Abstract
<JATS1:p>If the 21st century can be described as the Asian century, what does this Pan-Asian ascendency mean for fashion?Fashioning the Asian Centuryoffers various compelling perspectives on this fascinating and urgent question.</JATS1:p> <JATS1:p>Exploring the influence of Asian fashion both within and beyond China, India, Japan, Korea and Thailand, this collection of essays is written by contributors from across the globe.Fashioning the Asian Centurycovers an exciting range of topics from the work of Asia’s fashion designers to fashion shows and fashion weeks that take Asia as their stage, as well as from consumer behaviour and popular cultural trends across Asia to sustainability and greenwashing in Asian fashion.</JATS1:p> <JATS1:p>Together, these diverse perspectives address, interrogate, unpack and celebrate Asia’s ever-growing significance – from creation to consumption – as a center for fashion in the 21st-century.</JATS1:p> <JATS1:p>If some historians categorise the nineteenth century as Britain’s imperial century, and the twentieth century as the American century, then the twenty-first century may well be understood as the Asian century. In terms of not only economic and demographic growth, but also cultural dissemination of genres like manga and anime, the Korean wave, and Bollywood, the global reach and soft power of Asia is undeniably accelerating. Asia is now home to the tallest buildings in the world and more than half of European luxury goods are destined for consumption in China. What does Asian ascendency mean for fashion? This volume addresses aspects of this question, such as: Asian fashion designers, sustainability and greenwashing in Asian fashion, Asian fashion in media such as film and magazines, fashion shows and fashion weeks in Asia, and fashion trends disseminated through both Asian popular culture and traditional culture.</JATS1:p>