Aphorism #1
“Fashion moves in space and time. It shares in the complexity of physics and mathematics, making patterns and networks, forming mazes and constellations. Through its forms we have an opportunity to re-unite art and science and to heal the rift of the two cultures.”
Fashion is constantly changing, and that is what makes it hard to define. In the fashion industry, it requires mathematics and physics to ensure the fabrics and materials are durable and able to hold their shapes in the field of pattern-making. It also utilizes the resources in networking and marketing to promote the products. So, fashion has the ability to bridge art and science. With the development of technology, it would give fashion more possibilities and choices in fabrics and materials, and we don’t know where science is leading us yet. In that sense, it is making a mysterious and attractive maze.
Aphorism #2
“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 enjoyed this comparison to poetry. Fashion can be personal. It does reflect our aesthetic choice, identity, ways of living, emotions, etc, just like how poetry does. They are the demonstration of individualism.
Poetry is about the choices of words: as we piece together the fragments, they can give insight into one’s identity. This process is similar to how we select our headpieces, dress, shoes, etc, and the way people interpret them. However, poetry is slightly different in terms of the message it conveys, since the authors have more control on the words, tones, and other details compared with fashion. The authors can add statements or explanations to their work to make the message clearer and more straightforward, whereas fashion leave the viewers more space for interpretation. At the same time, unlike poetry, fashion occurs in our daily life, we are aware that our outfits will be observed by the others, no matter if we are willing or not. People only see the poetry when the authors choose to publish or share them. In other words, poetry is a relatively selective medium compared with fashion.
FASHION STUDIES: Research Methods, Sites, and Practices. S.l.: BLOOMSBURY VISUAL ARTS, 2019.
