Introduction
Much can be learned about a tourist by merely looking at her or his fashion statement. Along with this premise, it is similarly easy to assert that the way a person looks particularly based on accessories and clothes she or he wears, reflects the individual identity and personality one bears. Furthermore, given that every individual person is part of the entirety of the society, particularly the community she or he belongs to, the general culture and belief manifested in the clothes or other fashion statements that the population sticks to likely echo the characteristics of the cultural environment. As such, the aim of this research paper is to present a brief discussion on the implications of fashion as a pointer of the continuous change in the society and a mirror of the culture of a specific cultural group.
Literature review
Davis (1994) provides an exemplary definition of both culture and fashion. He defines culture as a collective mind programming that distinguishes members of one category or group of people from another. It consists of a learned behaviour that is transmitted from one generation to another. In regards to fashion, Davis defines it as a prevailing style or custom of dressing. From these two definitions, it is relatively easy to establish the relationship or the overlap between the two elements.
The relationship between culture and fashion is both dynamic and intrinsic. Cultures from all corners of the world use clothing or dressing to make audible statements on the nature of their personal relationships, hierarchies and personal relationships within communities (Blaszczyk 2008). Alternatively, fashion has for a long time been an indicator of the changing cultural trends of a particular community or society. In addition, Blaszczyk is of the opinion that the belief among many people is that their clothing essentially represents their beliefs and cultures.
Although the clothing worn by various civilizations is influenced by other factors including climate and gender, culture however plays a very significant role in the determination of fashion.
Though fashion is changing at very high speeds, there is however some fashion styles that remain synonymous with the specific cultures crafted for them (Kroeber 2000). This particular trend is particularly very conspicuous among the Arabic communities. Another common example of clothing that is synonymous with a particular culture is the Japanese Kimono
According to Alvesson (1996), culture builds a society’s value in one’s vein and this drives one’s style. When the values of one’s culture are imparted deeply into an individual, deviating from the style of dressing dictated by that particular culture becomes not only toilsome but also imprudent. Alvesson adds that nowadays, a particular trend in relation to culture and fashion has emerged. This is where a particular style or code of dressing is used to advertise or to promote a particular culture.
Brewer (2005) also reckons that there is indeed an overlap between fashion and culture but he states that this relationship is actually two way. According to him, culture and the society in general determines what is essentially popular, the colors that are put on display and the different styles to be featured for example in public clothing stores. On the hand, fashion imparts and influences culture by portraying what a particular member of the society should wear.
This study will generally be guided by the interpretive perspective, and specifically by Alvesson’s (1996) situational approach. The interpretive perspective focuses on interpreting the perspectives and meanings of cultural members, and how these meanings are negotiated (Davis, 1994). This study will explore the meanings people from a particular cultural group may change their dressing style, but still maintain some of their cultural touch. The situational approach directs me to choose one particular group and explore its fashion in depth. Consequently, a suitable means of investigating the topic from this perspective is personal observation of dressing style and interview the selected group to understand the meaning for their conservative nature.
Statement of the Research Questions
The aim of this study will be to determine the factors that can help Arabian culture to develop through fashion. In terms that are more specific this paper aims to answer the following questions:
- What aspects in the context of fashion can be perceived as helpful in developing Arabian culture?
- How does the culture of Arabs cope with global fashion trends?
Objectives of the study
The study will be conducted to meet the following objectives:
Justification of the research project
According to (Sproles, 1974), fashion is an aesthetic expression intended to communicate subtleties notions, and therefore, immediately an aesthetic order comes to be generally perceived as a code, then artistic work move beyond this code while exploring its possible extensions and mutations. The innovative facet of fashion in totality cultivates the many ways of expressing personality through other products available in the market. Moreover, it is believed that fashion is a cyclical reflection of cultural, social, and environmental characteristics that are unique to a given point in time in a particular geographical setting, in addition to complementing self-image (Azuma & Fernie, 2003). As such, the study of fashion and culture present the opportunity to critically scrutinize the whole range of culture without prior prejudice toward one.
Importance of the study
Tourists still represent their culture in what they wear and the way they do it. I am interested in this topic because I am an Arab and I see how most Arabs wear differently when away from their countries, they change their traditional clothes but somehow it is still much more conservative than others are. The same applies to other cultures.
Significance of the topic within the field of communication and media studies
Through the study of fashion and culture, students and professionals in the field of communication and media studies can effectively demonstrate how culture and fashion constitute distinct forms of identity and group membership. Studying the topic will provide some of the aspects for constructing views of the world, identities, and behavior. Additionally, the study will also highlight how sub cultural groups resist dominant forms of identity and culture, creating their own identities and style.
Research methodology
The study will be conducted under the quantitative paradigm in which the survey method will be used with the aim of obtaining relevant information required to complete the research. In addition, quantitative research will be used to distinctively and plainly specify both the dependent and the independent variables under investigation (Matveev, 2002). Quantitative research also follows resolutely the original set research goals to arrive at more objective conclusions, determine the issues of causality, and minimize or eliminate subjectivity in judgment.
The implementation of survey method will take place in three successive data collection procedures. These procedures will include the pre-test of the questionnaire, conducting actual survey, and the counter-checking after performing data analysis. Testing before the actual survey will help to identify the shortfalls of the instrument that may compromise the proficient collection of valid and reliable data. Conversely, performing crosschecking will provide guarantee that the presented results of the analysis are consistent with facts and information in the field. Additionally, the research will gather secondary data, collate published studies from different local, and international universities and articles from social science journals.
Limitations
The main limitation to the research will be the limited time required to collect the information from primary and secondary sources. Time constraint of a semester provides limited time that may be ideal for an ethnographic study. However, I plan to make up for the limited by working extra hours to ensure that I complete the research on time.
Results
As stated earlier, the primary research will be conducted using questionnaires. The questionnaires will comprise of open ended questions that will give the respondent full response discretion. After the collection of this primary data and the secondary data from several literary publications, the data will then be analyzed.
This researcher hopes to acquire results that are consistent with those acquired by previous researchers and that are also consistent with the elements in the literature review. As seen in the literature review section, culture and fashion are indeed interrelated and the results expected will attest to this.
For instance, the research is expected to show that the Arabic culture has had a relatively hard time in adapting to the new fashion trends that are taking over other world’s cultures. In addition, the research is also expected to show that the Arabic culture has few fashion dynamics are that actually supportive of its culture.
The results obtained will therefore be used to answer the stated research questions, make generalizations, defend assertions and generally examine alternative outcomes in order to construct an argument that is plausible.
Conclusion
Fashion is one of the central organs of a society’s culture. The survival of a culture significantly depends on the ability of its people to conserve it .Fashion therefore is very critical when it comes to determining the survival of people’s culture. In majority of Asian cultures modes of dressing and hence fashion has not been fully exploited due to the fact that religion has traditionally prescribed what is to worn by men and women. As research shows, religion has adamantly affected the fashion industry in most Arabic cultures. However modernism and globalization has seen most men and women in Arabic countries break loose from the religious ties and introduced new modes of dressing and fashion styles that do not necessarily identify with Islam. Despite this, there are some aspects of fashion within the Arabian setting that are helpful in developing the Arabian culture. It is true that fashion plays a key role in promoting or conserving the culture of a given society. For instance there are some aspects in clothing, dressing and decoration that borrow too much from the traditional Arabian cultures. Study has shown that these fashions that have a certain connection with the traditions are actually some of the strong agents of promoting and conserving culture.
Most of Arabian fashion designs and style are not as explicit as some of the western fashion trends currently witnessed all over the globe. As much as there is too much pressure from the entire globe to wear explicit clothes especially for women, Arabian culture appears to be very dominant and deeply entrenched in its people since they are able to uphold their morals as dictated by their cultures.
One of the major challenges that face the Arabian culture is the ability to adapt to the global trends without compromising the Arabian cultural heritage. If what Alvesson’s (1996), say about culture and fashion is true, then there is a leeway that the Arabian culture will stand the test of time amidst concentrated pressure from the global arena.
In this research it will be very empirical to uphold and maintain various ethical standards. Collecting data and information pertaining to personal issues such as culture and fashion it is important to respect the privacy and confidentiality of the respondents. This means that during data collection there will be no coercion or force to make respondents share information. The research will thus take into consideration some of the ethical procedures such as seeking permission from the respondent and having an informed consent. Other ethical considerations that will be considered will be keeping the anonymity of the respondents or the respondents especially if the method of data collection was observation.
References
Alvesson, M. (1996). Communications, power and organization. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Azuma, N & Fernie, J. (2003). Fashion in the Globalized World and the Role of Virtual Networks in Intrinsic Fashion Design. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 7, no. 4, pp. 413-427.
Breward, C. (2005).The Culture of Fashion. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Davis, F. (1994). Fashion, culture, and identity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Matveev, A. V. (2002). The Advantages Of Employing Quantitative And Qualitative Methods In Intercultural Research: Practical Implications From The Study Of The Perceptions Of Intercultural Communication Competence By American And Russian Managers. New York, U.S.A: Russian Communication Association.
Sproles, C. B. (1974). "Fashion Theory: a Conceptual Framework", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 01, eds. Scott Ward and Peter Wright, Ann Abor, MI : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 463-472.
Troy, N. J. (2003). Couture culture: A study in modern art and fashion. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Blaszczyk, R. L. (2008). Producing fashion: Commerce, culture, and consumers. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Gibson, P. C. (2012). Fashion and celebrity culture. Oxford: Berg Publishers.
Kroeber, A. L. (2000). The nature of culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
