Introduction:
Visualization, creativity and expression are deep-rooted in particular cultures, and have served as enlightenment to the world. Those whose eyes are caught by certain creations related to particular cultures cannot forget the impact it has. This is because of the fact that they are so thrilling, and in the past, these were rare. Particular cultures exemplified these characteristics, and came to be recognized for them.
Such a culture that exhibits these characteristics is the Far East Asian one, which has also been known as the Orientals ( San Juan, 2004). However, Oriental does not refer to a culture or particular Far East Asians. It in fact refers to the aesthetics, and the creativity that the people of this region were known for. With the passage of time however, this kind of expression has spread farther, and Orientalism has therefore spread farther than the East. So, today if one had to refer to the Far East Asians as Orientals s/he would not be correct.
Analysis:
Designer Vivienne Tam draws on her multicultural upbringing (she was born in Canton, brought up in Hong Kong, and eventually settled in New York) to express her own distinctive style.
The designer is recognized in the fashion world for innovative creations that possess a timeless quality. "I want to design harmonious and beautiful clothing that enhances one's personality," she says. Tam says she creates with the idea that every design will take on a different image with each person who wears it.
Born in Guangzhou, Tam was brought up in Hong Kong where she studied design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Tam has been a forerunner in fashion since she designed her first collection in 1981. She developed fresh interpretations of crochet and pleated fabrics long before these trends prevailed on European and American runways.
She attended college and studied fashion designing during her stay in Hong Kong she noticed that everyone there liked labels from the west that were prominent. She did not give the Chinese heritage until she had revisited China a few years later.
She told the press, “I felt-and still feel-so much passion for China; I wanted to design something that reflected my own culture” (People Weekly, 1998). Today she is known for her famous creations of Chinese (China Chic)-inspired fashions for the young generations who appreciate cultural influences in their dressing. She creates designs from the Dragons to religiously inclined designs. She is a master at designing that draws people to the Chinese cultural heritage.
Tam left for London in the early 80's. After a brief stint designing in London, Tam moved to New York in 1982 where she thrived on the excitement and energy of the fashion world. Her first collection under the East Wind Code label (meaning good fortune and prosperity) was met with great success. In 1990, she shifted gears with a designer collection under her own name that has evolved into the most exciting, salable and reliable fashion lines.
Tam has cultivated a strong international following through her apparel and accessories. At present her collection is sold in Sweden, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia and the Philippines.
Prominent stores in the United States carrying her collection include Barney's, Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf Goodman, Sak's Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Marshall Field's and Henri Bendel. Tam is also building her own network of boutiques with four currently in Hong Kong and more planned in New York and London.
Today Vivienne is based in Manhattan and has dressed celebrities such as Michelle Pfeiffer, Sharon Stone and Julia Roberts (People Weekly, 1995). She is certainly the type of a person that builds her success on her own happiness.
Tam is a designer who emphasizes on the concept
of East meets West. Many designers of today hardly
understand why they are making a certain piece of
a design or to the fact do their really know they
history? This is way she is different to all of
the other designers. When she designs she makes
clothes with China portrayed in her work.
The fashion icon, Vivienne Tam is one of the hottest designers to beautifully blend elements of East and West fashion. ‘People’ magazine has chosen her one of the worlds 50 most beautiful people. In designing clothing, she has developed her own cross-cultural style combining traditional Eastern elements with a modern western edge.
In her book China Chic, she teaches us how to savor the world in a simple bowl of noodles and shows the essence of Chinese design. She derived her inspiration from the seductive ‘East meets West’ journey featuring the people, places and things. Her style of designing clothing is hot, informal and pervasive in keeping with present and future culture. Vivienne Tam is recognized in the fashion world for her innovation in combining traditional elements with a modern blend (Parnes, 2004).
In contrast to the purchase of international designer fashions is a fashion movement that pays homage to traditional Chinese design elements and accessories. Many wealthy consumers refuse to buy labels from Chinese designers, preferring international design labels where logos are prominent and designs scream brand identity (Chandler et al. 2004, 150). However, some designers like Hong Kong-born Vivienne Tam have mounted a fashion movement that features Asian design elements used outside China and keeps labels that identify clothing as Made in China.
In the perspective of the above paragraph, the attitudes of the people have changed ever since the Vivienne Tam has been in the picture with her designs being both famous and culturally infested. Her designs have been recognized worldwide and with celebrities such as the ones that she has been credited with. She tills fuses the labels ‘Made in China’ on them (Chandler et al. 2004, 150).
She considers that is a low-esteem in thought to only buy from the prominent names in respect to national respect. She urges the people to buy the luxurious items instead to purchase items for the only reason that it is manufactured in a country other than the ones own (Chandler et al. 2004, 150).
She has been upfront of the fashion run up ever since her first collection in 1981. The collections that she had developed were interpretations of crochet and pleated fabrics which were not in the market of Europe and the Americas.
The East Wind Code the label in which she ran her first collections was a great success. In 1990 she changed names with a designer collection under her own name that has changed it into one of the most sellable and reliable names in the fashion industry (Parnes, 2004).
In 1994 she had her signature collection which had an Eastern look but with a modern edge. Then in 1995 she had pioneered the Mao collection which was a mega hit and it was quickly picked up by the art world. 1997 saw the Buddha collection in which the collection was embraced by a number of people.
Today she has an international reputation her collections are sold in Sweden, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia and the Philippines. Prominent stores in the United States carrying her collection in. |