Fashion & Textile Theory - II Semester by Jan Kierepka

Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that emereged in Europe in late 18th and early 19th century. It was a response to the age of enlightment and industrial revolution embracing intuition, subjectivity and romantisation of nature and culture. The movement was an inspiration for many further societies, cultures and trends. One of the cultures influenced by romanticism was Japan in the 20th century, creaiting a movement called Taisho Roman.

The Taisho period emerged from rapid social and economical changes across the globe. Japan started opening itself to the Western influences and started becaming more liberal country. Modern cities were growing, taking influences from Western technology, fashion art and literature.

This cultural curiosity led to incorporating many romantic elements into the Japanese fashion and the reinterpratation of traditional clothing, such as Kimono. These garments started becoming more flowy and fluid and the clothes were being made from soft materials such as silk and satin. Embracing the romantic love and apprettiation for nature, the kimonos often had playful motifs and designs of birds, flowers or butterflies. Creating a blend of cultural aesthetics, the Kimonos started adapting western elements such as lace or intricate embroidery. Japanese women stated incorporating Victorian styled blouses into their wardrobe as well as started adapting hakama - a garment previously only reserved for men. With the emancipation of women, there was a growing need of creating a uniform that would allow them to take part in all school activities without feeling discomfort. Simultaneously, the traditional sandal footwear started getting replaced with laced shoes.

The taisho Roman style was distinguished by the use of many innovative techniques, such as Meisen weaving- the method that allowed the mass production of colourful and patterned silk fabrics, making them more accessible to the middle class. The garments and materials were died using the Bingata technique- a stencil dyeing with vibrant colours, often depicting natural scenes, which alligned with the Western Romantism. Huge source of inspiration for Taisho Roman was Art Noveau, finding their way into textile patterns and reflecting the global reach of Romanticism.

The rise and popularity of The Romantic Period in Japan came from various social and economical factors. Rapidly growing industrialisation and exposure to Western cultures encouraged the adoption of different foreign artistic styles. Economic growth of that time led to burgeoning middle class creating a desire for fashionable and individualistic clothing among larger part of the society. This era saw a major shift towards personal way of expression and reflecting personal identity throughout clothing. Taisho Roman was a definite departure from more conservative female styles from the past. The period witnessed increased interest in womens right and larger participation in womens education. Fashion became a medium for women to freely express their personalities and identities. The adoption of western styled clothing and various accessories such as shawls and cloche hats became a symbol for a societal shift and empowering femininity. Taisho Roman laid a groundwork for future fashion trends that continued to explore the intercourse of tradition and modernism. It marked a significant style period in Japans culture history.

-Romanticism (+/- 18th century - early 19th century)

-Way of thinking, way of living, way of feeling

-Industrialization

-Jean Jaque Russeau

- The idea of a sensitive person rejected by the cruel world

-Jesus Christ as a romantic hero

-Goethe

-Thomas Cole

-"Civilization is what made us sick" - a core romantic belief

- going towards youthfulness (cottagecore)

- slow fashion

-Early 1820s Spencer