In a world full of sectarianism and religious belligerence is Fashion the unlikely saviour? Most people would agree Fashion is colour blind; when a customer buys an item of fashion do they ever question the colour, ethnicity, social background or religion of the designer — of course they don’t!
It appears Fashion unites where religion and politics divide. What does that say about the world in which we live? It would appear Fashion consumers are true Global Citizens; cosmopolitan, discerning and truly intelligent. Unless sometime in the future our world is destined to be divided into Continents of Versace, Armani, Evisu, Ralph Lauren, Alexander McQueen and Jean-Paul Gaultier, it would appear that Fashion is set to be a beckon of unified hope and harmony and an example to our religious and political leaders; small minds need simple examples.
The Global Citizen makes her/his grand entry on a catwalk!!
OK, my tongue’s firmly in my cheek but I wish our leaders would get their fingers out of their proverbials and start thinking this issue through with some alacrity!
“when a customer buys an item of fashion do they ever question the colour, ethnicity, social background or religion of the designer — of course they don’t!”
This may have a certain truth to it, but there are definantly racialized clothing lines. Sean Jean and F.U.B.U. are some examples of that … yes people of all colors wear these lines, but they are marketed towards a black audience.
And I do hope that when purchasing products that a customer takes into consideration the designer, they should at least take into account their social practices and beliefs. This has fortunately been the case for MANY clothing and appareal companies and designers such as Gap, Nike, and Tommy Hilfiger. It’s been proven multiple times that the companies use sweat shop labor and exploit free-trade zones and severly under-paid workers in order to make their products. I’m not saying that consumers should stop buying these products, on the contrary, I’m saying they should be aware of what they’re buying, where it is coming from, and how many people suffered so that they could buy a shirt because it looks cool. The consumers should continue to buy these products, however, they should petition to the companies to have more ethical practices and threaten not to buy any more of their products if they don’t shape up.
Fashion does not unify the world. It further engages it into a system of inequality. But so does almost every other industry in the world.
Just be conscience of this … that’s all I’m asking …