BIAS
CONTRIBUTORS
We asked our contributors: what inspiration do they take from the east ?
arie Taillefer
M
The bible tells us that the magi were from the east, probably Iran, and travelled west to Israel upon the birth of Jesus. The flow of people and ideas from east to west has been a dominant force since the silk routes were established around 130 BC. All too often dismissed by the west we have much to learn from looking east to the seat of civilisation. In this issue Emily Lush explores
the Caucasus. An area flanked by the Black and Caspian Seas, hemmed by Russia, Turkey and Iran, the Caucasus is one of the most culturally complex and fascinating regions on earth. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are ethnically, socially and religiously distinct, but with common threads of a shared heritage. A conduit of the fabled silk routes that for centuries served as the physical and ideological bridge between east and west, the Caucasus has benefited from generations of cross-pollination.
LAURA SHIRREFF
We enjoy the traditional floral crowns of Ukraine and the stylish images of Chinese photographer Kiki Xue. We track the generations of refugees, including Sigmund Freud, who have migrated from the east bringing with them textile traditions that have enriched and enlivened our own history. We also look afresh at China and see what recent in-roads are being made to reinvent the label of Made in China with an ethical stance.
EMILY LUSH
Colour plays a part in this issue too from the subtle hues in Italian collections this season to the many shades of red, from madder to carmine, found in carpets and stained glass as well as medieval scarlett and millennial pink. Gone is the ultra-feminine baggage pink once carried; it now plays a serious role in symbolising the nuances of today’s gender politics. It is therefore no surprise that Valerie Steel has chosen explore the colour in her newest show at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, reviewed for us by Jo Anne Greko. Enjoy a rose-tinted holiday.
Polly Leonard, Founder
SONIA ASHMORE
Throughout my career, what has remained consistent in my exploration has been a deep respect and an affinity for Asian Philosophy and aesthetic, and a passion for spirituality as it relates to creativity. I have worked in China for seven years, where there has never been a greater need for sustainable practices, an alternative approach to fashion and a return to the age old philosophy 天人合一, which honours man and nature as one. Our environmental and cultural circumstances alone are an endless source of inspiration.
As a writer and visual storyteller, the east has opened my eyes to a different narrative. Travelling in this part of the world, at the nexus of east and west – that difficult-to-pin-down territory where cultures and customs collide – has gifted me with a new vocabulary, a new palette with which to interpret the world. The vibrancy of eastern storytelling traditions, both words and richly symbolic textiles, are an endless source of intrigue. But most of all, I am inspired by the resilience and cultural endurance that the east has to offer.
Pieces of Indian cloth would come into the house I grew up in: khadi cotton, silk, an Afghan hat. From my first visit to India, I was struck by the colour and variety of beautiful textiles, part of the fabric of daily life and ritual, saris drying by washing ghats, caparisoned elephants, small wayside shrines dressed in cloth. It seemed a bit dull back in England. Later I was able to explore India’s complex textile links with Britain through the Victoria and Albert Museum’s textile collections. I am constantly astonished at the variety of making, embellishing and wearing of cloth throughout the subcontinent.
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