Fashion-making and co-creation in the transglobal landscape: Sino-Italian fashion as method

The ‘making’ of fashion cannot merely refer to garment production and manufacturing. It is the prerequisite for a nation to actively participate in the global stage. To establish a ‘recognisable’ fashion image, a country must go far beyond the competition of a specialised garment and textile industry. Being recognised as the ‘author countries’ for fashion creation is part of a process in which the (re)negotiation of national hierarchies and roles are constantly at play. For a country or a city, expressing an instantly recognisable aesthetic has become an important corollary to communicate political and economic strength. More than in the past centuries, fashion has been tasked with not only reflecting and representing social or individual needs, but also constructing ex novo territories in which old stereotypes and imaginer are creatively set free. This is because, unlike most production and commercial activities, fashion expresses an elaborate culture whose composition of symbols, ideologies and lifestyles (Crane 2004) can be drawn on. On the other hand, the accelerated production relocation in past decades has irrevocably changed the geography of fashion, as well as the rhetoric of the origin of national creativity. In particular, it leads one to wonder what happens when two or more players are engaged in the making of fashion. Specifically, what happens when Italy and China collaborate in transglobal fashion-making? How does one account for the national creativity that has sprung from the Sino-Italian co-creation? Drawing on the accounts of Italian fashion and Chinese fashion, this article discusses the intricacy of Sino-Italian collaboration and the entails of such a fashion co-creation, through which, a reflection on transglobal fashion-making is made with the proposition of a framework for its examination

Renacimiento y naturalización del gusto. Una paradoja de la moda italiana

El regreso al Renacimiento, fundamental de un cierto discurso occidental sobre elvestir, que se reanudó nuevamente durante los años ochenta del siglo XX para explicar la moda,indica no tanto un intento por conocer la historia de un fenómeno que se desarrollaría mástarde, cuanto la necesidad de partir de un período en el que Italia tenía el liderazgo del gusto.No se trata sólo del deseo de volver a los orígenes, sino también de poner entre paréntesisuna Italia que, a partir del siglo XVII, ve disminuir progresivamente su posición privilegiadaen Europa. Durante los años 80, sin embargo, la explicación del Renacimiento resalta particularmente, dado el carácter revolucionario del nuevo sistema, posteriormente imitado porotros países y otras modas y por la estrecha relación entre moda y sociedad de consumo, entreestética e industria.The return to the Renaissance –as a key of occidental speech on dressing, which resumed again during the eighties of the twentieth century to explain fashion– indicates not onlyan attempt to learn the history of a phenomenon that would develop later, but the need to startfrom a period in which Italy had the leadership of taste. It's not just the desire to return to theorigins, but also to bracket an Italy that from the seventeenth century, is gradually reduced itsposition in Europe. During the 80's, however, the explanation of Renaissance deeply highlights,given the revolutionary new system, later imitated by other countries and other styles and bythe close relationship between fashion and consumer society, between aesthetics and industry.O regresso ao Renascimento, fundamental de certo discurso ocidental sobre o vestir,que se retomou novamente durante os anos oitenta do século XX para explicar a moda, indicanão tanto um intento por conhecer a história de um fenômeno que se de desenvolveria maistarde, quanto a necessidade de partir de um período no qual Itália tinha a liderança do gosto.Não se trata só do desejo de voltar às origens, senão também de colocar entre parêntese umaItália que, a partir do século XVII, vê diminuir progressivamente sua posição privilegiada na Europa. Durante os anos 80, sem embargo, a explicação do Renascimento ressalta particularmente, dado o caráter revolucionário do novo sistema, posteriormente imitado por outrospaíses e outras modas e pela estreita relação entre moda e sociedade de consumo, entre estéticae indústria

Critical studies in global fashion

An issue on Global Fashion is very much needed given the crucial transition facing the disciplines of fashion in recent times, in the attempt to give an account of the increasing complexity of the material and symbolic flows of fashion. No other form of commerce, arguably, can claim to be more pervasive throughout the globe than the textile and apparel business, and no other visual culture is more pervasive than fashion. But global fashion is not simply about the global dissemination of dress and fashion. For most fashion theorists, global fashion should not be defined merely as brand circulation or the international expansion of Western fashion. What is more, the interchanges of fashion imply an understanding of the circulation of technologies, objects, and ideas around fashion

Critical Studies in Global Fashion

An issue on Global Fashion is very much needed given the crucial transition facing the disciplines offashion in recent times, in the attempt to give an account of the increasing complexity of the materialand symbolic flows of fashion. No other form of commerce, arguably, can claim to be more pervasivethroughout the globe than the textile and apparel business,1and no other visual culture is more pervasivethan fashion. Butglobalfashion is not simply about the global dissemination of dress and fashion. Formost fashion theorists, global fashion should not be defined merely as brand circulation or the interna-tional expansion of Western fashion. What is more, the interchanges of fashion imply an understandingof the circulation of technologies, objects, and ideas around fashio

Baseline reef health surveys at Bangka Island (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) reveal new threats

Worldwide coral reef decline appears to be accompanied by an increase in the spread of hard coral diseases. However, whether this is the result of increased direct and indirect human disturbances and/or an increase in natural stresses remains poorly understood. The provision of baseline surveys for monitoring coral health status lays the foundations to assess the effects of any such anthropogenic and/or natural effects on reefs. Therefore, the objectives of this present study were to provide a coral health baseline in a poorly studied area, and to investigate possible correlations between coral health and the level of anthropogenic and natural disturbances. During the survey period, we recorded 20 different types of coral diseases and other compromised health statuses. The most abundant were cases of coral bleaching, followed by skeletal deformations caused by pyrgomatid barnacles, damage caused by fish bites, general pigmentation response and galls caused by cryptochirid crabs. Instances of colonies affected by skeletal eroding bands, and sedimentation damage increased in correlation to the level of bio-chemical disturbance and/or proximity to villages. Moreover, galls caused by cryptochirid crabs appeared more abundant at sites affected by blast fishing and close to a newly opened metal mine. Interestingly, in the investigated area the percentage of corals showing signs of ‘common’ diseases such as black band disease, brown band disease, white syndrome and skeletal eroding band disease were relatively low. Nevertheless, the relatively high occurrence of less common signs of compromised coral-related reef health, including the aggressive overgrowth by sponges, deserves further investigation. Although diseases appear relatively low at the current time, this area may be at the tipping point and an increase in activities such as mining may irredeemably compromise reef health.This research was partially funded by Coral Eye, which hosted FF and covered all field expenses. The non-profit organization Reef Check Italia Onlus sustained the cost for open source publication. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript