Wednesday 22 September 2010

Away to Oxford


Oriel College, University of Oxford, venue of 2nd Global Conference on Fashion

Lack of recent posts is due to my preparation of a paper to be presented this week at 2nd Global Conference on Fashion, hosted at the University of Oxford by Inter-disciplinary.net. I attended to give a paper at the first conference last year, so am glad to have been invited back, and to have the opportunity to re-acquaint myself with some of the academics and fashion professionals who attended last time, and to meet some new faces too. The opportunity to ''network'' within the field of fashion theory is somewhat limited, particularly as relatively few of these type of conferences are held, so am looking forward to hearing about the research of others in related fields. At last year's conference some of the most interesting papers were those that related to fashion from a theoretical and historical perspective, areas in which my own knowledge is less developed (my own knowledge of ''fashion history'' is gleaned from my own haphazard reading, hence the number of gaps in my understanding), as well as those who had traveled from places outside the usual Euro-American fashion theory arena, which last year included speakers from Russia, South Africa, Japan and Jamaica.

Presenting my own work in the form of an academic paper at such a conference has also become a useful tool in my own research methodology; as well as finding a forum in which to present my work before an informed audience. In particular, the feedback in the Q&A session at the end of the presentation was useful in finding if in ''testing'' my work that is is understood in a wider context outside of my immediate academic community. It also provided me with a few useful leads and new ideas to explore, so am hoping for more of the same this year, not least because I still feel that as my research topic on the ''Fashion City'' is so under-developed it needs a few learned and rigorous ears to help iron-out the anomalies or to pick out potential pit-falls.

One of the ''finds'' of last year's conference came in the form of the academic fashion blog Worn Through to which Lucy Collins of Temple University contributes. This American-focused blog, which is more like a magazine, is full of interesting perspectives on the teaching of fashion and fashion curating, with news on exhibitions, new publications, conferences and potential job opportunities. Visit the site and view their latest posts at: http://www.wornthrough.com/

For more information on the conference, and the archive of last years, visit: http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/fashion/

Thursday 16 September 2010

The Power of Fashion


Holly Fulton, London Fashion Week New Gen designer and RCA Graduate

On the eve of London Fashion Week the British Fashion Council today unveiled a report it has commissioned from Oxford Economics entitled The Value of the UK Fashion Industry. This report is a particularly timely ''snap-shot'' of British fashion, particularly in light of the current economic state, with ''fast-fashion'' firms considering how to pass on rising costs due to scarcity of cotton supplies and the immanent VAT rise to 20% in January 2011. Fashion is often perceived by ''outsiders'' as flaky and frivolous, yet the summary of the report shows the industry is worth £21 billion to the UK economy, which surely is not a sum of money anyone, least of all government officials can ignore. The report also cites that the fashion industry is not only UK's 15th largest (similar in size to the food/beverage and communications sectors) it also the largest of the so-called ''creative sectors''. An interesting facet of this report, and one I aim to look at further, is that it takes into consideration the role of different fashion organisations, not just designers, brands, manufacturers and retailers, but also seemingly overlooked aspects of the fashion, including educational institutes, trend forecasting and the media, which all have an impact on the state of the British fashion industry, and equally contribute to its success. In the words of BFC Chairman Harold Tillman:

Fashion is a great British success story and this landmark piece of research underlines its true scope and economic impact.

The full report is available to view on the British Fashion Council/London Fashion Week Website at:

http://www.britishfashioncouncil.com/valueoffashion

Monday 13 September 2010

Quote of the Month


Elinor Glyn, inventor of ''It''

...strange magnetism which attracts both sexes. He or she must be entirely unselfconscious and full of self-confidence, indifferent to the effect he or she is producing, and uninfluenced by others. There must be physical attraction, but beauty is unnecessary. Conceit or self-consciousness destroys ‘It’ immediately.

Glyn, Elinor, It, Macaulay, New York, 1927, pp: 5-6, in Roach, Joseph, It, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 2007. pp: 4

This month's quote comes from Joseph Roach's book It, but comes from the pen of Elinor Glyn, the often ‘’in-famous’’ socialite, author, screen-writer and lover of Lord Curzon and (here comes the fashion connection) sister of the couturier Lucile. Am currently working on a paper to be presented at the 2nd Global Conference Critical Issues: Fashion at Oxford University next week, and in researching this have been re-thinking again about how cities go about presenting themselves on local, national or international stages. What they all seem to have in common is a search for an ''It Factor'' that helps to set them apart from their competitors. Glyn is perhaps the instigator, or certainly one of the first to define what the ''It Factor'' meant, i.e. ''sex appeal'', and in turn as starlets of stage and screen before them, so too are cities and even local neighbourhoods are seeking to define what makes them appealing, and indeed, ''sexy''. The so-called ''soft'' elements of culture are certainly a part of this, including fashion, yet other economic and practical elements, such as investment and transport, also play an important role. Yet as in Glyn's assertion here, it appears that this ''It Factor'', however it is harnessed and portrayed, needs to be un-self-conscious, without the city (or the person) appearing to try ‘’too hard’’. As many city councils, indeed national governments, sometimes fail to realise, it is actually very difficult to ‘’invent’’ or ‘’import’’ culture in attempting to generate such an ‘’It Factor’’ to appeal to either a local audience or to those from outside, such as business investors or tourists. Rather than developing its magnetism from the ingredients of a generic formula, instead each city needs to delve into its own character, separating out what is appealing and necessary to produce this. Different kinds of ‘’It Factor’’ appeal to different kinds of audiences , but it is up to the different segments of city to work together to produce this in a holistic sense, since any hint of ‘’fakery’’ is likely to be as damaging to a city’s perceived image as having none at all.


Clara Bow, the original ''It Girl''

Wednesday 1 September 2010

New Shops: London

Colonisation, in a sense, can work both ways, particularly in the context of the exchange of fashion culture. While big name high-street and luxury brands are well-known to have the power and resources to open shops in far-flung destinations such as Dubai, China, Russia and India, brands from so-called ''developing'' countries are developing the resources and confidence in their product to do so too. In London, Turkish brand Desa, well-known for its leather heritage, is preparing to open, not one but two large stores, with one in Hampstead and a ''flagship'' in Covent Garden. Desa already operates 60 stores in its home market, plus a franchise operation in Saudi Arabia. Given the number of Middle Eastern visitors who like to spend their money on clothes in London, it would seem this is a canny move by the brand.


Advertisement by 7 For All Mankind


New denim stores are also set to open, with 7 For All Mankind, the ''original'' American premium denim brand, to open its first British store in Westbourne Grove. Dutch brand Denham, meanwhile, has turned its attentions to the East End, with the prospective opening of its third wholly-owned store in Shoreditch's Charlotte Road (the brand's other two concept stores are in Amsterdam and Tokyo). It appears as if each of these brands is taking advantage of favourable exchange rates, and a perhaps slight dip in rental prices, proving that even in a recession, London is still viewed as place of opportunity for fashion brands wishing to make their mark in this ''World Fashion City''. Having a presence in London, it seems, retains its caché.


Denham Jeans, look for the brand's ''scissor'' symbol

Since the ‘’explosion’’ of the Japanese designers in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Paris (names like Kenzo, Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto), there has since not been such a concentrated number of designers emanating from one place making a significant impact on the global fashion scene. From within Europe itself, perhaps only the ‘’Antwerp Six’’ can compare to this. Yet since the 1980s the nature of the fashion industry has perhaps changed considerably, with a larger amount of monetary resources needed to launch a fully-fledged fashion label to begin with, and also the development in technology, particularly, the Internet, meaning that connections between places are now much ‘’closer’’, taking away the need to travel to present collections before an international audience. Rather than a ‘’collective spirit’’ there also seems to be a move towards more designers striking out on their own, not necessarily setting up business in a ‘’World Fashion City’’ like London or Paris, but instead choosing to remain, or return to, their home town, building a local clientele before branching out abroad. It will be interesting to see if Desa is the first of many Turkish brands to begin on an international expansion, opening shops or franchises, especially as the country has built up a reputation for high-quality products, both ready-made clothes and textiles. For the European market, their proximity to the main Western European fashion markets of Germany, France, Italy, UK and Spain, mean many retailers are looking to source their own product from there, particularly in light of recent problems with deliveries from countries further away, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand.


Advertising Image by Vlisco

In a reversal of this, and perhaps reflecting the seemingly, almost ‘’circular’’ nature of the fashion industry, the Dutch firm Vlisco is little known in its home-market, yet it is a household brand across West Africa, famed for its intricately, brightly patterned batik prints, or ‘’Dutch Wax’’. Although, incidentally, some of its products can also be found in the less exotic confines of Brixton market, the best place to view the full range of its very luxurious products is in the firm’s flagship stores in Benin, Nigeria, Togo or the Ivory Coast. Vlisco certainly challenges the notion of so-called ‘’authentic’’ textile products, since these prints begin life in Helmond rather than Lomé.