Impact Of Cultural Revolution On Fashion Designers Cultural Studies Essay

Impact Of pagan diversity On Fashion Designers pagan Studies EssayTo what period did the Cultural novelty impact ruleers Vivienne tam and Han Feng and how did it affect their work?BackgroundIn 1949, after several decades of foreign aggression and civil war, the communists as well ask control of mainland china and monoamine oxidase ZeDong assumed spot in the sylvan. At the ceremony in Tiananmen that proclaim the founding of the Peoples Republic of china, he began his long term of office habi lindennt what was to become k promptly in the West as the monoamine oxidase causa. This was symbolic in signaling the inauguration of non only a hearty but also sartorial revolution.The age following the establishment of the mainland China were a time of consolidation, reconstruction and re seduce. The communists believed in the power of masses movements, seen as a necessity to maintain revolutionary spirit and these took place frequently, ultimately culminating in the ferment of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. During the 10 familys from 1966 to 1976, the Communist companions rosehip attempted to politicize every facet of behavior and eitherthing that might be regarded as bourgeois or counter-revolutionary was severely repressed. The redness Guards, essentially the shock troops of the Cultural Revolution, were instructed to attack elements of old China old customs, old habits, old cultusure and old thinking.Clothes were exceedingly visible in all four categories and, inevitably, vogue was highly apt(p) to attack. Contemporary mould was attacked as foreign and traditional dress as feudal and in general a concern with individualal air was interpreted as an expression of bourgeois tendencies and extreme psycheism. Indeed, one of umteen accounts describes the humiliation of a young woman seized by the rosy-cheeked Guards who forcibly removed her fashion fitting tro expenditurers and shoes in front of a gibelike crowd and illustrat es the sartorial terrorism which was car park through bug out China during the Cultural Revolution.It was therefore tacitly infrastood that dressing in a transparent proletarian right smart was the appropriate order of the day. The government encouraged citizenry to adopt the attire of the workers, peasants and soldiers who were regarded as the ultimate benefactors of the socialist state. The uniform of the Peoples pink slip Army was of reverse lightning cotton plant cloth, civilian cadres wore a grey administrative uniform and workers and peasants were clad in dark blue tunics and trousers. What therefore resulted from the mass adoption of the new socially acceptable attire was a spectacle of blue, green and grey.A spectacle that both Vivienne tammy and Han Feng vividly remember.IntroductionBoth Vivienne tam and Han Feng were born at the height of communist power in China and albeit in varied ways, they both lived through and were act upond by the Cultural Revolution. T heir individual figures shaped their attitudes towards fashion and they are now prominent designers, recognized wordwide as well as in China.Description of Han Feng and Vivienne tamHow their lives are differentVivienne does not live in China during the Revolution Han Feng doesVivienne exploits Mao cult, see to itry, symbolic representation Han Feng opposes it acquitlyVivienne nonpayments to HongKong, remains in Chinese spectrum Han Feng leaves to US (abandons legal residence country completely paralleled in the abandonment of everything Communist China represented.In commonTheatrical and artistic approach, not only fashion approachVivienne tamVivienne Tam was born in Guangzhou in 1957. Her spawn was a landlord and as the PRC was striving to eliminate private experienceership, landlords were accused of exploiting pile for their own profit and were thus targeted for world insufficiently devoted to state tell socialism. Tams family found themselves in a vulnerable position and as she recalls It was a really difficult time. They therefore fled to the Hong Kong, escaping the threatening Communist doctrine. Tam was remaining over(p) screwing with her grandparents until she was three years old when she was finally able to link them helped by a couple who told authorities she was their daughter.While living in Hong Kong she was able to maintain a Chinese lifestyle while creationness pass around to the rest of the world. Hong Kong was a thriving British colony and passel center and while she continued to speak Chinese at home and followed Buddhist religious rituals she accompanied a Roman catholic prepare and began to learn incline in earnest. It was this opportunity of having a bi-cultural upbringing and a hybrid way of life which not only fueled her enthrallment for the East meets West nuance but also taught her to be more than(prenominal) open and accept other citizenry and other cultures. Meanwhile, mainland China under the Cultural Revo lution was not only shutting out western sandwich culture but also Chinese culture itself, deeming it bourgeois and anti-communist. frequently that was lost to the revolution in China continued to grow and condition in Hong Kong and this offered Tam a license of uptake. As a fashion design student of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, she was able to absorb the westward influence present in Hong Kong and at the same time freely look into her Chinese cultural and sartorial heritage, an exploration which meanwhile was strictly interdict to students in mainland China. As students in China lived under extreme repression, Tam experienced the Cultural Revolution as an observer, acknowledging the hardships but not being directly affected by them. This freedom from repression shaped her approach to desire inspiration from the Cultural Revolution.Indeed, when she returned to visit China in the late 70s to earlier 80s, she experienced China almost as a tourist would. She was mesm erized rather than dismayed by the blur of green and blue that encircled her and was intrigued with Mao fashion- or anti-fashion- of putting everyone in a uniform and trying to make them equal- an attempt to cover up very real differences. She dismantle admired the loose but tailored cut of the Mao suit and its unisex appeal it highlighted the communist principle that men and women were equal and offered women freedom in physical movement. She noticed that this element of practicality had replaced fashion window displays were make full with practical things instead of fashion, and she therefore ventured into the arts and crafts and home and furnishing sections of stores where she found inspiration and sources for her materials in such textiles as bedroom linens, bedspreads and towels.However, what struck her most from her experience visiting China and ultimately inspired her to take a shit her most controversial collection was the remarkable power of Maos image. During the Cultu ral Revolution, portraits of Mao were ubiquitous they hung in every living room, class room and office and Chinese people all owned Mao badges, mirrors, weavings and sine qua nonlepoint works and fostered what became a cult of genius that did not immediately end with his ending. People valued these details as good luck charms and Mao was effectively venerated like a God, complete with a halo. Tam was absorbed by all these style elements left from the Mao cult and collected such vintage items as inspiration.In 1994, Tam was introduced to artist Zhang Hongtu, the first artist to use Maos image in his work. She was inspired by his background and the concepts behind his work and collaborated with him to shape her Mao Collection for Spring 1995.It is interesting to note their individual approaches to the project. Zhang Hongtu was born in Gansu province, attended highschool in Beijing during the sixties and later skilful at the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts. He left to bare-ass ed York in the early 80s and, having experienced the intensity of Communist indoctrination and the overwhelming power of Maos image, began painting Mao in only a lightly comic way, separating the image from its policy-making undertone. It was only after the 1989 Tiananmen events that, albeit having to overcome initial blind drunk feelings of guilt, he decided to exploit Maos image as mental therapy and as a way of expressing his own political feelings. It was an ironic reversal of the way he, as an artist, had been exploited to create propaganda art for the government.Tam sensed this political resonance in his work but instead chose to focus on its wittinessos element, aiming to loosen it up by amalgamating it with fashion. While Zhang Hongtu was directly responding to a need to get away from the shadow of Maos repression, escaping the way of his image and being able to express himself politically, Tam saw the power of image and exploited it humorously as a representation of th e new openness of China, using humour and warmth as a way to express the growing freedom of the Chinese people from Maos image. This highlights her inherent detachment to the ablaze hardship behind the Cultural Revolution that artists who grew up under its repression feel.Tam, perchance as a result of this detachment and thus not quite grasping the extent of the power that up to now lay behind Maos image, was even surprised by the strong reaction that the collection provoked. The collection comprised of 8 images of Mao 6 of which included Mao So Young- with pigtails, a peterpan collar and gingham dress, Ow Mao- cross eyeball with a bee perched on his nose against a black and yellow mark background, Holy Mao- with a clerical collar, Psycho Mao- with dark hypnotic glasses, send away Mao- with lipstick and Nice Day Mao- as a smiley face. She printed four sorry images in a checkboard pattern, reflecting Maos changeable character and, in other design, verbalized his positive and negative effects, printing the images in black and white. She also printed the images on T-shirts, deepening the texture with patterns and sequins to make the designs alive with movement and light.The striking collocation of colours and textures with Maos political imagery and the resulting strongly humorous element in the designs was highly controversial, some responding to it as almost blasphemous while others deemed it tasteless. The images were compared to Warhols film of Mao, but, while Warhol had used the image of Mao as exactly another mass icon like Marilyn Monroe, Tam and Hongtu had exploited it as a political figure which thus prompted the reaction If Mao was a potentate like Hitler or Stalin, how can it be okay to use his image as pop art? Isnt it tasteless to make fun of the vile they caused?Tam and Hongtu contended that it was a form of critisicm to the continuing use of Maos ideology, image and stick in China and a way to just undermine the authority of Maos ima ge any use of Maos image which makes him less godlike, is a form of criticism. And its necessary. Yet Tam admitted that she had no idea there would be a strong reaction to the designs and it was observing the attitude towards the collection that enabled her to gain a lot of insight into Mao and his power.Han FengHan Feng was born in Nan Jing in 1962. I grew up during the Cultural Revolution and it was difficult she explains and when she was 1 year old, authorities sent her father to another city and her parents were forced to separate. Her father hung himself and later another man she was close to also commited suicide during the Cultural Revolution.She grew up in advertZhou, Chinas artistic center, and, pursuing her small fryhood flair for creativity, she attended the China Academy of Fine Arts, training in graphic design as there were no fashion design programs. I started out painting how my teachers wanted me to she recalls, but then I became this crazy person who wanted to be different. It was no uncertainness having to endure the imposed Maoist dress code and how it stifled non-conformity which fueled Hans determination to distinguish herself I got a T-shirt and jeans and grew my hair long so I would be own out and she gained a reputation in the academy as being a bit of a blacksheep due to her desire for experimentation and refusal to merely copy what had been done before I wanted to learn, not copy. My teachers didnt comprehend that.Communist indoctrination was such that expanding creative horizons was virtually im practical. She was one of many who wished to escape the stifling repression of the tight grip maintained by the Communist Party on creative expression We all wanted to leave China in the 1980s because there was too much pain. She met her husband who was an face teacher of the art academy, and, seeking freedom and a larger detail for her interests, she moved to newfangled York with him in 1985.Leaving China was symbolic in asserting t he approach she would take towards intent abroad I thought, God, the Chinese-who cares? I am from China. I want to forget where Im coming, forget my past. Its just too painful to remember. The pain and struggle that characterized Hans experience of the Cultural Revolution not only determined her to leave China, but also inspired her to create designs that (whether intentionally or subconsciously) completely opposed all the elements of Maoist style, perhaps as a personal provocation and rebellion against everything it had tried to impose.When I left China she explains, everyone was wearing exactly the same thing. And it was grey. It is no alignment that her designs are now widely recognized for their rich and innovative use of colour and that she is credited one of the most brilliant colorists in the New York fashion world. After having been limited to blue, black and red dyes which were the only ones ready(prenominal) in dyeing shops in China during the Cultural Revolution (Anton ia Finanne, 237), Han now embraces the freedom of using vibrant colours I love designing with pure, bright colors because I didnt experience them as a child she says. Red is particularly prominent in her pallet, varying in geranium to carmine shades, as are green and blue shades of chartreuse and lime to lapis and turquoise. Her collections combine colors in subtle ways highlighted in items miscellany burgundy with fuschia or pairing the different shades of green or blue, practically placing paler colours alongside more intense ones for artistic effect.In humanitarian to her use of colours, Han Feng is also known for her creative treatment of frameworks and her designs are as characterized by their materials. Escaping the drab conformity imposed by Communist Doctrine, Han Feng change the changes that the Cultural Revolution had forced upon the use of fabrics in China. Chinese people had been obliged to abandon traditional Chinese fabrics such as silk and satin which, harmonis e to the Doctrine, carried a strong feudalistic connotation, and were required to adopt revolutionary cotton or patriotic woollen.(Hua Mei, 98) Instead, Han Feng abandoned the bland cotton and crude wool that characterized Maoist style and zealously explored the realm of fabrics and materials that was newly available to her. possibly as a result of growing up in Hang Zhou, a city which had been reputed for its silk trade, she developed a keen appreciation for silk, wistfully reviving it as the fabric of her heritage.This passionate exploration and revival of fabrics and materials is understandably expressed in her collections. She works with a diverse array of materials including silk (occasionally immingle with wool), organza, smooth, satin, stretch chiffon and fine polyester. These light, pliant and unmistakable fabrics which characterize her collections certainly personal line of credit with the coarse thickness of the cotton and crude wool which she had no pickax but to we ar when living in China.Yet her endeavor went further then just exploring fabrics. What sparked her interest were the ways in which she could treat and set the fabrics creating different textures and styles, once again delving into a creative realm which had been certified during the Cultural Revolution. The harmony of the Mao suit was constrained to straight press cotton, occasionally padded or patched, and did not allow for ruffles or any such touches of originality. It was shapeless, defined only by the square, linear attribute of the representative uniform.The description of Hans collection of 1993 in the New York times, best signaled her approach to analyze materials She pleats fabrics into gnat-sized accordions the tiny folds in the fabrics devolve drama to even the plainest polyester georgette. Her chiffon A-line dresses were cut in spirals, like orange peels. Velvet was crinkled and pleated to make a widex tank dress fit for the wedding of a barefoot contessa. Indee d, the sack she underwent as she explored and discovered new ways of using materials is clear in the development of her designs, in particular that of her signature scarves. While she had initially launched her passage in selling pleated scarves, her collection of scarves are now paisley, plaid, fringed, crinkled, embroidered and featuring colorful distort ribbon inserts techniques that she then applied to other clothing designs. Her Spring/ pass 2001 collection highlighted her accordion-pleated skirts and crinkled silk blouses printed with impressionistic floral patterns.Han also styles fabrics in a distinctly original way, rejecting conventional tailoring and, perhaps paralleling her appreciation of the wrap quality of scarves, she focuses on creating garment which wrap and veil, assembling the garment as a light sculpture on the body. This quality has been admired and her clothing has been described to wrap the body as the clouds enclose a mountain. Her collections have ofte n been defined by the way she drapes soft jerseys and chiffons and folds back the fabric as well as by the untailored loose panels of fabric undirected from the backs of dresses, uneven hems and asymmetric cuts.What emerges as a result of the blending of diaphanous fabrics, textures and colours, untailored and wrapped around the body is a light, weightless and dreamily powder-puff appeal. This quality is perhaps what most manifestly contradicts Maoist uniform and its aboriginal principle of de-feminizing women. While the squarely tailored Mao suit was specifically designed and imposed on women to conceal their curves and natural movements, Han strives to create clothes which accommodate and embrace them. She maintains that women should enjoy their bodies more and not try to hide themthe body is beautiful. She thus takes pleasure inplaying with shape and making women look more feminine in a subtle way. Her 1995 fall collection, for instance, was based on curves curved seams that bring the jackets close to the body, curved collars that frame the neck, curved backs that give a cocoon-like shape to pleated silk evening jackets or velvet coats.Emphasizing the reaffirmation of feminity in her style, she complements her outfits with accessories including scarves, gloves and hair ornaments. While accessories during the Cultural Revolution were limited to Red Guard armbands, army caps, Mao badges and his little red book, Hans collections feature emasculated iridescent shawls with gilded tassels, black wool gloves weaved with rows of pink bows and polytail holders linked with velvet buttons. She even makes this twist literal in her 1999 collection one item is a high-collared Chairman Mao jacket accented with a chinchilla scarf, a subtly controversial pairing of the strict suit with the sophisticated touch.With the revival of feminine allure comes the emotional feeling of her clothes. Although her designs remain simple and practical, their unparalled inventiveness and originality hold a hint of haiku-like poetry, highlighting her romantic vision. In fact her fall/winter 1998 collection was inspired by the report of a love affair between a fabric monger and a young woman along the silk road to China. No doubt she was enthused by the controversial appeal of the story, exploring its romanticism and creating a more emotional collection emotion being an element which was wholly non-existent in the cold, war machine allure of the Mao suit. She later skillfully accentuated the emotional and dramatic looking of her designs to the height of theatrical flair, leading to her debut as a robes designer and ultimately her success in designing costumes for director Anthony Minghellas English National Opera production of Madame Butterfly.1980s onwardsMao Zedongs death in 1976 brought an end to the Cultural Revolution. Later that year, the downfall of the Gang of Four, including Maos leave behind Jiang Qing who had implemented the most extreme policies, led to a slow rest of laws related to dress and social constraints. In 1984, under Deng Xiaopings leadership and the open door policy of reform, certain cities were designated open as part of a new strategy inviting foreign investment. In October 21, 1984, Hu Yaobang, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, appeared on television at a meeting of the Central delegation wearing a dark-blue western style suit. Although his move was possible because of the more relaxed atmosphere following the ascendancy to power of Deng Xiaoping, he was still making a bold sartorial statement.While both Vivienne Tam and Han Feng were able to escape the confines of Communist indoctrination and establish themselves as designers in New York, they left a China that was struggling to reassert itself at heart the international political stage and the global economy. This struggle was (and still is) reflected in the clumsy approach people began to take to new fashions and Western styles ledger entry China Tam herself commented that their style was borderline bad taste and hip because they were borderline Cultural Revolution and Western modernity.Unavoidably the new danger to Chinas sartorial identity is the influx of Western brands which are threatening to create yet another type conformity and as Tam rightly observes American influence is diluting the distinctive flavor of Chinas fashion industry.Both Tam and Han Feng are now challenging the dominance of mass produced Western brands in China. Having experienced the Cultural Revolution, they do not want to see the uniformity of the Mao era simply transgress into a new Western uniformity. What they therefore want to highlight is the importance of maintaining imagination and individualityEverything we do should express feelings and experiences. We should create not just follow fashion. Each fashion designer should have his or her signature style.While acknowledging the need for recover individuality in China, they are both op timistic in Chinas authorisation it is growing, fashion here will soon have its own personality We had great fashion for thousands of years, then no fashion at all. straightway we are finding our contemporary design voice.