Blog Post 1: Representation and Cultural Sustainability
The series of lectures from the Better Lives unit encompasses many thought provoking topics founded on sustainability, diversity and social responsibility in the fashion industry. I was captivated in particular by John Lau’s lecture on Cultural sustainability and Teleica Kirkland’s lecture on representation. The two themes are inseparable, and I thought it would only be appropriate to reflect upon them together. In this current social climate plagued by a pandemic, racially charged hate crime has spiked all over Western countries. The misrepresentation of cultures and stereotyping in Western media has driven me to explore this topic further.
At the end of Teleica Kirkland’s lecture on representation, she reiterated the importance of communication on sensitive subjects, that these topics need to be conversed for society to move further. What had really hit home in this lecture was the topic of the model minority. The idea that East and South East Asians are considered ‘white adjacent’ in Western culture through education or employment is incredibly dehumanising yet the reality. The term implies to me that we as Asians are ALLOWED to be on an equal level as white people, BY white people. It further implies that there are people in other categories that are not allowed to be ‘white adjacent’. As much as the fashion industry is working to become a level playing field, this industry is built with Eurocentric ideals that are hard to break free of. In this age of globalisation, international influence helps to integrate cultural diversity throughout society, yet the majority of diversity used in targeted fashion marketing reek of capitalist gain (Do you see a spike of Asian models in fashion campaigns around Lunar New Year?).
In John Lau’s lecture on cultural sustainability, he talks about globalisation and fashion as a message. There are meanings or messages attached to certain styles of clothing that we as viewers generate certain perceptions and expectations towards. Clothing is a fundamental signifier of social status in our culture. Fashion separates us and unites us, whether a national culture or a sub-culture, the lynchpin to social harmony between cultures is respect.
For a while I’ve also debated if there are subjects in fashion that should be steered clear from, because ‘it wasn’t my place to have a say’, or ‘how much can I contribute before it becomes too sensitive’? Both the lectures answered my query. It was clarified by Teleica that the creative use of a culture without respect, research and credit is when cultural appropriation happens in fashion. We see so many instances of outrage marketing of brands, and in this current era of increasing social consciousness, cultural appropriation seems to be THE sensitive topic that causes the most controversy. Take Kim Kardashian’s shape wear label for example – They were never going to name it ‘Kimono’ (Japanese traditional dress) for real. It was the perfect PR to get everyone in the world to notice her new brand.
Representation is a never-ending battle in Fashion. John and Teleica’s lectures provided a new perspective for me to tackle these issues within my creative practices in the future and to have a more open conversation through my work. My reflection is only the beginning of this conversation on cultural sustainability and representation. Fashion carries messages – more fashion practitioners should use their platform to voice their opinions whether social or political, to spark a larger conversation that can drive this industry towards positive change.
Reference
Kirkland, T. (2020) ‘ Representation’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 19 February.
Lau, J. (2020) ‘ Cultural Sustainability’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 18 February.