This is the first academic study of sneakers and the subculture that surrounds them. Since the 1980s, American sneaker enthusiasts, popularly known as "sneakerheads" or "sneakerholics", have created a distinctive identity for themselves, while sneaker manufacturers such as Reebok, Puma and Nike have become global fashion brands. How have sneakers come to gain this status and what makes them fashionable? In what ways are sneaker subcultures bound up with gender identity and why are sneakerholics mostly young men? Based on the author's own ethnographic fieldwork in New York, where sneaker subculture is said to have originated, this unique study traces the transformation of sneakers from sportswear to fashion symbol. Sneakers explores the obsessions and idiosyncrasies surrounding the sneaker phenomenon, from competitive subcultures to sneaker painting and artwork. It is a valuable contribution to the growing study of footwear in fashion studies and will appeal to students of fashion theory, gender studies, sociology, and popular culture.

Despite recent challenges from New York, London and Milan, Paris is renowned as the greatest fashion capital in the world. Its distinctive categorization of haute couture, demi-couture, and prt--porter reflects a highly structured and tightly controlled system that non-western designers have had difficulty penetrating. Yet a number of the most influential Japanese designers have broken into this scene and made a major impact. How? Paris couturiers and designers operate a gate-keeping system that is not only exclusive and rigorous but highly demanding. But, Kawamura asks, does the system facilitate or inhibit new forms of creativity? She shows how traditional French fashion has been both disturbed and strengthened by the addition of outside forces such as Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Hanae Mori. At the same time she considers many other key questions the contemporary fashion industry should be asking itself. Has it, for example, become primarily preoccupied with the commercial projection of product images rather than with the clothing itself? And what direction will French fashion take without Saint Laurent, Miyake and Kenzo? This insightful book provides the first in-depth study of the Japanese revolution in Paris fashion and raises provocative questions for the future of the industry.

This new edition of a classic work offers a concise introduction to the sociology of fashion, and demystifies the workings of the fashion system. From the origins of fashion studies and the difference between clothing and fashion, through to an examination of 21st century subcultures, and the impact of the digital age on designers, Fashion-ology explores fashion as a global, institutionalized system. With accessible overviews of key debates, issues and perspectives, Yuniya Kawamura provides a complete exploration of the field. Two two new chapters have been added for this third edition, covering ‘The Diversification and Changing Landscapes of Fashion Systems’ and ‘Ecological and Social Sustainability in Fashion’ respectively. There's also more on: - the metaverse as the latest fashion system - the de-Westernization of fashion - postmodern discourse on fashion's relationship to race, gender and class - social media as consumption, production, evaluation, and marketing - fashion weeks, including Modest Fashion Week, Black Fashion Week, the Global Sustainability Fashion Week, and Queer Fashion Week There's also a guide to sociological research in fashion, making this essential reading for anyone studying fashion, sociology, anthropology, or cultural studies.

This new edition of a classic work offers a concise introduction to the sociology of fashion, and demystifies the workings of the fashion system. From the origins of fashion studies and the difference between clothing and fashion, through to an examination of 21st century subcultures, and the impact of the digital age on designers, Fashion-ology explores fashion as a global, institutionalized system. With accessible overviews of key debates, issues and perspectives, Yuniya Kawamura provides a complete exploration of the field. Two two new chapters have been added for this third edition, covering ‘The Diversification and Changing Landscapes of Fashion Systems’ and ‘Ecological and Social Sustainability in Fashion’ respectively. There's also more on: - the metaverse as the latest fashion system - the de-Westernization of fashion - postmodern discourse on fashion's relationship to race, gender and class - social media as consumption, production, evaluation, and marketing - fashion weeks, including Modest Fashion Week, Black Fashion Week, the Global Sustainability Fashion Week, and Queer Fashion Week There's also a guide to sociological research in fashion, making this essential reading for anyone studying fashion, sociology, anthropology, or cultural studies.

Whether you're investigating fashion as a material object, an abstract idea, a social phenomenon, or a commercial system, qualitative techniques can further your understanding of almost any research topic. Doing Research in Fashion and Dress begins by guiding you through a brief history of fashion studies, and the debates surrounding it, before introducing key qualitative methodological approaches, including ethnography, semiology, and object-based research. Detailed case studies demonstrate how each methodology is used in practice. These case studies include Japanese subcultures, fashion photography blogs and semiotic studies of fashion magazine shoots and advertisements. This second edition also features a new chapter on internet sources and online ethnography, reflecting the adoption of social media tools not only by industry practitioners but also by academics. By contextualizing history, theory and practice Doing Research in Fashion and Dress offers: -A systematic examination of qualitative research methods in fashion studies in social sciences. -A practical guide for anyone wishing to conduct fashion research in academia or in the business world. -An accessible grounding in contemporary fashion studies literature.

Is it ever acceptable to "borrow" culturally inspired ideas? Who has ownership over intangible culture? What role does power inequality play? These questions are often at the center of heated public debates around cultural appropriation, with new controversies breaking seemingly every day. Cultural Appropriation in Fashion and Entertainment offers a sociological perspective on the appropriation of race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and religion embedded in clothing, textiles, jewelry, accessories, hairstyles and tattoos, as well as in entertainment, such as K-pop, Bhangra, and hip-hop. By providing a range of global perspectives on the adoption, adaptation, and application of both tangible and intangible cultural objects, Kawamura and de Jong help move the conversation beyond simply criticizing designers and creators to encourage nuanced discussion and raise awareness of diverse cultures in the creative industries.

This is the first academic study of sneakers and the subculture that surrounds them. Since the 1980s, American sneaker enthusiasts, popularly known as “sneakerheads” or “sneakerholics”, have created a distinctive identity for themselves, while sneaker manufacturers such as Reebok, Puma and Nike have become global fashion brands. How have sneakers come to gain this status and what makes them fashionable? In what ways are sneaker subcultures bound up with gender identity and why are sneakerholics mostly young men? Based on the author’s own ethnographic fieldwork in New York, where sneaker subculture is said to have originated, this unique study traces the transformation of sneakers from sportswear to fashion symbol. Sneakers explores the obsessions and idiosyncrasies surrounding the sneaker phenomenon, from competitive subcultures to sneaker painting and artwork. It is a valuable contribution to the growing study of footwear in fashion studies and will appeal to students of fashion theory, gender studies, sociology, and popular culture.

Is it ever acceptable to "borrow" culturally inspired ideas? Who has ownership over intangible culture? What role does power inequality play? These questions are often at the center of heated public debates around cultural appropriation, with new controversies breaking seemingly every day. Cultural Appropriation in Fashion and Entertainment offers a sociological perspective on the appropriation of race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and religion embedded in clothing, textiles, jewelry, accessories, hairstyles and tattoos, as well as in entertainment, such as K-pop, Bhangra, and hip-hop. By providing a range of global perspectives on the adoption, adaptation, and application of both tangible and intangible cultural objects, Kawamura and de Jong help move the conversation beyond simply criticizing designers and creators to encourage nuanced discussion and raise awareness of diverse cultures in the creative industries.

Western fashion has been widely appreciated and consumed in Tokyo for decades, but since the mid-1990s Japanese youth have been playing a crucial role in forming their own unique fashion communities and producing creative styles which have had a major impact on fashion globally. Geographically and stylistically defined, subcultures such as Lolita in Harajuku, Gyaru and Gyaru-o in Shibuya, Age-jo in Shinjuku, and Mori Girl in Kouenji, reflect the affiliation and identities of their members, and have often blurred the boundary between professionals and amateurs for models, photographers, merchandisers and designers. Based on insightful ethnographic fieldwork in Tokyo, Fashioning Japanese Subcultures is the first theoretical and analytical study on Japan's contemporary youth subcultures and their stylistic expressions. It is essential reading for students, scholars and anyone interested in fashion, sociology and subcultures.

Despite recent challenges from New York, London and Milan, Paris is renowned as the greatest fashion capital in the world. Its distinctive categorization of haute couture, demi-couture, and prt--porter reflects a highly structured and tightly controlled system that non-western designers have had difficulty penetrating. Yet a number of the most influential Japanese designers have broken into this scene and made a major impact. How? Paris couturiers and designers operate a gate-keeping system that is not only exclusive and rigorous but highly demanding. But, Kawamura asks, does the system facilitate or inhibit new forms of creativity? She shows how traditional French fashion has been both disturbed and strengthened by the addition of outside forces such as Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Hanae Mori. At the same time she considers many other key questions the contemporary fashion industry should be asking itself. Has it, for example, become primarily preoccupied with the commercial projection of product images rather than with the clothing itself? And what direction will French fashion take without Saint Laurent, Miyake and Kenzo? This insightful book provides the first in-depth study of the Japanese revolution in Paris fashion and raises provocative questions for the future of the industry.