Asian Street Fashion

Street fashion is clothing designed by (and worn) by people who are not fashion designers. The Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College has given us the opportunity to participate in an experience they call: Everyday Runway: Asian Street Fashion and Beyond. Located in the C33 Gallery at 33 E Congress, this is a collaborative art gallery that takes the viewer through the streets of Tokyo, Seoul and back to Chicago again. This gallery primarily consists of photography, but there are also several non-photographic displays of clothing, shoes, accessories, and even toys. In terms of presentation, they really let the photographs speak for themselves. The pictures are focused, but often busy, so the artists didn’t bother to clutter the area around them too much. They even resisted hanging items from the ceiling, something often seen in galleries. The pictures, mostly printed on matte paper and mounted on foam core, are around 18x24 inches, with a few being a larger 35x48. The foam core gives the photographs a slight (but much needed) depth.

One item that vastly influences the viewer’s experience in this gallery is the nine-page booklet available at the entrance. Viewers may choose to pick up and read this booklet as they walk around the gallery, or they may choose to pick up the book after they have already seen the gallery. The reason that this booklet makes such an impact is the amount of information it reveals. As I said before, there is little on the walls aside from the pictures. Each picture has a number next to it, and there are some circular decals on the walls, but that’s about it. Each of those numbers corresponds to a description in the booklet. Knowing what the style of clothing is in each photo creates a very different experience than just blindly walking through the gallery.

I enjoyed the variety between the two major cities visited, Seoul and Tokyo. The clothing in Tokyo is very bold, with many contrasting colors (like black with red accents) and is an interesting mixture of different styles (punk, Lolita, kimono, etc.). Seoul is more toned down, but still unique. I think it is safe to assume that everyone in these cities don’t dress like what is displayed at this gallery, however there are certainly some bold design choices out there. The Chicago display was more of a modeling shoot, unlike the somewhat candid or real-life shots of Tokyo and Seoul.

I would have been nice if the photographers asked some of the people in their photos questions, like “Where did you come up with the idea for this outfit?” or “What styles influence the way you dress the most.” They could have added the answers to the descriptions in the booklet, and it would have added a different perspective.

I left the gallery wondering what a gallery would look like filled with pictures of American street fashion. Perhaps it is because I live here, but I don’t think that gallery would be nearly as interesting.