Fashion Shows: A Cultural Phenomenon
Fashion shows are events that occur in nearly every region of the country. There are people of various ages and ethnic backgrounds involved. Normally, different cultural traditions are integrated, giving birth to new communities of society. The community grows in this manner, and civilization gains greatly from those improvements. Such practices date back to the 16th century when there were shows and competitions for hair attractiveness and women's ability to decorate their bodies with naturally available dyes. Winners of such competitions may walk away with a variety of prizes, including bottles of honey and dresses made of hides and flesh. In the modern world, several aspects have been incorporated into the shows, such as the ability to design different types of clothing, sing, dance, and recite poems. The United States of America, Germany, India, China, and some regions of Africa give a very high value to such activities.
Paris Fashion Week and Multicultural Involvement
Introduction
Paris fashion week is a recreational event that is organized twice every year, to appreciate and develop the world’s diverse culture and the different ways in which several regions systematically developed to the modern ways of living. This event was first organized in the mid 20th century. However, the first occasions never included then diverse cultures of the world, since only the people of France had the chance to take part in the displays and competitions that were organized. The second phase of the fashion week was impressively diverse since it incorporated some cultural aspects of the Chinese and the American Society. Other parts of the world came into these exhibitions, and by the end of the 20th century, Africa and India were in the Paris fashion shows. The shows are not only focusing on the modern ways of dressing, but also includes some aspect of the cultural lifestyles of the ancient people, and how this has evolved into the modern forms of communication, transport, recreational activity such as games, music, and art.
Uniqueness of the Paris Fashion Weeks
The design of the Paris fashion showroom is one of the features that make it very much unique, from any other fashion show observed in other countries. The rooms have the reflective polymer tiled floors that add warmth to the aesthetic structure for the Lanvin’s show (Cronin, Paris on the Eve, 2012). The National Bureau of arts has the same floor design and hence has exhibited the highest ability to attract tourists for the fashion shows in Paris. Moreover, the Dries van Noten is covered with a green carpet that gives it a good colour match with the items displayed-green is a universal colour that blends with any other colour placed in its background. The showroom also has reflective glass ways that add to the aesthetic value of the items displayed. It also forms a very pleasant runway. The flooring is also made in different colours-black, white and a background of a link, accompanied by very fine diagonal lines of white, and this gives different themes and a sensation of multicultural participation in the events.The Paris fashion week has also ensured the participation of the marginalized communities of the South American states, which are some of the communities that have unique fashions, artefacts and ways of living. The communities are also rich in technological ideas, and their inclusion is good for the information of the world about some simpler technical ways to solve common daily problems that people do face at home and places of work (Bernstein, 2008). The communities also have different and pleasant ways of dressing that are impressive in so many ways. Their participation adds colour the Paris cultural festivals and this has been proved by the increase in the number of attendants since they started getting involved in the competitions and cultural shows. Indian Arabic culture has also been a significant part of the Paris fashion shows, which compete for some of the world’s largest renown cultural events that usually take place in America, United Arab Emirates, Africa and other parts of Europe.
Economic Benefits for the Participants
Paris fashion shows are fundamental for the creation of sufficient markets for any product or service displayed. Through proper analysis of the economic data, economists have the ability to identify regions that have significant demand for certain products but are unable to produce, due to high production costs or the absence of production materials (Paul, 2001). For example, the rise in demand for polymeric leather in most parts of the world led to the increment in the volume of production of the leather in Germany, Italy, and Japan. A huge bulk of the material was then distributed to the countries, and within five years, their economies had risen as a result of the sales of polymeric leather shoes. The trade has been a two-way form of economic benefit, that is, the source country gets its proceeds from sales, and the importing country gets revenue from the import duties and sales through middlemen. As a result, the companies enjoy location advantages.The fashion shows can lead to perfectionism so as to improve chances of winning the fashion contests-most of the participants always strive to improve on the bodily aspects to have a better look and chances in the future contests (Wakeman, 2015). This will include starvation for better body shape, use of other cosmetics that enhance the physical look to match specific cloth designs, for example, the chemicals used in the dyeing of hair. This has led to immense scientific research in order to come up with proper chemicals for the design of hair and body cosmetics. Success in the manufacture of such cosmetic is a guarantee for a ready worldwide market, which generates impressive foreign income for the source countries.The Paris fashion weeks are attended by people of different occupational backgrounds, and a good example are the architects. Architects also have the ability to watch a dance and predict its next movements. They can, therefore, make predictive designs for the buildings, which also have the power to influence a person’s learning of the dancing styles (Cronin, Paris: City of Light, 2012). Research work reveals that the human brain is wired to foresee the next step in any activity, and if the predictions come true, this becomes a great source of pleasure and happiness. Architects also use the sense of metaphor. This creates a visual comparison and eliminates the features that may be distractive. For example, the dancing movements that involve downward movements followed by upward movements may be the sources of some constructions where the base is made first, and then the top built or designed at the later stages of the construction. This may also combine the adoption of the shapes of the dancers during the dancing process. For instance, the stability of a dancer while making some movements can be the basis of the shapes of some buildings. This has been the basis for the construction of some huge buildings of China and the Asian world, and hence their rapidly developing economies.The development of the United States of America started all way from a very humble beginning. In the early years, America was one of the countries that could be considered underdeveloped, since it had very few fashion designs and the industries and had not invested that much in cultural development. (Jones, 2014) Regarding technological development, most of the industries that existed in the 14th century were quite crude, and could not be used to provide the needs of the American people. Moreover, the industries were run with very inefficient power machines and hence, production could be very slow and unable to meet the international demands. However, there was a comparatively higher investment in agriculture, especially the growth and cultivation of cotton and maize. The latter was used as food for dairy animals, and a staple food for humans. The former was majorly grown for the apparel industries, and the wastes could be utilized as animal feeds. Manual methods were also employed in cultivation and harvesting of cotton and corn. Ox-drawn ploughs and hoes were the only farm implements that were available for soil penetration. The Paris fashion shows led to the interaction of different cultures and personalities, and at some point, the Americans gained technological ideas and therefore could be able to design proper systems of clothing, machine and apparel manufacture, and hence could export their products to other countries fort sales. This has been one of the core pillars of the American huge foreign returns.Economic development has been observed in the participant countries since their involvement in the Paris fashion shows. 75 percent of the member countries have risen from least developed countries to either developed or developing countries (Paul, 2001). Most of the countries did not have easy access to the goods required. Over the past two decades, most countries have access to modern business ideas and commodities. For example, African countries have access to modern trade ideas, machines, fashion designs and educational systems. Before the formation of the Paris fashion weeks, countries had preferential treatment of their goods and services some were considered superior to others in terms of quality, and the ability to meet end-user requirements. However, the shows set standards that every trader has to conform to; hence every country has equal chances to gain a competitive advantage. Environmental protection is a serious emphasis on the fashion shows, which is one of the core pillars of sustainable economic development. Before the establishment of such multicultural shows, some countries could exploit the resources of other nations they considered inferior, causing massive environmental damage (Julie, 2014). However, the shows encouraged policies that fostered equality, and therefore natural resources and exploited with a remedy at standby, which is either to reuse or recycle. The relationships between countries have been enhanced, together with cultural exchange. The organization has also promoted peace between countries-border fights, sanctions and other forms of commercial restrictions have reduced due to the existing mutual agreements between countries, hence a better business environment.Paris fashion shows have led to the economical and efficient use of machines and equipment, labour, management and raw materials. The firm apparel production firms that participate in the fashion shows develop a good relation with the immediate surrounding environment. Almost every country that produces the apparel materials have formulated business policies that affect the operations of industries located within it (Time out Guide, n.d). The policies are formulated either by the respective legislations or by the international bodies dealing with fashion design. Stringent rules are applied to the source of raw materials and the minimum wages for those working in the raw material harvesting stations. However, there are some instances here the suppliers of raw materials own the material sources. They may be favoured by government regulations on the prices per unit of their products, and the maximum number of units that each supplier is allowed to deliver. Equitable distribution of these resources is quite necessary for the administration of economic justice, hence the countries have a better way to share the international profits from the sales and distribution of fashion designs.Conclusion
The inclusion of different cultures in Paris fashion shows can be argued to be a natural occurrence, which was necessitated by the need for diverse goods, and the satisfaction of human enjoyment and natural pleasure. By the involvement of different countries in a common trade activity, the interests of several economies are addressed, and the exchange of goods and services occur, leading to the creation of a business environment that is rich of product mix. Trade activities have been made easier, and this can be seen from the rapid development of the then poor economies. However, the trade phenomenon comes with many advantages to all the parties. The benefits outweigh the cons if gauged in terms of their economic profitability, and hence the countries should embark on creating and joining fashion shows and formulate measures on how to improve them.
References
Bernstein, W. (2008). A splendid exchange: How trade shaped the world. New York: Grove Press.
Cronin, V. (2012). Paris on the Eve. New York: Harper Collins.
Cronin, V. (2012). Paris: City of Light. New York: Harper Collins.
Favier, J. (2013). Paris, the city of fashion design. Paris: Fayard Publishers.
Jones, C. (2014). The biography of a city, and its economic pillars. New York: Penguin Viking.
Julie, B. (2014). fashion Journalism. Paris: Routledge Publishers.
McConnell, M. (2016). Paris fashion week: a guide to iconic event. Paris: Eluxe Publishers.
Paul, S. (2011). A ricardo Srafa Paradigm Comparing the gains from trade in inputs and finished goods. Journal of economic literature. , 1202-1214.
Time out Guide. Timwe out Paris: fashion shows.
Wakeman, R. (2015). The heroic city and its economic activities. Chicago: University of Chicago press.
