On Friday, we discussed how traditional clothes is a part of cultural
performance. Dresses, t-shirts, hats and other items represent heritage
and history of the nation, race and community. But what if these items
of clothes are worn by someone outside of traditional
circle and are utilized in a new, more modern, way? Kimono is a
traditional Japanese garment, and the national dress of Japan. However,
nowadays we can buy it through such stores as H&M, Zara, Mango even
Ralph Lauren. Due to this fact, emerged a debate among
protestors, who are trying to protect traditions of the culture of
Japan, and supporters (fashion designers and just regular people), who
see this as an act of appreciation.
Conversely, the same pattern occurred to Ukraininan shirt Vyshyvanka (which
means a dress with embroidery). Being traditional clothes in Ukraine,
first it turned into daily clothes of modern citizens and then was
implemented
into high fashion. Not only the people of Ukraine are very proud of
this transition they also encourage tourist in buying these shirts and
dresses as part of embracing their culture.
With all this said, I would like you to think about whether you
know any other cases
when traditional clothes found new application. And to what extend or
where/when it is respectful to adjust or utilize these clothes pieces?
For this week, I enjoyed Alan's blog about the examples of clothing that were made for Black Panther. What struck me was that the person who repurposed/redesigned the use of a traditional Lesotho garment did a massive amount of research and work to make the design and use respectful and purposeful within the story. I think being respectful, willing to be told "no" or being willing to not wear something if a person from that culture feels offended is, and doing thorough research and work to create work not based on stereotypes or past media is extremely important.
ReplyDeleteVery late response, but had the whole cancel Tyra Banks phenom not happened on twitter yesterday, I wouldn't have much to say in response to Manny's post. BUT that online drama reminded me of when I used to watch America's Next Top Model. In one of the early seasons, there was a black model, Yaya, who objected to the fake Kente cloth hat that she was encouraged to wear. The appropriation of the cultural identifier did not sit right with her, as she was very outspoken about her pride in her culture. The judges then made her apologize to the hat.
ReplyDeleteHow did we keep that show on the air??