When fashion embraces culture

When the curtain of New York fashion week has dropped down for two weeks, the buzz around exquisite fashion elements painted under the cultural veil continues to be the hot topic amongst beauty hunters.

From Vera Wang to Anna Sui, runway definitely becomes a more fun place when edgy fashion aspired by a soft cultural touch. As the New York-based designer Vivienne Tam put to describe her latest design, "this collection is a bridging of cultures between West and East." True, no one knows fashion better than Tam in the sense of what "when east meets west" encompasses - and certainly no one applies better cultural sensitivity than this Guangzhou-born, Hong Kong-bred girl who is greatly inspired from her extensive Asian experience and international adventure.

Well, while Sensu cannot experience this fashion feast of all senses, last week several of us culture enthusiasts were invited with great pleasure to the launch party of Tatsuaki Spring/Summer 2012 Collection. Enjoyed a phenomenal success in Japan, the Chinese Canadian designer Dan Liu is bringing his brand Tatsuaki to Toronto where it will be carried in Canada by the Hudson’s Bay Company in mid-March. Exposed to fashion during early years, Liu established his personal label Tatsuaki ('white dragon' in English) in Japan where the embeddedness of simplicity and uniqueness receive great popularity.
Throughout the fashion show, we were completely taken by how subtle Japanese culture in showcased by the couture. From floral to geometric elements, from plain cutting to lace details, Liu injects the essence of poetic Asian delicacy into women's apparel and encourages females embrace their elegance and cuteness at the same time.

We are definitely looking forward to seeing this talent Asian designer's work entering our mainstream department in March! Are you? :p

Culture breeds character, diversity shapes communication

I grew up knowing that people are different. Being one of the very few students from the city in my high school, I noticed how little kids already started labeling each other "suburban" or "urban". Afterwards having spent most of my adolescent life in international dormitories, from Shanghai to Hong Kong, from Hong Kong to North American, from North America to Europe, the two words "culture" and "diversity" no longer stop at being definitions on my Sociology textbooks. In my mind, they take forms in stories, pictures, travel journals, body languages, tears, dances, hugs, and even the smell of morning grass I enjoyed when staying at my friend's farm in Scotland.

I didn't realize there even exists culture differences between mainland China and Hong Kong until I actually lived in this mysterious little SAR (Special Administrative Region). I was surprised to witness how its civic culture brings out the city's organized social pace, how its family culture forms the adults' attitudes towards love, how its business culture stores everyone's confidence in performing fair and square, etc.

If say I already experienced a Chinese culture shock when moving from mainland to Hong Kong, then my multiple Asian and western culture shocks definitely broadened my entire world of cultural perception. I was amazed by the similarities between me and the Japanese and Korean, every understanding smile that we had simultaneously when facing a western dilemma reminds me of the Asian cultural roots that we share. I loved the moments when my dutch friends joking about the Germans and could even rap about the two countries' differences without a breath.

So many cultures are described with characters, while at the same time they gave us our very own characters. We walk around without knowing exactly what those characters actually mean. However, when we encounter each other, something called "diversity" starts to make us become aware of who we really are.

Difference exists when there are dissimilarities, it is often a neutral and factual concept being independent from human relationships. Diversity, however, exists not only when there are dissimilarities, but also when there are implications to give such 'diversity' further meanings. Put aside the political debates between the two terminologies, diversity is considered more emotionally involved and associated more with the aesthetic and social perspectives.

Practically grew up in international dorms, I was constantly amused by communications result from diversity in cultures. Completely aware of the different characters that we each has to offer, everyone tend to more openly express confusions or appreciation regarding others' values and opinions, or even question themselves! Stereotypes usually work in the first and create communication platforms for diversity. Conversations and debates exchange for a nice sense of understanding with both one-selves and others. With no doubt, diversity brought us more reasons to believe in this world's broadness and tolerance, as well as a more powerful motivation in continue to learn about the culturally unknowns.

Today, I am still walking in between cultures to experience their characters while forming my own. And I believe for a very very long time, the diversities that happening around us would not stop generating wonderful communications for this big lovely world.