Fashion Culture & Identity

Fashion is the most powerful art

Fashion is the most powerful art

Exercise?

Oh I thought you said accessorise

“why fit in when you were born to stand out.”

good, but

“fashion is movement,

design, & architecture.

It shows the world

who we are, & who

we’d like to be.”

-Blair Waldorf

fashion is what you buy. Style is what you do with it.

“Fashion is a trend. Style lives within a person.”

SIRI, REMOVE MY MAKEUP

fashion is art and you are the canvas

jewelery is

bad vibes don’t go with my outfit

keep your heels, head, & standards high

SHORTEST HORROR STORY EVER: SOLD OUT

create your own style... let it be unique for yourself & yet identifiable for others.

the bags under my eyes are chanel

life is too short to wear boring clothes

make them stop & stare

Real style

“i don’t do fashion. i am fashion.”

shopping

-Anna Wintour

-Oscar De La Renta

chocolate is

carb free.

is never

right or wrong it’s a matter of

being yourself

on purpose

-Coco Chanel

is my cardio

Fashion, Culture,& Identity gabriela marks

Fashion Culture & Identity Copyright Š Text and design 2020 by Gabriela Marks All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, contact Gabriela Marks 77 Sheridan Street, Boston, MA, 02130

i dedicate this book to the shoes that never gave me blisters on a night out...and of course my outstanding parents & my amazing boyfriend Colin.

introduction a human creative impulse body as a canvas a cultural canvas

7 17 29 43

my personal journey fashion under pandemic question & answer

conclusion

49 63 69 101

“…fashion as a process driven by the human need for self-identity and social comparison, and by the desire to set oneself apart visually.”

Aubrey Cannon-Fashion History, p. 71

introduction I have always been interested in fashion. When I mean always, I mean it! As far as I can remember, even as a little kid, I was very conscious of my clothing and was very observant of what other people were wearing. Textures, colors, and designs have always been fascinating to me. My personal interest in design is grounded in this ubiquitous artistic expression which sometimes people take for granted. Worse than taking it for granted, the complexities embedded in fashion design, are not understood by many people.

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Fashion :Ima

age is Identity Image is identity is therefore, a brief exploration of the inescapable presence of fashion throughout human history and the many aspects that fashion incorporates. In order to communicate the multi-layered nature of fashion, I will be discussing some of the main topics that can help anyone deconstruct this subject matter.

Like any other subject, we need to place it in a historical perspective.

As way of background, I will show how fashion started and how it has changed through human history.

Another variable, equally important is how fashion is expressed in different cultures, how fashion is a cultural canvas. Therefore, this is not like in many of the available sources, just a study of western fashion.

Europeans are not the only people that clothed themselves and used fashion as an expression of their society and culture. Fashion is not just a sequence of superficial fads.

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Fashion is an expression of human creativity which reflects all the complexities like any other piece of art: history, society, culture, gender, social class, class struggle access to resources, personal expression.

From the point of view of the wearer, I will explore how fashion decisions are made by people on a daily basis. I also want to explore how people reach these decisions and what they express about their personalities, culture, gender identification, social class, race, age, climate, etc.

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I want to show that decisions we all make around fashion form a big part of our daily lives. Most of us do not wear uniforms to work, thus, forcing us to make a multitude of small decisions every day. In order to have a deeper and more detailed under-

standing of all these decisions, I have selected a non-scientific sample. I have selected a group of friends, and asked them how they relate to fashion, and how they select which items suit their identity.

Therefore, I have structured this section using an ethnographic method. I have asked each person in this sample, the same series of basic questions to achieve a personal narrative.

This section is also accompanied by individual photos that they have provided, wearing some of their favorite fashion choices. In this examination of fashion, I have included also a mini fashion memoir. I want to share my own experience with fashion and how it has changed through my short life.

What we decide to wear is our main presentation envelope to the world since we do not engage in deep inter-personal contact with most people. When we walk around, we are telegraphing, among other things who we are and what we like.

We expose, we hide, we highlight.

This is how we tell our story.

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As a graphic designer, I the human body and fas esting, versatile, and

see the intersection of shion as the most interever changing canvas.

16

fash

hion

“

Fashion is not exclusively the doma occupations with individualism, cl Fashion: The Key Concepts, page 19.

ain of modern culture and its prelass, civilization and consumerism.

�

20

“

To understand fashion,

you need to understand human development. You have to go way back to when Homo Sapiens, literally “wise man”, separated from other groups such as the Neanderthals, just about 200,000 years ago. Several developments were crucial to our distinction as a species. First, about 2 million years ago we developed a very large brain, much larger than any other animal. The second development that helped the species was freeing the hands by walking upright.

AS A RESULT, HUMANS CAN PERFORM VERY INTRICATE TASKS WITH THEIR HANDS. IN PARTICULAR, THEY CAN PRODUCE & USE SOPHISTICATED TOOLS. THE FIRST EVIDENCE FOR TOOL PRODUCTION DATES FROM 2.5 MILLION YEARS AGO...

(Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, p. 9-10)

These made them able to work collectively in creating technologies and trade. It is during this time that a more mundane but ubiquitous human creation appears, namely, needles that make the production of clothing possible.

When I say, mundane I don’t mean unimportant but rather, something from this earthly existence, that is inherently human. Clothing appears in every culture and historical time.

“THE PERIOD FROM ABOUT 70,000 YEARS AGO TO ABOUT 30,000 YEARS AGO WITNESSED THE INVENTION OF BOATS, OIL LAMPS, BOWS AND ARROWS AND NEEDLES (ESSENTIAL FOR SEWING WARM CLOTHING).

THE FIRST OBJECTS THAT CAN RELIABLY BE CALLED ART DATE FROM THIS ERA… ” (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. p. 21)

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The “cognitive revolution” which took place between 70,000 to 30,000 years saw Homo Sapiens’ creations become more complex. This timespan saw the development of language, but more than language as way of social interaction. Homo Sapiens were able to do something no other animal had been able to do, create fictional situations and characters. There are three key types of fictional narratives that have been developed through human history: religious myths, national myths and legal myths.

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We, Homo Sapiens, were very lucky to have developed such a large brain which, even though consumes a high percentage of the energy we ingest, it allows us to be fundamentally creative beings. We do not just adjust or copy, we give birth to new things from scratch, something we invent, we embrace change.

We also not only create for purely functional purposes, but we create art that allows us to express our imagination and gives us immeasurable satisfaction. Fashion has been a great invention in part because nature did not give us a good naked hand.

As we compare ourselves with lots of other animals we can conclude that, if we had to hang around just with our skin it would be a pretty boring spectacle.

24

Just look at other exam understand that the bra

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mples in nature to ain is all we got!

The fashion instinct has been present from the beginning and everywhere around the world. This essay is not a technical exploration of the various words used in relation to the act of humans adorning and covering their bodies. It is still relevant to point out the variety of words used to describe fashion. Other words used almost interchangeably are, dress, costume, clothing, apparel and fashion. I have selected the word Fashion, rather than clothing or costume, because it has the widest connotation. Fashion invokes the idea to creativity and change which is the essence of the human expression through the use of materials to adorn themselves:

“DRESS HAS NEVER BEEN STATIC IN ANY CULTURE; THE DESIRE TO USE THE HUMAN BODY TO EXPRESS A HOST OF CHANGING MEANINGS, WHAT JENNIFER CRAIK TERMS THE ‘FASHION IMPULSE,’ HAS BEEN PRESENT IN SOCIETIES SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL.” (page 7, Fashion History)

Therefore, fashion as used in this context does not refer to the last fad or to what upper classes wear, but it signifies what is created and worn in a particular geographical area at a specific time. It includes all cultures east and west and all periods of human history from samples that are found in archeological sites all the way to the globalized present, and all classes not just the ruling classes.

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Fashion:

Body as

a anvas

“ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAY THEY HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE THAT IN ONE RESPECT PEOPLE WERE BEHAVING LIKE THOROUGHLY MODERN HUMANS AS EARLY AS 100,000 YEARS AGO: THEY WERE APPARENTLY DECORATING THEMSELVES WITH A KIND OF STATUS-DEFINING JEWELRY — THE EARLIEST KNOWN SHELL NECKLACES.” “Old Shells Suggest Early Human Adornment”

By John Noble Wilford NYT June 23, 2006.

It might seem obvious now, but for a long time, “fashion” was only about Western Cultures’ clothing. Nothing can be further from the truth. Fashion has been a creative impulse in every geographical area and time where humans have existed. Everything started with the most basic impulse, the practice of adornment of the body. Therefore, I consider the human body the first canvas where humans have expressed their art instinct form the very beginning until today. The first level is right on the skin.

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Body PaintinG Nothing can be a stronger statement, sometimes permanent, than the modern tattoo. Currently, tattoos are very popular and are used to communicate many things from group belonging to memories of important people. Above all tattoos are an expression of what the person considers important and aesthetically pleasing. Body painting is found in many cultures, we are highlighting here the tribes in the Amazon and Henna’s body painting.

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Body PiercinG Body piercings have been found in humans in different cultures and times.

Archeological discoveries have dated the earliest evidence of piercing back to 3,300 BCE. Archeologists found ear piercings in a mummy found in the Alps which has been named Ă–tzi.

Piercings can mark status, gender, special occasions or just taste, and can be performed in different parts of the body as shown here.

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other adornments: Jewelry & more Accessorizing has been a human delight from the very beginning. Just take a look at the Venus of Willendorf from 25,000-20,000 BCE (Museum of Natural History, Vienna).

This figurine made out of limestone and about 4.4 inches tall, wears almost anything but a pair of bracelets and a woven hat.

“These odd and mysterious figurines suggest that people living 26,000 years ago possessed well-developed weaving skills that were at least as valuable to the community as the strength and prowess of male hunters. Even the head dress worn by the Venus of Willendorf arguably reflects social traditions still seen today in the babushkas worn by women in Eastern Europe or even the bonnets favored by Amish women in Pennsylvania.”

Clothing of figurines may be record of Ice Age tribes’ skills. Byron Spice.

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Accessories Accessories are an essential part of a fashion statement as they complement not only the body but the clothes we select to wear. As other aspects of fashion, accessories vary with culture and geographical area. They also vary with gender and with class status. An accessory list can be as long as your imagination, but some popular examples are:

NECKLACES, EARRINGS, RINGS, BRACELETS, BELTS, SCARVES, NECKTIES, HATS, HEADWEAR, AND IT CAN EVEN INCLUDE ITEMS SUCH AS PURSES, HANDBAGS, GLASSES, HAND FANS, PARASOLS AND UMBRELLAS. The selection of what fashion accessories to wear is as personal, and sometimes even more so than the clothing. Because they are accents, they are more freely and personally selected than a piece of clothing that is already made. These accessories have also a longer lifespan and sometimes are passed on as family treasures increasing their emotional value.

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Fashion: a Cultur

ral canvas

As there were geographical areas in the world, there were unique fashion expressions. Those distinctions were in part determined by the needs of that the weather imposed and by the materials available. Even within those constraints the human creativity was evident.

Native americans, mayan & Inca Take for example Native Americans as they were right around the European invasion. Their raw material for their creations was animal hides. At the time of zero waste cultures, the animal they hunted for their food they used their skins for their fashion.

African contitent

In the African continent, the variety of fashion styles is as big as the geographical territory. The materials they use, come from the animals avaliable, the crops that can be grown, but the rest is sheer creativity.

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in china silk was king

Fashion styles and textiles, were transmitted through trade routes.

One of the most important ones was the Silk Road.

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fashion reflecting social class

Fashion has been a vehicle everywhere to distinguish upper clases from lower ones. The acc-ess to resources becomes a visual message that needs no translation, separating the people that work the land from the people that own it.

Fashion:

My

Personal Journey

Being born in a mixed cultural family started my unique fashion existence. I was too young to remember but, weeks after being born we all traveled to Puerto Rico to have an appropriate introduction to the family. This immediately raised fashion decisions: How can a real Latin girl not have her ears pierced prior to her official blessing? A couple of days after arriving in the island I was taken to a family doctor who pierced my ears and placed some earrings selected by my mother. Thus, my accessorizing experience started.

At the beginning, when you are too young to choose, all is decided by your parents. During this very important first trip it was all about establishing my place in the family history. The clothes selected for the ceremony had to be traditional clothing inherited from the family.

From the beginning, everything having to do with clothes selection is so much more than just covering a young baby, but to fitting into a family and a culture.

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It did not take long for my attraction to fashion, as a way to express myself, to become evident.

I knew what I liked or disliked early on. As the family lore goes, when I was six years old my parents and myself went on a trip to Paris, France. As we walked from a friend’s apartment where we were staying, we walked in front of a clothing store, something caught my eye and I asked my parents to stop and go shopping.

We went into the store and without even speaking French I selected a light blue set that was perfect for the weather and for movement. My happiness with these clothes was evident as I proceeded later that day to do cartwheels in from of the Eiffel Tower.

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As I grew up,

fashion continued to comfort

me and sparked inspiration for

art & design.

Growing up I was always drawn to noticing what people were wearing and wondered why they made certain decisions. I was very lucky that I did not feel pressure from my parents to wear certain things. My parents were very lenient with my wardrobe so I had room to explore. As an active child, involved in lots of sports like soccer, tennis, running, roller skating, and skiing, I was attracted to comfortable, wearable clothes. When there were more formal occasions like family weddings or holidays, I still gravitated towards clothing that made me feel comfortable. Flowing materials with vibrant colors were my favorite.

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Before my teenage years my fashion choices were more independent as they were not very influenced by the group pressure to fit in. As I headed to high school, I had no idea where my style was going. I realized that many styles, patterns, and trends caught my eye and I wanted to wear them all at once. At this time, athletic clothing started transitioning into more fashionable attire.

This really made it easier for me to get up in the morning and throw on clothing that I enjoyed wearing and that was suitable for my active life with sports. When I needed to dress more formal, it became difficult to put simple outfits together.

My wardrobe consisted of mostly athletic clothing so decisions got complicated. My goal was to combine both formal and athletic styles. This is a tough look to achieve if you don’t have a simple plain wardrobe of tops and bottoms. As I grew older and headed to college, I became more confident at combining various styles. I observed everyone around me and payed attention to ongoing trends as I viewed them on television and social media.

More Issues Than Vogue

?!

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Within fashion, shoe ware became my obsession. There are so many types of shoes that can be paired with countless outfits. The endless possibility of outfit combinations really inspires me to mix different styles to produce a completely new visual identity. Shoes are one of the most essential parts of any fashion ensemble. When putting an outfit together I usually pick what shoes I want to wear and base the outfit around that. Tops, bottoms, shoes, and accessories, excite me in a way I can’t explain.

All the unique varieties of styles we have today are so electrifying because we have the power to decide how we want to identify ourselves from a worldwide wardrobe of culture.

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Question + Answer

Chapter #7

Mia Randria

71

Marine Emilie

Aannet Tikhonova

Taylor Lay

Johnathan Le

Hadiya Matthews

Mia Randria

When did you become aware of your fashion style and or passion for expressing yourself?

My route is a bit unexpected. I think I have always had love and passion for art, which made me a makeup artist but in terms of fashion it is a bit different. I used to go to a catholic school so there was not much dressing up there, then during college, I was able to express my love for fashion but at the same time I was working at mac cosmetics, so I wore a lot of black clothes. Not much variety. It was later on, when I was given the freedom to actually wear whatever I wanted is when I became a fashion blogger.

Is there a moment in your life that you had a breakthrough with your style and realized what you liked or didn’t like?

I would call my style an evolution where it is a continuous “add” and “change”. So to respond to your question, I never had an actual breakthrough.

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Has your fashion changed a lot growing up?

Definitely, when I was younger I would call my style a little tomboy. Now, I would say more sophisticated.

Does your style vary depending on what you’re doing?

Of course! When I worked at Mac, I only wore black clothing, so my whole closet was full of black clothes.

What do you like about fashion and the privileges we get living in this country?

I love the freedom that this country provides in terms of how I want to dress.

Do you have a favorite designer? brand?

Since I am more into clean and simple designs, I love YSL and Chanel.

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Do you have a favorite designer/brand?

My favorite brands are pretty little thing and missguided at the moment. I feel like they very closely match my style and are up to date with the trends in the style range that I wear.

What freedom does fashion give you in your daily life, social life, or night life?

Fashion allows you to express yourself on a daily basis. Based on my mood for the day, I will adjust the colors or comfort of my outfit.

Has your fashion changed a lot growing up?

Yes, my style has definitely changed. I used to say, “I don’t know why adults don’t wear any color” and now I am one of them.

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What freedom does fashion give you in your daily life, social life, or night life?

My type of fashion brings me a sense of freedom because it sets me apart from other people. I try to stray away from mainstream articles of clothing and popular styles because I want to be looked at as being different and unique. My style also sparks a lot of conversations with different people which helps me socially in any setting.

What does fashion mean to you?

Personally, I have a very positive connotation when it comes to fashion. I enjoy fashion a lot because like I said previously it gives me a creative outlet as well as making it easier to express myself. Putting together outfits or even creating pieces myself brings me a lot of happiness.

Do you see fashion as an outlet to represent who you are and tell others what your identity is?

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Yes, everyone has a different style and a different taste in clothing therefore clothing gives you a way to express yourself and your personality without actually getting to know someone personally.

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Do you see fashion as an outlet to represent who you are and tell others what your identity is?

Yes, I really do believe that fashion allows me to express myself. Fashion is like a fingerprint, everyone has a unique fingerprint. It allows an individual to create their own narrative, and allows them to be who they want to be.

Everyone has a unique style which helps others identify who they are.

What freedom does fashion give you in your Life?

For me, fashion gives me flexibility to be who I want to be. It allows me to dress a certain way when I am at work, and it allows me to look a different way when I go out at night. With fashion, I think it is important to have range and to understand when is the right time to wear a certain garment.

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Do you have a positive connec tion or negative ?

F

ashion to me means wearin g one’s person think it’s a po al expression. sitive connecti I o n b ecause no ma socially appea tt er if it is ling or not, it represents wh how they see th o that person is emselves on th and e in side. It is wha from everyon t sets us apart e in a unique way or connec in a trendy w ts us with ever ay. yone

Has your fashio

n changed a lot

grow

ing up?

Yes. I used to dress like other people when I middle school, was growing I would see oth up. In er girls wearin I would try an g something d find clothes and that were sim in. Now I dres ilar, and try s like no one el to fit se. I specificall go thrifting a y shop online t places I know or no one else is don’t want an looking becau yone else to d se I ress like me o r vis versa.

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What freedom does fashion give you in your life?

I find freedom through fashion in being able to highlight all the parts that make me and only me. In my daily life, I dress for class, and as a dance major, I wear clothes I can dance in. I only like shorts and tight tops because I feel like I can move easily and I self-correct better when I see my body clearly. It gives me liberation to not only dress how I want in dance but to show my style as well as doing what I love to do. In my social and night life, I love to wear bold statements because I don’t want to look like anyone else in the room. This makes me feel free because I have that right to dress like me and no one else. I also can be my best and look my best today when my ancestors may have not got that chance.

When did you become aware of yo ur fashion style and or passion for expres sing yourself?

When I came to college. I’m from the city of Houston, TX which is as urban as LA or Miami, so fashion is on a hi gh trend. I also went to a perfor ming arts high school and we didn’t have a dress code. So , we were all allowed to dres s and express ourselves however we wanted. It was a culture. M oving to Fairfax and being surrou nded by people who mostly wore flannels and duck boots, I realized how far-off my styl e was.

I wore bright colors, pattern on pattern, dramatic eyes etc . I not only noticed for myself ho w different I dressed but he aring people constantly complim ent me on my fits or looks when it’s a norm back home also made me notice the differen ce.

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how does your fashion make you feel?

Confident, Fun, Confident, Outgoing, Calm, Comfortable, Excited, Festive, Free, Proud

-Mia Randria

A BOSS, Fun, Myself

-Marine Emilie

Unique, Sexy, Self-confident, Self-empowerment, Free, Beautiful, Inspired, Different

-Aannet Tikhonova

Confident, Dope, Sophisticated, Smart, Cultured, Stylish, Trendy,

Confident, Chic, Happy, Vintage, Unique, Modern, Positive, Bold, Hip,

Artistic, Civilized, Educated, Comfortable, Confident, Easy, Powerful, Content, Assured,

Fly, Girly, Chic, Colorful, Edgy, Poise, Royal

Positive, Happy, Relaxed, Exciting, Effortless

Urban, Trendy

-Hadiya Matthews -Johnathan Le

-Taylor Lay

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oncl

lusion

! s r e e ch

Fashion is a fundamental human creative activity. Fashion combines the human urge to create and to communicate. As with any creative activity, we borrow materials that are available to us. As we have seen, cultures around the world have explored their natural habitat in search for materials they can adapt and transform into fashion items. The variety of materials around the world grounded the diversity of fashion.

Humans also migrated, moved and traded. Through incessant movement and communication, materials, ideas and styles were borrowed and integrated by other cultures. As in any dynamic process, the result of these contacts was even more diverse and creative. Even today, in this globalized world, people keep transforming and creating new fashion statements.

Fashion has also been a mirror that reflects distinctions within cultures. The most basic division is that of gender. Through time and cultures, we have seen how fashion dresses up men and women differently. Even the creation of one fashion that can be worn by either sex becomes big news: UNISEX! Furthermore, as societies became stratified, fashion also was a mirror of those inequalities. As there is inequality in the access to resources, there is also inequality in the access to fashion. The trickle down from the runway to your personal wardrobe is in part determined by your buying power.

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Fashion communicates to the world what you appreciate. This appreciation tribute is not limited to the pieces of clothing you wear but to piercing, body painting and other on the skin statements you decide to make. I hope this brief excursion through fashion history makes you more aware of the art around you and on you. As the saying goes:

“Without saying a word, your clothes tell a story of who you are.�

CELEBRATE YOURSELF!

postscript I will be remiss if I do not speak about the changes that I was forced to make in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the University first extended spring break and then moved classes online permanently, I moved from Fairfax to my home in Boston. This distance dictated the solution I had to implement for the section on the Personal Canvas.

At the onset, I envisioned this section to be done with in-person photo sessions, but in the era of personal distancing, that became impossible. I want to personally thank all the people that provided pictures and took the time to carefully and thoughtfully answer my survey of questions. I know you all share a passion and flare for fashion as I do and I hope you enjoy this book, as it is especially for you. Peace & Love‌& FASHION!

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Bibliography Adz, King, and Wilma Stone. This Is Not Fashion: Streetwear Past, Present and Future.

Thames and Hudson Ltd., 2018.

Craik, Jennifer. Fashion: the Key Concepts. Berg, 2009.

Edwards, Lydia. How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century.

Bloomsbury USA Academic, 2019.

Harari, Yuval N., et al. Sapiens: a Brief History of Humankind. Vintage, 2019.

Hennessy, Kathryn. Fashion: the Definitive Visual Guide. DK Publishing, 2019.

Spice, Byron. Clothing of figurines may be record of Ice Age tribes’ skills. Post-Gazatte. 1999.

St. Clair, Kassia. Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History. Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2019.

Thomas, Dana. Fashionopolis: the Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes. Penguin Press, 2019.

Welters, Linda, and Abby Lillethun. Fashion History: a Global View. Bloomsbury Academic,

An Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2018.

White, Constance C. R., and Valerie Steele. How to Slay: Inspiration from the Queens and the Kings of Black

Style. Rizzoli New York, 2018.

Images Page 34: (top left) image courtesy of freepik

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Billie eilish

bad guy

“That’s all.”

-MIRANDA PRIESTLY

“So i hope you enjoyed reading this book half as much as I enjoyed creating it for you, because i had a ball!�

-inspired by drake