(RE)THINKING FASHION GLOBALIZATION · (Re)Thinking Fashion Globalization, Bunka Gakuen University Tokyo, 15-16 February 2019 3 Conference room 2nd day – all day The conference room

(RE)THINKINGFASHIONGLOBALIZATION

Seminarco-organizedbyTheTransboundaryFashionSeminar&

theResearchCollectiveforDecolonizingFashion

BunkaGakuenUniversityTokyo15-16February2019

(Re)ThinkingFashionGlobalization,BunkaGakuenUniversityTokyo,15-16February2019 2

VENUE

BunkaGakuenUniversity3Chome-22-1Yoyogi,Shibuya,Tokyo151-0053AccesstotheUniversityfromShinjukustationFromShinjukustation it isashort10-minutewalk to theuniversity.Please take thesouthexitofthestation,whichisfacingKoshuKaido,thestreetonwhichtheuniversityislocated.GototherightandfollowthestreetinthedirectionofHatsudai.YouwillwalkpastLabi(orYamadadenki,anelectronicsstore),andallkindsofstoresandtallbuildings.Theuniversitywillbeontheleftsideoftheroad.Conferenceroom1stday-morningTheconferenceroomC041forthemorningofthefirstdaywillbeintheCbuildingofBunkaGakuenUniversityonthe4thfloor.TheCbuildingisinbetweenthetwobigtowers.Pleaseenter thebuilding through the frontdoorandwalk toyour right to theelevators (not thegreyones,butthepurpleonesintheback).Theywilltakeyouuptothe4thflooroftheCbuilding.Conferenceroom1stday-afternoonTheconferenceroomF48 fortheafternoonofthefirstdaywillbeintheFbuildingofBunkaGakuenUniversityon4thfloor.TheFbuildingislocatedatthebacksideofthecampusandcanberecognizedbyitslargeglasswindowsongroundlevel.PassthroughtothebacksideoftheAbuilding,whereyouwillfindabigcourtyard.TheFbuildingisontheothersideofthecourtyard.Walkinthroughtheglassentrancetotheelevators,uptothe4thfloor.Theroomwillbeattheendofthehallwayontheright.


Conferenceroom2ndday–alldayThe conference room C041 for day twowill be the same roomon the 4th floor of theCbuilding.Wewillbeinthisroomtheentireday.UniversityMuseumTheuniversitymuseumislocatedrightnexttotheuniversity.WhatsappSaskiaThoelen+32477229695WhatsappAngelaJansen+32471774274WhatsappSarahCheang+447940725842


PROGRAMMEFriday15February20199h00–9h30 Registration(cbuilding4thfloor)9h30–10h00 WelcomespeechbyYokoTakagi(TheTransboundaryFashionSeminar)

andTobySlade(ResearchCollectiveDecolonizingFashion)(roomC041)

10h00–11h00 PanelI:Global/Local

Moderator:AngelaJansenLocation:roomC041YokoTakagi&SaskiaThoelenKimono Migrating Across Boarders: A Preliminary Study into theDiscoveryofWasōCultureOutsideofJapan

KyokoKomaDiscourses of Several Actors on Globalising Non-Western KawaiiFashioninthe21stCentury

11h00–11h30 Coffee11h30–12h30 PanelII:Global/Local(continued)

Moderator:TobySladeLocation:roomC041AngelaJansen‘Tribalization or the End of Globalization’: Rethinking CulturalHomogenizationThroughFashionGlobalization

HarrietteRichardsMelancholia at the Margins: Place and History in the Fashion ofAotearoaNewZealand

12h30–13h30 Lunch13h30 –14h30 VisitKimonoExhibitionattheUniversityMuseum 14h30–15h30 PanelIII:MappingFashion

Moderator:YokoTakagiLocation:RoomF48SarahCheangandElizabethKramerEastAsianGlobalConnectionsandFashionHistories


JennyHughesBodyMapping:CrossCulturalInfluencesintheStudio

15h30–16h00 Coffee16h00–17h00 PanelIV:MappingFashion(continued) Moderator:SarahCheang

Location:RoomF48

DaanvanDartelSurinameseKotomisi:MultipleIdentitiesofFashionAbbyLillethunandLindaWeltersCoatsandTrousers:RedrawingtheMaptoRescripttheNarrative

Saturday16February20199h30–10h30 PanelV:FashionSystems

Moderator:AngelaJansenLocation:roomC041ChepkemboiJMang’ira#OWNYOURCULTURE – Decolonizing Fashion Through TraditionalJewelryOsuanyiQuaicooEssel&MalikaKraamerDressFashionPostersinConsumerFashionChoicesandPreferencesinGhana

10h30–11h00 Coffee11h00–12h00 PanelVI:FashionSystems(continued) Moderator:TobySlade

Location:roomC041

YuniyaKawamuraEthnicDressStylesasNewSustainableLuxuryKatalinMedvedevOnceAgain,PoliticsWrapsBudapestFashionSceneinaShroud

12h00–13h00 Lunch


13h00–14h00 PanelVII:MigrationModerator:SarahCheangLocation:roomC041DeirdreClemente“Our Clothes Told Everyone Where We Were From”: Nineteenth-CenturyImmigration,Ethnicity,andtheChangingLanguageofDressCourtneyFuNegotiatingIdentities:FashionsofNyonyas(StraitsChineseWomen)inEarly20thCenturySingapore

14h00–14h30 Coffee14h30–15h30 PanelVIII:GlobalDesignPractice

Moderator:YokoTakagiLocation:roomC041JoseTeunissen(bySkype)State of Fashion: Searching for the New Luxury. Imagination,Sustainability,EmbodiedPractice,CraftRevival,NewNarratives

HazelClarkandAllaEizenbergMaking the Ordinary Fashionable: New Sartorial Languages fromRussiaandChina

15h30–16h00 Coffee16h00–18h00 Finalroundupdiscussionandbookdiscussion Moderator:TobySlade

Location:roomC04118h00 Dinner


ABSTRACTSFriday15February2019PanelI:Global/LocalKimono Migrating Across Boarders: A Preliminary Study into the Discovery of WasōCultureOutsideofJapanYokoTakagi&SaskiaThoelenAbouthalfacenturyafterthelarge-scaleintroductionofWesterndressinJapanleadingtoadrastic decrease in wasō (i.e. the wearing of kimono) limited to special events andceremonies,Japanhasseenanincreaseinthewearingofkimonoascasualdressinitsmajorurbancentres,asanalternativetogloballydominantdress.Oneoftheconcreteexamplesofthisphenomenonistheestablishmentanddevelopmentofkimonowearinggroups,suchas“KimonodeJack.”TheKimonoJackmovement,(high-jackingaspacewithkimonowearers)hasbeenspreadingalloverJapan,andhasinfluencedkimonowearersoverseastoestablishtheir own groups, starting with Kimono de Jack UK (since 2011), and leading to thedevelopment of other Kimono de Jack groups inmany other countries around theworld,mostnotablyinEuropeandinNorthAmerica.Theestablishmentanddevelopmentofthesegroupsgoeshandinhandwiththespreadofkimonooverseas,andtheinterpretationandadaptationofwasōacrossborders.Therefore,ourresearchconcentratesonthewayinwhichkimonoiscrossinggeographicalboundariesandhowit isbeingusedand iscreatingnewmeaningsfor itsusers in locationsoutsideofJapan. Through preliminary surveys and in-depth interviews with “key-players” from thewasōsceneoverseas,datawascollectedfromfourdistinct locations,twoinEurope(Paris,Amsterdam),andtwointheUS(NewYork,Philadelphia),makinguseofaninterdisciplinaryapproachwith a focus onmaterial culture. The theories of cultural transfer (Espagne andWerner, 1985) and intersectionalities (Kaiser, 2012) provided a lens to focus onwearer’sinterpretation and adaptation of the kimono across borders from multiple viewpoints.Finally,theframeworksofjaponisme,andagency(Giddens,1982)guidedustoanalysehownewmeaningsandinterpretationsareactivelycreatedamongstkimonowearersoverseas.Discourses of Several Actors on Globalising Non-Western Kawaii Fashion in the 21stCenturyKyokoKomaFrench fashion has been considered “the normative fashion”,which proposes fashionablestyles that dominate the fashion positions that everyone should follow, including non-Western others. But French fashion cannot be considered equal to “theFrench Fashion”because the latter has been established on appropriating “the others” from abroad, asshownbytheexpositionModed’ici,Moded’ailleurs,heldin2014attheNationalMuseumof Immigration History in Paris. The exhibit featured comprehensive French fashionproposedbyseveralothers:bypeoplefleeingtoParisduringtheRussianRevolution,asseen


in Irfé,during theSpanishCivilWar,as seen in theworkofBalenciagaandsoon.Foreigndesigners sought to differentiate themselves during the second half of the 20th century.Today, contemporary fashion is informed by globalization. On the one side, Paris fashioncould be considered as having historically appropriated other cultures sometimes exoticones, includingprimitiveorientalisminthe19thcenturyandfuturistorientalisminthe20thcentury, as seen in skyscrapers in Tokyo or New York (Todorov 1989), or the egalitarianexoticismofthe21st-centuryJapanesepopcultureboom(Rafoni2004,Sabre2014).Ontheanotherside,couldweconsiderFrenchfashionasafashioncomposedofvariousfeaturesofseveral non-Western others, and can its non-Western fashion be diffused globally byborrowingtheframeas“theFrenchFashion”asatacticagainststrategy,basedonMichelDeCerteau’sdefinitions?My paper will focus on the direct or indirect tactic of transnationalising (rather thanglobalising) the Japanesekawaii or immature style,which is anon-Western fashionwhichhas been considered decentred from a Eurocentric, modern society. After criticallyexamining theprevious studies onkawaii’s definition, throughdiscourse analysis, Iwill toclarify the process bywhich this non-Western style could be constructed and diffused byseveral actors as a feature of transnationalisation in France, in that dictionary Le Robertadopted kawaii as a French loanword: firstly, directly by wearers themselves in SNS orInternet,toconstructanichefashionoutsideofmassmedia;bytheJapanesegovernment,in the hopes of exploiting the popularity of the kawaii fashion, especially among Frenchyouth;andindirectlybysomeFrenchfashionbrands,whichhaveconstructedanddiffusedor,asmentionedabove,“appropriated”or“localised”and(re)globalisedthekawaiistyle,asreportedinmassmedia.Iwillexaminehowthekawaiistyle,asanon-Westernfashion,couldbeglobalised/transnationalisedinthe21stcenturybywayoftheInternetandmassmediathroughdiscourseanalysisofSNSandFrenchmassmedia,suchasofnationalnewspapersandfashionmagazines(digitalversions)publishedinthe2010s.PanelII:Global/Local(continued)‘Tribalization or the End of Globalization’: Rethinking Cultural Homogenization ThroughFashionGlobalizationAngelaJansenInspiredbythearticle‘Tribalization.OrtheEndofGlobalization,’thispaperfocusesontherenaissance in recent years of fashion based on cultural heritage in response to (fashion)globalization.Afterdecadesofincreasingglobalization,theworldisactuallyfacingadeclinein globalization, with a worldwide rise of authoritarian nationalism and fundamentalism.Peoplearebelievedtobeplunginginanidentitycrisisandtheircollectiveresponsehasbeentribalization:thereturntoastrongfoundationalculturalidentity.However, the cultural heritagesonwhich these foundational cultural identities arebased,were largely shapedanddefinedby former (Western) colonizers. Colonized cultureswerecharacterised as traditional, as opposed to the modern colonizers, to justify oppressivecolonial politics. Cultural heritageswere reduced to static snapshots in time and as such,robbedoftheir long,oftenglobalanddynamichistories.After independence,newnationsused these reductionist colonial writings to identify ‘traditional, ancestral and authentic’culturalheritagestoshapenationalidentities.


Fashion globalization,which generally refers to the global spread ofWestern fashion andwith it, Eurocentric hegemonic fashion discourse, often falsely suggests equality andinclusivitybyincluding‘other’fashionsystems,butthroughtheirrelationsandinteractionswith Western fashion rather than in their own right, sustaining marginalisation andinequality. Itusually impliestheriseof ‘new’ fashioncapitals followingthe introductionofWestern fashion, denying and erasing long, often global and dynamic fashion historiesoutsidethegeographicalboundariesofEuropeandNorthAmerica.Thispaperargues that theerasureof fashionhistoriesoutside theWesthasbeen feedinginto fundamentalist cultural and consequently national (fashion) identities.While culturalhomogenization in the contextof globalization ismainly arguedas aworldwide spreadofWesternculture,thispaperdiscussesculturalhomogenizationwithinpostcolonialnationsinresponseto(fashion)globalization.MelancholiaattheMargins:PlaceandHistoryintheFashionofAotearoaNewZealandHarrietteRichardsAotearoaNewZealand is situated inmanywaysat themargins. Isolatedwithin theSouthPacificOceanandattheperipheryoftheglobaleconomy,thisplaceisauniquelypositionedpostcolonial location. This small island nation is also deeply implicated within the globalfashionsystemandcomprisesalonghistoryofuniquesartorialadornmentandindependentdesign.MuchrecentresearchhasexploredthehistoryoffashioninAotearoaNewZealand(De Pont ed. 2012;Hammonds et al. 2010; Labrumet al. 2007;Molloy and Larner 2013).However, littlehasbeenwrittenregardingtherelationshipofthisfashiontotheplaceanditshistory.Thus,inthispaperIamconcernedwiththewaysinwhichthehistoryofAotearoaNew Zealand, and notions of the place itself, inform the production of particular fashionaesthetics. Iamalso interested inhowtheaestheticsofplacearerepresented indifferentforms of cultural production and how they contribute to the construction of particularnarrativesofhistoryandculturalidentity.Melancholiaisalsosituatedatthemarginsinmanyways.Aconceptofsignificanthistoricalconsequenceandanaestheticqualitythatspeaksspecificallyoftheliminalspacebetweendistinct differentiations (Benjamin 2009; Ferber 2013).Melancholia hasmuch in commonwithfashionandwithAotearoaNewZealand.Employingthisconceptasaheuristicdevice,IexplorehowanaestheticofmelancholiaisfashionedinAotearoaNewZealandandhowthisaestheticreflectsandrepresentstheplace,itshistory,anditsculturalidentity.Byengagingwith the conceptofmelancholia in relation to sartorial aesthetics and identity, this paperpresentsanoriginalapproachtothestudyofcultureandhistoryinAotearoaNewZealand,and offers a unique method through which we might think about the construction ofcolonialandglobalizednarrativesoffashionandidentityelsewhere.


PanelIII:MappingFashionEastAsianGlobalConnectionsandFashionHistoriesSarahCheangandElizabethKramerThe Fashion in Translation (FiT) project (Royal College of Art; University of Northumbria;UniversityofBrighton)aimstoreformulatethenational,transnationalandglobalusingEastAsianperspectivesandobject-ledstudiesoffashionhistory.Theprojectplacesemphasisonfollowing fashion’smovementswithinEastAsia,andbetweenEastAsiaandotherpartsoftheworld,andexploresthe impossibilityofgraspinganddefiningglobalization(aquestionthatisoftenraisedintransnationalstudies).RootingtheresearchinEastAsiaalsoprovokesa series of rejoinders to on-going Eurocentric tendencies in global fashion studies andproposesnewmodelsforunderstandingfashionandpostcolonialism.ThispaperwillusetwonewexamplesoftransnationalfashionresearchfromtheFiTprojecttocatalyzeanactivediscussionofEastAsianfashionhistoriesasgloballyconnected.Astudyof early 20th century Chinese embroidered shawls that attends to the transformationsinvolvedintransmissionbetweenChina,thePhilippines,LatinAmerica,SpainandEngland,enablesanewhistoryofAsian-American-EuropeaninteractionstobewrittenthatdoesnotprivilegeEuropeandNorthAmerica,norcreateasimplisticnarrativeof‘exotic’componentsinEuropeanfashion.Likewise,followingthesouvenirjacketfromitsoriginembroideredbytheJapaneseforU.S.occupyingforcestoitsreinterpretationduringtheVietnamWar,toitsuse tomarkout rebellious subculturesand internationalappearance inpopular films,andsubsequentcommercialisationasamainstreamfashiongarment,demonstratesa fluidandsustained transmittal dialogue. By bridging the gap between cultural studies and thematerial evidence of museum collections, and centering the study of cultural flows offashion on East Asia, we seek more satisfying ways to challenge binary constructions ofEast/West, traditional/modern, which are an insufficient model for understanding thecomplexitiesofglobalflowbutthatcontinuetohauntfashionstudies.BodyMapping:CrossCulturalInfluencesintheStudioJennyHughesApresentationoftheworkofstudentsatUCARochesterdocumentingtheirexperienceoffashionandexperimental textileswithin the studio viamultidisciplinary, issuebasedworkexploringcross-culturalnarratives.AsapractisingtextileartistandUniversityLecturerspecialisinginfashiondesign,Istrivetoinstil a sense of ‘critical adventure’ in fashion and textile students. Encouraging them toquestion their own understanding, break down perceptions, to re-invent and deconstructstereotypes andmove away fromwell-worn euro-centric perspectives.My illustrated talkwill focusonthestudents’creativeexperiencethroughaseriesofdocumentedworkshopsand projects designed to enhance their knowledge of and at the same time question themeta-narrative of ‘Global Fashion’. In short, we see how a group of students begin toidentifyandcontestmoreandlessvisibleboundariesthatpermeatefashionsystemsaroundtheworld.


Contextual exploration includes the ground-breaking work of contemporary African andAsiandesignerssuchasPhyllisGalembo,ManishArora,ReiKawakubo,JunyaWatanabeandYohji Yamamoto. With an emphasis on more dynamic ways of exploring fashion design:envelopingthebodythroughdraping,wrapping,exploringasymmetryandmultiplesaswellas considering ‘clothing‘ in amore abstract sense. Students study the Japanese aestheticconceptsof‘Ma’exploringthespace/gapbetweenthebodyandclothes,andof‘WabiSabi’the acceptance of transience and the innate beauty of imperfection as a conceptualspringboardfordesignandconstruction.As students’ address ecological concerns, migration, social and gender issues, etc., theirdesign experiments move beyond eurocentric/ethnocentric discourses within fashion toexploredynamicculturalhybridsandweaveanalternativefuture.Outcomesbecomemorepolitically, socially and ethically engaged through questioning and re-framing issues andperspectivesdeemed‘global’.PanelIV:MappingFashion(continued) SurinameseKotomisi:MultipleIdentitiesofFashionDaanvanDartelWhenconsideringentangledhistories,according towestern logicsandtheorisation,whichare firmly embedded in dichotomous thinking, disentangled histories should also bepossible.Ofcourse,theyarenot,thereisnosuchthingasadisentangledculture,whichisperhaps best expressed in theway people dress. Speaking of global fashionhistories, theoriginally colonial collections of the NMVW in the Netherlands, the National Museum ofWorld Cultures, abounds with these types of garments that inherently embody thedynamism in theproductionof culture.Since in the so-calledWest,whereglobalisation isoftenseenasstartingwithEuropeanimperialism,excludingtherestoftheworldaspeoplewithouthistory (Wolf,1992), the fashioningof theperiodof transatlantic slavery isaveryinteresting example of the perceived hegemony of western fashion theory. In my talk, IwouldliketolookataSurinamesefashionstylecalledkotomisi,forwhichitalwayshasbeenassumedthat itsorigin lieswithinEuropeannotionsofdressandmodesty. Iwanttoshowthat the development of kotomisi entailed processes of selection, force, adaptation,resistance, and creolisation of different cultures, among which Europe, Africa and Japan.Kotomisi,nowoftenconsideredandvehementlyexpressedasanemblemofculturalidentityandregionaldress,wasfashionandisindeedstillfashionabletodayandverymuchpartofalocalentangledfashionsystemgoneglobal.NB–thisresearchiscurrentlyongoing,soitmaybethatmytalkisstill inconclusive,butitwilladdressthelargerquestionsraisedbytheCFP.CoatsandTrousers:RedrawingtheMaptoRescripttheNarrativeAbbyLillethunandLindaWeltersThispaper seeks to redraw themapand rescript thenarrativeof coats and trousers, twogarmentsthathavebecomegloballyubiquitous.Coatscovertheupperbody,havesleeves,


andopeninthefront.Trousersarebifurcatedgarmentsthatcoverthelowertorso,crotcharea,andlegs.HistoriesofWesternfashiongenerallyassignthecoat’semergenceintheWesttotransferfrom Persia (Payne, et al. 1992; Tortora and Marcketti 2015); however, few explore thecoat’sdevelopmentinAsia.WesternfashionhistoriestreattrouserswithevenlessattentiontotheirAsianorigins.Asthestorygoes,theRomansadoptedtrousers(“feminalia”)fromthe“barbarians” in Gaul (Payne, et al. 1992; Tortora and Marcketti 2015). The eventualnormativewearingofcoatsandtrousersintheWestbymen,andlaterbywomen,appearsin fashion surveys and discussions of modern fashion as a fait accompli rather thanemergentfromlongculturalexchange.Recent archaeological discoveries of extant coats and trousers in China add evidence toaugmentvisualrepresentationsinart.SurvivingcoatswerefoundinChina’sXinjiangUyghurAutonomousRegion; oneofwool is dated to the fifth to second centuryBCE and severalsurvive from the fourth to sixth centuries CE (Mair 2010). In the same region of China,archaeologistsfoundtheoldestextanttrousers,twopair,datingtobetweenthethirteenthandtenthcenturiesBCE(Becketal2014).Althoughgapsremainintracingtheadoptionofcoatsandtrousers,itmaybearguedthatcoatsandtrouserswerenotoriginaltoEurope,butthattheytravelledthereviaprehistoricandancienttradenetworks.The important rolesof coats and trousers indiverse fashion systemsacross thepast, andtheir continuity in contemporary fashion systems, demands that their narratives berescripted to foreground their development in Asia and to explore their transculturaladoption.Saturday16February2019PanelV:FashionSystems#OWNYOURCULTURE–DecolonizingFashionThroughTraditionalJewelryChepkemboiJMang’iraMy name is Chepkemboi Mang’ira, founder of OwnYourCulture, an online platform thatencouragesyoungKenyanstoembracetheirheritagethroughcreativestylingoftraditionalaccessories.Weaimtopromote,preserveandeducatetheyouthontraditionaljewelryandits relevance in today’s fashion. Our work began as a social media hashtag showcasingdifferentways traditionalaccessories canbe fashionable.We left itopen for theyouth topredictandbringforthstoriesoftheircultureorstoriespasseddownintheircommunitiesalongside the styled photos. This movement is relevant in Kenya because we havecompletelyabandonedourtraditionalclothingstyles,withlittleornorecordsofpre-colonialfashion.InKenyatheacceptedattire ispurelywesternizedfromclothestohair,asopposedtotheleather,featheredgarmentsandlayersofornamentsofpre-colonialtimes.WesternfashionisreligiouslyconsumedwithstyletrendsheavilyinfluencedbyWesternmedia.Inourwork-OwnYourCulture, we focus on restructuring the fashion trends narrative to have a moreinclusiveaspectoffashion,wherebyourtraditional/pre-colonialdesignformsstillplayaroleinmoderndayfashion.Wedothisbystylingtraditionalaccessoriesfordifferentoccasions,


fromworktoweddings.InKenyaandthelargerEasternAfrica,majorityofthetribesworeleather hides with beaded patterns, or flamboyant feather outfits. With the advent ofcolonizationforonetoattendschoolorworkandearnmoney,theyhadtodenouncetheirreligionanddress.Thiswasaidedbybrainwashingtacticsthatwouldthenaffectgenerationstocome,leadingtothedissipationoftraditionalclothing.Todate,theterm‘traditional’stillhas a negative connotation in fashion.Western accessories aremore preferable than thelargebeadedornaments.AtOwnYourCultureweconsistentlyresearchandsharethedesignstylesofthepre-colonialperiod.Wehaveevengoneastepfurthertocreateeventswhereindividualsmustdressinawaythatrepresentstheirheritage.Withtheonsetoftheinternetandinstantsharingofinformation,therehasbeenaneedtoreclaim the narrative by Kenyans.We alsowant to be seen for our creativity and designacrosstheglobe.Onsocialmediatherearenoboundariesanymore,informationandtrendsareavailableacross theworldanddesignerswant toshowcaseandbeacknowledgedtoo.History is being rewritten now through our work and similar initiatives. For example ourworkhasinspiredmoreKenyanstosearchfortheirfashionidentitiesbasedonourheritage.Designershavenowstartedtousetheirheritageandsomeofthepre-colonialworkwehavepublishedtorecreateuniquepieces.When fashion is inclusive, there’s a general pride and freshness of ideas. For example, inEastAfrica alone there exist hundreds of tribes, eachwith their own traditional style anddesignaesthetic.Thiscanbeahugesourceofcreativeinspirationforartistsanddesignersalike.Thisinturncreateseconomicopportunitiesacrosstheboard.DressFashionPostersinConsumerFashionChoicesandPreferencesinGhanaOsuanyiQuaicooEssel&MalikaKraamerGhana is a fashion conscious country with thousands of creative bespoke designers,seamstressesandtailors.Thesetailors, seamstressesanddesignerscreatestunningoutfitsofhighaestheticqualityrangingfromhautecouture,middleclassandstreetfashion.Duetothe bespoke nature ofmost of Ghana’s fashion systems, hundreds of new designs trickleonto her fashionmarkets on daily bases giving consumersmany options to choose from.Many of these creative bespoke dress-fashion designs are cataloged and published infashionpostersthatarewidelydistributedandfoundinalmosteverytailoringshopacrossthelengthandbreadthofthecountry.ThesepostersarepredominantlyprintedinLagosandAccraandlargelydistributedthroughthemajormarketsanditinerantsellers.The fashion posters have becomemajor handy tools for bespoke fashion advertisementsthat shape and inform the fashion choices of consumers. In this article we explore theeditorialpreferencesofdress-fashionproducersandwhatinformtheirselectionoffashiondesigns that feature in fashion posters. It also examines the factors that determine theconsumerchoicesofdesigns featured in thepostersand its relationshipwith theeditorialpreferences of seamstresses, tailors and designers. Descriptive survey constitutes theresearchdesignwhilesimpledescriptivestatisticsandthematicanalysiswouldbeusedforthedataanalysis.This co-presented and researched paper, part of a wider project on fashion systems inGhana,addsourunderstandingofa fashionsystembeyondtheoften-perceiveddominantglobalcitynetworks.ItexploresoneaspectofasystemthatdoesnotcurrentlyhaveitsmainreferencesinEuropeanfashiontrends,butisnonethelessinternational–thesepostershave


awidespread throughoutWestAfricaandalso influence thespecialoccasionwearof theGhanaianandNigeriandiasporas.ThefocusonGhanahelpstorethinkfashionglobalizationdiscoursesbyshiftingthecentertoadecolonialisedfashionsystem.PanelVI:FashionSystems(continued)EthnicDressStylesasNewSustainableLuxuryYuniyaKawamuraWesterndresshasalwaysclaimeditssuperiorityoverethnicdressbecauseitwasasymbolof advanced economic development and sophisticated civilization. There are culturalhierarchiesamongdifferenttypesofdress,andtheimageofethnicdressisnotmodernandfarfromfashion,andthuswe,asscholars,needto“decolonize”fashionfromtheWesterninterpretations (Jansen and Craik 2016). In addition, recent discussions onsustainable/ethicalfashionincludeprimarilyWesterndress/fashion(GordonandHill2015).Iofferadifferentinsightonethnicdressassustainableluxuryfashion.Forexample,Japanesekimonos, Indian saris, and African dashikis arewoven or cut in straight lines to constructgeometrical silhouettes leavinghardlyany (orno) fabric remnants,andthesizesareoftenadjustedbymakingtucksandpleats.Theyrarelyusebuttonsorzippers.Simplicityisoneofthe reasons for its devaluation sinceWestern dress hasmore complex constructions andtherefore,woulddemandadvanceddressmakingskills.However,ethnicdressoftenrequiresdeep knowledge of the sartorial code aswell as aesthetic regulations. Itmay also offer adistinct aesthetic and luxury taste that is unique to its culture and provides Westernersdifferent perspectives on fashion. As controversial debates on cultural appropriationcontinueinthefashionindustry,wemustfindwaystointegrateWesternandethnicdressinculturallyacceptablewaystoestablishanewmeaningofsustainableluxuryfashionsothatwecantrulyanalyzefashionanddressfromglobalperspectivesandbemoreinclusiveofalltypesofdresswhileerasingorminimizingculturalhierarchies.OnceAgain,PoliticsWrapsBudapestFashionSceneinaShroudKatalinMedvedevAn imaginary Western fashion map today would have a blank spot over Budapest, thecapitalofHungary.Infact,theentireformerEasternBlocwouldappearonsuchamapasafashionwasteland.Whatisnoteworthy,however,isthatintheearly20thcenturyBudapestwasan importantcommercial, retail,and fashionhub. In fact,accordingtodresshistorianKatalinDózsa,attheturnofthe20thcenturytheproperorderofpremierEuropeanfashioncenterswasParis,London,Vienna,Berlin,andBudapest.This paper argues that the fashion scene inHungary (togetherwith other Eastern-CentralEuropeancountries)wasmadeinvisiblefollowingWorldWarIIbecausethecountrybecameavictimof(geo)politics.Althoughthecommunisttakeoverin1947iswidelyacceptedasthereason for thedemiseofBudapestasa fashioncenter, Iwouldposit that since the fallofcommunism, two other significant reasons have emerged for the unlikelihood of the city


returningtoitsformerglory:theinsidiouseffectsofColdWarrhetoricthatcontinuetothisday,resurfacingasanewColdWar;andcurrentHungarianpolitics.Communists treated fashion as ameans of reification of ideological principles, presentingthem in visually accessible forms on the bodies of female communists. Both sides of the1950s political-economic divide used fashion to battle out their differences. Think of thefamousKitchenDebatethattookplaceattheopeningofthe1959U.S.NationalExhibitioninMoscow. In a sparringwithPremier Khrushchev, PresidentNixon claimed that becauseoftheeaseofhousework,whichwastheresultofadevelopedcapitalisteconomy,U.S.womenwereabletospendplentyoftimeontheirappearanceunlikecommunistwomen,whowerepresented in Western propaganda as drably-dressed workhorses. Popular media wasinstrumentalinsearingthisimageintheWesternmind.Acaseinpointisthefamous1980sWendy’scommercialdemonstratingthe lackofchoiceandfashionbyacorpulent,middle-agedSoviet“fashionmodel”saunteringdowna“runway”inthesamefrumpygreydressforalloccasions.InthenewColdWar,theWestcontinuestoimagineEastern-CentralEuropeanwomen as having no fashion identity of their own or, at best, as routine followers ofWesternfashion.ThesecondreasonisHungary’scurrentnationalistbrandofcapitalism,whichhaspoliticizedevery aspect of people’s lives, including the realm of fashion. Under the rulingadministration, major capital investment, an absolute must in the fashion industry, isavailableonly fordesignershandpickedby thegovernment for theirpoliticalallegiance. Inreturn, the designers are expected to create “genuine Hungarian fashion,” which meansutilizing Hungarian folk motifs in their products. Such inflexible images, views, andundertakingsappeartobringdownthehammerfortheforeseeablefutureonthepotentialof a renewed Eastern-Central European fashion scene in general and on Budapest inparticular.PanelVII:Migration“Our Clothes Told EveryoneWhereWeWere From”: Nineteenth-Century Immigration,Ethnicity,andtheChangingLanguageofDressDeirdreClementeAsfashionstudiesmovestowardsamorenuancedunderstandingofglobalfashionsystems,old constructs of class and gender still dominatemany of our new narratives. This paperreinterpretsoneof themoststudiedyetwidelymiscastplayersof thepast twocenturies:the immigrant. Still considered by laypeople and scholars alike to be destitute, rag-taggreenhornswith little knowledgeof theirhost culture, turn-of-the-century immigrantsareseenheretobefarmoreclothingsavvythanprevioushistorieshaveallowed.Byrevisitinghow and where immigrants cobbled together a new language of dress, we can bettercomprehendthemanyandvariedmeaningsofclothingatapivotaltimeinthedevelopmentofglobalcapitalism—thelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcentury.Presentedhereare two case studies: thecontadini from southern ItalianswhoarrivedenmassetoNewYorkCityandChineseimmigrantswhoflockedtoCaliforniainthesecondhalfof the nineteenth century. Using archival materials such as oral histories, governmentdocuments, personal letters, and historic newspapers that have been collected from 11


archives over 15 years, this research-rich paper studies the role of dress in immigrantidentity formation. Yet the lessons gleaned transcend time and place. Rather, this paperaimstoexplainhowimmigrantsfromdifferentcontinentsandcircumstancesuseddresstonavigatethegapsbetween“traditional”and“modern”notionsofrace,class,andgender.AsAndrea Sartorini, an immigrant from Sicily in 1908, explained, “Our clothes told everyonewherewewerefrom,butwequicklylearnedthedifferencesbetweenouroldworldandournewworld.Wechangedourclothestobeboth.”Withsourcesthatcapturethevoicesand“livedexperience”oftheimmigrantsthemselves,thispaperasks—andanswers—importantquestionsabouttheroleofdressintheprocessofglobalmigration.NegotiatingIdentities:FashionsofNyonyas(StraitsChineseWomen)inEarly20thCenturySingaporeCourtneyFuThis paper addresses the issue of fashion globalization through a study of how migrantsocieties dealt with competing models of modernities. It focuses on the Chinese femaleimmigrants in early 20th century Singapore, and uses the domestication of cheongsam ascasestudy. Iarguethatanappropriatedstyleevolvedthroughcarefuldeliberationsbythefashion leaders of the immigrant society over Anglicized, Americanized, and Sinicizedmodernities, and that this localized style overtime transcended the social and culturalbarriers and transformed the sojourners of an adopted land to citizens of a new foundnation.This paper also demonstrates that outside the established fashion capitals of the era,colonialSingapore,byvirtueofitsculturaldiversityandreceptivitytoforeigninfluences,wasnonethelessavibrantfashionsysteminitsownright.Twotypesofpublicwomenemergedas fashion leaders: the socialites and the dance-hostesses of the cabarets at the newlyestablished amusement parks. As immigrants in the colonial hub of British Malaya, theChineseweresubjectedtofashiontrendsfromEuropeancolonizers,Hollywoodmovies,andthe easternmetropolis of Shanghai.While choosing between these competing influences,factoringlocalidiosyncrasiesandpersonalcalculationsaboutclassandstatuswasalsopartof their daily sartorial practices. Against the background of rapid urbanization andcommercialization,anascentfashionindustryemerged.Thestylizedcheongsamdressingsetinmotion by the trendsetterswas eventually consumed bymore immigrants of differentoriginsandbackgrounds,thankstothelocalmanufacturersandretailers.Assuch,whencheongsamwasbannedinJapan-occupiedTaiwan,wanedinChinaduringthecivilwaranddisappearedaltogetherwiththemilitarizationofclothingundertheCommunistregime, the dress became a trendy formof dailywear by the expandingworking class ofChinesewomeninSingaporegearingtowardindependence.


PanelVIII:GlobalDesignPracticeState of Fashion: Searching for the New Luxury. Imagination, Sustainability, EmbodiedPractice,CraftRevival,NewNarrativesJoseTeunissen(bySkype)Thedigitalizationin21stCenturyhasgeneratedanewgenerationoffashiondesignerswhono longerneedtomovetoestablishedfashioncentrestostartaglobalcareerandtogainglobalrecognition.Throughwebshops,blogs,socialmediaandlocalFashionWeekstheyareabletoestablishaglobalbusinessfromanyplaceaswellasbeingpartofthecurrentcriticalFashiondiscoursetore-thinkthesystem.(Teunissen2005;8-23,Teunissen2018:12-72).InthispaperIwanttoarguethatthisnewgenerationoffashiondesignersisoperatingfromanewandengagedvision.Beingawareofsocialandenvironmentalissuesandthefailuresofthe current fashion system, they are fundamentally rethinking and redefining the fashionsystembyimplementingnewvaluesandnewimaginationsusinganembodiedpracticeasanactivistictool.Sincemanyofthesenewcomershaveanon-westernbackground,theyarenotobviously using the conventional values and notions of the dominant Western Fashionhistoryanditsintertwiningwithmovementsconceptualism,modernismorpost-modernism.Atthesametime,theydonotsomuchexpressthetraditionfromwhichtheycome(Brand,Teunissen2005, 2011:157-177), Fukai 2006:288-314);Skov2011:137-157) as thepath theytake between that tradition and the various contexts they traverse, and they do this byperforming acts of transition. (Bourriaud, 2009 51-51).More important, imagination is nolongerbeingemployedasamaterialisedfantasy,asaformofescapismorasareflectionofanotherworld-asevoked intheconventional fashionglamour.Butthenewgeneration isable to create attractive fresh new imaginations shaping new and more responsible andsocial connected worlds without any references (to the conventional Western Fashionhistory),wheretheimaginationhasbecome,intermsofAppadurai(1996:3-5)anorganizedfieldofsocialpractices,aformofwork(inthesenseofbothlaborandculturallyorganizedpractice. MakingtheOrdinaryFashionable:NewSartorialLanguagesfromRussiaandChinaHazelClarkandAllaEizenbergAcrossthetwentiethcenturythepolitics,historiesandsartorialculturesofbothRussiaandChina resonated with one another, and the dress of both countries likewise served as‘inspiration’ forWestern fashiondesigners.This referencingdrewondifferentperiodsandon the ‘otherness’ of extraordinary garments from imperial Russia (e.g. Yves St Laurent’s‘Russian’collection1976/77)andChina (ChristianLacroix,FrontièreChinoiseF/W1992/3).Ordinary outfits also caught the attention of some designers (Donna Karan, ‘ChineseWorker,’S/S1995).How,weask in thispaper, ifatall,have thevestimentaryhistoriesofRussiaandChina,andtheirappropriationbyWesternfashion,hadanimpactonthesartoriallanguages of emerging generations of fashion designers originating from these twocountries?We draw particular attention to contemporary fashion interest in the everyday, andreference MicheldeCerteau’snotionof ‘tactics’and ‘strategies’ toanalyze theappealof


theeverydayas a sourcebydesigners fromnationsoutsideof recent fashionhistory.Weconsider howmuch cultural discontinuities and political and economic changes (includingthefalloftheSovietUnionin1991,andthe‘openingup’ofChina)andnostalgiaforthoseearliertimeshavestimulatedaninterestbyemergingRussianandChinesefashiondesignersinordinaryclotheswornintheSovietUnion,andinChinainthetwentiethcentury.FocusinginparticularontheRussianGoshaRubchinskiyandChineseMaKeasrarecasesofdesignerswhohaveachievedconsiderableprominenceintheWesternfashiondiscourse,weanalyze their different creative interests in the everyday and thewider reception of theirwork. We propose that their approaches can serve as new forms of inventiveness,corresponding to de Certeau’s ‘tactics,’ and ask whether they have the potential toundermine theperpetuationof ‘strategies’ of extraordinariness andotherness inWesternfashion.

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(RE)THINKING FASHION GLOBALIZATION · (Re)Thinking Fashion Globalization, Bunka Gakuen University Tokyo, 15-16 February 2019 3 Conference room 2nd day – all day The conference room