This essay will be focusing on the statement made by John E. Vollmer, “Cultural authentication in dress is a process of assimilation through which a garment or an accessory external to a culture is adopted and changed. With this change, over time, the artifact becomes a vital, valued part of the adopting culture’s dress”. In this argument, will look at this process with three examples. There will be three different example: ear and facial piercings in the current world for aesthetic purposes, a fashion brand called OngShunmugam that changed the way cheongsam looks, and a fashion piece that is worn by many which is called the Kimono cardigan. These are all authenticated from a traditional culture.
In an uncomplicated form of explanation…show more content… brought back the culture after traveling to India for enlightenment purposes and imitate Indian’s taditional nose ring, usually linked by a chain to an earring. (Agboh-Stroude, n.d)
Fig. 4 Women with facial piercings and expanded earlobe (2016)
As the years go by, the practice has developed many variations of style and techniques across the world. Piercings are just one of it that it is universal and has changed its meaning. Fashion would be the next commonplace that elements of a dress from a culture are put into their work.
The cheongsam (“long dress” in Cantonese), also known as qipao in Mandarin is an example of a designer that authenticated from a culture. cheongsam is a dress that typically worn by chinese women, since then it has become a trademark for chinese identity. It is a sheath dress with a mandarin collar, side slits and an asymmetrical opening in the front that stretches from the middle of the collar to the armpit and down the side. The opening is traditionally secured with knotted buttons and loops known as hua niu (flower…show more content… The form of the kimono is straightforward but the surround of the culture is complicated. It has changed a little since the beginning during the eighth century. The kimono can be an everyday wear or formal wear as well as for festive and ceremonial events. Fig. 8 Half profile of an apprentice Geisha (1930s) Traditional kimono is deemed as uncomfortable to the younger Japanese people. On the other hand the modernized yukata, with unusual fabrics and non-traditional patterns is beginning to gain popularity. But in 1945, Japanese women stopped wearing their traditional dress and started adopting the western styles and that is when the market for high-end kimono collapsed during that time as the wealthy consumers went for a cheaper and more laid-back fashion. (Maynard, 2004, p. 29) Fig. 9 Woman in Yukata and Kimono Therefore, the kimono industry has tried to diverse out of the formal and traditional styles that has been the pillar and reaching out to the overseas markets. In the modern world today, kimono has evolved and adopted the western style. It’s no longer a dress but instead it is a fusion of Japanese tradition and modernity, which the current generation called it as the kimono