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Berg Fashion Library: Featured Content

Case Study

Case Study with Nadya Wang

LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore 

 

 

All in all, Berg Fashion Library is an excellent platform that continues to grow and improve to provide relevant and interesting information about historical and contemporary fashion to its users. It is equally useful for more targeted use and for encouraging exploration, and has proven to be an indispensable research tool for both lecturers and students in the School of Fashion at LASALLE College of the Arts. We are positive that we will continue to learn from it, and hopefully also contribute to it in the years to come.

 

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Featured Content

Street Style and the Catwalk in Japan

 

                    

 

Kawaii, an aesthetic of Japanese origin, evokes the world of childhood through pastel colors and cute imaginary characters. Particularly popular among Japanese women in their teens and early twenties, it is not just a fad within the fashion cycle of Japanese pop culture but a “‘standard’ aesthetic of everyday life” in Japan.

Discover how the Kawaii fashion phenomenon was constructed and disseminated via several actors, such as wearers, the mass media, the Japanese government, and fashion designers.

Similarly, the Lolita fashion-based subculture, represented by women who dress in childlike clothing, was once an underground Japanese movement and is now a burgeoning worldwide industry covering fashion, music, and popular culture. From the streets in the 1970s to being shown at Tokyo fashion weeks, chart the emergence of the Lolita subculture.

Contemporary designers—Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto—are widely considered the founding members of the Japanese avant-garde who made their mark during the 1970s and early 1980s. Find out more about how they made their mark in The Style and Aesthetics of the Founding Avant-garde Japanese Fashion Designers.

While these designers became successful by taking advantage of the system in Paris, Japanese teenagers in the Harajuku district of Tokyo created their own fashion. Read about how, in this mecca for artists and independent spirits, Japanese youth created their own trends using unexpected combinations from existing fashion cultures. Follow the evolution of Tokyo as a fashion city where some of the most innovative designers in the world are establishing themselves in ‘Placing Tokyo on the Fashion Map: From Catwalk to Street Style’.

Finally, explore the unique origins of luxury Japanese brand Comme des Garçons in this business case, which examines how designers Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe found success in adopting an anti-establishment approach to their retail strategy.

 

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History of Knitwear

 

                     

 

Chart the History of Knitwear from 256 CE to stylistic trends in the twentieth and twentieth-first centuries, as silhouettes, patterns and color palettes were interpreted by design icons, and technical advancements responded to fluctuating socioeconomic conditions.

Set your (compass) needles to Iceland and discover the stories behind knitted apparel such as the ‘thrikynyur’, a triangular shawl traditionally worn in agriculture, or the unspun woollen fibers of the legendary Lopi sweater. The expression that the wealth of Australia rode “on the sheep’s back” comes from its most significant product - Merino wool - learn about how it’s been selectively bred for over two hundred years and what makes its fine and soft fibers so popular.

Step back into the ‘make-do and mend’ culture fostered by Home Front Clothing Initiatives in Britain during the Second World War as knitting and sewing were promoted to extend household efficiency and contribute to the war effort. Reveal the history of Soviet-era underwear beyond fashion, exploring how its manufacturing and consumption were determined by the ideology and political goals of the state and economic priorities.

 

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Fibers to Fabrics

 

                                      

 

Alpacas are more than just a fluffy face! Brush up on your knowledge of alpaca fiber – from its sustainable credentials and surprising durability to its twenty-two different natural colors. Hear from the creators of a socially-responsible knitwear business, ‘Indigenous Designs’ as they battled the challenges of developing a product line comprised of hand-knitted sweaters made in Ecuador, using the skills of female artisans. 

Get into the mindset of a fashion student looking to scale her certificate program concept for a line of hand-knitted luxury dog coats, sweaters, and dresses with organic designs using eco-friendly yarns - consider the business questions she faces when developing and expanding her brand, Turtlebacks™.

 

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Business Cases

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  • Dress (The Museum at FIT)

 

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Olympic Dress and Uniforms

 

           

 

In the world of fashion, the Olympics serve as a global stage for showcasing technological and design innovation and brand identity, allowing athletes to wear forms of dress that designate their country and cultural values. Consider the example of swimsuits, which found their way into the fashion world due to women challenging conventions through swimming, resulting in the fusion of sport and fashion.

Read about the growing presence of sports competitions for people with disabilities, exemplified by events like the Special Olympics and Paralympic Games and the influence of clothing on athletes' competitive performance and overall sporting approach in this area.

Dive into the unique case of Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company, chosen by Ralph Lauren for the knitwear in the Opening and Closing Ceremony Uniforms, and worn by Team USA for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games at Pyeongchang 2018.

 

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Corseting

 

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  • Health (Berg Fashion Library)

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