Fashion is not just about skinny models wearing over-sexualized clothes, shoes, accessories and make-up that dominant the latest trends. Nili Lotan, a New York-based fashion designer who incorporates sociopolitical imagery in her designs, raises a dress campaign to protest.
Before 2003, Lotan worked for apparel companies such as Ralph Lauren, Adrienne Vittadini and Nautica. But after a trip to Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War, she decided to introduce current affairs into her designing by combining fashion with photojournalism. Using fabric as canvas, Lotan depicts social issues ranging from the 1968 students protests in Paris to 1969’s Woodstock. The most famous one is her silk charmuse tee dress and scarce with a gun print inspired by the last war in Lebanon in spring 2006.
I find that Lotan’s effort to a make statement through fashion is a big movement for the fashion industry. For decades, the worldwide fashion culture has been telling people subjectively what the trend is and dominating people to purchase what they want to sell, and at the same time, imperceptibly shaping people’s concept of beauty. People have been criticizing them for a long time, but meanwhile, we obey them because we are afraid of judgement like “not appealing” or “left out of the trend.” However, Nili Lotan gives people a chance to think independently and speak out. The dresses are not only well-designed, but also expressions to provoke an opinion of the people wearing them and the people watching them. We need more art forms like this.
Very cool.
ReplyDelete