Does Fashion Have a Place in Politics? | Tallulah Bullock Whilst some may argue that fashion and politics have no business being mentioned in the same sentence- I disagree. My interest in fashion from a young age stemmed from a fascination in clothing’s purpose beyond the practical. I’ve always been intrigued by the way personal style acts as a non-verbal rhetoric that we use to communicate who we are with each other. Psychologist have deduced that it takes us just 3 seconds to make a judgment about someone based on their appearance. Much like politics, fashion is paradoxically elitist whilst also being democratic. And whether you’re a front row fixture, or couldn’t give two hoots whether the seventies are making a resurgence for SS15; (FYI: they are) you probably consider what the outfit you pick to wear each day conveys to the world to some degree- be that donning a suit to look smart and professional for a job interview, or wearing a particular brand to signal your allegiance to a style tribe.
Is Fashion a Credible Platform for Protest? | Opinion, BoF Comment Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring/Summer 2015, Jean Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 2015, Stella McCartney | Photo Collage: BoF LONDON, United Kingdom — Last week in Paris, Chanel appropriated the visual signifiers of feminist protest for its seasonal runway show. In a finale led by Karl Lagerfeld, a bevy of supermodels took to a catwalk christened “Boulevard Chanel” holding signs with slogans such as “History is Her Story,” “Make Fashion Not War,” and “Tweed Is Better Than Tweet.” Playing out against this backdrop, the “faux-test” staged on Boulevard Chanel rang especially hollow, repackaging political riot as a light-hearted, Instagram-savvy performance. We think it can. Over the course of a career spanning more than three decades, Jean Paul Gaultier has used the fashion show format to address the socially and politially charged issues of female empowerment and beauty. Vivienne Westwood is living proof of fashion’s ability to carry and convey a political agenda.
Fashion Innovations in 3D Printing Iris van Herpen & Daniel Widrig's 2010 collaboration with .MGX by Materialise TICKETS SOLD OUT!View the event on Livestream. As part of the Computational Fashion program series, Eyebeam presents an exciting event featuring designers and producers using cutting edge 3D printing techniques to push the boundaries of fashion. Join us as our featured presenters discuss and demo their work, highlighting unique collaborations taking place in NYC between fashion designers, technologists, and manufacturers. PresentersJoris Debo, Creative Director (.MGX by Materialise)Duann Scott, Designer Evangelist (Shapeways)Bradley Rothenberg, architect and Gabi Asfour, designer (threeASFOUR)Alexandra Samuel, Dan Selden, and Ross Leonardy (Crowd Control) Presentations followed by reception
Vogue: Anna Wintour and Political Fashion | Joseph Weissman In 2010, Syria was perceived by much of the Left, as a nice country helping the Palestinians, which is becoming modern, has an English connection, and is generally a great place. In 2011, people began to realise that Syria is actually quite nasty, because it has a murderous dictator who frequently committed massacres and war crimes. It is tough to keep up with fashion trends - none more so in politics. Vogue magazine ought to be a leader in the world of fashion and style, yet it was caught out in 2011 when it tried to portray the Assad family as a modern, open, 21st century family. Of Asma Al Assad - the dictator's wife - we read in Vogue that she was: "glamorous, young, and very chic--the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies...a thin, long-limbed beauty with a trained analytic mind who dresses with cunning understatement." Last year, Vogue published the infamous "Rose in the Desert" piece on Asma al-Assad, in February 2011. By February 2011, the game had changed.
What is Slow Fashion? | Slow Fashioned When a new concept like Slow Fashion comes around it is often hard to describe it. We find ourselves grasping for parallels like: ‘Slow Fashion is a sister movement to Slow Food’ or using comparisons like ‘Slow Fashion is the opposite of Fast Fashion’ or even clarify a little more like: “Slow Fashion ≠Anti Fashion” or “quality over quantity” — and while it is important to understand what Slow Fashion IS and is NOT is some sort of familiar term or phrase it isn’t enough to capture the essence of the movement. Rather than pigeonhole the entire movement into these little sound bites we need start to explore what Slow Fashion CAN be rather than what it CAN’T — Slow Fashion opens up a world of creative possibilities in personal fashion that chasing fast trends at the mall never will: Slow Fashion… …Celebrates Personal Style Slow Fashion embraces the idea of personal expression through your clothing. Related articles:
"Technology adds an incredible advantage to fashion design" Fashion and technology: in the first part of a series focusing on designers who are introducing the fashion world to new technologies, Dezeen speaks to architect Julia Körner about how advances in 3D scanning, modelling and printing are creating a "revolution in customised fashion pieces within ready to wear" (+ interview + slideshow). 3D-printed garments have become a common sight on the Haute Couture catwalks of designers like Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. Austrian architect Julia Körner, who collaborated with Van Herpen on these digitally fabricated garments, is now working on transferring the technology used to create the elaborate garments into everyday clothing production as part of what she calls an "exciting moment in fashion design". "Body scanning and 3D-modelling techniques allow you to design towards a perfect fit, and through minimal changes in the code I can create variations of adaptations in the design," she told Dezeen.
The seaside fashion shows Politics is all style and no substance, right? Well maybe, but at least at this year's party conferences there was a bit of style on show. It's been a competitive time in the party politics and fashion stakes. And it's been confusing for newspaper readers who, deluged with fashion images and acres of copy from places as diverse as Blackpool, Milan, Brighton, Bournemouth and Paris in the last few weeks couldn't work out what was truly in style. The messages, most of which they'd heard before, were as confusing as ever. There was a moment this week when I picked up an evening paper and thought God knows the Tories are desperate but the purple exposed nipple on the little beige two-piece outfit just is vulgar and silly and frankly isn't going to win them any votes. I now apologise to YSL who probably doesn't want to be prime minister - even though he may get more votes than Iain Duncan Smith. Betsy Duncan Smith - a dead ringer for elegant Lady Helen Taylor - looked ravishing every day.
Topshop Gets Called Out For Unrealistic Mannequin Body Standards By now, it seems as if most retailers have been involved in some sort of controversy. And while some have been because of tasteless graphics, or hypersexualized advertisements, one thing we continue to see over and over again—and frankly, we're tired of it—is the ridiculous body standards reinforced by the mannequins that model the clothing. Topshop, the popular British brand that boasts collaborations with stars like Gigi Hadid and Cara Delevingne, has come under fire after a shopper noticed that the store's mannequin had extremely thin legs. "Perhaps it's about time you became responsible for the impression you have on women and young girls and helped them feel good about themselves rather than impose these ridiculous standards," Berry wrote in a post on Topshop's Facebook page. It appears that Berry's action had a positive effect, as Topshop responded with a public post declaring that they would no longer be "placing any further orders on this style of mannequin."
The Political Logic Behind Hillary’s Horrible ‘Pantsuit T-Shirt’ | News & Analysis CHICAGO, United States — By at least one metric—fashion—Hillary Clinton’s campaign appears to be off to a terrible start. Last week, Twitter was abuzz with pics of the “Hillary Pantsuit T-Shirt,” a fashion travesty currently selling for $30 a pop on her campaign website. Of course, no one would don a pantsuit T-shirt expecting to look beautiful—the purpose is entirely ironic. In 2012, at the behest of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, agreed to produce an Obama fashion line that eventually came to include everything from Tory Burch handbags ($75) to Thakoon Panichgul scarves ($95). It worked. But the merch team made a surprising discovery: It was often the tackiest stuff that sold the best. Clinton may eschew the idea that she’s running for Obama’s third term. The thing to remember about political fashion is that it’s not really about looking good. By Joshua Green; editor: John Homans.