Reading Christopher Breward’s 12 statements about fashion I chose two aphorisms:
- Fashion has a tendency to construct its own canons. Like every cultural form these should be documented and then subjected to debate and challenge. Art historians are expert creators and destroyers of these canons, as surely as modernism follows romanticism. like art historians, fashion scholars need to look and question.
- I find this statement very relevant to the current time we’re living as a society. There have been several issues around the lack of research at the moment of designing collections before sending them on the runways. As well as not giving credit to people who had created/started trends. It’s hard nowadays to say you as a designer created something 100% based out of your imagination, meaning you didn’t inspire or jump of an idea. We live in a world where whatever is made can be immediately known world-wide, by one click. This said, basically it’s almost to completely impossible for someone to come up with something entirely new, never seen before. This is why research is very important. Getting inspiration from others is amazing, but it’s important to know its own background, this way doing research off of what you’re creating gives your creation its own new mixed history, allowing you as a designer to know the roots of your creation. When you know the basics, it allows you to open your view, have a broader opinion, and allows you to create your own approach to the context of your creation. I’ve always strongly thought you have to read, listen to other opinions and get poured with all the information possible, and if you have the opportunity yourself to live that experience, the after you’ve done all of this, then you can have an OPINION. I find it very irritating and frustrating to hear people who have very strong opinions towards delicate subjects, but they don’t base their opinions off of any background research, then they’re just basing off themselves, without every allowing themselves to see all the different views to one subject. One thing has several paths, it’s important to know them all, and get to know all the stories (from all the sides, and points of view), this applies to daily basis life. Therefore, as a designer it’s our obligation to get to know the backgrounds of our creations, this way it’s easier to integrate cultures, religions, races, genders in a harmonious and equal way, without offending or disrespecting others.
- Fashion is intensely personal, in the same way that poetry is intensely personal. It is a medium through which personal stories can be told, memories re-lived and futures foretold.
- I disagree with this statement. Currently we are living in a crisis in the fashion industry, where fast fashion is taking over and making brands which have been existing for years now go out of business. Why is this happening? Because these fast-paced companies are copying the almost exact designs from higher brands and selling them for lower prices. Making customers go to these cheaper stores to consume way more and spend less. It sounds like an amazing deal, but people are buying carelessly and disposing in the same way they buy these garments, creating tons and tons of waste, harming our planet. I think this statement is in ways true, yes, of course there are designers who create garments that come from a completely personal space, but what I’ve seen lately is pretty much the same designs and styles in the fashions brands, every one of them leaching off of the other. I’ve also seen a lot of interest in marketing the name of the brand on the garment, not really focusing on the fit or the cut, just essentially making the name clearly visible for the public, what for? Today, people prefer to show off the brand of their clothing than to show off the feel, the movement, the quality off the clothing. Literally society is promoting for free expensive fashion brands. It’s quite ironic and sad, people aren’t interested in the work/design of garments no longer, it doesn’t matter to most of them. It’s an interesting and ongoing debate on whether these garments should be considered fashion or promotion…
