Blog post 1 – lecture Reflection (Power by Julia Crew)
Speaking of power in fashion, the first thing comes into my mind is how the western oil paintings and politics had influenced fashion. I could list countless designers who are inspired by this – Alexander McQueen, John Galiano, etc. Among all these designers, McQueen is always top 1 in my heart in terms of how he had used the element of power in his work. In 1997 his collection It’s a jungle out there caused a sensation. The patterns of the show were from Robert champion’s artwork completed in 1430. The theme was about the Lord Jesus Christ and his cross, similar to his collection Angles and demons which got inspiration from the artwork from Hieronymous Bosch and Stephen Lochner. There was also a hint of connotation of politics in his design. In 1998, his collection Joan, particularly the pattern used on the garment, was inspired by the last emperor of Romanov dynasty, whose family had been all murdered. His 1995 collection Highland Rape was another example. The material he used, especially the broken lace, directly relate audiences to female’s social status during that period – mistreatment, bullying, and violence. In addition, a deeper meaning behind the garment was to reflect the England aggression to his hometown Scotland. Celebrity and history has always encouraged McQueen to create new things, especially the darker side of humanity in terms of politics and religion. Precisely because of these events, we have the honor to see all these precious designs and garment today. All the political events contribute to varieties of story lines, which would help designers to enrich their ideas. Also, because of the special property, it somehow adds a sense of mystery in the design.
Another concern of fashion industries in terms of economic sector, particularly in the UK, has to do with the growth of fast fashion and its associated issues of low-living wage. It has been found that fast fashion produces relatively cheap garments that are targeted at customers who desire to change their wardrobe on a regular, trend-driven basis (House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee 2019:6). According to a garment manufacturing hub in Leicester, there are factories in the fashion industry that side-step the law to enable maximized profits. Since the fast fashion clothing market is full of intense cost competition and unpredictable demand, such unethical behaviors bring producers enormous convenience and benefits. One exemplary case of their unethical behaviors is their non-compliance with the law on minimum wage (House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee 2019:6). This implies that factories, in their attempt to become cost competitive and meet market demand, refuse to pay their workers as required by laws. Sustainability on this occasion becomes questionable as it appears firms tend to do anything that they deem necessary to remain their business.