We’ve already talked about education and national identity in the first two We Discuss meetings. What are we going to discuss about this month?

FASHION

Has the Internet era given birth to a global taste? In the case of fashion, Yvan Rodick, a popular blogger known as Facehunter, claims that the opposite is true. “People think being an individual is cool so they try to use elements that already exist from somewhere else but they would do their own mix, and in the end I think there is more diversity,” he noted in an interview with Whiteboard Journal. Are our standards of aesthetics in fashion shaped by the Internet’s diverse sources?

1. Platform

– If what Rodick said about individuality was right, does this mean that the Internet has given individuals the confidence to explore and develop their own tastes instead of solely relying on certain iconic figures?
– Have fashion blogs such as The Sartorialist and Facehunter become main references?
– Are print fashion magazines still relevant? Or has the Internet managed to turn the locality of magazines accessible to an international audience, hence creating the same impact as fashion blogs?

2. Aesthetics

– Aesthetics vs. Function
– According to Auguste Soeasastro, more and more attention is paid to the aesthetics of fashion rather than its practicality. Can this emphasis on the aesthetic aspect of fashion affect the way people respond to beauty?
– What will happen if fashion turns into an object of art devoid of function regardless of the creative energy that went into it?

3. Culture

– Vogue’s Sally Singer once noted that it is important to pay attention to cultural contexts in order to truly understand fashion. But since obtaining references from sources outside one’s own comfort zone, how should one know where one culture ends and another begins?
– Does culture affect what is considered to be “good fashion”?

Event time and location:

Date
Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Time
7—9 pm

Place
Kinokuniya Plaza Senayan
(near the language section)
Jl. Asia Afrika 8
Sogo Plaza Senayan Lt. 5
Jakarta 10270

For further information, please look out for updates on our Facebook page and Twitter account! If you’d like to share your opinions, or if you have friends who’d like to share theirs, sign up via e-mail with the subject title “We Discuss” at contact@whiteboardjournal.com! If you have comments or questions, tweet us @wjournal.