Fashion Theories in Indian Culture - Essay Example

Visual Arts and Film Studies Objects can take part in a very imperative role in the creation of knowledge as argued by Steele.He also argues that object-based research provides exclusive insights into the momentous and artistic advance in fashion. The Indian sari is a common piece of cloth identified with Indian women. It is generally a large piece of cloth tied around a woman in a way that brings out her beauty and fashion. The origin of the sari is explained in charming folktale. It is said that a fanciful weaver who dreamt of woman brought about the sari. He dreamt of her in various ways from her soft touch, her shimmering tears, and her tumbling hair to the colors of her different moods. The weaver then wove these together for many yards and could not stop. On completion of his job, he sat and smiled (Steele 1998). For a long time in South India, the sari had been a piece of cloth that served as both a skirt and a veil. However, the bosom was left bare. The sari’s standard length is 5.30 meters to 5.50 meters and its width is approximately 1.11 meters. The blouse fabric is approximately 1 meter. They come in diverse colors with dissimilar prints on different fabrics. Majority of them are made from very fine silk. The sari below is purple in color with some white colored flower print. The skirt and the blouse are quite dark while the shawl is bright and transparent (Rocca 2009 ). The most striking feature of this fabric is the design. While many saris usually come in almost the same design, a change in the way the blouse is made and the skirt is wrapped brings out all the difference. The bosom is usually left uncovered but at the same time does not look indecent. The colors used in saris pass different messages when worn. There are colors that are cool and royal like the one in discussion, others are bright and striking while others are dull. They are worn in various occasions (Davis 1994). Though the saris have been there for a long time, their design has not really changed. Unlike other garments that might have run out of fashion, the sari is still worn today. It is a cultural heritage for the Indian women. Weaving is often used as a metaphor in Indian myths for the creation of the universe. Sari comes from the Sanskrit word ‘sati’. It means strip of cloth that is generally, what is used in making saris. The sari dates back to the early centuries when it was briefer and the cloth became larger with time. Substantiation of this is evident in the earliest samples of Indian art (Rocca 2009). In the early days, a piece of cloth would serve as both the skirt and veil but with modern times a small blouse is made in addition. In early days, most of women’s clothes covered a huge part of their bodies. Some would even have a piece of cloth nicely tied on their head to cover their hair. From a tiny skirt and a veil the sari gradually came to be amalgamated into one piece of cloth. It is not clear when this event took place but it is said that Noor Jahan, wife to Mughal emperor (Davis 1994), created the style. The Indian men also had their own wear that matched the sari. The dhoti was the men’s wear and is the oldest Indian draped garment. Until the 14th century, both men and women wore the dhoti. With time, the women’s dhoti started becoming longer and was eventually made into the sari. The finishing on the sari is usually very neat as seen on the one in discussion. They are often worn in sacred occasions. They have a tremendous importance placed on them due to their unstitched fabric that is considered sacred. The fabric was believed to be pure and even today it is worn to sacred ceremonies (Rocca 2009). The sari is known to be an Indian wear but many women from other different cultures are embracing it. Its beauty and design makes it appealing to other communities. While a sacred importance is placed on the sari by Indian culture, women from other cultures to social ceremonies often wear it. It can mostly be seen in weddings. It also portrays a sense of fashion on the wearer. The different colors help in portraying different moods. While this may not be the same when worn by Indian women, bright colors worn by other women signify happiness and a jovial mood (Davis 1994). While it may be seen to have grown in length only, modern day designs and ways of stitching have been incorporated in making saris. When viewing ancient works of art the sari is seen to be one long piece of cloth wrapped around a person. The materials used then were mostly single colored and with very few details. Today the sari comes in different colors combined and different print patterns to make them more attractive and fashionable. While the sari might just be a piece of cloth identified with Indian women, the details on the fabric say a few things about the wearer (Rocca 2009). It can be noticed that the older women prefer single colored fabrics with less patterns while the younger women prefer striking colors with different patterns stitched on them. With the rise in technology and improvement of various things, the sari has not been left behind. Different designs of making the blouse have been incorporated and even different styles of making the skirt. Apart from the beauty of the fabric, the sari also conveys the gracefulness of the woman. Its length portrays a sense of decency and respect. There are an assortment of ways in the manner it can be worn and it can either reveal the whole bosom, part of it or the shoulders. The art involved in the fabric and the different ways it can be worn make it very interesting. There are different other cultures that have their own way of doing things and dress code. The Indian sari has fine fabric that is light with a fine texture. Some may have a slightly rough texture depending on the material used. The maasai shuka is a very common piece of cloth that has been recognized internationally. The shuka is a drape embraced by the maasa community and has been there for quite a while. Just like the sari it is a long piece of cloth that is wrapped around the shoulders and another one may be tied around the waist. Both men and women (Davis 1994) use it. It was initially used by the Maasai community in Kenya and is known as their mark of cultural identity. With time it was incorporated by other communities and even the fashion world. The shuka is today used in making clothes of different designs. While its initial color red, it can now be found in different colors including blue and green. The red color was used to ward off wild animals. This is because the Maasai keep cattle and they would often be attacked by wild animals. This shows that the color of a garment communicates a message (Davis 1994). According to Steele, the comparison of objects is important. While the sari uses a light material, the shuka has a thick material and is very simple to wrap. The sari may have different designs and wrap techniques but the shuka is generally wrapped around the shoulders. While the sari was and is worn on sacred and social occasions, the shuka was mainly used to cover one’s body or ward off animals. The shuka is also a cultural heritage of the Maasai and whenever one sees it, the first depiction that comes to mentality is that of a Maasai (Steele 1998). The shuka has evolved tremendously from just a wrap round to different pieces of cloth. It is now no longer used just as a wrap round but has been used by different designers to come up with different pieces of cloth that can be worn. It has also been displayed in fashion shows in the form of unique wrap rounds, dresses, trousers and coats like the one above. Apart from the cultural value, there is not much about the shuka in terms of occasions, religion and decency. Like the sari, both men and women used it. The shuka is still used by both men and women. It has maintained its use as a wrap round and added on to that by being used to make clothes. Most of the clothes made using shukas are worn to social ceremonies. The colors used are mostly bright colors. It is also worn traditionally by the maasai people who still wear it as a wrap round during ceremonies. It is quite difficult to tell the mood of the wearer of a shuka due to its bright colors but it generally signifies a happy mood. According to Steele “clothing may, of course, function by telling us something about the wearer’’ (Steele 1998). People from different countries around the world today wear the shuka. This has acted as a means of sharing the Maasai culture. While this may be done theoretically, it has more impact when it is done using an object in this case the shuka. When one acquires a shuka they have an idea of its cultural background and the people behind it. This gives rise to the want of knowing more about it and its origin. In this way, a culture is shared and knowledge passed on. Different objects are used by different people to portray their culture (Davis 1994). The rise of the shuka from a cultural heritage to an International piece of cloth has seen other communities embrace their cultural symbol. It has appraised the need of the use of objects in communicating various messages. These objects are used to relate to different things and cultures and act as a means of passing on and sharing knowledge. It is significant to note that as these objects may change in design, size or shape they still pass on the same message. They are only made better and more accommodative to other people (Rocca 2009). The shuka still serves as a traditional wear for the Maasai community but at the same time is used in the modern fashion world. This is also the same for the sari. While it still maintains its sacred importance it is worn by other communities as a fashion statement in modern times. The details involved in the fabric and stitching help in appreciating the different cultures and the energy put into making them. The attention to detail is what brings out the final product making it pass a message. The simplicity of the message is in the detail of the object (Davis 1994). The show casing of different cultures using objects such as fabric is the reason why a fashion museum would be important. It would help in preserving cultures and finding ways of improving them without losing their original meaning and intent. “Capitalism’s favorite child” describes fashion as Steele puts it and says that a lot of focus has been put on the social and economic parts of it. In conclusion, the sari is a beautiful piece of cloth that that has cultural, social and economic values leaning more towards the cultural value. The shuka on the other hand has all three but leaning more on the economic value (Davis 1994). References Davis, F. 1994. Fashion, Culture and Identity. Chaicago: University of Chicago Press. Rocca, F. 2009. Contemporary Indian Fashion.  Madonna NYC: Damiani. Steele, V. 1998. A museum of fashion is more than a clothes-bag. Fashion Theory, 2 (4), pp.327–336. Read More