Global Fashion Local Tradition

Global Fashion Local Tradition
Edited by Jan Brand and Jose Teunissen
Published by Terra
ISBN: 9058973277
Price: £25.00
Reviewed by Jennifer Ballie

This is a beautiful book, celebrating traditional craft and local heritage, which has only recently been recognised through the introduction of the internet and the emergence of fashion weeks around the continent. This book salutes global customs and tradition and recognised fashion is no longer strictly regulated by the west.

The book is collaboration between several co-authors who examine the subject in detail, covering fashion tradition and inspiration from around the world. Case studies address internationally recognised designers who source their cultural backgrounds through fashion collections, putting cultural traditions on the fashion map.

Craftsmanship, clothing traditions and idiosyncratic aesthetic notions are applied in recognisable ways and interwoven with international fashion trends. For example, the way traditional cultures absorb fashion items in Papa New Guinea, tribesmen shared western t-shirts through local custom before wearing.

This is a fascinating book of valuable source material for students, designers and fashion enthusiasts.