Who dictates fashion?|Xenia Joost|TEDxLasnamäe
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0:11 - 0:13Look around.
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0:13 - 0:15Who is sitting next to you?
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0:15 - 0:18In your row of seats? Behind you?
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0:18 - 0:25How many people have you
talked to during the lunch break? -
0:26 - 0:29Did you exchange any words,
express your opinion? -
0:29 - 0:33With how many people
have you had visual contact? -
0:33 - 0:36Fashion is a visual language.
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0:37 - 0:43And, it can expose you,
even when you are fully dressed. -
0:43 - 0:47Who chose your image for today? You?
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0:47 - 0:48Me, perhaps?
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0:49 - 0:51Somebody in far off Paris?
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0:52 - 0:57Let's talk today about
who was behind your decision, -
0:57 - 1:00why you dress like you do,
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1:01 - 1:07what you can tell about a person
by how they dress, -
1:07 - 1:11what we can tell about a society
if we analyse its fashion. -
1:14 - 1:20I would like to tell you a few stories,
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1:20 - 1:24stories to give you a vivid picture
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1:24 - 1:31of how society changes looking at it
through the fashion industry. -
1:33 - 1:39Let's go back to the time of the monarchy.
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1:39 - 1:45At this time, all power
was in the hands of one person: -
1:46 - 1:50essentially, fashion
depended on their wishes. -
1:51 - 1:57It was a narrow circle of elite,
the nobility, of inherited entitlement, -
1:57 - 2:01their revenues guaranteed
by their estates. -
2:03 - 2:07The life of ordinary people
was completely different. -
2:07 - 2:13For these people, their clothes played
another role ... a practical one, -
2:13 - 2:18or one according to their profession,
craft or employment. -
2:18 - 2:21So, it was the case that you could tell
from the clothes they wore -
2:21 - 2:23what they did,
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2:23 - 2:26or what their societal status was.
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2:27 - 2:32All information was passed by hand
from person to person, -
2:32 - 2:38there was no press, no mass media,
that is, no promotion of information, -
2:38 - 2:43so how fast you got
information from the monarch, -
2:43 - 2:45from the centre of power,
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2:45 - 2:49depended on how close to him,
how close to the centre of power you were. -
2:49 - 2:53That's how the expression
"provincial fashion" came about. -
2:53 - 2:59By the time you received any information,
it would have become out of date, -
2:59 - 3:03whether it was about fashion
or anything else. -
3:04 - 3:08In other words,
looking at somebody's outfit, -
3:08 - 3:14we get to know how close that person was
from a centre of power, from the monarchy. -
3:17 - 3:20The world of fashion
underwent a transformation -
3:20 - 3:24with the coming
of the Industrial Revolution. -
3:26 - 3:32The nobility started to get poorer,
a title no longer guaranteed your income, -
3:32 - 3:36and estates could be bought and sold.
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3:37 - 3:41A new elite came to power,
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3:41 - 3:44the capitalist elite, the capitalists.
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3:47 - 3:54They came from
a very low stratum of society. -
3:56 - 4:01Look at this picture,
how easy this family looks. -
4:01 - 4:04Maybe you know who it is in this photo?
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4:04 - 4:07This family is a manufacturer
of sports footwear. -
4:07 - 4:09There are two brothers there:
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4:10 - 4:13one of them is Adi Dassler,
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4:13 - 4:17and his brother was nicknamed Puma.
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4:19 - 4:24The laws of the previous elite
were not written for them. -
4:24 - 4:27They simply don't know them.
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4:27 - 4:31And since they don't know them,
they don't use them. -
4:32 - 4:34An opportunity presents itself,
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4:34 - 4:39and with it the desire to show off
your new status in society. -
4:39 - 4:43The easiest way to do that
is through clothes, through fashion. -
4:43 - 4:46Individuality comes to fashion.
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4:49 - 4:55The Industrial Revolution makes possible
the production of cheaper clothes. -
4:56 - 4:59The quality of goods is becoming
much more consistent. -
5:01 - 5:04And the situation is becoming one
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5:04 - 5:08where there's more on the market
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5:08 - 5:12than people really need.
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5:12 - 5:15For the capitalists
to maintain their power, -
5:15 - 5:20you need constant consumption
requiring constant production. -
5:20 - 5:25How do you do that
if people don't need things? -
5:25 - 5:27They have to be taught to buy.
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5:31 - 5:35And that's where designers came in,
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5:36 - 5:41creating, not just practical clothes,
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5:41 - 5:42but a look,
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5:42 - 5:45an individual look for everyone.
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5:46 - 5:50By the way, the first designers
as we know them today, -
5:50 - 5:52as we know the fashion industry,
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5:52 - 5:54come to us from the 19th century.
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5:54 - 5:58The first designer to sew his label
on the clothes he made -
5:58 - 6:00was Charles Frederick Worth.
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6:02 - 6:06And then this image
created by this designer, -
6:06 - 6:10which isn't really practical anymore,
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6:10 - 6:12but an emotional image,
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6:12 - 6:14starts to sell.
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6:14 - 6:18Seasonality is coming, new trends,
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6:20 - 6:26but the capitalists needed to sustain
growth in consumption. -
6:27 - 6:29How was that to be done?
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6:30 - 6:33The printing press arrives,
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6:34 - 6:40and by using the printing press,
they achieve their goal. -
6:41 - 6:43Advertising.
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6:43 - 6:46New advertising agencies are opening up
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6:46 - 6:53that build purely emotional sales,
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6:53 - 6:59while the product itself is already
becoming of secondary concern. -
6:59 - 7:03It's the consumption
of emotion that matters. -
7:06 - 7:09For the capitalists of the time,
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7:09 - 7:13this proved to be
very supportive of their power -
7:13 - 7:14and the growth of that power,
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7:14 - 7:16but they didn't realize
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7:16 - 7:19that they themselves had started
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7:19 - 7:23the beginning of the end of their century.
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7:25 - 7:26The press.
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7:26 - 7:30Fashion magazines
are gaining a lot o power, -
7:30 - 7:36and so into their hands
falls the future of designers, -
7:36 - 7:39the future of trademarks,
the future of brands. -
7:42 - 7:48And you won't believe how big a role
they play in a situation like this. -
7:48 - 7:54It is Paris, a young designer
shows his new collection. -
7:54 - 7:56Christian Dior.
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7:56 - 8:01The American press,
including "Harper's Bazaar". -
8:01 - 8:06Its editor-in-chief, Carmel Snow,
exclaimed after the show: -
8:06 - 8:09"Dior! It's a new look!" -
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8:09 - 8:13"It's a new approach,
a new look at fashion!" -
8:13 - 8:16She goes back to America
and writes about it. -
8:16 - 8:18Photographs.
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8:18 - 8:22Dior becomes very popular
in America and in Europe, -
8:23 - 8:30The style icon of the decade was to be
the "New Look" by Christian Dior. -
8:31 - 8:34His name is very easy to pronounce,
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8:34 - 8:37and it's even easier to write in English.
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8:37 - 8:41At this time in Europe,
in France, in Paris, -
8:41 - 8:44there are, in fact, a lot more designers
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8:44 - 8:48who also show similar fashions.
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8:48 - 8:50But their names
are much harder to pronounce, -
8:50 - 8:55while Dior's name is much easier to say.
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8:56 - 8:59The names of the other designers
are slowly fading into history: -
8:59 - 9:05including a great designer,
Elsa Schiaparelli, for example. -
9:06 - 9:09Christian Dior is the "New Look".
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9:11 - 9:17Capitalists have discovered
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9:17 - 9:20the way of a new age,
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9:20 - 9:24the age of information,
a world of information -
9:25 - 9:31where power passes
from the hands of capitalists -
9:31 - 9:37into the hands of those
who manipulate, who use, -
9:37 - 9:40exploit information.
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9:40 - 9:46A new elite emerges,
the information elite. -
9:50 - 9:54The entire structure
of society is changing, -
9:55 - 10:00as is the way fashion is created,
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10:00 - 10:04and what is behind
the impulse to create fashion. -
10:04 - 10:09The most important thing
for a designer right now, -
10:09 - 10:12for the fashion industry, to survive
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10:12 - 10:16is collaboration with social media,
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10:16 - 10:23with Instagram and applications like it.
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10:25 - 10:31For a designer to have a
success with his collection, -
10:31 - 10:36the designer has
to come up with images, clothes, -
10:37 - 10:42that fit the most popular
Instagram hashtags. -
10:43 - 10:49They're already talking openly about
whether we need traditional fashion weeks, -
10:50 - 10:52whether we need seasonality.
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10:53 - 10:56Because Instagram
doesn't have seasonality. -
10:57 - 11:00And, on what the critics
write about a fashion week, -
11:00 - 11:02practically nothing depends.
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11:03 - 11:07Everything depends on your ability
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11:07 - 11:12to collaborate with bloggers,
with Instagram. -
11:14 - 11:17And even the entire
business model is changing. -
11:17 - 11:22If the traditional model
involved a markup, -
11:22 - 11:27where you added an amount
to the cost of the goods to make a profit, -
11:27 - 11:31now, the most important thing
is a constant turnover. -
11:32 - 11:38Now such online stores as Amazon
are becoming the sales leaders, -
11:38 - 11:42and it's because they can sell at a loss.
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11:43 - 11:47The most important thing for them is
is the turnover of information. -
11:47 - 11:53And the traditional shops,
the leaders of the 20th century, -
11:53 - 11:55are forced to close their doors
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11:55 - 11:58because they cannot stand the competition
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11:58 - 12:02for the purchasing power
of a new generation. -
12:02 - 12:04In the information world,
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12:04 - 12:10the most important thing
is the constant movement of information, -
12:10 - 12:12but not the quality of that information.
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12:13 - 12:17The faster the information circulates,
the greater it becomes. -
12:17 - 12:22This is just what we see
in fashion trends, -
12:22 - 12:25where quality is becoming marginalized.
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12:25 - 12:32And we cannot even say
that quality corresponds to price. -
12:32 - 12:39In fact, the development and design
of new looks is already not so important. -
12:40 - 12:46You can imagine that just yesterday,
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12:46 - 12:49this would have been
the greatest of horrors -
12:49 - 12:51for a professional designer?
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12:51 - 12:55Flip-flops with socks and shorts.
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12:56 - 13:01I just laughed at it.
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13:02 - 13:07I took this photo today
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13:07 - 13:13from one of today's
most famous brands: "Vetements". -
13:13 - 13:15And this is what
they're actually presenting, -
13:15 - 13:17I mean, that's the outfit
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13:17 - 13:21of the most fashionable
men and women of fashion in the world. -
13:22 - 13:24Does it get any better than this ...
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13:26 - 13:31(Applause)
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13:32 - 13:35Hoodies.
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13:35 - 13:37(Laughter)
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13:39 - 13:45We see three almost identical hoodies,
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13:45 - 13:48their colour and design are the same.
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13:50 - 13:54"Off-White", "Supreme", I don't know -
You know them? Ever heard of them? -
13:54 - 13:57Very prominent contemporary brands.
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13:57 - 14:00Basically, the difference in them
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14:00 - 14:05is only in the brand logo
and the added pictures and patterns. -
14:07 - 14:11And the last hoodie in the picture -
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14:11 - 14:15I checked this morning
before coming here - -
14:15 - 14:18you can't buy it in a conventional shop,
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14:18 - 14:21it's only for collectors.
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14:21 - 14:25You can buy it for yourself on eBay
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14:25 - 14:28for up to $25,000.
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14:32 - 14:39Basically, with these three
very fashionable hoodies, -
14:39 - 14:45we just see the information
about their brand, and nothing else. -
14:46 - 14:52So, brands are acquiring
a new informational status, -
14:52 - 14:55where the product itself
is no longer important. -
14:55 - 15:01What is important is the information
and product promotion on social media. -
15:03 - 15:08"Supreme" can be stuck
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15:08 - 15:11onto practically anything.
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15:11 - 15:16If before, when before,
when fashion houses were being created, -
15:16 - 15:18brands were being created,
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15:18 - 15:24there was a client in mind, one client,
at which the brand was aimed, -
15:24 - 15:27defined by the price tag.
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15:29 - 15:33That is, a product line
offered by one brand -
15:33 - 15:36would all have about the same price.
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15:36 - 15:38In the case of Supreme,
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15:38 - 15:44the price can start
in the luxury segment - -
15:45 - 15:48a Ferrari with a Supreme sticker -
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15:48 - 15:51while at the same time,
we can see in the slide, -
15:51 - 15:55they sell shovels with the same logo.
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15:57 - 16:03It can be glued onto any product,
and the price raised. -
16:06 - 16:09The second very interesting change
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16:09 - 16:14is that the development
of the design of this product -
16:14 - 16:18is nor provided by the Supreme team.
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16:18 - 16:21It is being done by factories
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16:23 - 16:28who actually make the product,
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16:28 - 16:30and Supreme is just gluing its logos on.
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16:31 - 16:36Similarly, the hoodie by Louis Vuitton
which we've just seen -
16:36 - 16:38was designed by Louis Vuitton,
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16:38 - 16:42and Supreme has just glued on its logo.
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16:42 - 16:44And this is exactly how
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16:44 - 16:50firms that started their businesses
in the 20th century -
16:50 - 16:51are surviving today:
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16:51 - 16:54by collaborating
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16:54 - 16:59with such information brands as Supreme.
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17:02 - 17:05Today, I've told you
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17:05 - 17:11how we can see, through fashion,
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17:11 - 17:15how our society is changing,
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17:15 - 17:19and how the centre of power is changing.
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17:20 - 17:22We started from the monarchy,
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17:22 - 17:25where all power was
in the hands of one person, -
17:25 - 17:31and then we moved on to capitalists,
who brought us individuality to fashion. -
17:32 - 17:38Then, via print media,
we've arrived at the world of information. -
17:39 - 17:41I wouldn't like to tell you
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17:41 - 17:45that Steve Jobs was a great fashion icon.
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17:45 - 17:50I don't honestly think
he was very preoccupied with fashion; -
17:50 - 17:55he just wore his jeans and sneakers
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17:55 - 17:58and went about minding his own business.
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17:58 - 18:01Even less that he thought about
how we all should dress. -
18:02 - 18:08That's not the issue at all;
it's that the vector of power has shifted. -
18:09 - 18:12And that's already reflected
in the way we dress. -
18:13 - 18:15Look around you.
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18:15 - 18:17Has anything changed?
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18:19 - 18:21No, I don't mean in how we're dressed,
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18:21 - 18:24we're dressed just as we were
18 minutes ago. -
18:25 - 18:28But, maybe, something's changed about you,
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18:28 - 18:30in how you see fashion?
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18:32 - 18:34Thank you.
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18:34 - 18:37(Applause)
- Title:
- Who dictates fashion?|Xenia Joost|TEDxLasnamäe
- Description:
-
How are changes in social and political life reflected in fashion? Who is behind our decisions about what we wear, and how does it happen? By observing changes in fashion, it becomes apparent that there is a connection to fundamental changes in the system of power. What does modern fashion tell us, and who really dictates it.
Xenia is a fashion designer. She worked in the team of the Estonian designer Ivo Niccolo and had professional training with Vivien Westwood. She designed clothes for the First Lady of Estonia.
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.
- Video Language:
- Russian
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 18:47
Robert Tucker approved English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe | ||
Robert Tucker accepted English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe | ||
Robert Tucker edited English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe | ||
Robert Tucker edited English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe | ||
Robert Tucker edited English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe | ||
Robert Tucker edited English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe | ||
Robert Tucker edited English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe | ||
Robert Tucker edited English subtitles for Кто диктует моду? | Ксения Йоост | TEDxLasnamäe |