Cultural Considerations
Case Study for Fashion Design Education: Fashion as Media for the Transmission of Cultural Heritage
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hiu Cheng
Traditional cultural heritage is increasingly at risk of being lost amidst the forces of globalization and modernization. However, the fashion industry has emerged as a potential medium for the transmission and preservation of local cultural elements. This research explores how fashion design education can facilitate the integration of cultural heritage into contemporary fashion practices. The study was conducted at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), one of the higher education institutions offering a bachelor's degree in fashion design in Hong Kong. Through interviews with students, observations of studio-based courses, and analysis of student design portfolios, the research examines the pedagogical strategies, challenges, and outcomes of teaching fashion as a vehicle for cultural heritage transmission. The findings suggest that fashion design education can play a crucial role in equipping the next generation of designers with the knowledge, skills, and sensibilities to respectfully engage with cultural heritage. Key pedagogical approaches include immersive cultural immersion experiences, collaborative projects with local communities, and the development of design processes that based on the chosen cultural topics.This case study offers insights into how fashion design curricula can be reimagined to empower students to become custodians and ambassadors of local cultural heritage. The research has implications for fashion education programs seeking to cultivate designers who can contribute to the sustainable transmission of cultural identities through their creative practice.
Cultural Identity: An Appreciation of Chinese Culture in Western Fashion Design
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xinxi Liu
In fashion, producers and consumers have long been fascinated with the differences, the 'exotic', ambiguity, and uncertainty through style-fashion dress (Tulloch, 2010; Kaiser, 2012). In the West, many designers like and are fascinated by the "exotic" brought by the difference between the Eastern culture and their local cultural codes. Some designers, through time, have been appropriating these codes without paying homage to the original culture. In this research, the author investigated the current status of cross-cultural design research in the field of fashion design, emphasizing that Italy and France, as one of the world's leading fashion design markets, occupy an essential position in the field of fashion. In addition, the researcher shows and analyzes the fashion design works produced by some famous Western designers after understanding and appreciating Chinese culture and then carries out a deeper analysis and summary relying on the framework of the Chinese clothing symbol system. The conclusions drawn can help those who do not grow up in this cultural context to understand the use of these specific regional cultural symbols in the field of fashion from the perspective of cultural appreciation, and meanwhile, provide case references for designers who want to design inspired by Chinese culture.
