The clothes we wear tell stories of our culture and our heritage, things that we can't easily shrug our shoulders or take off as we please. Tradition is also transmitted in the creation and construction of our garments. The way things are manufactured, the materials and the process are integrated into our communities and cultures. Clothing habits tend to differ from place to place, as each culture has unique clothing styles attributed to it. Clothing can also reflect the beliefs, customs, values, morals, economics, art, and technology of individuals and groups of people.
In fact, fashion is the best way to express ourselves through the clothes and accessories we decide to wear. Culture is at the center of the fashion industry and elements such as patterns, fabrics and garments are allies to represent culture in different ways. Clothing plays an important cultural role in creating a sense of belonging, unity and collective identity. This can be seen in everything from official group identifiers, such as team shirts, school uniforms and military uniforms, to the unofficial “uniforms” worn by people who belong to certain groups and subcultures, including gang members, skaters, businessmen, and other professionals. Fashion can be conceptualized as something that is popular among a group of people, while culture is a way of life shared by a group of people.
Culture and fashion naturally overlap, where fashion can be an expression of culture or a culture in its own right. Most people know African fashion culture for its varied mix of textiles, but it is also representative of the diversity of African culture: each tribe has its own culture and fashion, often marked by a unique fabric. Similarly, in Western societies, subcultural or minority groups often use fashion to express these ideals: think of punks in their DIY clothing style or the polo shirts of a country club or Orthodox Jews. Fashion in these cases is also representative of particular cultures, but it is characterized more by style than by particular garments. Cultural changes influence the fashion created by people in that specific culture or place. Mi-1 is not only interested in appropriating aesthetics, but also in creating modern garments that celebrate and adequately represent the brand's multicultural heritage. There is no singular African fashion culture, but rather there is a wide range of culture and fashion in every region of Africa.
For us (the customers), fashion is about making a fashion statement, through a combination of accessories and clothing. Considering the diversities, one consistency in the fashion culture of different countries is Western clothing in urban areas. This “great impression” can be seen, for example, in the portraits of King Henry VIII or Queen Elizabeth I, in which they wear garments obviously influenced by Ottoman fashion. At the end of the 16th and 17th centuries, when Persian fashion spread across Europe due to the popularity of Shah Abbas I, upper-class European men enthusiastically adopted high-heeled shoes to literally raise their status; raising them inches above ordinary people. Culture and fashion are like two sides of the same coin; there is no culture that is not clothed in some way. However; today our society values the things that are in the latest fashion trends; commonly influenced by popular culture as a reflection of social factors and cultural forces.
Neither the fashion designers nor the dancers saw each other's work in progress; and the performance itself was the first time that both parties interacted with each other. This Shalwar Kameez fashion is not Egyptian but was brought by the Arab Mujahideen who returned and who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan. An example is the portrait of Henry VIII painted by Hans Holbein the Younger; in which the British monarch wears a fashion surprisingly similar to that of Suleiman the Magnificent; including a short; loose coat that reveals an ornament on the bottom of the sleeve; not to mention the newly imported button and belt loop. Fashion has always been an important part of any culture; it reflects values; beliefs; customs; morals; economics; art; technology; identity; belonging; unity; collective identity; status symbols; etc. It has been used as a form of communication between different cultures throughout history. It has been used to express ideas about power dynamics between different groups within a society. At its core; fashion represents culture because it reflects what people believe in; what they value; how they live their lives; what they consider important; etc.
It also reflects how people interact with each other within their own cultural context. It can be seen as an expression of identity or even as an expression of resistance against certain norms or values. Fashion has always been an important part of any culture because it reflects values; beliefs; customs; morals; economics; art; technology; identity; belonging; unity; collective identity; status symbols etc. It has been used to express ideas about power dynamics between different groups within a society. In conclusion; fashion represents culture because it reflects what people believe in; what they value; how they live their lives; what they consider important etc. It can be seen as an expression of identity or even as an expression of resistance against certain norms or values.
