Upon first glance, the images of men and women in Papua New Guinea dressed in tattered rags and shredded T-shirts tempt you to view them as yet another advertisement meant to elicit sympathetic donations.

Even the children — although smiling — wear filthy T-shirts held together only by carefully re-knotting the already detached shreds.

You may even feel a sense of guilt upon viewing the obvious Western influence in the dress of these people. They appear to live in such poverty, and their traditional dress has now been replaced by one of the most simplistic mass-produced wares of the west — the T-shirt.

However, what Dutch artist Roy Villevoye intended to imply in making these images was in fact quite the opposite.

Among the Asmat of Papua New Guinea, the T-shirt has become a fashion object of a very high status. Those who can afford one, buy one not only as a status symbol, but as a statement of artistic expression.

The shredded T-Shirts are not necessarily products of the hardships of life in the jungle. They are, in fact, a manifestation of cultural values and artistic practices such as woodcarving and traditional sculpture which span centuries.

They have ceased to be T-shirts, and instead have been internalized by the culture acquiring entirely new meanings.

The future of fashion

In essence, this is the theme of the collection of photographs and essays in Global Fashion Local Tradition edited by Jan Brand and José Teunissen.

The topics vary dramatically spanning everything from the global proliferation of the ‘Fashion Week’ concept to exposes on — and catwalk images of — designs by some of the most acclaimed contemporary international designers.

However, throughout this visually and intellectually stimulating volume runs the theme of the interconnectedness of it all, and it offers suggestions as to where this may be leading us.

Sometimes, the combination of cultures and influence is plain to see, such as in the images of John Galliano’s extremely colorful and grandiose designs. His fantastically eclectic runway creations combine everything from Arabic textiles to Russian folk art.

The models fill the foregrounds of the photographs with skirts so complexly layered they could only be supported by the most rigid under-wiring. The multitude of hues in their clothes and accessories are amplified by the bright and colorful runway lights in the background.

More subtle undertones

At other points it takes a more subtle tone, such as in the photographs of the Coopa Roca designs. Founder Maria Teresa Leal of this Rio-based fashion design firm found inspiration for her work while doing a waste textile recycling project with children from Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro.

While there, she observed the craftsmanship with which the women stitched together the waste textile material. Coopa Roca aims to reflect these traditional techniques in their colorful collection and diverse collection, and in doing so provides jobs for the women of Rocinha.

Ultimately, the message emanating from the pages of this book is a reflection through the world of fashion of the fluidity of globalization.

The introduction of the T-shirt in New Guinea led to its redefinition among the Asmat, which in turn has influenced designers in the fashion capitals of the world.

Designers all over are looking incorporating influences well beyond traditional fashion history including diverse elements more readily associated with philosophy, architecture, politics and even anthropology.

The future of fashion as seen through Global Fashion Local Tradition offers a very positive take on the changing dynamics and influences of the increasingly globalized world.

Written by Eric Zapel.