</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>So while brands compete with online services to offer ever increasing amounts of clothing to consume, amid popular tools to <a href="https://theconversation.com/selling-on-vinted-etsy-or-ebay-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-paying-tax-220988">sell the clothes</a> you no longer need, we wondered whether digital tracking could make your wardrobe more sustainable.</p>
<p>For <a href="https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/nimmir-2022-0009">our research</a>, we worked with Save Your Wardrobe, an app designed to help people organise and categorise their clothes. We interviewed users to find out if digitising their wardrobes led to any noticeable changes. </p>
<p>From the start, we found consumers feeling anxious and dissatisfied with their clothing behaviours and wardrobe management. There was an aspiration to better understand what was in their wardrobes and how they used their garments.</p>
<p>One woman told us: “Personally I would feel happier if I felt like I was making really thoughtful decisions [about what clothes I buy] and they weren’t coming from a place of anxiety, or a place of feeling constantly like there is some new gap in my wardrobe that I have to fill.”</p>
<p>Another said: “I think a lot about reducing the eco footprint of my lifestyle. And I think clothing is one area where I get frustrated because I don’t feel like my values line up with my behaviour.”</p>
<p>She added: “I feel like we should just consume less, but then I can get anxious and stressed out and feel like I need something, and those two things are incompatible.”</p>
<h2>Make do and mend</h2>
<p>For many, the initial process of organisation required to upload photos of garments to the app became a moment of reflection and an opportunity to challenge and change existing patterns of behaviour. The effort involved also resulted in a sense of appreciation of the clothing which was already owned. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman using phone to take photo of a shirt." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573796/original/file-20240206-22-vtlsxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=47%2C70%2C5193%2C3370&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573796/original/file-20240206-22-vtlsxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573796/original/file-20240206-22-vtlsxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573796/original/file-20240206-22-vtlsxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573796/original/file-20240206-22-vtlsxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573796/original/file-20240206-22-vtlsxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573796/original/file-20240206-22-vtlsxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Getting shirty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-women-taking-photo-shirts-cell-664507150">Nitiphonphat/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>An important aspect of this was the ability to quantify what was in the wardrobe – and many of the people we spoke to were surprised (or even shocked) by the amount of clothing they possessed. </p>
<p>One said: “I realised that 50% of my wardrobe is from Primark. It’s ridiculous and I was like, ‘Oh my god!’” </p>
<p>She continued: “I knew that when I go to Primark I go crazy but I didn’t have a full overview of all the things I have.” </p>
<p>Another commented: “I definitely felt more organised. Revisiting old clothes made me see what I have in my closet. That was good, because I [had been] wanting to buy something new, but realised I don’t need to.”</p>
<p>This kind of reaction was common, as users of the app came to understand – and seek to change – their patterns of behaviour around clothing. Items were rediscovered and brought back into use in a way that made owners feel they were “shopping from their own wardrobes”. </p>
<p>As they realised how much money they had spent on clothes, some pieces were put aside for repair so they could be worn again, while others were given away. </p>
<p>Overall, we found that consumption of clothing is fuelling consumer anxiety – but that using an app can help people feel more in control of their wardrobes. Tracking data about their behaviour gave consumers a sense of being more in control of their actions and where they could make changes. </p>
<p>The chance to quantify and gain insight in this way was viewed as similar to other digital solutions – like wearable fitness trackers that record data and can provide motivational encouragement. </p>
<p>Being more aware of the clothes they already owned made a difference to people’s appetites for owning more. So, with a climate change crisis, and when incomes are being squeezed by the cost of living, perhaps it’s time to ditch the shopping apps – and spend some time becoming reacquainted with the clothes you already own.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221063/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deirdre Shaw receives funding from ESRC. She is affiliated with Textiles 2030. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Duffy receives funding from ESRC. She is affiliated with Textiles 2030.</span></em></p>
How to really get to know your clothes.
Deirdre Shaw, Professor Marketing and Consumer Research, University of Glasgow
Katherine Duffy, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Glasgow
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222528
2024-02-02T16:25:30Z
2024-02-02T16:25:30Z
Disney’s Cristóbal Balenciaga reveals the power, the politics and the drama of high fashion
<p>Born in a small Basque fishing village on the northern coast of Spain at the end of the 19th century, <a href="https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/cristobal-balenciaga/">Cristóbal Balenciaga</a> (1895-1972) went on to become one of the most innovative and influential fashion designers of the 20th century – and the king of fashion in Paris.</p>
<p>His dedication to the craft of dressmaking and tailoring was fostered by his seamstress mother and acknowledged by local Spanish aristocracy who recognised his talents. A marquesa’s patronage led to a tailoring apprenticeship in San Sebastián, where he opened his first dressmaking business in 1919 at the age of 24, and later an atelier in Madrid.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A dark-haired man in a smart suit." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573022/original/file-20240202-19-f6wn6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573022/original/file-20240202-19-f6wn6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573022/original/file-20240202-19-f6wn6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573022/original/file-20240202-19-f6wn6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573022/original/file-20240202-19-f6wn6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=927&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573022/original/file-20240202-19-f6wn6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=927&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573022/original/file-20240202-19-f6wn6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=927&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Cristóbal Balenciaga.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crist%C3%B3bal_Balenciaga#/media/File:Cristobal_Balenciaga.jpg">Louise Dahl-Wolfe, 1950 / WIkipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>His faultless fit and exceptional skills in cutting, assembling, constructing and sewing garments by hand would earn him a uniquely respected position within the high-fashion world of Paris, where he opened his <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199891573.001.0001/acref-9780199891573-e-4043#:%7E:text=maison%20noun,-Source%3A%20The%20Oxford&text=M16%20French.In%20France%20and,General%20Links%20for%20this%20Work">maison</a> in 1937.</p>
<p>Balenciaga’s life and work are currently being explored in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/jan/19/cristobal-balenciaga-review-this-classy-drama-is-utterly-gorgeous">six-part Spanish biographical drama</a> on <a href="https://press.disney.co.uk/news/original-drama-series-crist%C3%B3bal-balenciaga-will-debut-january-19-exclusively-on-disney+-in-the-uk#:%7E:text=%22Crist%C3%B3bal%20Balenciaga%22%20begins%20as%20the,the%20Spanish%20elite%20and%20aristocracy.">Disney+</a>. The series details the story of the man who became known as “the master” of <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/education/fashion-az/haute-couture">haute-couture</a> fashion for his innovative womenswear designs and distinctive use of textiles during his years in Paris, from 1937 to 1968.</p>
<p>The new Disney series stars Alberto San Juan as Balenciaga and is structured around the designer recalling the events of his life and career during a rare interview in 1971 with the Times’ fashion editor Prudence Glynn (Gemma Whelan).</p>
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<h2>Fashion for a post-war world</h2>
<p>We meet Balenciaga in 1937, a year after accepting the coveted elite status of “couturier”, conferred by the exacting standards of the <a href="https://www.fhcm.paris/en/our-history">Chambre Syndicale de la couture Parisienne</a>. Balenciaga’s tailoring and dressmaking skills, as well as his innovative designs, were crucial to the success and lasting impact of mid-20th century haute couture – a fact that is carefully portrayed in the series.</p>
<p>While artistic licence embellishes intimate and emotional moments in the series, it is broadly historically accurate, including the relationships and rivalries between fellow couturiers <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/coco-chanel-biography">Coco Channel</a> (Anouk Grinberg), <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/christian-dior">Christian Dior</a> (Patrice Thibaud) and the mentorship of <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/hubert-de-givenchy-biography">Hubert de Givenchy</a> (Adrien Dewitte). </p>
<p>In episode two – The Occupation – when Balenciaga’s nervous investor visits Chanel to ask if the designer can succeed in Parisian high fashion, her famous response is resounding: “Cristóbal is the only authentic couturier amongst us. The rest, we are simply just fashion designers.”</p>
<p>The series follows the turbulent political and economic times for fashion in the mid-20th century. Designers had to protect their reputations and creative integrity from invading armies and corporate spies. Meanwhile, artisanal couture traditions of fashion design had to contend with the rise and expansion of the mass manufacturing of <a href="https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ready-to-wear-fashion-guide">prêt-à-porter</a> (ready-to-wear) fashion.</p>
<p>An exciting element of Balenciaga’s influence within couture was his inspired use of Spanish traditional dress and Catholic vestments and regalia, which he incorporated into his collections.</p>
<p>During episodes one and two we watch him struggle to define his maison’s style until he revisits his historic art and costume books to seek inspiration. This engagement with the <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/memories-of-dress-9781350153813/">cultural memory of dress</a>, reveals there is authenticity, meaning and depth to his creations that emerge from his Spanish roots.</p>
<p>Christian Dior famously referred to Balenciaga as “the master of us all”, and the Spaniard was admired for his technical genius and innovation by fashion journalists, critics, clients, employees and his peers within haute-couture circles.</p>
<p>The emerging prêt-à-porter designers, many of whom he mentored, carried his design principles into their luxury mass-manufactured clothing lines, including Givenchy, <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/remembering-andre-courreges">André Courrèges</a> and <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/emanuel-ungaro-biography">Emanuel Ungaro</a>. </p>
<h2>Industry and passion</h2>
<p>This is a series written, directed and art-directed by those who respect the place of ideas, skill and innovation within the practice of making designed objects. Balenciaga’s magic is grounded in driven, tireless dedication to an art form. Everywhere we see hands, tools, textiles manipulated, cut, folded, sewn, adjusted, and eventually formed on a body ready to be seen and, ultimately, sold.</p>
<p>This is an exceptional aspect of this series, and a joy to see. In the final episode – I am Balenciaga – the Spaniard grapples with the future of couture and his maison against a booming background of prêt-à-porter. He realises one of his options is to retire and pass on the reins to a trusted collaborator. However, he states: “It wasn’t just a business, it was part of me, like an extension of my body. How can a body survive without a brain?”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman wearing a black suit with flared bell sleeves and knee-length skirt sitting on a plinth with her right hand raised and pressed against the wall" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572950/original/file-20240201-25-lvdvbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cristóbal Balenciaga vintage suit, 1951.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/51248231@N04/4711015713">Bianca Lee / flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another interesting aspect of the series is the growing power of the media to influence the pace of change within fashion markets. An important character throughout the series is <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a92/bazaar-140-0507/">Carmel Snow</a> (Gabrielle Lazure), the fashion chief of the American edition of the highly influential lifestyle magazine <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/">Harper’s Bazaar</a>. Snow had the power to make or break the fortunes of even the greatest of couturiers for, without magazine exposure, there would be no customer interest, nor orders. </p>
<p>Interestingly, episode four – Replicas – shows the start of the debate for the current systems of <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/article/history-of-paris-fashion-week">biannual fashion weeks</a>, in order to limit press access to regular intimate couture shows at maisons for fear of copies and counterfeits emerging.</p>
<p>This series is highly recommended and stands as an important piece of dramatised fashion history. As what we wear is a facet of our identity, fashion is at the heart of both everyday and extraordinary events. This series is testament that designing, making and promoting dress will always involve passion and drama.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222528/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Kealy-Morris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The new drama provides a fascinating insight into the competitive world of mid-century haute couture via the man considered ‘the master’ of high fashion.
Elizabeth Kealy-Morris, Senior Lecturer in Dress and Belonging, Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220657
2024-01-18T18:58:47Z
2024-01-18T18:58:47Z
A Queensland woman allegedly stole 70 wedding dresses. Here’s why the white gown is worth much more than its price tag
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569474/original/file-20240116-17-v3p6cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5475%2C3639&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-bride-wedding-dress-long-train-2320129701">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For many the wedding gown is the most expensive item of clothing they will ever own, and it has significant emotional and social value.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/04/runaway-bridal-gowns-alleged-wedding-dress-scammer-charged-with-70-counts-of">recent case</a> of a Queensland woman allegedly scamming brides out of their wedding dresses on the pretext of dry-cleaning no doubt bought distress to their owners and, given the average price of a wedding dress today (<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/993462/average-wedding-dress-cost-by-state-australia/">A$2,385</a>), 70 cases of wedding dress theft could be lucrative. </p>
<p>The average cost of an Australian wedding is <a href="https://moneysmart.gov.au/family-and-relationships/getting-married">A$36,000</a>. Despite many Australians forgoing a <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/research/facts-and-figures/marriages-australia-2023">religious ceremony</a>, declaring your love in front of friends and family remains an important social ritual – and the dress is often the most important consideration.</p>
<h2>A brief history</h2>
<p>The modern history of the wedding dress in Australia is closely linked to Queen Victoria. Her 1840 dress became the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-wedding-dress-from-queen-victoria-to-the-heights-of-fashion-26127">quintessential wedding dress</a>”. </p>
<p>Victoria’s white dress featured an eight-piece bodice with a wide, open neckline with short and puffed off-the-shoulder sleeves and a pointed waistline. The neckline and sleeves were trimmed with lace and the floor-length skirt was full, with forward-facing pleats. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Oil painting of the wedding." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569466/original/file-20240116-29-dw5ln2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Queen Victoria’s gown became the ‘quintessential wedding dress’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wedding_of_Victoria_and_Albert#/media/File:George_Hayter_-_The_Marriage_of_Queen_Victoria,_10_February_1840_-_WGA11229.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-wedding-dress-from-queen-victoria-to-the-heights-of-fashion-26127">The wedding dress: from Queen Victoria to the heights of fashion</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Prior to Victoria, the wearing of white signalled the bride was poor and without a dowry. In the 16th and 17th centuries brides would often wear pale green, symbolising fertility.</p>
<p>From the 19th century, white wedding dresses had been worn by wealthy and royal brides, but for royal brides the dresses were often completely covered in silver and gold threads. Victoria rejected the embellishment and did not wear the red ermine <a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1840-queen-victorias-wedding-dress/">robe of state</a>, wanting to be seen as a wife rather than queen. </p>
<p>Most 19th century brides wore a dress they could <a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1840-queen-victorias-wedding-dress/">wear again</a> and popular colours were russet, brown, grey or lilac. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bride" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=878&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=878&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=878&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1103&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1103&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569465/original/file-20240116-19-vvfgym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1103&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Brides used to simply wear their Sunday best to their wedding, perhaps like this bride from c1925–30.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://find.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/61SLV_INST/1sev8ar/alma9916686813607636">State Library Victoria</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As white gowns became increasingly popular they began to be seen as symbols of <a href="https://daily.jstor.org/a-natural-history-of-the-wedding-dress/">purity and innocence</a> because of the religious association of these colours. </p>
<p>The association of white with innocence in the popular imagination affected the wedding gown decisions of women who were not marrying for the first time. <a href="http://www.literary-liaisons.com/article003.html">Widows remarrying in the Victorian era</a> didn’t wear white and didn’t wear a veil. They might wear pearl or lavender dresses trimmed with ostrich feathers. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=751&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=751&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569473/original/file-20240116-15-rh04ji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=751&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">White dresses became increasingly popular in the 20th century, like on this bride from 1955.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1662/1/25/29">State Library of South Australia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the 20th century, white wedding dresses became increasingly popular. Brides were no longer wearing their “Sunday best”, and the tradition of buying a unique bridal gown became established. By the turn of the 21st century, historian <a href="https://www.api-network.com/main/pdf/scholars/jas72_bambacas.pdf">Christyana Bambacas</a> found wedding planning had become the reserve of the bride and the white gown had become the central artefact, positioning “the bride as star of this public ritual”. </p>
<p>Australian brides often have highly emotional connections to their wedding gowns. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1354856517721800">Research</a> into discussions on online wedding forums found brides-to-be used phrases such as “my love for my dress grew” and being “in love with” their gowns. The gown represents the bride’s idealised self – even if the event is temporary. </p>
<p>The tradition of keeping the dress a well-kept secret stems from 18th century arranged marriages, when it was believed to be <a href="https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/wedding/wedding-traditions-and-superstitions-meanings-8638/">“unlucky” for the groom to see the brides</a>, lest he pull out of the wedding. The anticipation of the reveal of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFPiYPxu-M">Kate Middleton’s wedding dress</a>, where even the name of the designers was kept secret, reflects this ritual. </p>
<h2>Something old</h2>
<p>Unlike couture or historical garments, wedding gowns are familiar. They are common to the human experience, and yet unique to each bride.</p>
<p>Wearing your <a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-brides-rewear-mom-grandmother-wedding-dress-2020-3#erica-peterson-wore-her-mothers-gown-from-1981-and-enlisted-the-help-of-a-talented-seamstress-friend-to-update-the-dress-1">mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown</a> is becoming increasingly popular. <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a31085338/princess-beatrice-wedding-dress/">Princess Beatrice</a> was married in a gown designed by Norman Hartnell for her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in the 1960s. </p>
<p>With just a few adjustments, brides are able to update vintage gowns to give them a modern twist. </p>
<p>Two-thirds of Australian brides <a href="https://style.nine.com.au/brides/what-to-do-with-wedding-dress-australian-exclusive-nine-poll/06d5fc20-27cb-4751-bdbe-097eb7b7b8f8">keep their dress</a>, many in the hope daughters or granddaughters will wear it. This suggests that, despite the increasing number of people choosing to not get married, weddings remain an important cultural ritual. </p>
<p>Some women <a href="https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity-news/jade-to-be-buried-in-wedding-dress-198112">keep their dress</a> to be buried in. Others donate their wedding dresses to be made into <a href="https://www.angelgownsaustralia.org.au/">Angel gowns</a> to bury stillborn babies, the dress taking on new meaning for grieving families. </p>
<h2>The end of the big wedding</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/research/facts-and-figures/marriages-australia-2023">average age of first marriage</a> in Australia has risen from 23-years-old for men and 20-years-old for women in 1970 to around 30 today. </p>
<p>The current cost-of-living and housing crises has seen couples cut back on their wedding expenditure, with impacts particularly felt by <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/wedding-industry-impacted-as-australians-cut-back-on-spending/news-story/f7aaab350d5cc5949b1f0f239d271099">wedding gown businesses</a> at the luxury end of the market. </p>
<p>Regardless of rising divorce rates, and generational shift in attitudes to marriage (<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-26/australia-talks-national-survey-children-marriage/100146390">43% of 18-39 year olds</a> believe it is an outdated institution), marriage is considered a <a href="https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/australian-culture/australian-culture-family">one-off life event</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C8%2C834%2C1011&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bride from the 1930s." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C8%2C834%2C1011&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=907&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=907&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569472/original/file-20240116-25-mr2tq4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=907&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A wedding is increasingly seen as an outdated institution.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+25487">State Library of South Australia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The wedding dress is an indulgence driven by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1016/j.ausmj.2015.10.009">social norms and emotions</a> where the bride is often balancing tradition with individuality.</p>
<p>While films, fashion, bridal magazines and celebrity weddings continue to perpetuate the fantasy and emotion embedded in the wedding dress, the dress continues to be a poignant part of our social lives. </p>
<p>Of all the clothes we own, the wedding dress is the one most treasured, as a reminder of what it symbolised, its aspirations or as a family heirloom – making its loss even more distressing. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-was-the-mantua-how-a-17th-century-gown-transformed-dressmaking-and-ushered-in-financial-freedom-for-women-215153">What was the mantua? How a 17th-century gown transformed dressmaking and ushered in financial freedom for women</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220657/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The average price of a wedding dress in Australia is A$2,385 – but this is just one reflection of their significant cultural and emotional weight.
Lisa J. Hackett, Lecturer, University of New England
Jo Coghlan, Associate Professor Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, University of New England
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220815
2024-01-16T14:55:35Z
2024-01-16T14:55:35Z
Flashy isn’t always fabulous: why luxury brands should reconsider displaying their logos too prominently
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568856/original/file-20240111-17-to18ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=194%2C0%2C5124%2C3684&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/milan-italy-september-22-2018-woman-1212011566">andersphoto/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than <a href="https://techreport.com/statistics/logo-design-statistics/#:%7E:text=Regarding%20brand%20recognition%2C%2075%25%20of,prefer%20a%20unique%20brand%20voice.">75% of customers</a> in the US say that a brand’s logo is the most important identifier of a company. This is even more true for luxury brands as their logos are some of the most recognised symbols globally. </p>
<p>So, luxury brands should prominently display their logo, shouldn’t they? Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-01-2022-0038">recent research</a> suggests otherwise.</p>
<p>In 2023, fashion’s biggest influencers and brands took to the “<a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/quiet-luxury-trend">quiet luxury</a>” trend. This trend refers to a more low-key approach to luxury where people favour subtlety and quality over prominent brand display.</p>
<p>For visual reference, consider the billionaires featured in the popular HBO series, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/jun/19/succession-quiet-luxury-look-milan-fashion-week">Succession</a>. They opt for tailored, functional attire that is devoid of conspicuous logos and excessive brand names.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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</figure>
<p><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/four-ways-to-tell-the-designer-fashion-items-worth-investing-in-from-the-ones-that-arent-215831">Four ways to tell the designer fashion items worth investing in from the ones that aren’t</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/is-someone-using-your-pictures-to-catfish-your-rights-when-it-comes-to-fake-profiles-and-social-media-stalking-214418">Is someone using your pictures to catfish? Your rights when it comes to fake profiles and social media stalking</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-make-your-clothes-last-longer-its-good-for-your-bank-account-and-the-environment-too-201823">How to make your clothes last longer – it’s good for your bank account and the environment too</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Succession has been influential in amplifying the quiet luxury trend. But the luxury market has been undergoing change for some years, partly as millennials and gen-Z become the main customers of luxury brands. These consumers demand that luxury brands are <a href="https://fortune.com/europe/2023/05/12/gen-zers-are-redefining-the-values-of-the-luxury-market-status-and-prestige-are-out-sustainability-and-inclusivity-are-in/">more sustainable and inclusive</a>, contributing to the resurgence of quiet luxury.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-luxury-fashion-brands-ever-really-be-inclusive-165187">Can luxury fashion brands ever really be inclusive?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The shift towards quiet luxury presents a dilemma for the luxury fashion sector. Some brands, such as Balenciaga, Burberry and Louis Vuitton, flaunt their logos conspicuously on almost every product. Other brands, including Hermes and Bottega Veneta, instead opt for muted prestige. </p>
<p>But what is the right strategy for luxury brands when it comes to displaying their logos? Our findings suggest that prominent logo displays often backfire, making brands seem inauthentic and less cool. This strategy turns fans of the brand away, potentially reducing its market share. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The logos of various luxury brands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568587/original/file-20240110-23-55rkxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Do you recognise these logos?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:4800/format:webp/1*6Pu4uTn2SMs0YpFU_sjydA.png">Leandro Fernández/Medium</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Prominent brand display</h2>
<p>We found that prominent logo display discourages consumers both from buying items from luxury brands and from sharing images of these luxury items on social media. </p>
<p>These findings held true in three distinctly different cultural contexts – for customers in the UK, Turkey and China. On average, purchase intentions decreased by almost 19% and social media sharing reduced by 17% when logos were displayed prominently.</p>
<p>Many customers considered luxury items from brands that use big logos as not genuine or true to their roots. They also thought that prominent logo display reduced exclusivity, glamour and the brand’s sophistication. Our results show that UK customers’ perceptions of authenticity and coolness reduced by more than 10% when a luxury brand decided to use prominent logos.</p>
<p>Our study also uncovered another unique insight. In the past, research has shown that customers who are strongly connected to a luxury brand tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.05.032">defend the brand</a> when it is rejected by social peers. However, we found that those same consumers react negatively when the brand uses loud displays. </p>
<p>Luxury brands are often used to signal social class, prestige and upward mobility. Buyers of luxury fashion thus seek to express their identities through these brands. But when logos are too prominent, they undermine the brand’s coolness and authenticity, diminishing the fan’s desired image of being genuine and original.</p>
<h2>The quiet luxury revolution</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/655445">Research</a> shows that the relationship between price and brand prominence is an inverted U-shape. Brands with lower prices use smaller logos and, as the price increases, logos become bigger and more visible. Beyond a certain price point the logo’s presence decreases and gradually becomes quiet. </p>
<p>But major shifts are underway in the luxury fashion industry. And minimalist, logoless style is making a comeback. </p>
<p>Experts suggest that the quiet luxury trend is almost always connected with <a href="https://www.luxurytribune.com/en/quiet-luxury-the-eternal-comeback">financial crises</a>. The global financial crisis of 2007/2008, for example, led to a shift towards understated luxury in the fashion industry. Quiet, subtle designs came to the forefront rather than loud, ostentatious displays of wealth. </p>
<p>As people struggle to make ends meet during the current cost-of-living crisis, quiet luxury is re-emerging on the scene. </p>
<h2>The brand prominence dilemma</h2>
<p>Prominent brand displays are, however, not shunned by everyone. Greater brand prominence is preferred by wealthy newcomers to the upper class, who are known as “parvenus”. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.74.4.015">Research</a> suggests that these people prefer more visible logos to signal their status and align themselves with the old money elite. A parvenu could be an artist or musician who has suddenly struck gold with their work. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BzoZ9gfJwNY/?igshid=1ohuhryy74vl5\u0026epik=dj0yJnU9b2p5aFY2bnlCbzdnWm5sVnotTFRjRGF6YmtSN2JPeC0mcD0wJm49bW9ZOEJTRGF1QnhGcElSTXJSR2hZQSZ0PUFBQUFBR1dlZkdJ","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>People who are not rich but want to climb the social ladder (“poseurs”) also opt for more prominent brand displays. These people resemble struggling social media influencers who fake their wealth.</p>
<p>So, what should luxury brands do? They should carefully consider prominent logo display strategy and its implications for their brand’s authenticity and coolness – especially among the brand’s most loyal customers. Their carefully crafted image of a luxury brand may otherwise suffer.</p>
<p>As it turns out, a whisper can speak louder than a shout.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220815/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Should luxury brands display their logo on everything?
Paurav Shukla, Professor of Marketing, University of Southampton
Dina Khalifa, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Roehampton
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215153
2024-01-01T20:34:22Z
2024-01-01T20:34:22Z
What was the mantua? How a 17th-century gown transformed dressmaking and ushered in financial freedom for women
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558180/original/file-20231107-25-z2psc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3982%2C1988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A British mantua c. 1708.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81809">The Met/Purchase, Rogers Fund, Isabel Shults Fund and Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1991</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you’ve watched many period dramas, you’ve probably seen a <a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/mantua/">mantua</a> before. Originating in France in the 1670s, this women’s garment consisted of lengths of t-shaped fabric that were pleated to create an unstiffened bodice with attached overskirts. </p>
<p>This gown was worn over a pair of stays (corset) and an often contrasting petticoat. The draping and folding of fabric created a front-opening gown.</p>
<p>What many people don’t realise, however, is how fundamentally this item of clothing altered women’s involvement in the fashion industry – and represented a ticket to financial freedom for an industry of female mantua makers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The _Robe à la Française_ featured back pleats that draped to the floor." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557950/original/file-20231107-267416-94pua8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The <em>robe à la française</em> was a mantua style that featured loose back pleats that draped to the floor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/83605">The Met/Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1954</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What was the mantua?</h2>
<p>After its invention in the 1670s, the new gown became immediately popular among fashionable Parisian women.</p>
<p>Although strict dress codes at the Versailles court of French King Louis XIV <a href="https://www.culturefrontier.com/versailles-dress-code-the-quirky-fashion-of-the-french-court/">prohibited</a> the wearing of mantuas, women at the English court helped popularise it in England. </p>
<p>By the 1680s, the mantua was widely worn in Western and Central Europe, as well as in European colonies around the world. It soon became the basis for all women’s gowns in the 18th century. </p>
<p>Popular versions of the mantua in 18th century included:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>the loose style called a <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/155093"><em>robe volante</em></a></p></li>
<li><p>the iconic <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=robe+a+la+francaise"><em>robe à la française</em> </a>(sometimes called a sack gown) with its back pleats that draped to the floor, and</p></li>
<li><p>the tighter fitting <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=robe+%C3%A0+la+anglaise"><em>robe à la anglaise</em></a> (also known as English or Italian gowns).</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The _robe à l’anglaise_ was tighter fitting than its French counterpart." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=825&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=825&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=825&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1037&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1037&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557951/original/file-20231107-17-w6ojrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1037&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The <em>robe à l’anglaise</em> had fitted back pleats and was tighter compared to its French counterpart.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/771113">The Met/Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 2018</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Tailors vs mantua makers</h2>
<p>As well as changing the look of western fashions, the mantua radically changed women’s involvement in the fashion industry.</p>
<p>Before the 17th century, outer garments were usually made by male tailors. Apprenticeships and membership of guilds – the organisations that controlled most craft trades – were restricted to boys and men.</p>
<p>Women did participate informally in these professions. They sometimes worked alongside tailor family members (and some were fined for doing so) and <a href="https://sarahabendall.com/2020/04/03/the-tailoring-trade-in-seventeenth-century-oxford/">widows</a> were permitted to carry on the businesses of their deceased husbands. </p>
<p>Women had also historically worked as seamstresses or “silkwomen” making small linen or silk goods like underwear and accessories.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A blue loose 1730s style called a _robe volante_." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558181/original/file-20231107-15-oe546c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This loose 1730s style was called a <em>robe volante</em>.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/155093">The Met/Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2010</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, this began to change in the late 17th century during what came to be known as the <a href="https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0323/ch58.xhtml">consumer revolution</a> – a period, beginning in the 1600s, that saw a significant jump in the consumption of luxury goods.</p>
<p>Significantly, in 1675, women in Paris and Rouen acquired their own, <a href="https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/fashion/when-women-ruled-fashion">independent couturière</a> (dressmaking) guilds and began to take over making women’s clothing from male tailors. </p>
<p>In London, guilds with dwindling memberships also began to permit paying female members. </p>
<p>Due to the considerable influence of France on western fashions, women in London began to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09612025.2022.2136197">train under French dressmakers</a>, giving rise to what were known in English as <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/73204001">mantua makers</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qqaX2WPxv8k?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Dressmaking and financial freedom</h2>
<p>From the 18th to 20th centuries, dressmaking and other fashion or textile-related industries were the main source of formal employment for women in Britain, Australia and the United States (alongside teaching and domestic service). </p>
<p>New training opportunities in dressmaking – coupled with historical peculiarities such as London’s <a href="https://legalhistorymiscellany.com/2019/02/08/femme-sole-status-a-failed-feminist-dream/"><em>feme sole</em></a> status, which allowed married women to run businesses and have finances independent of their husbands – meant many women began to open their own businesses.</p>
<p>Single women often lived in houses with other mantua makers and their apprentices, working as teams. Married women usually operated in workshops in the family home alongside their husbands, many of whom worked as tailors. </p>
<p>By the mid-18th century, <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=lO8HzQEACAAJ&pg=PA134#v=onepage&q&f=false">manuals</a> instructing parents on craft apprenticeships for their children noted mantua making was a large trade</p>
<blockquote>
<p>reckoned a genteel, as well as profitable Employ [for women], many of them living well and saving Money.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But several male tailoring guilds in Europe attempted to stop women working as mantua makers, claiming they were taking away their business. Additionally, many women who worked in the garment-making industries were poorly paid and often worked in cramped conditions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mantuas were sometimes pinned up at the back." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557966/original/file-20231107-23-rovwj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mantuas were sometimes pinned up at the back like this 1690s example.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81718">The Met/Rogers Fund, 1933</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet, many did rise above. French mantua makers were particularly popular, with women in London paying substantially more for gowns made by French women with access to the latest fashion knowledge in Paris. </p>
<p>Some became confidants of queens. The famous fashion merchant Marie-Jeanne “Rose” Bertin designed many of French queen Marie Antoinette’s gowns (her detractors labelled her the queen’s “<a href="https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/rose-bertin#:%7E:text=Bertin%20soon%20came%20to%20be,amass%20a%20considerable%20personal%20fortune.">minister of fashion</a>”).</p>
<p>These networks gave these women access to vast amounts of clients and social capital. By the 19th century, senior dressmakers and milliners called modistes often ran their own luxury <a href="https://www.academia.edu/83744587/Queen_Victoria_s_Fancy_Dress_Makers_An_examination_of_a_West_End_fashion_house_1828_1855">fashion houses</a> in the West End of London. </p>
<p>Mantua making was also a significant <a href="https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-394937539/view?sectionId=nla.obj-412154534&partId=nla.obj-394964473#page/n27/mode/1up">business opportunity</a> for women in Australia. </p>
<p>“M. Hayes”, Catherine Mellon and Martha Matthews were all “mantua makers and milliners” who advertised their services in the early years of the Sydney colony.</p>
<h2>Legacies of mantua makers</h2>
<p>During the early years of the 19th century, mantuas fell out of use as <a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1800-1809/">new styles</a> appeared. The term “dressmaker” also came to slowly replace the term “mantua maker”. </p>
<p>However, the gendered segregation of labour remained. During much of the 19th and 20th centuries, men were more likely to be tailors and have their clothing made by tailors. Women were more likely to be dressmakers and have their clothing made by dressmakers. The skills and techniques of each profession remained quite different. </p>
<p>With the advent of modern fast fashion, the skills of both tailors and dressmakers are fast being lost, and with it the knowledge of this revolutionary trade for women.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215153/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Bendall receives funding from Arts and Humanities Research Council UK and Pasold Research Fund. </span></em></p>
If you’ve watched many period dramas, you’ve probably seen a mantua. It was worn over a pair of stays (corset) and an often contrasting petticoat. The draping fabric created a front-opening gown.
Sarah Bendall, Research Fellow, Gender and Women's History Research Centre, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220293
2023-12-22T12:38:33Z
2023-12-22T12:38:33Z
Five Christmas fashion trends we should bring back – and may be found in your wardrobe already
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567061/original/file-20231221-17-8f27sw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C2%2C746%2C445&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dazzle camouflage costume ball at the Chelsea Arts Club in 1919. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dazzle_camouflage_costume_ball.PNG">Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Christmas is a season for partying and dressing up. Sequins, Santa hats and ugly Christmas jumpers abound. Each event seems to demand a new and different outfit. </p>
<p>While this clothes buying bonanza may boost fashion retail profits, it also leads to a vast amount of waste as many items end up in landfill by the new year. For a season so steeped in tradition and nostalgia, this emphasis on new clothes seems out of place. </p>
<p>Instead of buying new outfits each December, <a href="https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2023/may/could-slow-fashion-make-us-happier-new-study-aims-to-find-out.aspx">research</a> suggests we can both help save the planet and boost our own wellbeing by re-wearing garments and making them part of our Christmas traditions. </p>
<p>If you are stuck for inspiration about how to dress better and more meaningfully this holiday season, here are some of the best festive trends from the history of fashion that are ripe for revival and can be easily found in your wardrobe.</p>
<h2>1. The silk Christmas scarf</h2>
<p>The 20th century was the golden age of the printed silk <a href="https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O101239/head-scarf-unknown/">scarf</a>. In the 1930s, silk manufacturers, such as British firm <a href="https://jacqmar.com/collections/all">Jacqmar</a>, began to produce beautifully designed scarves as a way of marketing their artistic textiles. </p>
<p>During rationing in the second world war the <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30086601">printed propaganda scarf</a> became a must-have fashion accessory that could be used to update an old outfit. From the 1950s onwards, patriotism gave way to novelty prints, including Christmas-themed scarves. </p>
<p>French and Italian luxury brands were particularly good at these, with Hermès leading the way in charming traditional designs and Moschino producing fun and irreverent prints. Silk scarves are free of <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/perspective/could-our-christmas-sparkle-be-harming-our-health.aspx">microplastics</a> and can be used to make an existing outfit instantly festive. Infinitely more chic and sustainable than your polyester Christmas Jumper. </p>
<h2>2.Dressing all in green</h2>
<p>The mysterious handsome giant from the Arthurian romance <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22583668/sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight-medieval-poem-explained">Sir Gawain and the Green Knight</a> might seem an unusual source for festive fashion tips, but the Green knight dresses with symbolically loaded style.</p>
<p>When he shows up to King Arthur’s New Year celebrations looking to play a Christmas Game, the Knight is dressed head to toe in emerald green, including matching hood and fur-trimmed mantle. The outfit also includes costly silk in gold and green stripes and decorative embroidery, topped off with a bough of holly. </p>
<p>Academics have published lengthy <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43342275#:%7E:text=symbolically%20untenable%20for%20Gawain%20to,is%20placed%20on%20this%20garment.&text=chastity%20tests%20and%20will%20not,more%20temptations%20of%20this%20kind.">papers</a> debating exactly what this strange outfit means, but it is undeniably eye catching. Who needs a Christmas tree when you can dress as one? Many of us have green clothing already to put to good festive use.</p>
<h2>3.Dazzle fancy dress costumes</h2>
<p>Fancy dress parties have their origins in the masquerades that grew around European carnival season in the <a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/masquerade-ball-history">15th Century</a> and the historical costume balls of 19th century <a href="https://rbkclocalstudies.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/party-time-again-costume-ball-1897/">Britain</a>. </p>
<p>But the most fabulous era of fancy dress occurred in the first decades of the 20th century, culminating with the fabled Chelsea Arts’ Club <a href="https://www.tatler.com/gallery/chelsea-arts-club-ball-greatest-new-years-eve-fancy-dress-party">New Year’s Eve Ball</a> , which ran from 1908 to 1958 in London. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="Dazzle-themed costumes from the 1919 Arts Club Ball." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567243/original/file-20231222-27-ldrnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567243/original/file-20231222-27-ldrnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567243/original/file-20231222-27-ldrnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567243/original/file-20231222-27-ldrnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567243/original/file-20231222-27-ldrnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1077&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567243/original/file-20231222-27-ldrnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1077&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567243/original/file-20231222-27-ldrnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1077&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dazzle-themed costumes from the 1919 Arts Club Ball.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Attendees competed to wear the most novel creations, dressing as everything from mythical sea creatures to art movements. During the first world war, there was a trend for costumes in the abstract patterns of “dazzle” camouflage.</p>
<p>These intersecting geometric patterns in contrasting colours were painted onto <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/john-everett-art-dazzle-camouflage">ship hulls</a> to make it hard for the enemy to estimate the vessel’s course. The eye-catching designs proved so popular with fancy dress fashionistas that they became the subject of a special <a href="https://chelseaartsclub.com/the-club/history/#:%7E:text=Perhaps%20the%20most%20famous%20of,US%20Navy%20during%20the%20War.">“dazzle”-themed Arts Club ball in 1919</a>. </p>
<h2>4.Wooden shoes</h2>
<p>Wooden <a href="https://www.dutch-clogs.com/news/traditions-of-the-sinterklaas-party-placing-wooden-shoes-sweets-and-the-bag/">clogs</a> have traditionally played an important role in Dutch Christmases, with children leaving them out on 5 December for Sinterklaas (based on Saint Nicholas and also an inspiration for Santa Claus) to fill with treats. In modern times, they could provide a practical answer to keeping your party shoes looking their best for another year.</p>
<p>Wooden clog-like overshoes called <a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/pattens/">pattens</a> were widely worn in Europe from the medieval period to the 19th century to protect thin-soled shoes over the winter season. They were used by pedestrians who walked in streets caked in mud and where food waste and excrement were all deposited.</p>
<p>By the 17th century, their soles were specially shaped so your existing shoes slotted right in. Fancier versions even had luxurious <a href="https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O115851/shoe-and-patten-unknown/">silk straps</a> to match the fabric of the delicate shoes they covered. While these sorts of clogs aren’t common anymore, wooden clogs have become popular (dare I say <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/best-clogs">fashionable</a>) again but tend to only be worn in more temperate weather. You now have an excuse to get them out again this Christmas. </p>
<h2>5. Party pyjamas</h2>
<p>Christmas is a season for inviting friends and family over, and the <a href="https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/performers-pyjamas">hostess pyjama</a> is the perfect outfit in which to receive your guests.</p>
<p>Pyjamas began as a menswear trend in Western fashion when 19th-century British colonial forces took a fancy to the lightweight drawstring trousers worn in <a href="https://world.dolcegabbana.com/milestones/a-brief-history-of-the-pyjama-from-loungewear-to-fashion">India</a>. They made their transition to womenswear in the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35427892">1920s</a> as a summer resort fashion in the form of elegant linen beach pyjamas.</p>
<p>Before long, designers such as <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35427892">Coco Chanel</a> were producing versions in velvet, silk and sequins for winter evening-wear. The trend was cemented in the 1930s by leading figures in the fashion world, including Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. </p>
<p>These party pyjamas are the perfect combination of dressy yet comfortable and have room enough to accommodate an extra helping of pudding and should be worn and enjoyed all year round.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220293/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bethan Bide does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Pyjamas all Christmas day or a jaunty festive silk scarf, these five trends should be brought back this holiday.
Bethan Bide, Lecturer in Design and Cultural Theory, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219328
2023-12-21T00:27:53Z
2023-12-21T00:27:53Z
A brief look at the long history of First Nations fashion design in Australia
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565094/original/file-20231212-17-eznnko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5982%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Aboriginal Display at the Brisbane Exhibition, 1914. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE16333">State Library of Queensland</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, and links to old newspaper stories and research papers using outdated and potentially offensive terminology.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The ABC’s series <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/way-we-wore">The Way We Wore</a> takes a look at stories of Australian fashion design and style. </p>
<p>First Nations people participated in the series and spoke about various periods and tales, looking at forced clothing policies during the Stolen Generation period, the contribution of Flinders Ranges/Adnyamathanha knowledge to the creation of the RM Williams iconic boot, and the emergence of First Nations fashion design from the 1970s and at Parisian fashion shows in the 1980s.</p>
<p>Yet, left out from the show was the rich backstory of our First Nations fashion design industry.</p>
<p>Prior to Parisian fashion shows, First Nations people showcased handmade clothing and accessories at 1800s international and national exhibitions, often as unpaid labour.</p>
<p>Earlier still, the making and crafting of animal and plant cloaks, skirts, belts, shoes and accessories were the original fashion designs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-first-designers-and-models-of-this-world-attending-the-2023-national-indigenous-fashion-awards-211517">‘The first designers and models of this world’: attending the 2023 National Indigenous Fashion Awards</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Traditional clothing and adornment</h2>
<p>Climates, materials and stories guided traditional fashion design. </p>
<p>Items were crafted from natural materials that eventually returned to the environment.</p>
<p><a href="https://library.museum.wa.gov.au/fullRecord.jsp?recno=50097">Footwear</a> was made from animal skins, furs, and feathers, human hair and bark.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565097/original/file-20231212-28-x080ps.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Group outside a bark shelter with possum skin cloaks in Victoria, photographed between 1860-1909.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/Yj7deGl9/mmlrxexxkGjo">State Library of New South Wales</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cloaks were made from <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-designers-can-learn-from-aboriginal-possum-skin-cloaks-38655">animal skin</a> and <a href="https://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?c=5946&mode=singleImage">plants</a>, often inscribed with designs that reflected a person’s identity. </p>
<p>Intricate jewellery and accessories included <a href="https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/184838">head ornaments</a>, <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/tasmanian-aboriginal-shell-necklaces">necklaces</a>, <a href="https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/death-the-last-taboo/mourning-indigenous-australia/">mourning caps</a>, <a href="https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/171926">belts</a> and <a href="https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/181154">bags</a>, some made from <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-22/pearls-and-pear-shell-in-indigenous-culture/10772586">highly traded pearl shells</a> and <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/more-than-jewellery-ancient-shell-stringing-remains-an-unbroken-tradition/2ccs8598f">rare seashells</a>. </p>
<p>Today, we are seeing a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-29/indigenous-possum-skin-cloak-culture-and-history/101739174">resurgence around the country</a> of these adornments and the role they play in healing, wellbeing and cultural practice.</p>
<h2>Showcasing at trades and exhibitions</h2>
<p>First Nations women and girls who lived on reserves, missions and schools were forced to learn sewing and many produced goods including hats, bags, baskets, jewellery and rugs. </p>
<p>These items were crafted from cultural or Western methods, using both traditional or introduced materials. </p>
<p>From the mid-1800s, their work was often produced for various tourist trades and national and international exhibitions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565098/original/file-20231212-23-1bwxdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Aboriginal Court at the Brisbane Exhibition, 1914.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE2813548">State Library of Queensland</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One Melbourne CBD shop stocked woven baskets and bags from Victoria’s <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/coranderrk">Coranderrk Reserve</a>. </p>
<p>Sydney’s <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/audio/indigenous-participation-in-australian-economies-conference/transcripts/the-economy-of-shells-a-histo">La Perouse Mission</a> sold shell baskets in the city and later exhibited them at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and in London. </p>
<p>At the 1888 Melbourne Exhibition, the Queensland section presented <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146795056">pearl jewellery</a> from Thursday Island and the Torres Strait.</p>
<p>While some of the women and girls from these institutions received pay for their work, <a href="http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UTSLRS/2013/14.pdf">many did not</a>.</p>
<h2>Emergence of fashion within the craft industry</h2>
<p>From the 1930s, non-Indigenous textile artists and fashion designers started producing <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page26384333">First Nations-inspired designs</a> using motifs such as boomerangs, shields and “hunting stick figures”, without the permission or input from First Nations artists.</p>
<p>Partly in response to this popularity, craft centres within the missions and reserves established their own industry and several hired First Nations people to design cultural textiles and fashions. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CtIgKGhBhxb/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Some of this early work in the 1940s included <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230948830">bags with traditional weaving styles</a>, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page26672951">practical linens with cultural designs</a> and unique <a href="https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/116107?mode=simple">Ernabella scarves</a>.</p>
<p>As the newspaper <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230948830">The Sun reported</a> from the Mount Margaret Mission in 1941:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>One of the most interesting exhibits in the exhibition of Aboriginal handicrafts and school children’s work at the Y.W.C.A. to-day is a bag woven from wool in a native stitch. It has been adapted from old aboriginal work which is usually seen only in tribal grass weaving.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Children’s work from these institutions were often exhibited in Australia and internationally. There was particular overseas interest in turning art from the Carrolup Native settlement onto textiles <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article159008807">for fashion garments</a>.</p>
<h2>The business of First Nations textiles and fashion</h2>
<p>Economic and cultural autonomy became more attainable for First Nations people from the 1950s.</p>
<p>Bill Onus produced <a href="https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p170581/pdf/ch0751.pdf">cultural furnishing fabrics</a> with non-Indigenous artist Paula Kerry for his Melbourne Aboriginal Enterprises store.</p>
<p>First Nations women from the Coffs Harbour area started <a href="https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files//digitised_collections/dawn_index/v16/s09/3.pdf">mass-producing fashions for the tourist trade</a> using non-Indigenous designs in the mid-1960s.</p>
<p>By the late 1960s, First Nations designed textiles became a fully-fledged fashion industry.</p>
<p>In 1969, Tiwi Island clothing production and textiles had launched through <a href="https://bimawear.com/about-bima-wear/">Bima Wear</a> and <a href="https://tiwidesigns.com/pages/about-us">Tiwi Designs</a>. </p>
<p>A few years later, <a href="http://archive.maas.museum/hsc/paperbark/contemporary.html">other arts centres</a> started crafting textiles for fashion designs.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565104/original/file-20231212-19-ncjzuv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tiwi (Aboriginal) fashion designs, 1979.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=11693062">© Commonwealth of Australia (National Archives of Australia) 2023.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Throughout the 1970s, fashion shows <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page12380699">paraded these textiles</a> and some First Nations people <a href="https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=11695949">wore the designs</a> at formal events.</p>
<p>Bronwyn Bancroft, the owner of the Sydney store Designer Aboriginals, and Euphemia Bostock and Mini Heath <a href="https://www.bronwynbancroft.com/history?pgid=kddvaeao-d276a7d8-aa23-4ddc-a389-c95ee6525f73">presented their garments</a> at the Parisian Au Printemps Department Store in 1987.</p>
<h2>The 21st Century and beyond</h2>
<p>By the start of the new millennium, Robyn Caughlan, in <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/robyn-has-fashion-game-all-sewn-up-20030426-gdgnsm.html">collaboration with Benjamin Mach</a>, was the <a href="https://www.robyncaughlan.com/fashion-designs">first Indigenous designer</a> to contribute to a fashion collection at Australian Fashion Week. </p>
<p>Two decades later at Australian Fashion Week 2023, Denni Francisco’s brand Ngali was the <a href="https://harpersbazaar.com.au/ngali-murriyang-aafw-2023/">first Indigenous label</a> to present a standalone collection.</p>
<p>Today, many First Nations labels promote their designs internationally in <a href="https://nit.com.au/02-10-2023/7916/indigenous-fashion-label-ticia-designs-makes-international-debut-in-paris">Paris</a>, <a href="https://nit.com.au/14-12-2020/1632/indigenous-couture-to-grace-milan-runway">Milan</a>, <a href="https://www.vogue.com.au/fashion/news/an-historic-showcase-of-australian-first-nations-design-at-london-fashion-week/news-story/df1a1343a0987e81cf2441ee619f98cc">London</a>, and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-09/indigenous-fashion-designers-set-sights-on-overseas-markets/101222846">New York</a>. There are now several First Nations fashion bodies to support them in the industry. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CLQoNhwhlqX","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>These bodies connect with national and international fashion weeks and art fairs, and have insight into cultural appropriation and Intellectual Property Rights.</p>
<p>For First Nations people, fashion and style are significant channels through which culture, identity, healing and social change can be communicated and practised. </p>
<p>Learning about the foundation of First Nations fashion design is vital to understanding Australian history and advocating connection, wellbeing, expression and sustainability.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cultural-expression-through-dress-towards-a-definition-of-first-nations-fashion-201782">‘Cultural expression through dress’: towards a definition of First Nations fashion</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219328/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Treena Clark has received funding through the University of Technology Sydney Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellowship scheme.</span></em></p>
First Nations people have been making and crafting clothes and accessories for millennia, and for international exhibitions for hundreds of years.
Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/218174
2023-12-14T13:37:55Z
2023-12-14T13:37:55Z
Nigeria’s flamboyant aso ebi dressing style is popular - but it’s become a financial burden
<p>Aso ebi – “family uniform” – is the Yoruba custom of people dressing alike for social events. The custom is rooted in kinship (ebi), an important aspect of Yoruba social life since precolonial times in what’s now south-west Nigeria. </p>
<p>Words like <em>molebi</em> (kinsmen) and <em>olori ebi</em> (head of the family) point to the importance of kinship in this culture. The saying <em>eni to so ebi e nu, apo iya lo so ko</em> literally translates as “whoever deserts his kinsmen straps on his/her shoulder a satchel of misfortune”. Aso ebi expresses these values visibly: uniform dressing is intended to reinforce unity and fraternity. </p>
<p>Historically, Yoruba kinsmen wore the aso ebi – usually specially chosen fabrics – during celebrations for group identification.</p>
<p>At first, inclusion and participation in uniform clothing for social events was restricted to blood relationship and mutual ancestry. As time went on, belonging to a group through uniform dressing extended beyond family circles.</p>
<p>From the early 20th century, aso ebi became more about the need to communicate <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Aso-Ebi-%3A-The-Dynamics-of-Fashion-and-Cultural-in-Ajani/29cda686a2d9600811366015789dea8f0a24c282?utm_source=direct_link">social worth</a>. My interviews with some elderly people in Ibadan revealed that, during this period, it was referred to as <em>ankoo</em> (uniformity) or <em>egbejoda</em> (group uniform). Blood ties became a less important consideration for participation.</p>
<p>Nowadays, aso ebi is a regular <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234690994.pdf#page=1">feature</a> at social events like weddings, funerals, birthdays, conferments and political rallies across Nigeria. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=ybH50nYAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">scholar</a> of costume in theatre, I’ve always been fascinated by the aso ebi custom. In theatre, costume helps tell a story, among other functions, and aso ebi is also a costume in the performance of a social event. </p>
<p>I wanted to know more about the modern aso ebi trends. Anecdotal evidence suggested that the practice was becoming something of a burden for some people. My <a href="https://journaljesbs.com/index.php/JESBS/article/view/1041">research</a> bore this out: I found that the financial burden of purchasing aso ebi was prominent among its perceived drawbacks and strengths alike. </p>
<h2>Aso ebi as costume</h2>
<p>In theatre and film, costume transforms actors into characters and depicts setting, culture, age and occupation. It tells the audience something about the character’s social class, economic worth and status in a hierarchy. Costume can project personal characteristics, deliberately or unwittingly. It can help depict relationships in a group.</p>
<p>In daily life, too, clothes give us nonverbal clues about their wearers. They reveal age, mood, sex, culture, social status, religion, occupation, political affiliation and so on. </p>
<p>At social events, participants can be regarded as performers as well as audience members. Wearing aso ebi, participants are able to play premeditated or spontaneous roles.</p>
<h2>Modern trends</h2>
<p>In the last few decades, aso ebi has been <a href="https://www.google.com.ng/books/edition/Aso_Ebi/E84qEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Aso+Ebi:+Dress,+Fashion,+Visual+Culture,+and+Urban+Cosmopolitanism+in+West+Africa&printsec=frontcover">embraced</a> by other ethnic groups in Nigeria and the diaspora. The trend has extended beyond the geographical and social landscape of the Yoruba people. </p>
<p>Part of the reason may be its propensity to add glamour and spectacle to events. But even more importantly, it may be due to its inclusion tendency, since it gives wearers a sense of involvement, seemingly excluding some non-wearers, thereby drawing social Lines at social events. </p>
<p>It is common for guests to wear identical fabrics like wax prints (Ankara), lace, brocade and other materials to events. </p>
<p>Planning and coordinating this wearing of uniforms at events has become quite a business. Usually, a celebrant chooses the fabric, determines the price and monopolises the sale to guests. Often the intention is to make a profit. Guests can’t haggle over the price and are expected to turn out in the fabric for the event, thereby creating the impression of solidarity and support for the celebrant. </p>
<p>Affordability and social integration have become more significant considerations, pushing kinship to the back seat.</p>
<h2>Beyond the glamour, the distress</h2>
<p>Despite the popularity of aso ebi, my <a href="https://journaljesbs.com/index.php/JESBS/article/view/1041">study</a> found that it is causing some distress. </p>
<p>I administered questionnaires to 270 Yoruba adults (135 men and 135 women) in Osun and Oyo states in south-western Nigeria, asking them about the challenges and merits of wearing aso ebi. Participants indicated whether they experienced any of a list of challenges such as cost, competition and issues of personal taste. The list of potential merits included boosting camaraderie and collective sense of purpose, and benefits to the producers of the uniforms.</p>
<p>The results showed that the main problem with aso ebi was the financial burden of having to buy the fabrics continuously. This stems from being obliged to attend social events and the tendency for reciprocity: “I bought your aso ebi, buy mine.” People end up with a large stock of fabrics and are limited in their ability to buy, store and wear their own clothes.</p>
<p>Another challenge is that buyers of aso ebi fabrics don’t have a choice or the option of bargaining, since it is non-negotiable. And the fabrics and uniforms are not always to the individual’s taste.</p>
<p>Participants also felt that aso ebi encouraged unhealthy flamboyant competition.</p>
<p>When they responded to the list of potential merits, they gave equal weight to aso ebi as a booster of social incorporation and cohesion, and as a source of economic value for individuals who make the fabrics.</p>
<p>The practice has been <em>commodified</em> to the extent that cohesion, equality and social egalitarianism may be taking a back seat. Aso ebi is fast becoming a point of dissension, segregating wearers. It has a propensity to create social gulfs, distancing wearers and placing them on different tiers of the same ladder.</p>
<p>However, according to my study findings, the benefits of aso ebi – like comradeship – still outweigh the challenges.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218174/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Olubukola Badeji is affiliated with a non-profit organisation.
Women Forward Innovative Development Initiative WFID. We are based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Our aim is Women empowerment in order to alleviate poverty.</span></em></p>
Aso ebi - colourful fabrics worn at social events in NIgeria - makes parties glamorous but the cost can also be burdensome.
Susan Olubukola Badeji, Lecturer, Redeemer's University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215831
2023-12-12T15:55:38Z
2023-12-12T15:55:38Z
Four ways to tell the designer fashion items worth investing in from the ones that aren’t
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558674/original/file-20231109-25-at9skm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5928%2C3925&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-asian-woman-shopping-mall-2230065531">Qtran88/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether it’s aspiring to the “quiet luxury” or <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-clean-girl-and-old-money-aesthetics-on-tiktok-make-the-same-old-link-between-hygiene-and-class-208566">“old money” looks</a> taking over TikTok, or cringing at the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/far-from-the-ludicrously-capacious-what-the-fashion-of-succession-tells-us-about-the-show-and-about-society-202744">ludicrously capacious bag</a>” scene in the last season of Succession, designer clothes and accessories have been a hot topic in 2023. But with continued sales growth in <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion">designer fashion</a>, and concerns about shopping more <a href="https://fashionunited.uk/news/retail/consumers-want-to-shop-sustainably-what-are-the-opportunities-for-brands/2022102465829">sustainably</a>, it’s worth considering investing your money in products that will last longer.</p>
<p>Sales in luxury fashion have increased significantly since the pandemic. <a href="https://www.just-style.com/features/covid-two-years-on-expert-analysis-of-top-10-global-apparel-companies/?cf-view">Louis Vuitton</a>, for example, has increased its sales from 2019. And British luxury brand, Burberry, reported sales growth to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/16/burberry-sales-return-to-pre-pandemic-levels-as-younger-shoppers-splash-out">86% higher</a> in the year following the pandemic (though there has been <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/burberry-shares-take-10-hit-on-warning-of-slump-in-luxury-demand-13009401">another dip in sales</a> more recently). </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.limitlessmanufacturinggroup.com/blog/the-rise-of-athleisure-how-activewear-became-mainstream-fashion">rise of athleisure</a> in fashion and designer collaborations such as <a href="https://www.manoloblahnik.com/gb/the-latest/post/manolo-blahnik-for-birkenstock">Manolo Blahnik for Birkenstock</a>, <a href="https://www.gucci.com/uk/en_gb/st/capsule/adidas-gucci">Gucci x Adidas</a> and <a href="https://uk.burberry.com/c/collaborations-supreme-burberry/">Burberry x Supreme</a> have made luxury more available. But prices are still high, so how can you know whether a purchase will stand the test of time and become an investment piece or a fashion flop? Here are four key factors to consider when making a designer purchase.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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</figure>
<p><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/four-environmental-red-flags-to-watch-out-for-when-buying-your-new-home-215763utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Four environmental red flags to watch out for when buying your new home</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-know-if-your-employer-is-serious-about-helping-you-find-purpose-in-your-work-205102utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">How to know if your employer is serious about helping you find purpose in your work</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-hard-to-be-young-in-britain-right-now-213002utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Why it’s so hard to be young in Britain right now</a></em></p>
<hr>
<h2>1. Resale value</h2>
<p>An expensive purchase price may not guarantee that your product will hold its value. A key factor to consider is what the resale value of your purchase will be, as this will indicate the item’s investment potential.</p>
<p>A fashion investment piece tends to be a luxury product with a higher price ticket. Prices of luxury fashion have increased over the last decade. Chanel bags, for example, have <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2022/02/21/luxury-brand-prices-rise-sharply--will-it-cut-demand/">almost doubled</a> in price. Chanel’s iconic medium flap bag has increased from <a href="https://luxecollectivefashion.com/blogs/communique/your-expert-guide-to-the-chanel-price-increases-2023">£7,550 in 2022 to £8,530 in 2023</a> and is considered to be one of the most covetable designs in the <a href="https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/best-luxury-handbags-resale-value/slide2">resale market</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Orange Birkin bag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558676/original/file-20231109-17-olg7k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558676/original/file-20231109-17-olg7k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558676/original/file-20231109-17-olg7k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558676/original/file-20231109-17-olg7k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558676/original/file-20231109-17-olg7k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558676/original/file-20231109-17-olg7k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558676/original/file-20231109-17-olg7k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Hermes Ostrich Birkin bag.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkin_bag#/media/File:Hermes_Ostrich_Birkin_Bag.jpg">Wen-Cheng Liu/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Similarly, Hermès’ famous Birkin and Kelly bag designs, renowned for their quality, are <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/hermes-bag-review-2022-birkin-bag-and-hermes-kelly-bag-remain-most-popular">undoubtedly investment pieces</a>. Despite the high price ticket, <a href="https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/birkin-bag-prices/slide2">Birkin bags are in demand</a>. They are the most collectable and classic of designer bags, with an average retail price of USD$10,000 (£8,237), <a href="https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3211640/why-hermes-birkin-bag-such-good-investment-according-experts-other-luxury-handbags-might-not-be">which can double in the resale market</a>.</p>
<p>Luxury fashion <a href="https://www.pursebop.com/new-app-calculates-the-resale-value-of-designer-handbags/">resaler Vestiaire</a>, along with online marketplaces like eBay, are useful sources for researching and calculating what the value of your purchase will be in the resale market. While designer bags can hold their value post-purchase, <a href="https://www.yourmoney.com/investing/can-clothing-ever-be-considered-an-investment/">clothes can be less straightforward</a> and will depend on the other following factors.</p>
<h2>2. Quality and style</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/marketing-at-scale-explaining-luxurys-new-brand-identifiers">2023 report</a> has stated that the overt use of logos in recent years, from brands such as <a href="https://www.surefront.com/blog/is-logomania-really-over">Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton</a>, has been replaced by an interest in quiet luxury. </p>
<p>Quiet luxury means <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quiet-luxury-explained-which-brands-will-benefit-2023-4?r=US&IR=T">more simplistic, classic and timeless styling</a>. The focus on exquisite fabrics and design gives a sense of fashion that is not disposable and durable. A cashmere sweater from <a href="https://uk.loropiana.com/en/c/woman/knitwear">Lorna Piana</a> may cost over £1,700 but its quality and classic styling will ensure it’s an investment piece that transcends fashion trend cycle.</p>
<p>Consideration of fabrics, styling and design aesthetic are all key in ensuring your fashion investment has longevity.</p>
<h2>3. Brand authenticity</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303917660_The_Role_of_Heritage_and_Authenticity_in_the_Value_Creation_of_Fashion_Brand">Heritage and authenticity</a> can secure the value of fashion purchases. Brands that have a strong heritage – that have been around and respected for a long time – are better investment pieces, <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/luxury-fashion-heritage-chanel-dior1234792018-1234792018/">particularly in the categories of watches, jewellery and handbags</a>. Rolex watches are renowned as investment pieces, with models that are most rare commanding the higher appreciation values.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man holding a Rolex watch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558677/original/file-20231109-17-79jnnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558677/original/file-20231109-17-79jnnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558677/original/file-20231109-17-79jnnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558677/original/file-20231109-17-79jnnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558677/original/file-20231109-17-79jnnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558677/original/file-20231109-17-79jnnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558677/original/file-20231109-17-79jnnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rolex watches are renowned as investment pieces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rolex-wristwatch-model-cosmograph-daytona-oyster-2143137997">Enjoy The Life/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the realm of clothing, Burberry’s iconic trench coat – which has remained largely untouched in design terms for over 100 years – has been reported to be a good wardrobe investment by <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/burberry-trench-coats">Vogue</a>. The trench’s timeless design, alongside its long history, has secured its place as an investment product. </p>
<p>However, when it comes to making the purchase it is important to go with <a href="https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/burberry-trench-coat/">Burberry’s original design</a>, rather than the fashion-led versions whose value may diminish as seasonal trends move on.</p>
<h2>4. Product endorsement</h2>
<p>Celebrity endorsement is a popular brand strategy for increasing the value of fashion products. While it may drive sales, it is important to consider what effect it will have on investment quality. </p>
<p>A recent example was when the British pop star <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4089170/">Harry Styles</a> wore the <a href="https://harpersbazaar.com.au/adidas-gucci-collaboration-collection/">luxe Adidas x Gucci Gazelle trainers</a>, during his 2023 tour, resulting in a <a href="https://www.sneakerfreaker.com/news/harry-styles-gucci-adidas-gazelle-samba-statistics?page=0">reported 100%</a> increase in sales of the trainer. </p>
<p>While sneakers have previously had a bouyant <a href="https://www.fashionbeans.com/article/sneaker-reselling-guide/">resale market</a>, that is now <a href="https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/has-the-sneaker-bubble-finally-burst">declining</a>, raising questions as to whether they will continue to be positive investment pieces. Celebrities may create hype – but their endorsement does not always ensure the longevity of a product’s value.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1634190779466891265"}"></div></p>
<p>In 1999, <a href="https://hypebae.com/2018/10/dior-saddle-bag-history-john-galliano">Dior’s saddle bag</a> was featured on US TV series <a href="https://www.hbo.com/sex-and-the-city">Sex and the City</a>, securing its place as an <a href="https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/mbxjmn/dior-saddle-bag-sex-in-the-city">iconic designer bag</a>. While this increased its value and desirability at the time, the bag eventually faded from view, until 2018, when Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s current design director, relaunched it. This resulted in a frenzy of interest <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/a42118540/dior-saddle-bag/">in the original Galliano designs</a>.</p>
<p>Endorsement creates hype and desirability, but occasionally it can also create a classic too. But this takes time, and it’s best to consider other factors including brand authenticity, quality and style when planning an investment purchase. </p>
<p>Also, value does not always have to have a price attributed to it. In the world of designer fashion, it is important not to overlook the significance of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/oct/13/fashion-thats-begging-for-love-designers-want-to-create-meaningful-stuff">emotional durability</a> of our purchases and how that can ensure an enduring value and longevity.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Naomi Braithwaite does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
An expensive purchase price may not guarantee that your product will hold its value.
Naomi Braithwaite, Associate Professor in Fashion Marketing and Branding, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/218208
2023-11-22T17:05:24Z
2023-11-22T17:05:24Z
Napoleon: the film’s fashion tells a story of its own, from cropped hair to ribbon chokers
<p>In his epic historical drama, Ridley Scott depicts Napoleon Bonaparte’s career not only through a military lens but a romantic one, suggesting that Napoleon’s global conquests were driven by a desire to conquer his wife Josephine’s heart. </p>
<p>The film’s trailer offers a glimpse into the couple’s coronation in 1804, a moment <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/story/story-of-a-coronation-palace-of-versailles/NgWhI7emoChPKw?hl=en">immortalised by the artist Jacques-Louis David</a>.</p>
<p>David’s work emphasises that the coronation broke with traditional royal protocol. Traditionally, queens were not crowned directly after the king. In doing so, Napoleon was signalling the start of a new dynasty. He also invoked a historical parallel. The last queen to receive such treatment was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-de-Medicis">Marie de’Medici</a>, crowned in May 1610.</p>
<p>Josephine wore a sumptuous, high-waisted white satin gown with a red velvet train. Her fan-shaped lace collar invoked a second reference to Medici. Known as a <em>chérusque</em>, Medici is seen wearing the design in <a href="https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/Civilization/id/880/">Ruben’s depiction of her coronation in 1624</a>. Josephine was therefore sartorially linked to the leading figure of a powerful dynasty. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/napoleon-and-josephines-real-relationship-was-intense-but-they-loved-power-more-than-each-other-218160">Napoleon and Josephine’s real relationship was intense – but they loved power more than each other</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Revolutionary style</h2>
<p>Josephine’s journey to becoming empress of France was marked by tumult and tragedy. Raised in Martinique, she moved to Paris as a teenager and married Alexandre Beauharnais, a French viscount. Josephine experienced the trauma of the Revolution first-hand. Beauharnais was executed in 1794. Shortly after, she was sent to <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/People/Josephine/KNAEJO/7*.html">Les Carmes prison</a> where she lived under the fear of a similar fate. By the time she was released, she found herself in a society attempting to redefine its political and cultural identity.</p>
<p>In such a period of uncertainty, a new fashionable set emerged. Referred to as the <em><a href="https://thisistribute.xyz/blogs/contribute/les-merveilleuses-the-rebellious-women-of-1795-france">les Merveilleuses</a></em> (the wonderful), they captivated the post-revolutionary social scene with their radical approach to dress. Corseted dresses and all their elaborate padding were eschewed for a streamlined silhouette. </p>
<p>Embroidered silks and ruffled sleeves were disregarded for cotton muslin and flaxen linen. The towering, powdered hairstyles favoured by the old royal court were replaced by a shorn cut known as the <em><a href="https://www.transcriptmag.com/post/coiffure-%C3%A0-la-victime-the-urban-legend-of-the-guillotine-haircuts">coiffure à la victime</a></em>, paying tribute to guillotined prisoners whose hair was lopped off before execution.</p>
<p>Paris was both enthralled and scandalised. As fashion magazines breathlessly depicted the new styles in beautiful, hand-coloured plates, other newspapers featured doctors pleading with the <em>Merveilleuses</em> to forsake their diaphanous dresses for fear of catching ill. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1DJYiG6wh0w?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Josephine’s hair is cut in the coiffure à la victime style in the trailer for Napoleon.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the forefront of this movement was Josephine, who wielded such influence in fashion that she and her fellow <em>Merveilleuses</em> would often exchange letters before social functions, <a href="https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6149314d/f171.item%20lettre%20vii%20to%20madame%20tallien">methodically planning their attire</a>. They knew their garments would be eagerly followed, replicated and reported in painstaking detail in the French press.</p>
<h2>Napoleon’s fashion</h2>
<p>Napoleon’s appearance contrasted sharply with his wife’s. His contemporaries <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/M%C3%A9moires_de_Madame_de_R%C3%A9musat_1802_180/HQ0xAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0">often derided him</a> for his lacklustre style, marked by dust-ridden boots and ungloved hands. He refused to attend social functions in anything other than his uniform. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37499/37499-h/37499-h.htm">His letters to Josephine</a> after their first meeting in 1795 show him to be utterly enamoured. In his eyes, Josephine was worldlier, older and effortlessly charming. Most importantly, perhaps, she was emblematic of two worlds: the French aristocracy of a bygone era and the new, sophisticated glitterati set he now wished to enter. </p>
<p>Ridley Scott’s depiction of their first meeting shows Josephine sporting the popular <em>coiffure à la victime</em>. She’s also wearing a red ribbon – another staple of the “guillotine aesthetic”. The ribbon emphasised where the blade would have landed on a loved one’s exposed neck. </p>
<p>The differences between them – Napoleon, stubbornly clad in his uniform, Josephine impeccably attired in the styles she and her fellow <em>Merveilleuses</em> heralded – is sartorially punctuated.</p>
<h2>Empire style</h2>
<p>Newly wedded, Josephine visited Napoleon in Italy where she began what became a lifelong enthusiasm for cameos (a hard or precious gemstone carved with a raised relief, often depicting a person, animal or mythical scene). Attaching pieces to her belts, jewellery and headwear, she sparked a revival of the trend. </p>
<p>Napoleon’s gifts of Kashmiri shawls during his 1798-99 Egyptian campaign turned these garments into coveted luxury staples. A shawl was often included as an item of prestige in the gift basket for affluent 19th-century brides. Josephine boasted over 400 in her personal collection and wears the shawl in several paintings.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="painting of Josephine with red shawl" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1022&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1022&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560504/original/file-20231120-17-ftj5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1022&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Empress Josephine in the park at Malmaison by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (1805).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pierre-Paul_Prud%27hon_-_The_Empress_Josephine_-_WGA18457.jpg">Musée de Louvre</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As Empress, she became synonymous with the Empire style, marked by high-waisted dresses with tiny sleeves. White remained her preferred colour for dresses, its pale aesthetic often contrasted with a red Kashmiri shawl. </p>
<p>Napoleon relied on Josephine’s sartorial influence: what his wife wore, he knew, would be replicated. The fabric of her dresses changed, from the English cotton muslin she wore as a <em>Merveilleuse</em> to Lyonnais silk satin brocade. Her fashion choices were not only personal, they were strategic, stimulating the French luxury industry and contributing to the post-revolutionary national economy.</p>
<p>In 1810, after 14 years of marriage with no offspring, Napoleon and Josephine divorced. Josephine retreated to her beloved Malmaison, a country chateau outside of Paris, where she continued to receive flocks of guests and admirers until her death in 1814. </p>
<p>“You want to be great, but you are nothing without me,” Josephine tells Napoleon in the trailer. An apt sentiment, perhaps, for a woman whose fashion sense is imbued with historical significance and endures in cultural relevance to this day.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218208/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tania Sheikhan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A shorn haircut known as the coiffure à la victime, paid tribute to guillotined prisoners whose hair was loped off before execution.
Tania Sheikhan, PhD Candidate, History of Art, UCL
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216304
2023-11-15T23:14:16Z
2023-11-15T23:14:16Z
What designers can do to make textiles healthier for people and the planet
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555594/original/file-20230927-29-m4ke9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C994%2C720&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The glamourous aspect of fashion obscures the health and socio-environmental issues of the textile industry.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwp0Bx0awoE">pollution caused by the textile industry</a> is often discussed, but its <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30278363/">impact on health</a> is less emphasized. Nevertheless, the petrochemical compounds used in the manufacturing of our clothes have harmful effects on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onD5UOP5z_c">workers</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxVq_38BoPE">surrounding communities</a>, and <a href="http://www.cec.org/files/documents/publications/11777-furthering-understanding-migration-chemicals-from-consumer-products-en.pdf">consumers</a>. This issue has a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-international-stateless/2012/11/317d2d47-toxicthreads01.pdf">global impact</a>, but its assessment is complex due to our low chronic exposure to a <a href="https://www.leslibraires.ca/livres/perturbateurs-endocriniens-la-menace-invisible-marine-jobert-9782283028179.html">“cocktail” of synthetic substances</a> whose cause-and-effect relationships are difficult to identify.</p>
<p>Moreover, most of these substances prove to be toxic through interaction or degradation, as is the case with <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/chemical-substances/substance-groupings-initiative/aromatic-azo-benzidine-based.html">azo dyes</a> that are ubiquitous and persistent in the environment.</p>
<p>Through my research in sustainable textile design, I explore how design can contribute to making the textile industry more environmentally friendly, focusing on raising ecological awareness among designers, decision-makers, and the general public.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="textile dyes" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Dyes made from agri-food waste and inspired by Pantone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Vanessa Mardirossian)</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
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<h2>Design-led solutions</h2>
<p>In the 1960s, designer <a href="https://papanek.org/archivelibrary/victor-papanek/">Victor Papanek</a> was the first to address <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/190560.Design_for_the_Real_World">environmental issues related to industrial product design</a>. Meanwhile, biologist <a href="https://www.rachelcarson.org/silent-spring">Rachel Carson</a> initiated the emergence of ecological consciousness, shedding light on the profound impact of human activity on the environment. </p>
<p>Then in the 1990s, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/basics-green-chemistry">green chemistry</a> facilitated collaboration between design and biology to develop <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1278402">ecological textiles</a>. Aligned with <a href="https://mcdonough.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Hannover-Principles-1992.pdf">The Hannover Principles</a>, these textiles aimed to enhance waste management and preserve water purity. Intending to harmonize the interdependence between human activity and the natural world by eliminating toxic inputs at their source, these principles also gave rise to the “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780865475878/cradletocradle">Cradle to Cradle</a>” ecodesign philosophy that popularized the concept of circular design in the early 2000s.</p>
<h2>An inspired approach from nature</h2>
<p>Humanity has always drawn inspiration from nature to create. </p>
<p>However, in the late 20th century, biologist <a href="https://biomimicry.org/janine-benyus/">Janine Benyus</a> invited us to <a href="https://biomimicry.org">observe the operating mechanisms of living organisms</a>, encouraging a reevaluation of manufacturing processes through <a href="https://biomimicry.org/chapterone/">biomimicry</a> — a concept that draws inspiration from nature’s designs and processes to create more sustainable technologies.</p>
<p>Could we, for example, produce dyes at room temperature and without toxic molecules? This approach leads to a shared reflection between design, science and engineering. This multidisciplinary vision of design, where ecology, medicine, and politics play a role in the design process to better meet the needs of society, was already advocated by Papanek in 1969.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="diagram" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Concept of ‘minimal design,’ by Victor Papanek.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Diagram taken from the work of Victor Papanek)</span></span>
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<h2>Developing ecological literacy</h2>
<p>In 1990, educator <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/lled3662017/files/2017/08/Orr_Environmental-Literacy-Ecoliteracy.pdf">David Orr</a> introduced the concept of ecoliteracy to address a major gap in traditional education, centered on humans and ignoring their interconnectedness with nature. He advocated for environmental education to develop a sense of belonging to one’s living environment and establish production models that promote the resilience of ecosystems. This concept helps to understand the intricate connections between human activities and ecological systems, to foster a sense of responsibility and informed decision-making.</p>
<p>In the 2000s, fashion design researcher <a href="https://katefletcher.com">Kate Fletcher</a> supported the development of this ecological literacy to help stakeholders in the industry (designers, consumers and manufacturers) understand the implicit interconnection of industrial and living systems, showing that fashion maintains a vital relationship with nature. </p>
<p>Then, in 2018, the sustainable design researcher <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/design-ecology-politics-9781350258778/">Joanna Boehnert </a>emphasized that ecological literacy not only promotes the development of new, more sustainable ways of producing, but also broadens our social, political, and economic vision to systemically address transdisciplinary sustainability challenges. </p>
<p>This is also supported by biologist Emmanuel Delannoy who offers a <a href="http://permaeconomie.fr/author/edelannoy">permaeconomy</a> model, blending permaculture and economics to establish a symbiotic relationship between economic systems and the natural environment, fostering resilience and prompting a reevaluation of our connection with living organisms</p>
<h2>A colourful heritage to rediscover</h2>
<p>My <a href="https://hexagram.ca/fr/qu-est-ce-que-la-recherche-creation/">research-creation</a> proposes a critical reflection on textile dyeing. </p>
<p>This field of investigation leads me to explore colouring beyond its aesthetic to raise ecological, economic and pedagogical questions. </p>
<p>While the glamourous aspect of fashion obscures the health and socio-environmental issues of the textile industry, I direct my thinking toward a more global understanding of dyeing, including its origins, manufacturing methods and interactions with living organisms. </p>
<p>I explore the development of non-toxic dyes by studying, on one hand, literature on <a href="https://www.belin-editeur.com/le-monde-des-teintures-naturelles">natural dyes since prehistory</a>, and, on the other hand, by meeting experts in the field such as scientific historian <a href="https://www.cnrs.fr/sites/default/files/download-file/CardonD.pdf">Dominique Cardon</a> or ecoliterate artisan <a href="https://fibershed.org/staff-board/">Rebecca Burgess</a>, founder of the <a href="https://fibershed.org">Fibershed</a> concept, which aims to produce biodegradable clothing in a limited geographical space. </p>
<p>I also study field practices, including those of the Textile Laboratory of <a href="https://www.luma.org/arles/atelierluma.html">Atelier Luma</a>, which works at the intersection of ecology, textiles and regional economic development. </p>
<p>And, I keep an eye on <a href="https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/textiles-and-materials/postgraduate?collection=ual-courses-meta-prod&query=!nullquery&start_rank=1&sort=relevance&f.Subject-test%7Csubject=Textiles%20and%20materials&f.Course%20level%7Clevel=Postgraduate">design education programs </a>that offer an art-science approach where deep ecology is integrated into the design process. </p>
<h2>Symbiosis between nature and the textile industry</h2>
<p>Additionally, in the <a href="https://speculativelifebiolab.com/2022/04/03/cooking-and-culturing-colour-part-iv/">research laboratory</a> where I work, I experiment with the intersection of traditional and prospective dyeing recipes.</p>
<p>Inspired by the concept of <a href="https://www.scirp.org/(S(lz5mqp453edsnp55rrgjct55))/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?ReferenceID=1999041">industrial ecology</a> (precursor of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/conservation/sustainability/circular-economy.html">circular economy</a>), that values the waste of one industry as resources for another, I use <a href="https://www.lapresse.ca/societe/mode-et-beaute/2021-03-30/quand-les-dechets-se-melent-de-la-mode.php">agri-food waste</a> as a colouring source, combined with the use of <a href="https://hexagram.ca/en/demo2-vanessa-mardirossian-the-culture-of-color-an-ecoliteracy-of-textile-design/">pigment-producing bacteria</a> to expand the colour palette. </p>
<p>Thus, tannins from various waste materials can be used in dye recipes. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="bits of coloured fabric" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Fabric dyed from waste and bacteria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Vanessa Mardirossian)</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
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<p>But colouring a textile is only the visible part of the iceberg, as fibre preparation takes place upstream to ensure the colour’s resistance to light and washing, known as “mordanting.” Whether the fibre is animal or vegetable, different mordants will be used. </p>
<p>This expertise acquired iteratively between theory, prototyping, and results analysis contributes to gaining “textile ecoliteracy.” Coupled with a knowledge of biology, this allows for understanding the deleterious interactions between the material and living worlds. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the synthesis of ecoliteracy and biomimicry concepts has led me to reflect on a macro-vision of the fashion industry ecosystem, and to consider the concept of “textile ecoliteracy” as a means to deploy a network of intersectoral collaborations between design, health, education, and industry. </p>
<p>My research aims to show that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175693810X12774625387594">textile materiality must harmonize symbiotically with natural ecosystems</a> so that both parties benefit from their interaction.</p>
<p>In conclusion, the textile industry’s environmental and health impacts necessitate urgent attention and innovative solutions. This article has delved into the historical context, explored interdisciplinary approaches, and proposed the concept of “textile ecoliteracy” as a collaborative means to address these challenges. </p>
<p>By focusing on sustainable design, education, and the utilization of innovative practices, designers can play a pivotal role in reshaping the industry. The synthesis of ecological awareness and biomimicry principles highlights the potential for a harmonious coexistence between textile materiality and natural ecosystems. </p>
<p>As we move forward, fostering a symbiotic relationship between the textile industry and the environment is not just a choice but a collective responsibility — one that promises a healthier future for both people and the planet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216304/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vanessa Mardirossian is a member of Acfas, Hexagram and Concordia University's Textiles & Materiality and Critical Practices in Material and Materiality research laboratories. She has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Concordia University and Université du Québec à Montréal.</span></em></p>
The production, use and end-of-life of clothing all have an impact on our health. But greater ecological awareness could turn the tide.
Vanessa Mardirossian, PhD Candidate and educator in sustainable fashion, Concordia University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/217269
2023-11-10T15:20:04Z
2023-11-10T15:20:04Z
Phoebe Philo’s fashion frenzy: why her much-anticipated collection sold out within hours
<p>British luxury fashion designer <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/phoebe-philo">Phoebe Philo</a> OBE, debuted her long-anticipated eponymous label to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/nov/01/phoebe-philo-nearly-sells-out-exclusive-collection">critical acclaim</a> at the end of October. Despite the eye-watering price tags, the small range of clothing, accessories, jewellery and footwear – only available on the Phoebe Philo website – virtually sold out within hours. </p>
<p>But Philo is no stranger to fashion frenzies. Her 2005 <a href="https://www.vestiairecollective.com/search/?q=chloe+paddington+bag">Paddington bag</a>, created during her tenure as creative director at French designer <a href="https://www.chloe.com/experience/en/maison/?#history">Chloé</a>, became an instant and enduring “It bag” that sold out before it even hit the shelves. </p>
<p>Having stepped out of the fashion limelight in 2017, Philo has spent the past two years building anticipation for her return, initially teasing her hordes of loyal fashion fans – known as “Philophiles” – by announcing as long ago as 2021 that she was working on her own brand launch.</p>
<p>In June 2023 a post on her Instagram account stated the “inaugural collection will be revealed and available in September 2023”. Registration opened in July, but the launch was delayed until October 30, so the first that most people saw of the collection was when it went live on her website. </p>
<p>In today’s era of 24-7 social media content, old marques are revived and new fashion brands are launched supported by expensive marketing campaigns. These leverage the celebrity power of influencers and brand ambassadors, social media posts, advertising and editorial photo shoots, runway shows and red carpet appearances.</p>
<p>In the absence of this kind of 360-degree marketing, and in the fickle and fast-moving world of fashion, how did Philo manage to maintain her profile during her hiatus and then virtually sell out within hours of her new brand launch? Not to mention ensuring that social media and the world’s fashion press are all abuzz with talk of her return?</p>
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<h2>British wunderkind</h2>
<p>Philo trained at London’s Central Saint Martins College, graduating in 1996 a year after Stella McCartney who she later joined as assistant for ready-to-wear collections at French luxury house Chloé. McCartney was Chloé’s creative director from 1997 to 2001 and when she left, Philo took over, leading the house until 2006.</p>
<p>Under Philo, Chloé became the go-to label for the cool, fashion-conscious woman, with her blending of bohemian floaty fabrics with tailored pieces. A fashion house’s creative director sets the tone for its collections and often, as in Philo’s case, embodies the ideal brand customer. Her fans wanted to be dressed by her so as to be like her, generating an estimated $300 million for Chloé’s owners Richemont.</p>
<p>With sales predicted to rise, it must have been challenging when Philo took an official extended maternity leave, and later resigned from Chloé, citing a desire to spend more time with her young family.</p>
<p>For most of us, Parisian luxury labels are the stuff of fashion fantasies, symbolised by the glamorous lifestyles of the rich and famous. But behind the fantasy, luxury fashion is big business. <a href="https://www.lvmh.com/group/about-lvmh/governance/executive-committee/bernard-arnault/">Bernard Arnault</a>, founder, chairman and CEO of the world’s largest luxury goods company LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) topped the world’s richest list in 2022 with an estimated net worth of US$187.6 billion (£152.8 bn) in October 2023.</p>
<p>In luxury fashion, sales of handbags drive profits, and designers who can deliver a big-selling “It bag” keep the backers happy. So, it made perfect business sense when LVMH made Philo creative director and board member of the French <a href="https://www.celine.com/en-gb/cm/celine-maison-de-couture/16-vivienne?">Maison Céline</a> in 2008.</p>
<p>During her decade there Philo honed her pared-back luxury aesthetic becoming the fashionistas’ fashionista, making the brand both critically and financially successful, including producing several bestselling handbags. Philo promoted intelligent dressing and shared her admiration for cultural icons, such as American novelist and essayist <a href="https://www.joandidion.org/about-joan-didion">Joan Didion</a> who featured in a 2015 campaign. Named International Designer of the Year by the the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2011, by 2014 Philo was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people.</p>
<p>According to her <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/phoebe-philo">entry</a> on the Business of Fashion’s top 500, “Phoebe Philo’s work at Céline redefined what women aspire to wear.” Her look trickled down, the silhouettes and colour palettes inspiring and informing the fashion of popular high-street brands. </p>
<p>After ten years at Céline, Philo presented her final collection at Paris Fashion Week in March 2018 – but, despite stepping back from the industry, her aesthetic lived on thanks to tribute social media accounts such as @oldceline dedicated to the memory of Philo’s star pieces.</p>
<p>Philo’s “seasonless” debut collection features ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories, and feels very much like a continuation of her work at Céline. Alongside tailored wardrobe classics in colours such as dusky pink and “shroom”, standout pieces include a shearling sheepskin coat, hand-combed embroidered dresses and separates, an oversized biker jacket, statement sunglasses, square-toed shoes, an oversized Cabas tote bag and a “Mum” bracelet and necklace available in gold or silver.</p>
<p>With high prices, quality materials, limited and local production runs, Philo’s new venture perfectly chimes with the current trends of sustainable “quiet luxury” investing in high-quality, minimalist and timeless pieces, signalling just enough for those who know.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
By removing herself from fashion’s centre stage for five years, the much-lauded British designer managed to whip up serious anticipation for her new collection.
Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, Professor of Marketing and Sustainable Business at the British School of Fashion (GCU London), Glasgow Caledonian University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.