Elizabeth Kramer: Co-I Fashion and Translation: Britain, Japan, China and Korea
AHRC funded network (2014-2015)
Dr Sarah Cheang, Royal College of Art (Principal Investigator)
Fashion and Translation brings together those who are interested in looking at the way in which fashion operates as an intermediary between Britain, Japan, China and Korea. While spoken and written language can impede cross-cultural communication, fashion is a conceptual, visual and material language that speaks across geographical boundaries. Given the distance and lack of shared language, these material interactions have been fundamental in informing and sharing ideas of ‘Japaneseness’, ‘Chineseness’, ‘Koreaness’ and ‘Britishness’. Notions of national identity continue to remain crucial to fashionable dress as cultural expression, and cultural stereotypes also still abound.
IMAGE: Photo reproduced with kind permission of the Victoria and Albert Musem