143 SEMIOTICS IN FASHION

S E M I O T I C S

THE STUDY OF FASHION AND HOW HUMANS SIGNIFY SPECIFIC SOCIAL AND CULTURAL POSITIONS THROUGH DRESS ‘THE SCIENCE OF THE LIFE OF SIGNS IN SOCIETY’ FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE. CLOTHING IS A NON-VERBAL SIGN THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED DEPENDING ON THE CONTEXT, SITUATION OR CULTURE. ROBBIE USES SEMIOTICS THROUGH EITHER PROPS OR THE USE OF HIS ENVIRONMENT. DAVID DOWNTON, FASHION ILLUSTRATOR, TELLS HIS STORYS THROUGH COLOUR HELPING HIM TO TELL THE STORY BEHIND THE PAINTING. THIS IS SOMETHING I WANT TO EXPLORE THROUGH ROBBIES STYLING.

THE MEANING THE COLOUR

FOLLOWING EMMAS LECTURE ON SEMIOTICS IN FASHION, I CHOSE TO LOOK AT THE MEANING OF COLOUR AND WHAT IT REPRESENT IN YOUTH CULTURE AND WIDER SOCIETY. APPROXIMATELY 60-90% OF THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE CUSTOMERS IS BASED ON COLOR. I CHOSE THE PRIMARY COLOURS RED AND BLUE. THE COLOUR RED EVOKES POSITIVE ASSOCIATIONS FORMING AN INITIAL OPINION OF THE BRAND. RED IS A POWERFUL COLOUR, AND CAN STAND ALL BY ITSELF BUT BLUE AND RED MAKE THE MOST POWERFUL CORPORATE COLOURS.