Chapter (1)
~Fashion as Material Culture

What are the origins of the demand for Kenyan Maasai traditional adornments market and its popularity among Western tourists? The role of an exotic object in a modern, capitalist society.

1.0 Abstract

Over the last century, the fashion industry, its workers and buyers have witnessed critical changes in the mechanism of production, marketing and consumption patterns. The rapid transformation of a product from bespoke, handmade garment to mass produced, low quality item, with a lifespan of one fashion season ended up causing severe consequences; most of which we are still fighting to remedy. Among the long list of consecutions, the most pressing is the environmental impact of the unsustainable modes of production, as well as the exploitation of workers on all levels. To consumers, fashion primarily sells an idea of an endless range of choices, items with which to build an identity and lifestyle.

However, awareness is growing, and customers are becoming more conscious of their choices as they seek an alternative to replace the unsustainable product. As the mass overproduction of fashion continues, this phenomenon creates new market niches for companies that use environmental concerns as marketing schemes.

The chaotic and confusing relationship between members of capitalist societies and their material wealth feeds the expanding material culture and leaves people subconsciously lacking what they cannot define. For a long time, I have been this person. I started analysing my affiliation with the material object a long time ago. Yet, it wasn’t until my trip to Kenya and observation of a market of indigenous goods thriving among Western tourists, that I finally posed a question, which became the topic of my essay. Is the addiction with the material object so powerful that it reaches the product so far removed from the context of our lives and our culture, such as indigenous handicraft adornments? Or is there more to the exotic artefact that fuels the demand?

1.1 Methodology

To review the question posed, it is essential to investigate the theoretical framework surrounding the issues it regards. In order to explore the relationship between the human and the object, I will use works of philosophers, anthropologists and sociologists, with a particular focus on the theories of Jean Baudrillard, due to his notable interest in the transformations caused by consumer culture.

To start an analysis of the demand for the unique object, it is necessary to investigate the nature of the exchange, especially in the context of the changes it underwent since capitalism became the economy in power. Hence, Baudrillard’s “Symbolic Exchange and Death” (2000) is a crucial secondary source to provide an understanding of the nature of dominating exchange modes, past and present, and the effect their transformations have on societies. To further investigate the psychological and sociological aspect of different methods of transaction, an article by Haas and Deseran, “Trust and Symbolic Exchange” (1981) will be investigated, as it explores the act of exchange and its impact on the formation of relationships within communities.

In the next section, the meaning of the object itself will be explored. “The System of Object” (2005) by Jean Baudrillard will be the critical resource to investigate the nature of the relationship between people and material objects, as well as the transformation it underwent with the shift of economy in power. Consequently, in the following part of the essay, the fascination for the exotic will be in question, to understand the origins of our interest in objects, that are far removed from our cultural or personal context.

As I aim to question the demand for the handmade artefacts in a popular tourist destination: coastal areas of Kenya, an investigation into a newly emerged tourism type will be conducted. Cultural heritage tourism and its aspects will be explored with the help of theorist Dean McCannell, whose work focuses around the role of authentic experience in heritage tourism; the emergence of staged authenticity and the repercussions of the phenomenon. As it is vital to present the consequences of the obsession with the authentic concerning the culture in question, professor John Akama’s statement on the image of the indigenous peoples of Kenya will be demonstrated (Akama, 2002).

To familiarise ourselves with the case study of this essay, Donna Rey Klumpp’s 1981 study about the meaning of Maasai traditional jewellery will be referred to, as well as contrasted with the opinions of Prof. John Akama (2002) to show the magnitude of change in the perspective on the discussed item. I will conduct primary research in the form of an interview with two women, which aims at showing the perspectives of westernised people on the traditional body ornaments of Maasai tribes. Both women are raised and living in a Western country, but their origins differ. They will be presented with an image of a Maasai traditional necklace, and their responses will be recorded. Lastly, an interview by Anja Cronberg for Vestoj (2018) magazine will be quoted, as a source which directly demonstrates the perspective of a Maasai tourist guide.

For the full version please e-mail at dominika@inet.pl

How does the motion of a dressed body affect the viewer’s perception of thegarment?Analysing the relationship between the body, the dress and the movement in AlexanderMcQueen’s S/S 04’ fashion show “Deliverance”.

In this dissertation, an investigation into the relationship between the dress, themovement and the body is carried out. Based on the scholarships of fashion and embodiment,which gained momentum in the mid-twentieth century, the significance of both is acknowledged.However, it is still frequently neglected in the studies of human corporeality that the body isalmost always dressed in some type of adornment. Similarly, fashion studies often see the dressas removed from the context of the body. In the recent decade, there have been advancements inexploring dress as an embodied practice; however, there are many gaps in the discussion to fill.One such example is within the field of study of human perception. It is now widely admittedthat the body is a significant site of experiential potential and, therefore, essential to be analysedin the research; it is yet to be commonplace to acknowledge that this body is most likely alsodressed, which consequently means that the dress plays an integral part in affecting humanperception. In this dissertation, another property of the body is taken into consideration; namely,its inherent state of motion, and the question posed aims to elaborate on the intricate relationshipbetween the body, the movement and the dress. The chosen case study brings all three together inan unusual garment showcase. Alexander McQueen’s fashion show from spring/summer 2004,called “Deliverance”, has been inspired by a 1960s film by Sydney Pollack, “They Shoot Horses,Don’t They?”, an adaptation of a novel of the same title from 1935, written by Horace McCoy.As the designer set out to translate his inspiration into a collection and later a performance, hedecided to utilise the movie’s central theme, a Depression-era American dance marathon, andmake the show in the contest’s image. Therefore, the models presenting the looks are engaged inan exaggerated form of motion, dance moves and improvisations in order to communicate the3context and message of the “Deliverance” collection. The primary source for the analysis is arecorded video of the show, which will be supported with stills and photographs from the event.A visual analysis of particular movements will be carried out and positioned against a theoreticalframework exploring the theories of perception aesthetics, as well as a study of embodiment andaffect.

For the full version please e-mail at dominika@inet.pl

What are the origins of the contemporary Eurocentric society’s attitude towards female public nudity? State of undress and its implications in modern, capitalist society.

Abstract

A notable amount of effort and time has been put into analysing fashion in the societal, anthropological or economic context in the last century. Even more attention has been given to the human body. Yet paradoxically, to merge those rather inseparable topics into one seems to be of a less common occurrence. Joanne Entwistle observes in her essay “Fashion and the Fleshy Body” that “[...], dress cannot be understood without reference to the body and [...] the body has always and everywhere to be dressed [...]” (Entwistle, 2019). One doesn’t exist in society without the other - we are expected to appear dressed in nearly every situation. “The few mere scraps of fabric that make up a bikini are enough to ensure that the female body is ‘decent’ on beaches in the West” (Entwistle, 2019). This statement has awakened a curiosity in me: what arguments stand behind our social and moral obligation to cover ourselves? How did our sense of modesty come to be and is it still relevant? It is widely acknowledged that nude bodies, especially female, are associated with a taboo theme of human sexuality and its desires. Yet in my opinion the human body is not innately sexual. The state of undress is not an indication of sexual act. Why therefore, Eurocentric society’s sentiments are different and public nudity is deemed as not only indecent, but corruptible, even punishable in certain cases? And lastly - how come, in Western nations, a few “scraps of fabric” are more socially acceptable than nude bodies in such circumstance as public bathing and relaxation at a beach?

For the full version please e-mail at dominika@inet.pl