In recognition of the age of the manifesto and the uprising fashion in the 21st-century, it is crucial to be cognizant of the current times in this era of evolution that is taking place in the fashion and design world. To break down my views on fashion, this aphorism correlates to my core beliefs of what fashion really stands for. Fashion is the statement made by the designer, creative director, following a concept or the storyline told through their own perspective to reach to the audience. To break down the philosophy of this particular aphorism, “fashion has a tendency to construct its own cannons”, implying to the intricate borders of society versus the creator. Fashion in terms of a statement is not only the tangible aspect of clothing, apparel that arouses emotions from an individual, however, fashion becomes a political statement through the clothing. The subject that is brought to life becomes adjacent to the spirit of the audience. The challenges that some designers take to approach fashion in this form is to start a conversation, even a debate which may lead to controversy. Designers are the creators of their own visions and they are in charge of the conversation that evolves amongst human beings. Either be an artist, fashion designers, business person, the overall factor that forms within these creations help the viewer to construct their own cannons. An example of a designer and artist that has a powerful approach to fashion is Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons. Kawakubo can be described as an art historian, in relation to this aphorism. Kawakubo is someone who looks and questions society for its ambiguity through gender, sex, masculinity, femininity, cross culture, and identity. Similar to the concept of modernism following the path of romanticism. Rei’s genius has brought us to the 21st century to question the society that is in disguise from its destructive state.  Overall, our mission statement as artist, designers or creative individuals should highlight all aspects of what our identity consists of, down the path to finding our identity. The construction of the canon can have no ending, however, the documentation of our process will create its own sense of philosophy, because we are the art historians of our own identity.

 

 

This exercise was very interesting to open the subject of identity in the form of an object. Living in a three dimensional world but adapting to the technological advancement of machines can be viewed as a positive and negative outcome. On one hand our visual observations and senses were replaced by cellphones and technology, on the other hand our ability to observe and draw what we see became less of an option to create. In this exercise, we have used our observation skills to create a drawing from the object at hand. It was different in all perspective: front, side, rear, back. The next step of the exercise was to dive into the history of the object. After researching the history of this object, I have found that it traces back to Ashanti Kingdom in African Culture. It is the symbol of power and was most likely a ritualistic symbol in the 18th- late 19th century.

It was interesting to understand the core of this object; starting from the wooden texture of the soft curves of the silhouette of the figure, ending with the open space of knowledge within. I look at this object as a reflection. It is indeed a whole silhouette, but what remains within is a hole that seeks life to fill.