Fashion Rethought

At the start of the semester, my definition of fashion explained that fashion is something that connects all people. Now having taken this course I’ve realized that my original statement is true but just one piece of the puzzle that is “fashion”.  Fashion goes beyond just a symbol that connects others. As Susan Kaiser says “it is ongoing and changes each person’s visual and material interpretations of who he or she is becoming” (1).  Fashion is about the individual, society, global economy, and art. Each person expresses their version of fashion with how they fashion themselves; this is expressed in personal subject positions. Ones gender, religion, occupation, sexuality, hobbies, and more all influence their daily dress practices which in turn effects the fashion system as a whole. Daily dress practices effect the industry with what consumers are purchasing and what consumers are purchasing effects what designers are putting into the industry. Fashion is a system. It is something deeply personal as to how each person expresses themselves. In addition to the personal aspect there is a global economy surrounding fashion. Designers play off the mind of the consumer to create trends that people want to follow. In the high fashion world, it is about the art and creating a name for oneself.  Overall, fashion is something that connects all people together, but this connection comes with a global economic system, personal expression, and an intersectionality between each of those. There is also an intersectionality between personal subject positions. Fashion is the individual, the global, the psychological, and the economic.

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