Fashion Culture and Context Essay by Molly Ellen Davies

MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

: MOLLY DAVIES 1811587 FASHION MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT- AD4603 IDENTIFY A TREND OVER THE LAST CENTURY WHERE A CULTURAL TRIGGER HAS INFLUENCED AND INSPIRED A FASHION. FIGURE 2

TARTAN

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MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

I have chosen to research the ‘Tartan’ trend in response to the question ‘Identify a trend over the last century where a cultural trigger has influenced and inspired a Fashion’. I will take into account how the Tartan trend has been reflected in the design/construction of a variety of garments, as well as the styling of the brands/garments images and campaigns. I am fascinated to see how the Tartan trend evolves through time, through the use of cultural evolvements, influential figures and brands.

Tartan is a woven textile pattern consisting of interlocking strips, often in opposing colours, running through both the warp (horizontal) and weft (vertical) of the woven cloth. (The History of Tartan, 2017) Once the lines/strips are formed and interlocked, transitional shades are created. In addition to this, if you wanted to create a more intense shade and line, the pattern can be modified with the addition of finer lines of the same or different colours. (Tartans Authority , n.d.)

Firstly I looked into the history and origin of Tartan, therefore I could gain a clear understanding of the basis of the Tartan trend, allowing me to make in-depth evaluations when comparing and analysing the Tartan trend throughout time.

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I was fascinated to learn that Tartan was discovered in Scotland sometime within the third or fourth century AD, with other countries supposedly discovering Tartan much earlier, dating back to 3000 BC. (The History of Tartan, 2017) I was surprised at this piece of information as the Tartan trend has always been recognized as a traditional part of the Scottish Culture and heritage, and I personally have only ever associated the Tartan trend with originating from Scotland. So why is Tartan so symbolic with Scottish heritage, and not in other countries, when many other countries were creating tartan designs and using woven cloth? (The History of Tartan, 2017) Before Tartan was known as ‘Tartan’, the woven material had no name or a significant meaning, and it was often supplied locally, suggesting during this time ‘Tartan’ had not yet become culturally influential. (The History of Tartan, 2017) During the 17th and 18th centuries, Tartan became popular within the Scottish highland culture. This time period saw the rise of Tartan, the woven material was starting to have a meaning to its name and became a distinctive part of the highland dress. Furthermore the traditional kilt the highlanders were renowned for wearing was known as ‘Belted Plaid’. Plaid and Tartan often get confused and mistaken for one another! The term plaid comes from the Gaelic word for blanket. Coincidently the term plaid is used to refer to a large length of material, in which was the main body of the garment, in which was gathered and belted at the waist. (The History of Tartan, 2017) This created a layered effect and enabled the garment to have pockets. This enabled the highlanders to keep themselves warm, during the bad weather, with there often being strong winds, frost and snow. (Tartans Authority , n.d.) During the end of the 18th Century, many large scale commercial weaving companies had taken up the production of Tartan, as it was starting to become an established woven material. One weaving company in particular, became rather successful and wove Tartan for 114 years. They are known as ‘William Wilson and Sons of Bannockburn’. This company became established in 1792 and became the exclusive supplier of the woven Tartan material to the highlanders. The firm quickly became an established company, therefore resulting in producing large quantities of woven tartan cloth. In addition this also resulted in the company developing standard colours and patterns promptly. On the other hand, some of their Tartan woven cloths had names and were often named after traditional Scottish towns and highland clans. (The History of Tartan, 2017)

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MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

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I recently came across this article from November 2017 on fashion magazine ‘I-D’s’ website, in relation to Prime Minister ‘Theresa May’ wearing a Vivienne Westwood black watch Tartan suit. This has a political influence as Theresa wore this Vivienne Westwood suit, on the day she announced her steady stance on Brexit in January 2017. (Fedorova, 2017) Vivienne herself was not happy and told the today programme “Do I mind if Theresa May wears my clothes? No, but I certainly don't admire her for anything. I think she's awful." (Fedorova, 2017) The suit Theresa wore was quickly compared to a similar suit in which singer of the rock band, ‘The Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten wore to gigs back in 1977. While performing Johnny would shout out and call the queen a fascist. (Fedorova, 2017) This suggests that Tartan during the 70s was often associated with rebellion and disagreeing with the government and politicians. Furthermore it suggests that many people looked up to Vivienne Westwood and wore her clothes in order to express their emotions and feelings about the government, hence why Vivienne is not pleased about Theresa May wearing her suit as it goes against everything Vivienne believes in. Additionally this suggests that Tartan and influential designers such as Vivienne Westwood, are still associated with rebellion and admired by many people, especially people from the punk and rock era of the 1970s.

MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

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During the 1970s, the Punks Tartan influence, was a way to showcase their feelings and hatred to the upper class, as at the time, The Royal Family were popularising Tartan. In particular, at the time no one was allowed to wear the traditional Royal Stewart Tartan, without the permission of the Queen, which obviously made people want to rebel even more! (Prendergast, 2017) Influential people at the time were ‘Vivienne Westwood’, ‘Malcolm McLaren’, ‘Johnny Rotten’ and the English Rock band ‘The Clash’.

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Moving onto the ‘New Romantic’ era (late 1970’s- early 1980’s), influential people and bands of the time were ‘Spandau Ballet’, Martin Kemp, ‘The Culture Club’ and Boy George. In my personal opinion, the New Romantic era had a much more feminine aesthetic to the Tartan trend and embraced the gender neutral look, which I’m personally really interested in. This era I believe has influenced and inspired current runway collections and designers today, as when I was researching into modern and innovative designers, I came across this Tokyo based fashion brand; ‘WEWILL’. Within this A/W19 collection, it predominately consists of male Tartan garments. In the first image, the male model has his nails painted. I linked this to an image from Boy George in the 80s.Within this image, Boy George is seen wearing makeup. During the 80s, Boy George was known for crossing gender boundaries and expressing himself through fashion and makeup. I believe that the genderless look has been highly influenced and inspired by 80s fashion, in particular the New Romantics. Below I have included a screenshot of the WEWILL page from my research file.

GENDER NEUTRAL STYLE- PAINTED NAILS- INFLUENDED BY BOY GEORGE.

MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

For my primary research I decided to use myself and analyse why I wear Tartan. I own two pairs of baggy/loose fitting Tartan trousers. The first pair I own are from the Spanish retailer ‘Pull and Bear’. I decided to pair them with my patent Doc Martens lamper shoes, alongside black frilled socks. They are in the traditional Tartan colours; dark Red and Navy Blue. A few reasons why I wear/like/bought these Tartan trousers are: • They match with my Doc Marten shoes, in which I often wear. • Comfortable and easy to move around in. • Aesthetically pleasing and appeals to my fashion style. • British look aesthetic- 80s and 90s style. • I’ve always been interested in Tartan, and how diverse it can be. I can wear these trousers with a variety of tops and shoes. • The loose fit again appeals to my personal fashion style and connotes a British look. • On trend at the time, however if they were not on trend I would have still purchased the trousers.

LOOK 1

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The second pair I own are a fairly recent purchase from the British brand ‘Topshop’. Same as the first Tartan trousers, I decided to pair them with my patent Doc Martens lamper shoes, alongside black frilled socks. In addition these Tartan trousers are in a fluorescent pink, yellow and black colour scheme. The pink tone reminds me of the 90s take on the Tartan trend, bright, modern and girly! A few reasons why I wear/like/bought these Tartan trousers are: • • • • • • • • •

Bright colours instantly caught my attention- not the traditional colours-innovative and youthful! Versatile- can be paired with many other garments. Comfortable and easy to move around in. Aesthetically pleasing and appeals to my personal fashion style. On trend at the time, however if they were not on trend I would have still purchased the trousers. The trousers have belt loops, so can be worn with belts to create versatile looks. They match with my Doc Marten shoes, in which I often wear. British look aesthetic- 90s style. The loose fit again appeals to my personal fashion style and connotes a British look.

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LOOK 2

MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

Firstly when researching into 90s Tartan, I noticed the fluorescent and bright shades used throughout the woven material, in comparison to the 1970s and 80s traditional/dark shades of Tartan. The use of these bright tones adds a feminine, girly and American aesthetic to the fabric. Furthermore the influence of 90s Films and TV programmes such as ‘Clueless’ and ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-air’ played a part in the rise of bright and colourful Tartan, and is still influential in today’s society. The recent Versace A/W 2018 collection was inspired by the iconic 90s film ‘Clueless’, in particular the yellow matching Tartan two piece the main character ‘Cher’ wears at the start of the film.

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An influential figure of the 90s was supermodel ‘Naomi Campbell’. Naomi walked for many iconic collections such as ‘Vivienne Westwood’s’ 1993 collection and for ‘Tod Oldham’s’ 1996 collection.

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MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

I researched into many current brands and designers, who had used Tartan within their collections. One of the designers and brands I looked into was the Burberry SS18 collection. Burberry is renowned for its traditional Tartan weave on many of its garments, such as the scarf and trench coat. However this collection caught my attention instantly with the bright rainbow colours and colourful dyes used. In addition this collection supports the LGBT community, which links to the gender neutral aspect of Tartan. Furthermore I personally just admire this collection, as I am a lover of anything bright, especially rainbow! Below I have attached a screenshot of my ‘Burberry’ page from my research file. The image on the right shows three iconic British models; ‘Kate Moss, ‘Cara Delevingne’ and ‘Naomi Campbell’, at the show. The use of celebrity guests, helps to positively impact the brands following and influence, particularly when the collection is supporting LGBT rights and the community.

Another brand I decided to research into is a new and upcoming brand called ‘Rose Collective’. Rose collective is a London based brand, and currently only stocks two clothing items; Tartan Dungarees and a bright blue pair of Dungarees. I discovered this brand on Instagram, as influencer and ex Made in Chelsea star ‘Jessica Woodley’ who’s style I love and admire, is the founder of the youthful fashion brand. This brand instantly appealed to me, as I would personally wear the dungarees myself, and the youthful, contemporary aesthetic of the Instagram page also suited to my personal fashion style. This brand, has connotations of the 70s and 80s Punk and New Romantic era. The Tartan dungarees, have a similar style to the aesthetic of Vivienne Westwood and The Sex Pistols singer ‘Johnny Rotten’. This brand has taken influence from the 1970s, in comparison to the SS18 Burberry LGBT collection in which took influences from 90s style Tartan.

MOLLY DAVIES- FASHION CULTURE AND CONTEXT ESSAY

Finally, after evaluating all my findings I have come to the conclusion that Tartan is still an important and influential trend with today’s society and a variety of brands, designers, celebrities and influencers admire and appreciate Tartan! In addition, I have also come to the conclusion that Tartan, is particularly significant within the LGBT community and is a reoccurring trend within gender neutral clothing. This suggests that many people see Tartan as an empowering and uplifting fabric.

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https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/tartan- FIGURE 1 https://www.tatler.com/gallery/milan-fashion-week-trends-autumn-winter-2018#5vbZdqJeqK5- FIGURE 2 https://www.scotsconnection.com/t-kilt3.aspx- FIGURE 3 https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/tartan- FIGURE 4 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/theresa-may-rewears-lucky-vivienne-westwood-suit-deliverkey/ - FIGURE 5 https://i.pinimg.com/originals/aa/02/56/aa02565163eb360b65fde1ffd3eb46f9.jpg - FIGURE 6 https://therake.com/stories/style/style-101-history-of-tartan/ - FIGURE 7 https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-LOGO-PISTOLS-WINDOW-STICKER/dp/B00VKUYMUI - FIGURE 8 https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/tartan- FIGURE 9 https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/tartan- FIGURE 10 https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/clueless-the-musical-moves-forward-with-rock-of-agesdirector-34938/ - FIGURE 11 https://www.tatler.com/gallery/milan-fashion-week-trends-autumn-winter-2018#5vbZdqJeqK5- FIGURE 12 https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/models/g5749/naomi-campbell-runway-evolution/?slide=16 – FIGURE 13 https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/models/g5749/naomi-campbell-runway-evolution/ - FIGURE 14