My research took shape primarily by researching into indigenous tribal culture. These included mostly African tribes: Masai, Ndebele, Sotho, Basatho, Batlokwa, Zulu, Swazi, Omo and also some aspects of Native American and Indonesian society. By concentrating on traditional dress, I found interest in recurring motifs and markings.
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| Masai tribe woman (Book- Tribes by Art Wolfe) |
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| Masai tribe child wearing an enkuran (Book- Tribes by Art Wolfe) |
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| Males from the Dani Tribe (Book- Tribes by Art Wolfe) |
This then begins to gradually develop into researching how motifs and print of cultural relevance are simplified and mass produced in order to merge into the industry of fast fashion. Below are examples of how seasonal, cheap 'tribal'-related trends are manufactured, perhaps devaluing the initial importance of it's origin.
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| Marie Claire- Feb 2014 |
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| Marie Claire Dec 2014 |
The colour-blocked earthy tones and repetitive prints featured in both publications are only slightly reminiscent of their apparent reference to indigenous culture.
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| Examples of the frequent occurrence of 'tribal' trends |
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