At this time of year Kunstmuseum in The Hague usually invites to an exhibition dedicated to the history of fashion. Until 16th January 2022 you can see the exhibitions titled GLOBAL WARDROBE – THE WORLDWIDE FASHION CONNECTION, curated by Madelief Hohe and assisted by Saskia Hoogervorst. The exhibition shows strong ties between European Fashion and other parts of the world – India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt. It reveals how distant influences gave an impact and direction to the way Western fashion developed and new trends appeared. It also explains the difference between the past and now in how these inspirations were approached. The exhibition is presented chronologically instead of geographically. There are separate spaces dedicated to 18th and 19th century, 20th century and contemporary designs and they respectively represent the times of imitation, inspiration, and innovation.
In the room where 18th and 19th century garments are presented you can learn about how colonialism contributed to European fashion by bringing beautiful fabrics to the old continent – luscious silks from China and printed cotton, called shintz from India, batiks from Indonesia. It is evidenced that the first kimono inspired garments appeared in Europe, and precisely in the Netherlands, as early as the second half of 17th century thanks to the commercial success of East India Company. Asian influences were always present in Western fashion, but the clothes inspired by them were far from originals and adapted to the European taste and lifestyle. First kimonos, a house coat for men – a banyan, hooded cape – a burnous, all fall under this category.
Another exhibition space tells how the fascination with the Orient at the beginning of 20th century started. The direct impact for the Orient craze was the tour of Sergiey Dighilev’s ballet russes (1909-29) to Paris and their performance such as “Scheherezade” or “Afternoon of a Faun”. But most of all it was about the costumes. Dsigned by Leon Bakst, they prompted Paul Poiret to visit Indian Department in the British Museum to design turban headpieces with an egret and offer them to Parisian clientele along with joupe culotte and soft, loose velvet coats. The trend was followed by other designers, Coco Chanel, Jean Pattou or Jean Lanvin, and strengthened by archaeological discoveries in Egypt such as the famous opening of Tutankhamun tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter.
Getting closer to our times, the next room presents 1960s and 1970s designs, some by famous couturiers like Fong Leng, Yves Saint Laurent or Frank Govers, and some rebel hippie outfits, both inspired by non-European influences. For the designers it was a continuation of fascination with Orientalism. For the youths wearing something non-European, like colourful caftans and headpieces, Turkish leather jackets, beaded decorations, it was a statement: I am against the mainstream, I am rebellious, and I dare to be different. Personally,I can’t help the impression that by the end of 1970s commercial fashion labels hijacked the hippie chic and I can remember my mom wearing a fancy turban and a handbag with leather fringe and beads. She was almost 40 at the time. Not hippie for sure.
Last room is dedicated to the youngest, contemporary designers such as by Mr. Ajay Kumar, Jamie Okura, Karim Adduchi and many others. Their relationship with the cultures they get inspired with is very different though.
By the end of 20th century fusion fashion was on the rise and famous designers like Galliano, Alexander Mc Queen or Jean Paul Gaultier mixed Western fashion with quotations from different cultures. Sometime around 2010 an accusation arose that these quotations were very random, superficial, deprived of any understanding or appreciating of the origin and history of such transplanted element. It started to be seen as cultural appropriation. That in consequence led to a dispute on who has moral title to get inspiration from which culture. Is it acceptable for European designers to reach for, say, African art and incorporate its elements in their design? Or Asian designers to get ideas from Aboriginal art? And how about consumers? Is it only fair to wear clothes designed in line with one’s own heritage?
Sounds very limiting but I think these voices emerged from a justified desire that all cultures be appreciated, quoted with respect of their history and with an honest attempt to understand them. A very different approach indeed from selecting random elements and mixing them at will with otherwise conventional Western fashion.
Here I would like to broaden the perspective a bit. Not only colonialism, but all of history and its course shape fashion. Empire style emerged at the beginning of the 19th century as a result of Napoleon’s trip to Egypt and his political aspirations. Apart from the Egyptian motifs Empire also referred to the Roman antiquity thus promoting first the ideas of the republic and after Bonaparte’s coronation, the ideas of the empire. Napoleon’s later expeditions to the East brought to Paris the fashion for furs, although in the mild climate of France they were not needed, in contrast to the severe winters in Poland and Russia at that time.
Borrowing or looking for inspiration in distant countries and different cultures is nothing bad or new. In the history of civilization, everything is interconnected, though not always directly. Flows of ideas are fostered by historical events and migrations. After all, pants, sleeved or buttoned clothing are Persian inventions, but no one will claim that the people of Iran, as direct heirs to the Persian legacy, have priority to wear them.
The way I see it, colonialism is a relatively recent history and even though those who lived in its shadow have passed on, memories of it evoke understandable emotions and feelings of injustice. The same cannot be said of the Persian Wars or even the Crusades, which is why the borrowings in fashion made during that time are not questioned today. The historical and moral context in which we live requires from us sensitivity and empathy, which can be perfectly expressed by the desire to know, respect and attempt to understand the cultures and traditions from which contemporary design draws. I am wholeheartedly in favor of it.
However, forcing and even more forbidding certain groups to wear certain clothes is a road to nowhere. Similar bans recur throughout the history of fashion and they all have one thing in common – they have never been effective. On the other hand, educating, explaining how certain issues can be seen from different perspectives will surely give better results. I totally agree with Karim Adduchi’s statement that the difference between appropriation and appreciation is the intention.