How is the portrayal of East Asians in
High Fashion affecting the representation of East Asian cultures and traditions
today?
Introduction
The
purpose of this essay is to explore various topics which revolves around the
representation of East Asians within High Fashion and the role it has on the
perspective of East Asian cultures today. The basis of this research is from a
keen interest of East Asian cultures, as well as a personal relation to the main
topic itself. Especially, in today’s society where ‘Cultural Appropriation’ and
‘Stereotyping’ is such a sensitive issue, it will be interesting to know how
High Fashion brands have dealt and explored East Asian cultures and their
development to this day. Are they representing ethnic minorities respectfully
or is it just ‘tokenism’? (using a small number of people from a minority in
order to give the appearance of equality in a work environment) Although, there
are also other ethnicities who are also being misrepresented – they are not to
be forgotten. However, it seems as though from stereotypical ‘Asian’ traits of
being naive and reserved, East Asian stereotypes are being ‘normalised’ and
downplayed to ‘appreciating the Oriental aesthetics’ or ‘paying tribute to the
aesthetics of the culture’.
Furthermore,
High Fashion is an exclusive part of fashion that caters towards a certain
affluent demographic. It is lavish and largely inaccessible in the mainstream
therefore its effects to the general population may not necessarily be massive,
however, how brands reference and represent a culture or cultures in their
collections and garments perhaps have a bigger impact on popular culture which should provoke questions regarding;
Appropriation, Stereotypes, Brand Identity and Consumer Identity. From
traditional Haute Couture Houses to the present, it is intriguing how East
Asian cultures will be represented and how they have shaped the societal and
cultural paradigm today. Speaking of the present, information such as foreign
cultures can be easily attained in today’s society and the technological
advances has given consumers the power to garner knowledge they want rather
than being given information brands want them to have. Also, as stereotyping East
Asian cultures are still perpetuated to be ‘normal’ and are subverted, they are
being treated as a trend and a novelty which in turn gives these cultures
certain meanings and representations in popular media adding to the already
saturated monolithic representation of East Asians, as well as East Asian
cultures and traditions. However, given that consumers are subjective of the
information they get their personal perception will ultimately direct the
reaction they’re going to have about the designs and information being directed
at them. This essay will hopefully uncover the issues centred around the topics
above and give a clearer perspective on how it is being dealt and how it should
be dealt with in the future.
Orientalism
The
portrayal of East Asia and East Asian culture and traditions today has been
rooted back to the idea of ‘Orientalism’. Orientalism as explained by Edward Said
(1991, p. 2) in his namesake book, “Orientalism is a style of thought based
upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between “the Orient”
and most of the time) “the Occident.” The Orient being the East and the
Occident being the West. It also roots from the idea of ‘Oriental’ inferiority
and the need for Western intervention in order to develop the East Asian region
and to diminish their ‘primitive’ ways in order to be more progressive. Orientalism
can also be seen as a result of a Westernised perception and knowledge of the
East which in turn created an extremely monolithic view of the region; and can
still be seen today. Furthermore, except the exaggerated depictions of East
Asia, Orientalism was also used in order to establish an “Other” where Western
hegemony and ideology became superior over the East and secure the West’s
authority over the Eastern world. As Hall (1997, p. 259) described, crediting
Foucault ‘…’power/knowledge’…It
classifies people according to a norm and constructs the excluded as “other’’’.
Similarly, Dyer (quoted in Hall, 1997) ‘The establishment of normalcy (i.e.
what is accepted as ‘normal’) through social- and stereo-types is one aspect of
the habit of ruling groups…to attempt to fashion the whole of society according
to their own world view, value system, sensibility and appear (as it does
appear to them) as ‘natural’ and ‘inevitable’…’. This highlights the Western
domination in power and leadership on East Asia where the certainty of
superiority was often overlooked and ‘natural’ therefore representation and
reinforced knowledge about the East was seen as the true depiction of the
region in the western world, which in some ways ultimately erased the real identity
of the society, culture and traditions of the true East. As mentioned before,
this ideology has stayed for centuries up to this day, and it has been
reflected countless of times in Western society, and popular culture. In
relation to popular culture, High fashion is a field where designers have the
creative liberty to create garments and designs taken from their inspirations
and research however, through the prevalence of the Western representation of
East Asia, it became normalised and acceptable to create ‘Oriental’ inspired
designs which came from inaccurate ‘exotic’ portrayals of East Asia in general.
For example, the ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ (Figure 1) 2015 art exhibition
which was held at Metropolitan Museum of Art aimed to tackle misrepresentation
of East Asian culture and art which were used by Western Haute Couture Designer’s
in their work. Havis (2015) from South China Morning Post said ‘…the China
reflected in the fashions in the exhibition is a fiction, a fabulous invention
offering an alternative reality with a dreamlike nature’. This highlights again
the aspect of Orientalism where East Asian culture is ‘exoticized’ and glorified
in a way where it is advantageous to the use of the West and only further
implies hegemony and superiority they created. He also mentioned that:
In showcasing the sources of
inspiration that lie behind these Western fashion, an underlying premise became
clear. It was a creative process of artists making connections: that's what
they do. They are not inhibited by time or space or culture. They use
influences even if they don't fully understand them. Or rather, they understand
these things in their own way to solve creative challenges.
This clearly showcases the personal
interpretation of acquired knowledge as Western Fashion Designers ‘make
connections’ instead of finding authenticity. The cultural and social artefacts
they gained are used in their designs as a way to show a ‘culturally appreciative’ intention through
their designs, however to an audience’s perspective– especially to an East
Asian audience, it seems to only focus on the visual aesthetics and how it
could elevate their designs through usage of these ‘beautiful exotic’ stereotypes
of East Asian culture – ‘othering’. Moreover, the garments and pieces in the exhibition
are displayed in correspondence to ‘inspirational’ objects, films, East Asian
references etc. which contradicts the intention
of the exhibition as the pieces should automatically speak for themselves, with
their meanings and intentions clearly understood by the audiences.
In
addition, Western fashion designers may not have clearly understood the
artefacts they found therefore they ‘…took these distorted images as their
inspiration and went on to create a western aesthetic with new layers of
meaning that was unique.’ (Havis, 2015) For example, within the exhibition,
garments such as the 1951 ‘Quiproquo’ (“an understanding of something that is
not correct”) cocktail dress by Christian Dior (Figure 2), clearly demonstrated
how personal perception is depicted through design. The beautiful cocktail
dress is designed using ‘calligraphic pattern of which is based on 19th-century
rubbing from a 10th-century stele inscription describing a sudden
illness, an abdominal pain.’ (Mair, 2015) The rubbing (Figure 3) itself is
infamously called the ‘Bellyache letter’ written by Zhang Xu a master of
cursive during the Chinese Tang dynasty. However, as implied by Martin and Koda
(1996), Christian Dior used the aesthetic and visual connotations of the Chinese
calligraphy and used it to style a garment, giving it a rather superficial
meaning and purely using the calligraphy for decorative purposes. In addition,
this way Dior created a new meaning by presenting the calligraphy as mere
ornamental design and diminishing the actual meaning and message of the script
which if known would deem the dress design ignorant of Chinese culture.
Stereotypes
Portraying
East Asian culture in this way, has cultivated and normalised this ‘exotic’ and
‘fantasy-like’ depiction of East Asia making it a stereotypical representation
of the culture. Especially as it is within the field of High Fashion, the
portrayal and usage of stereotypes has been connoted to being alluring and
unique as highlighted in the introduction, and that High Fashion connotes high
prestige, elegance and exclusivity; therefore the garments and designs created
connote these meanings as well. However, it is also important to note that artists,
designers and advertisers need to clearly state the intention of their designs,
as well as place their designs in the appropriate context in order to
effectively promote them and avoid misunderstandings within the mass media. As,
it is through mass media that people will share a common perception of a group
of people, culture and society– stereotyping them.
For
example, in 2017 for Chanel’s ‘Gabrielle’ bag collection, their editorial
spreads (Figure 4) garnered mixed reactions as the spreads could be seen
‘perpetuating racist stereotypes’ of Chinese culture. In particular, Chinese
Fashion Designer Phillip Lim criticised the ad for its insensitivity to Chinese
culture, and failure to admit to their ignorance to the culture they are
exploiting. As of Chinese descent himself, Lim understands the connotations and
nature of the items used, hence his adamant statement towards the brands’
vision and execution of the advertisement. The model is seen wearing ‘…a
Chanel-branded conical hat, an item traditionally worn by Asian day laborers’ (Abarbanel,
2017). Lim (2017, quoted in Abarbanel, 2017) said “these images reinforces
several stereotypes that Asian immigrants/communities work so hard to break
from…) it mocks the actual everyday struggle of immigrants…” Chanel’s use of
the conical hat creates a perception of ‘novelty’ and presents it as a novelty
item, giving it a completely new meaning by putting their brand on the item. They
are essentially diminishing the importance and traditions behind the hat and
only using it for visual purposes to reinforce the ‘Chinese aesthetic’ they are
trying to depict. Additionally, masking the hat as a ‘novelty’ further
emphasises how Chanel is trivialising and undermining the Chinese culture, by
their lack of knowledge or perhaps
refusing to admit their ignorance to the culture by the pretence of claiming it
to be inspiration. However, is not a mere niche aspect of China but rather is
has social, economic and cultural references that was otherwise wiped out in
the advertisement.
The
advertisement also reinforces another stereotype of bootleg designer goods
associated with the Chinese goods industry. As the model is photographed
carrying seemingly ‘counterfeit’ Chanel bags along Chinatown, it seems as if
she is ‘selling’ these ‘hot’ goods. This is also highlighted by the caption of
the editorial spread, “Coco Served Hot” (Figure 5). This highlights the
importance of using the right context when advertising, as Barthes (1977, cited
in Hall 1997, p. 228) said “…frequently, it is the caption which selects one
out of the many possible meanings from the image, and anchors it with words.’ Although,
audiences will have a subjective view on the design, with the reinforcement of
the written language it can directs the audience to a ‘fixed’ meaning of what
is being advertised. In this case, the title implies the goods to be
counterfeit, much linked to the Chinese stereotypes that China is a heavy
producer of fake designer items or that they are ‘Made in China’ and are
imitations of designer brands.
In
addition to this, it is also important to understand that ‘Asian’ stereotypes are
also very monolithic, which again, goes back to the principles and ideals of
Orientalism. However, by making a feature of one minority or culture stand out,
stereotypes are amplified according to the needs and ideals of the ‘superior’. This
generalisation of the word ‘Asian’ to one specific region further emphasises
the monolithic understanding of the East in Western society. Additionally,
Olivia Khoo (2007) pointed out in her book about Chinese femininity and beauty that
through the monolithic view of East Asia, the idea of ‘regionalism’ or grouping
of nations together has led to the Western view of the one ‘Asian visual and
culture’. Quoted from her book ‘The Chinese Exotic Modern Diasporic Femininity’,
Khoo (2007) said, this “…comes to signify ‘pan-Asianess’ through the collapsing
logic of visuality that structures exoticism within popular culture’. Hence the
cliché representation of ‘Asians’/ Chinese in the Chanel editorial spread.
Cultural
Appropriation
Similarly,
another problem that goes hand in hand with stereotyping is cultural
appropriation. Cultural Appropriation is the usage and amplification of an
image or stereotype of a certain culture or ethnicity by a dominant power, in
order to create profit and make the stereotype into a commodity. It can also be
seen as the ‘appropriation of identity’
and ‘…taking something from a less-dominant culture in a way its members find
undesirable and offensive…’ (Chesterton, 2019).
Using
other’s culture in any context should be carefully considered and it should be
part of an informed research and decision in order to depict a truthful and
respectful representation of the culture. However, in the context of High
Fashion it’s important to realise that most designer houses are Western. As
previously outlined in the introduction, High Fashion Houses are notorious for
exclusivity and mostly targeting the top 1% of the economic population; as well
as perceived to be the top of their field. Their prestigious status in society
has in some ways given them the leisure to create provoking and ‘culturally sensitive’
collections, branding and advertisements as the backlash from the mainstream
does not affect their brand significantly. Nonetheless, Cultural Appropriation
is especially complicated in High Fashion as their name and image hold such
high prestige that the garments, advertisements and branding they create also
hold that image, therefore it will also hold a specific stigma in the popular
culture and society.
For
example, Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Dreams of the Orient’ exhibition (Figure 6) which
showcased the designers ‘Asian inspired’ couture garments from the 80’s onwards,
highlights Culture Appropriation. As the name suggested and from a previous
interview during the collection’s reveal, Saint Laurent has never been to most
Asian countries that inspired his garments, apart from Japan. He said, ‘I have
been to every country in my dreams.’ (Saint Laurent quoted in Laguette, 2018)
This showcases the way in which research, inspiration and representation of a
culture is being conducted, as it seems Saint Laurent has decided to take what
he learnt from books and films as the real representation of East Asia. It’s
very much centred in his own Western point of view and what he thinks is
correct – and as explored previously
while talking about ‘Orientalism’ it is often superficial. Not only that, it’s
also seen in pieces of the exhibition, such as Saint Laurent’s sketches for his
‘Opium’ collection (Figure 7) that his ‘inspiration’ could be otherwise seen as
appropriation. The repeated ‘coolie’ hat motif
as well as Japanese inspired patterns, garments and colours indicated Japanese
aesthetics and culture which is used to promote the product. This can be seen
on the fragrances’ packaging (Figure 8) as well; with the use of red and gold
foiled leaves and the perfume bottle referring to Japanese ‘inro’ (a small case for containing small
objects traditionally worn around the waist). Further focusing on Saint
Laurent’s Opium fragrance, the line also received a lot of controversies as the
fragrance was deemed to condone drugs as well as the designers ‘…insensitivity
to Chinese history and Chinese American concerns.’ (The Fashion Law, 2018) as
he also took reference from Imperial China. Saint Laurent also gained profit
and success through the controversy of the fragrance and further used the
‘Oriental’ aesthetic for the fragrances’ launch party, using a Buddha statue,
orchid decorations, lavish gold, red and purple drape banners to complete the
aesthetic that he used throughout the creation and presentation of the product.
Although, it can be argued that Saint Laurent carefully curated designs and
motifs of Asian culture, it is clear that he is using it to elevate the
aesthetic elements of his designs in order give them more style, relevancy, and
attention. In addition, although he knows ‘...the difference between a Han and
Manchu garment’, ultimately it is how he implemented and used these references
which made it to be culturally appropriating East Asian culture. Most
importantly, Yves Saint Laurent is still a prominent designer label to this day,
and ‘Opium’ still holds an iconic legacy in High Fashion regardless of its
controversies. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Saint Laurent fit is a
luxurious, highly inaccessible brand that it does not feel the need to change –
as pointed out before, there’s hardly any backlash from the mainstream media at
all and it doesn’t cater to the majority of the population therefore it doesn’t
get affected as much by ‘public demand’ necessarily. What’s more it’s important
to realise that standards and creative endeavours set by Saint Laurent in the
80’s is still relevant today, therefore clearly showcasing how privileged the
High fashion industry is and how fascination and fetishization of East Asian
culture and aesthetics is still prevalent today.
Globalisation
Nevertheless,
as briefly pointed out at the start of this essay, through globalisation and an
increasingly smaller ‘global village’, today’s society consume East Asian
products and culture that are actually produced in the East, ‘…based on
specificity and authentic ownership rather than generality and stereotype’
(Lees-Maffei and Maffeim, 2019). Because of globalisation, consumers can access
other cultures and traditions and they are the once that decide the context and
content of cultural information they are consuming rather than brands giving
them a certain perception. In addition, consumers are also becoming more
culturally aware and are able to ‘call out’ brands for stereotyping, cultural
appropriating etc. Likewise, Susie Lau who reported on Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Dreams
of the Orient’ exhibition that was discussed before pointed out that today’s
brands and designers ‘…have largely steered clear to “exoticising” of Asian
cultures’ (Lau, 2018). She proposed a realisation that perchance with the
growth of globalisation, East Asian countries and cultures no longer seem
far-fetched or fantasy-esque, and that East Asian countries such as China,
Japan and Korea are countries who are now economically rich, and now hail
native designers who are establishing themselves and their heritage in the
fashion industry.
Through,
globalisation, designers have also learnt Westernised Haute Couture techniques
which they implemented into their practice whilst interconnecting it to their
own ethos and principle as Fashion Designers.
For
example, Filipino menswear Fashion Designer Carl Jan Cruz who studied in London
College of Fashion used his Western education background in order to globalise
his brand image and brand strategy. Jan Cruz learnt professional techniques and universal design thinking, which he utilised
and brought back with him when he started his namesake company in the
Philippines. As mentioned during his interview for Make it Last (2019) magazine,
he runs his label ‘…by thinking globally and acting locally.’ Jan Cruz utilises
Filipino traditional visual motifs, prided before the Spanish colonisation in
his designs. For example, for his garment named the “Khuda” dress (Figure 9), Jan
Cruz incorporated stitching techniques used for rags that are traditionally
sold on the streets in the Philippines. He inferred to the typical circle shapes
that the rags (Figure 10) usually come as in the style of the dress as well as
the line patterns that they also come with. Jan Cruz’s designs does not only
appeal to the modern Filipino sentiment but also reflects the globalised
outlook on modern High Fashion giving it a global edge, without disregarding
the traditions and culture that the garments come from. Moreover, Jan Cruz also
creates a nostalgic and a traditional atmosphere to his shoots, focussing on
the essence of the garments. He chooses soft colour palettes and a simple beige
backdrop which further gives focus on the garment itself. He creates a
traditional almost ‘historical’ sentiment in which his Filipino consumers can
relate to, but at the same time also conveys a contemporary, muted aesthetic
that appeals to a Western audience. His designs does not directly plaster the
Filipino ‘culture’ or aesthetic on his garments, but rather he integrates
subtle techniques and traditional traits that still conveys the quintessential
Filipino culture to his audiences. At the same time, he effectively showcases
them through the intricacy and professionalism that he learn which results in
his brand to successfully highlight and appreciate the Filipino culture that is
integrated in his designs globally. Although Carl Jan Cruz is steadily making a
name for himself in the Western industry, by booking a seasonal showroom in
Paris Fashion Week and distributing his garment through and American stockist
(Maryam Nassir Zadeh) the High Fashion industry is still a highly ‘culturally
sensitive’ field where maybe a new Eastern Fashion designer like Jan Cruz
himself will need to earn acknowledgement from prestigious brands and people in
order to really establish his brand and culture in the industry.
Shift
in Social Paradigm (Social Media)
Along
with globalisation, there is also the rise of social media which changed the
social, beauty and cultural paradigm. Kent’s (2019) recent article on
inclusivity in the fashion industry has shed light on the rise of consumer’s
knowledge on culture appropriation and stereotyping. As Kent said, ‘Social
media has changed the way consumers and brands interact from a monologue to a dialogue.’
As thousands of people can now access High Fashion brands’ social media
accounts such as Instagram and websites, there is space for debate and
interaction between consumers and the brand. It also allows consumers to voice
their opinions about certain issues within brands such as ‘cultural
appropriation’, which with social media’s culture of ‘virality’ will make it
hard for High Fashion brands to ignore. Similarly, Harriot (2018) also
mentioned how consumers now have more say to what they consume as “…everyone is
really questioning the choices that they make and there is this move towards
more consciousness as consumers’. Especially as fashion is such a big part in
everyone’s identity, consumers are now using their knowledge and tools in order
to ‘call-out’ brands that they use and associate with, when those brands are
defying their ethos or principles. Furthermore, this leads for fashion brands
to be more open and transparent – as highlighted before when fashion brands are
becoming more socially and culturally conscious. Fashion brands now feel the
need “…to operate more inclusively…[a] reflection of broader social, political
and technological shifts…” (Kent, 2019). However, High Fashion brands now are
still caught in culturally sensitive issues, such as brands like Dolce &
Gabbana, but are exposed by influential social media bodies who rally up
against issues such as cultural appropriation, plagiarism, design rip-off
etc.
In
2018, Dolce & Gabbana released an advertising campaign for their Shanghai
show “The Great Show”, showing a video of a Chinese model trying to eat pizza,
spaghetti and cannoli with a chopstick (Figure 11 & 12) . It is topped with
Chinese folk music, seems to be set in a Chinese restaurant and a Mandarin
voice over with ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ pronounced in a purposely mocking way.
Social media and Fashion Instagram account ‘Diet_Prada’ (Figure 13) called out
Dolce & Gabbana by posting the advertising and criticising it’s insensitive
use of culture and displaying an old stereotypical view on China. The account
captioned the post with, “It attempts to target China but instead mocks them
with a parodied vision of what modern China is not…a gag for amusement’
Diet_Prada (, 2018, quoted in Ritschel, 2018). The account utilises Instagram
as its platform for spreading awareness on controversies in the High Fashion
industry to a global audience. Through their large and influential following,
they are able to somewhat influence their audiences thoughts and give them a
platform to discuss and learn about issues through each other, as well as
access more information through the platform. It’ll also allow for the issue to
circulate faster, catching the attention of the brand that is being criticised,
as Dolce & Gabbana took down the advertising from their accounts after 24
of its release and uproar. This shows the clear power of social media and its
influence on consumers as well as the image of a brand when they are being
criticised for outdated stereotypes or insensitive cultural appropriation of East
Asian culture as most of their customers have culturally adapted and taught
themselves through cross cultural discussions on social media and in the
Internet in general.
Owning
Heritage
Similarly,
to Carl Jan Cruz who is trying to break through the cultural sensitivity of the
Western Fashion industry, more emerging East Asian Fashion Designers who are
working for major Haute Couture houses have emerged on their own. They are also
able to use their own personal experiences in order to accurately and proudly
represent their culture and ethnicity. An example of a designer who have did
exactly this and addressed issues of stereotyping and the ‘monolithic East
Asian’ views of the West is Fashion Designer, Claudia Li. Li is a Chinese-born designer
who grew up in New Zealand. Growing up as an ethnic minority in a predominantly
Western country (New Zealand), Li used her own childhood experiences in the
country as inspiration for her collection for her SS19 New York Fashion Week
Show. This became the catalyst for Li to decide to ‘…cast girls like me; faces
like mine that reflect how I grew up.’ (Figure 14) Li (2018, cited in Campbell,
2018). Highlighting that, there is still a stigma for Asian women to look a
certain way in order to walk the runway, and that by only picking Asian models
for her show, Li is fighting against the deep and old idea of Asians and
Orientalism. She said, ‘Asians aren’t just one nationality…Within the community
of Asian women, we are diverse. It’s time to break free from the singular
definition of Asian beauty.’ Li (2018 cited in Coscarelli, 2018). Li as an
Asian woman, is spreading awareness by using her heritage and field as a way to
educate her audiences about breaking the ideas of ‘pan-Asianess’ (as said by
Khoo, 2007) previously, along with presenting her designs in a way that
holistically showcases her personality and culture as a designer.
Similarly,
another designer is also very active and vocal about spreading his culture and
work as an Asian designer. Prabal Gurung, a Nepalese Fashion Designer, was
initially inspired by Li for his ‘Stronger in Colour’ Advertising campaign
(Figure 15 & 16). In the campaign, Gurung employed a predominantly Asian
staff and diverse pan-Asian models. Through the campaign, Gurung wanted to
implement a similar approach to Li by hiring Asian models and staff in order to
highlight that there is in fact more than one ‘face’ to East Asia. Also,
evident in Gurung’s campaign was the fact that Western designers or ‘…those
with ‘a seat at the table’, so to speak – don’t understand the nuances if race,
or are totally apathetic, because it isn’t a part of their personal experience,’
Gurung (2018, quoted in Yam 2018) and he is implying that it is only right for
people with Asian heritage and background could accurately represent the
culture as it is their own. In the same way that Li uses her personal
experiences, Gurung also does the same. He is able to create designs which are
authentic to his own heritage and culture in order to advocate his cause (lack
of diversity of Asians in High Fashion). Likewise, this is also reflected in
the designs of the garments that he created.
For
example, he used his own family and the single-parent household the he grew up
in and ‘…the women of the eastern world’, inspiration for some of his garments.
He also took inspiration from the ‘Gulabi Gang’ or ‘Pink Gang’ from India
(Figure 17) – a group of women fighting for their rights and violence against
women in India. These women don bright pink saris and use sticks for protection;
and a matrilineal ethnic group in China (Mosuo) (Figure 18). Gurung referenced
the ethnic groups’ ‘vibrant purples, red and blues’ (Associated Press, 2018) colours and
patterns which they use on their clothing. He added, through the colours, extravagant
patterns and materials which were hand made in the respective countries, as
well as subtle draping references, he hoped to highlight ‘…the strength, grace
and resilience’ (Associated Press, 2018) of the Asian women he is celebrating. This
does not only celebrate the women, but it also appreciates the culture which
they own. Rather than creating designs in order to create an ‘aesthetic’
purposes, Gurung made designs which appreciated the culture in which the
‘aesthetic’ comes from and using it in order to empower and represent the
culture in a respectful way. Through embracing and showcasing his culture
through his designs, Gurung not only shows its authenticity but also highlights
that in this modern era Asian culture is diverse, unique and different in its
own ways. Gurung’s implementation of references in his designs can be seen as ‘cultural
appreciation’ and a celebration of diversity and culture. Mentioned by Stuart
Hall (1997) on his book on representation, he highlights ways in which
stereotyping and appropriation can be countered. The ‘substituting of ‘negative
images’ with ‘positive images’, (Hall, 272) admits to the fact that negative
representations can never be erased, therefore saturating the media with
‘positive images’ may therefore solve or make people aware of the issue. Though
it is a soft approach to countering stereotypes and appropriation, it holds
great importance as designers who are part of the certain culture and ethnicity
are the ones spreading the issue therefore in some way it is effective as they
are also able to reference themselves in the process, assuring authenticity in
their work and designs. As previously mentioned, this is similar to Jan Cruz’s
work, as they are able to showcase their cultures respectively through quicker access
to consumers with a wider cultural knowledge, but also tackle an industry where
it’s slowly opening itself to a truer representation of cultures and traditions
it constantly stereotypes and appropriates.
Conclusion
In
conclusion, it seems that the deeply rooted stereotypical Western perspective
of ‘East Asia’ will never be diminished in popular culture and in High Fashion.
As long as it is relevant and frequent in the media it will be continuously reinterpreted
and re-appropriated.
In
particular, studying the case of ‘Dreams of the Orient’ by Yves Saint Laurent
showcases the entitlement to perceived cultural knowledge leading to cultural appropriation.
Although they received great complaints ultimately they took advantage of the situation
due to their status and power in popular culture and society. And, this is
especially true, as to this day Yves Saint Laurent is still a well-respected
brand and ‘Opium’ is still its top selling fragrance despite the controversies
behind it This is to say that cultural undermining will never go away and the
idea of Orientalism and Western hegemony will always be embedded in our society
and culture. However with the likes of Diet_Prada and other ‘activist’ social
media accounts, the High Fashion industry can be seen to finally take notice and
make changes to their strategies as consumers are more culturally aware . What
once are seen as fashion novelty like the ‘coolie hat’ is now understood better
by consumers with its right meanings, due to communication between fellow
consumers who are of that Asian decent and globalisation overall.
Besides,
though native East Asian Fashion designers are slowly paving their way in the
industry, how to use cultures and present cultures in a respectful way is still
a tricky concept in the industry and it is only now that they are being noticed
due to social media and consumer awareness in today’s world. Finally, Asian
designers themselves can also bring awareness and pride to their own culture,
using their personal experiences in order to relate to fellow Asian consumers
as well as educate consumers who are foreign to the culture. Such as that
through Claudia Li’s choice of employing an all-Asian model casting to her
show, already shows the first steps to showing that Asia is not monolithic, and
it’s effective as the monolithic view strongly roots back to visuals and beauty.
She’s already displaying the first steps to diversifying the Asian perception
in Western media and will continue more onto more abstract and stigmatised
stereotypes and appropriation, much like Carl Jan Cruz Overall, although
representation of East Asian cultures and traditions today is slowly progressing
and is possible to change completely, it is ultimately due to the strong rooted
Western perspective and cemented Western hegemony on the society that makes it
hard to tackle. It seems that at this moment, only designers of East Asian
decent has the credibility to showcase East Asian cultures appropriately, as opposed
to big Western Fashion Houses. It may take decades after cultural appropriation
and stereotyping may be changed to cultural appreciation in the High fashion
industry but it is up to the societal and cultural paradigm to decide its
future.
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