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GEC1042: Fashion: East and West

Wardrobe Audit

Chan Yu Yu
A0235221W
Tutorial Group: TE2
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Table of contents

Table of contents............................................................................................................................................ 2

Task................................................................................................................................................................ 3

What has changed, and what has remained the same?...................................................................................4

Example of my fashion (and influence) at the start of the semester.............................................................. 5

Example of my fashion at the end of the semester.........................................................................................6

Do you have a more nuanced understanding of your wardrobe?...................................................................6

What can you share of your consumption behaviour?................................................................................... 7

What have you learned in the course?............................................................................................................7

Examples of different types of fashion in the world...................................................................................... 8

Conclusion......................................................................................................................................................9

Word count..................................................................................................................................................... 9
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Task
After taking this course, look at your wardrobe again and your answers to the questions beginning the
semester, what has changed and what remained the same? Do you now have a more nuanced
understanding of your wardrobe, your consumption behavior, and fashion in general? Please illustrate
with examples and can connect with what you learnt in the course

1000 words
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What has changed, and what has remained the same?

At the start of the semester, I endeavoured to change my wardrobe into something reflective of 80’s or
90’s fashion by incorporating leather jackets and sunglasses. In my wardrobe audit at the beginning of the
semester, I wrote that I placed appearance as a priority over comfort. I used to go out of my way to
extensively dress well, look good and appear my best when the situation demanded it. However, as the
semester progressed, I prioritised comfort over appearance. Nowadays, my main outfit is a hoodie that I
wear for late-night study sessions. In the daytime, I now don a simple dri-fit NUS jersey to meet friends
and only iron my clothes when I have a formal presentation. You can say that I have gotten lazy, and you
would not be wrong. However, the schoolwork has truly piled up, especially as I write this in week 13 and
prepare for the gruelling exam preparations synonymous with exam week.
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Example of my fashion (and influence) at

the start of the semester

Fig 5.1: Colourful attire Fig 5.2: Cool look Fig 5.3: Laidback look for
for when I attend lectures for when I go to the club when I meet my friends

Fig 5.4: My fashion influence at the start of Fig 5.5: My Hawaiian shirt
the semester

Now, my wardrobe style has switched towards more simple Dri-Fit T-Shirts and dark-coloured shorts.
This semester, I joined a few extracurricular activities and thus racked up a few free NUS-themed shirts,
which I find amusing because all my classmates seem to wear NUS shirts too.
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Example of my fashion at the end of the

semester

Fig 6.1: Examples of my collection of NUS shirts

Fig 6.2: I wear NUS shirts whenever I represent NUS for varsity football games

In campus, I can certainly tell that there is a somewhat overarching “fashion style” that most people wear,
sporting varsity T-shirts or NUS shirts all around campus. I find that rather unique, almost as if NUS has
its own fashion subculture distinct from the rest of Singapore. When I wear such NUS shirts, I also feel as
if I belong to part of that subculture.

Do you have a more nuanced understanding of your wardrobe?

I do have a more nuanced understanding of my wardrobe because I have a clearer idea of what fashion
means to me. I used to go out of my way to dress well, look good and stand out from the rest of the
crowd. Now, as I look back on my attitude toward fashion, I notice that it is not such a big deal if I do not
stand out from everyone else. It is perfectly fine to be that “one in a million”. It is perfectly fine to wear a
simple Dri-Fit T-Shirt because I feel happy and comfortable wearing it! If I feel happy being able to
identify with NUS, through my NUS T-Shirts, that is great! After all, wearing an NUS shirt to represent
my university in varsity football games gives me a sense of great pride. If I am confident, then I can wear
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anything and still feel as if I am on top of the world. Appearances are not all that matters because what is
truly important comes from within.

What can you share of your consumption behaviour?

Currently, my fashion consumption consists of clothing that one would find in a store or factory outlet.
This is rather standard, and this type of mass-produced clothing is referred to as fast fashion, which is the
main mode of fashion worldwide. In class, we watched a documentary about fast fashion called Wuyong,
which details the plight of the sweatshop workers of China, and how the exploitation of workers fuels this
industry.

The fashion industry also has a serious environmental impact and largely contributes to global carbon
emissions per year. As I learned about the environmental impact of sweatshop labour and the sheer
volume of textile waste, I decided to deeply reassess my fashion choices. This introspection led me to
reconsider my role in this consumer-driven cycle.

Although, as an individual, I cannot singlehandedly revolutionise the fashion industry, I can still look
toward a more conscious and sustainable approach. I can learn more about second-hand stores and
fair-trade clothing options in Singapore. Fashion is not just about self-expression; it also encompasses
conscious choices and sustainable practices.

What have you learned in the course?

In this course, we learned about how fashion has always drawn influence from other cultures. For
instance, fashion capitals such as Paris, Milan, New York, and London serve as melting pots of diverse
influences, and entire generations of European socialites drew inspiration from the French crinoline and
haute couture. In Asia, the Nyonya kebaya draws influence from the Malay batik sarong, as well as
Chinese patterns and designs. Chinoiserie motifs, such as pagodas, dragons, and exotic flora, also
influenced European textiles in the 20th century.
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Examples of different types of fashion in

the world

French crinoline influenced Qipao, influenced by Kebaya, influenced by Malay

European fashion in 1920 Manchurian fashion batik designs

French waistcoat and Magua, also influenced by Western suit, influenced by

trousers Manchurian fashion British fashion

In our lectures and tutorials, we explore how Louis Vuitton collaborated with local Indian designer Rajeev
Sethi to launch a new collection of dresses with traditional Indian iconography. From this example, we
can see how the rise of global fashion icons and the celebration of cultural diversity have transformed
runways into platforms for inclusivity. We also discussed how incorporating fashion elements from
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foreign cultures will ultimately lead to discourse about cultural appropriation and inappropriately
adopting a foreign culture’s identity. With that being said, we also agree that fashion should serve as a
bridge to fostering a mutual understanding between different traditions.

Conclusion

To conclude, I feel that fashion, whilst important and interesting, should not be my main objective. As
long as I am confident and happy wearing a particular attire, then that is good enough. It is important that
I wear the suit, and the suit does not wear me! It is good always to remind myself that my fashion style is
not just about what I wear; it is about how I express myself to the world, leaving a trace of my unique
imprint on the canvas of life.

Word count
998