Good Buter Superella

Ella Buter is a LISOF graduate and fashion designer with her own shop/studio in Melville.

Meet Ella:

When considering fashion in terms of veiling and revealing, Superella immediately comes to mind. Her designs very cleverly use functional shapes like squares, circles and rectangles. in a way that veils the female body. 

In a recent interview, Ella said that the main reason for her roomy designs are comfort above all. Women should be able to go about their day unhindered and unrestricted by the clothes they wear. She also feels that women should be able to express themeselves regardless of their body-type and build and moreover that fashion is not just for the skinny. Hence her use of normal, everyday women of all ages and sizes as models.

By veiling the female body, Ella reveals the quirky, eccentric and creative side of her patrons by focussing on interesting design concepts, uber wearibility and often multi-functionality.

As a woman and almost fashion designer, I salute Ella for her unique way of expressing femininity and her innovative approach to design.

SAFW A/W 2012- Domestic Goddess.

The voice of our clothing.

Whilst reading through a couple of our prescribed Design Theory readers, I came across some interesting points in, Style and Communication, written by M. Maynard which was published in 2004. Some of his points relate to how we choose to dress and communicate to the world.

‘…clothing is explicitly considered as a kind of bodily disguise, just as language is a disguise for thought.’ (Calefato 2004: 1)

It is said that dress is a form of communication (Maynard 2004), and a way in which the wearer tries to convey a message to the world. However the trouble comes in when the one ‘reading’ the language, misinterprets the message and so confusion will occur. Maynard said ‘…all forms of clothing are culturally relative; their meanings alter over time and can be differently interpreted especially across cultures.’ (Maynard 2004: 88)

Maynard looked at a couple of African countries, Egypt in particular and described the symbolism of their dress and the message that the natives get from the clothing versus the message that many anthropologists, analysts or even westerners get from the same clothing.

‘…there are many different languages of attire, each with its own grammar and vocabulary, whose meanings can be read almost as if one were reading a book.’ (Lurie 1992: 4)

The significance of dress in first world countries and third world countries differ to a very large degree, take Egypt for example; a third world country, however it has a very strong influence from the western world. Egypt is predominantly Muslim therefore modest dressing is extremely important. Traditionally Muslim woman dress modestly, in a garment known as an Abaya. Abaya is a loose fitting over garment that’s worn to ensure a woman’s body is modestly covered to prevent men from being enticed. Originally Abaya’s were typically just simple long length robes with no fit and minimal detail. With western influence the oasis and village dwellers have access to urban and western style. Western influences include modifications such as printed fabrics, cuffs, collars, plackets and various openings all influenced by western culture.

In conclusion it’s safe to say that in communicating your dress and in decoding others dress, it is essential to have a neutral point of view and have good knowledge of cultures, religion and the symbolism behind the different concepts, colours and accessories.    

Below is an image showing the traditional robes and head gear, that have been influenced by the West.

www.interfaith.org

The Swazi Culture

I decided to look into the Swazi culture as the exposure of bare body parts of young girls in their tradition shows a different perspective on revealing.

According to articles by Squidoo, it is customary tradition for unmarried Swazi girls to dance bare breasted for their king in the festival called the Reed Dance. I found out that this custom has been in existence for generations and still happens today.

With much curiosity, I stumbled across an article by Nosimilo Ndlovu (Aug 2008) explaining their recent Reed Dance. She explains that thousands of Swazi maidens make their way to Enyokeni Royel Palace in Nongona every year to celebrate their culture and virginity to their king. They spend months preparing their outfits - strings of colourful beads are worn over bare breasts and short beaded skirts adorn bare buttocks to denote Chastity and signify maidenhood. The girls are told by their elder females not to wear underwear under their short beaded skirts as they were pure and had nothing to hide. Ndlovu further explains that the king does not think of the maidens in a sexual way but rather as pure. He sees the beauty of culture and is not fazed by their bare breasts or private parts. And they should not feel ashamed.

However after much preparation for this dance in 2008 the king had a change of heart and stated that after years of feasting his eyes, he now argues that nude buttocks could decrease the credibility of the Reed Dance and make the maiden vulnerable to exploitation. Ndlovu was horrified to the kings response as this is an infringement on Swazi culture. His exit from the Reed Dance is not a sufficient reason to change a practise that has been in existence for generations.

In my opinion, I believe that the king has conformed to reality of the modern world. I respect tradition and culture, however we live in modern times and traditions should be modified and adapted to todays livinf forces. According to Calefato (2004), covering oneself out of a sense of modesty means recognising that clothes have specific functions and dressing in order to convey specific meaning. Including the social meaning attributed to the notion of modesty. This therefore concludes modesty plays a big role in modern times despite strong ancient cultures.

Perhaps another point of view.

For years Hasidic women have had to sit at the rear end of public buses because of modesty or because of what the Ultra-Orthodox Jews consider to be modesty. Mickey Gitzin, the director of Be Free Israel, a nonprofit organization that promotes religious pluralism said "It's a slippery slope. What starts with women boarding the bus in the back because of modesty can end up with women not voting," he further went on to say, "It could turn Israeli society into a segregated society in which women don't have a place in public life."

Whilst doing some research on the Hasidic Jews and the different collections inspired by Hasidim (hebrew word for Hasidic Jews) I came across this photography editorial: FINDING A VIRTUOUS (JEWISH) WOMAN BY LIOR NORDMAN, on Trendland, for the Israeli fashion magazine, Belle Mode.


"The Israeli fashion magazine Belle Mode published this provocative/controversial editorial as a way to protest against the infringement on the rights of women on religious grounds. Photographed by Lior Nordman, there is very few credits and info about the shoot, but the concept is explained on the video below." CYRIL FOIRET, 07 FEB 2012 

In the video below, Maya Pollack, editor of the Belle Mode magazine discusses the manipulation of harsh boundaries placed upon women of the Ultra-Orthodox, Hasidic sect by the juxtaposition of modesty and "closed" dress sense to immodest and highly seductive dress.

Both Maya and the photographer want to express this issue in its strongest form by flaunting the women and showing her off in a provocative sense. Maya's hope is that the message will be successfully portrayed. "This is a very popular topic that people are very cautious not to engage with and we decided not to be cautious, from my point of view women deserve credit for all they have done for the world." Lior Nordman, photographer.

In my understanding of religion there is space for everyones beliefs and ideals is this world. However in order for there to be peace and balance among the people, each of us have to embrace and make space for other peoples opinions and value systems. It is with respect for others that we can learn to understand and perhaps accepted what is foreign to us.

The Hasidic Jew.

When G-d created Eve, He said, 'From which part of Adam shall I create Eve? If I form her from Adam's head she may become pompous. If I make her from his eye, she may become a flirt! But if I create her from the rib, she will be modest! Since that the rib is always covered, even when he stands naked, that part is still covered!" (Genesis Rabba 18:13)


On a trip to Israel I noticed this very noticeable sign in a Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic area by the name of, Mae Shearim.

own image

In her article: Hasidic Women's Fashion Aesthetic and Practice, Barbara Goldman Carrel writes  for the London College of Fashion, on 15 June 2011 that:

“Hasidic girls are taught at a very young age the importance of dressing in a manner which reflects the inner soul rather than emphasising any external manifestations of feminine physicality, sexual or otherwise, or drawing attention to themselves.”

http://www.religionandsociety.org.uk/events/programme_events/show/mediating_modesty_barbara_goldman_carrel

own image

Barbara Goldman Carrel writes in the book, The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore and Politics edited by Jennifer Heath that the Hasidic women dress a certain way in order to fulfill their obligation to sanctify their "worldly existence" page 56. 


Rather than their dress just being a form of self-expression, it is a reflection of modesty and how one simultaneously covers and reveals by concealing their private body parts as specified by Jewish law but at the same time unveiling or promoting that which is hidden, their holiness and soul. 

Read More: The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore and Politics - Jennifer Heath
                  Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, Hasidic Jews

Religion’s place in the fashion industry.

In 2008 a collection from Il Galantuomo, a men's label by Korean-born Gunhyo Kim, a graduate of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Arts and a design assistant of Dries Van Noten, was inspired by Antwerp’s Hasidic Jews. (Hasidic Jews are called Hasidim in Hebrew. This word derived from the Hebrew word for loving kindness- chessed)

Gunhyo’s collection was made up of stylish, tailored suit jackets, v-neck T-shirts, long tunics and loose pants.

However in 1993 it was Jean-Paul Gaultier who was the first major fashion designer to use the Hasidic sect of Judaism as an inspiration for his collection.

The runway was lined with Menorahs; Maneschewitz wine was served; and models donned exaggerated curls and yarmulkes.

Jean Paul Gaultier- “Hasidic-inspired” collection 1993 

http://magyarleague.tumblr.com/post/5799027866/jean-paul-gaultier-hasidic-inspired-collection

“I saw a group of rabbis leaving the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue. I found them very beautiful, very elegant, with their hats and their huge coats flapping in the wind. It was a fantastic scene.” Jean Paul Gaultier.                                                                   (http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/82783/chai-fashion/)

So does religion really have a place within the fashion industry or is it just a source of reference or inspiration?

Something Different

While searching the web, I came across these very interesting images of Jewellery, designed by Hanwen Shen. She signifies her creations of metal to erogenous zones, focusing on the back of the body and the nape of the neck. According to definition.com, the erogenous zone varies from culture to culture over time. For example Asian men prize the nape of the neck, in which Shen focuses on.

However Shen describes her work as rebelling to the traditional notions of what is compatible with femininity, namely things like lace, silk, velvet and other soft and luxurious materials. Rather her jewellery cosists of fluid shapes and organic alien-like pieces. So I asked the question, what makes these designs so unusually seductive?

Because according to Frugel, bare flesh is boring. Male curiosity is sustained by veiling the erotic site, by covering and exhibiting it at the same time. So in conclusion, I realised that this is not the traditional way to expose the erogenous zone, however it works! The tribal feel of the jewelry through the pointy ends (horns), or the coil like curves creating metal snakes creates an animalistic mood. This only enhances the point of the erogenous zone.

 http://www.answers.com/topic/erogenous-zone-2#ixzz1tLSIM4I5