the kung fu of clothing.

[uki]

clothes, we all where them in public... you'd think. what we wear in our everyday routines is a manifestation of our inner qualities, or self; a physical representation of our core beliefs and ideals. do we wear clothing which is mass marketted such as from the likes of fashion stores, are they second hand, or hand-made? do we wear different apparel coresponding to any given event or activity? is our clothing choice due to function, flamboyance, or both? do you take into account color choices based on the energies attributed to certain colors? do you like many pockets or no pockets? loose or tight fitting?

here i give an example of the messege being relayed here... my winter wardrobe consists of sweat pants under BDU's, the added padding also allows for a greater protection during physical confrontations in the winter(colder months), i tend to wear two wool sweaters at any given time, these too serve as extra(and excellent) padding for elbow strikes and forewarm blocking-striking techniques, aside from the supreme qualities of wool as a warm and breathable insulation; double folding the sleev es also greatly increases wrist padding. my shoes are low-cut hiking shoes, built for the trail, yet fit and feel like any other casual shoe. my color choices tend towards the earth tones which allows one to disappear into the surroundings better if such a need arises... wool hats and beanies serve as an enhancement to head strike techniques, aswell as offering minimal head protection(which is better than none).

so has anyone give some time and energy to what they are wearing?

[David Jamieson]

I wear what I can afford and it needs to suit the environment I am in.

period.

[TenTigers]

ever since I was around seven, my favorite color has been black. To this day, my wardrobe consists of black jeans,black bdu's,black slacks, black shirts, mostly t's, and black shoes, boots, sneakers. I only have black gold-toe socks. I only do a dark wash. I look at my closet and say,"Hmmm, now what goes with black? ........Black!"
It's easy.
It is probably one of the deciding factors that led me to Gung-Fu. Black uniforms. When I trained in kenpo before that-we wore black gi's.

I like things simple.When I was a Mgr. and personal trainer at Jack LaLannes and Bally's, all I wore were trainers, a white polo shirt, and white sneakers.
Never once, did I have to think, "Hmmm, what should I wear today?"
Now I teach Gung-Fu, and all I wear is my uniform. Simple.

That being said, I still lean towards the flamboyant. My hair is long, I like necklaces, bracelets, rings,scarves, I wear snakeskin boots (black, of course) silk chinese vests, leather-vests, jackets, pants, (I'm a biker, but that's really no excuse. I just like it),and I am usually never without a cool set of cheap sunglasses. "Ya gotta know how to accessorize!"
I guess that comes from my education at art school, and being in rock bands my whole life, I'm still a "Rockstar"-well, a legend in my own mind.
I'll probably be the Keith Richards of Gung-Fu-minus the drug-induced walking death.

[David Jamieson]

technically speaking, black is not a colour.

in pigmentation, it is the totality of colour and in light it is the absence of colour.

and white, is the reverse of this.

Lessons from art school you can use! :p

[uki]

technically speaking, black is not a colour.

in pigmentation, it is the totality of colour and in light it is the absence of colour.

and white, is the reverse of this.

Lessons from art school you can use! :pi was under the impression that black is the result of all colors being combined physically and white is result of all color frequencies in a single beam of light...

[TenTigers]

if black is the totality of all color, than it is color itself, yet color cannot manifest without light, so it is color and yet not color. true black, in the absence of light is true void, being everything and nothing.
The black that can be described, is not the true black.

[uki]

The black that can be described, is not the true black.nice...........

[TenTigers]

i was under the impression that black is the result of all colors being combined physically and white is result of all color frequencies in a single beam of light...
funny thing is, if you combine all the primary colors, from which all other varients are formed, you get brown.
Brown is the New Black!:D

[uki]

funny thing is, if you combine all the primary colors, from which all other varients are formed, you get brown.which is precisely why i mentioned mixing all the colors to get black... you wouldn't get white light if you combined only the primary spectrum colors, you need all the frequencies to get white light.


Brown is the New Black!obviously if it can be explained and described, it must not be true black.:p

[TenTigers]

funny thing is, if you combine all the primary colors, from which all other varients are formed, you get brown.
Brown is the New Black!:D

that is as far as pigmented paint is concerned. I am not sure what would happen with colors of light. Again, how can you combine colors of light, and get black, which is devoid of light?
Then again, there are frequencies of light and sound that are beyond our perception, so who knows what lies beyond ultraviolet and infrared? Who knows what sounds are beyond what our occiloscopes record?
Perhaps the voices in my head are not my imagination. Perhaps I am tapping into something that only the few of us can hear and experience. Of these few, how many are shut away from society in institutions, built by the government, who don't want you to know that the government and aliens are attacking your minds through ultra and subsonic frequencies emmitted through your TV sets and microwave ovens. Direct TV is beamed not from our satellites, but through them from the star cluster known as pliedes, the seven sisters, which is a code for the seven unifying planets of the galaxy, bent on controlling all intelligent life. All the so-called weather satellites,and defense satellites, as well as GPS, Onstar, etc are all linked and connected to artificial intelligence, which was taught to us when the aliens landed in Area 51. None of them died. They are still here and are creating skynet. They are also combining their alien robot artificial intelligence with our dna and creating walking mindless automatons, known as democrats.
Obama is one such example. he is neither black, nor white, judeo-christian,nor muslim, yet he is all of them combined. He is one of the first leaders made iup of combined dna, placed on this planet to control the Earth.
Your only hope is to vote for Howard Stern.

[uki]

your insight is profound indeed...

[Eddie]

im a black - guy myself. :cool:

funny how so many martial artists tend to favor Alt. fashion styles.

[uki]

im a black - guy myself.black or brown? remember the black that can be called black is not truly black.


funny how so many martial artists tend to favor Alt. fashion styles.martial artists are a notch up on the evolutionary ladder of humankind...

[Eddie]

black or brown? remember the black that can be called black is not truly black.
martial artists are a notch up on the evolutionary ladder of humankind...

Black - I like it pitch black. Once it starts fading I like to replace it.

I also like the military look, so I wear allot of cargo pants.

my wife and I get (or rather used to) allot of our clothes from here http://www.x-tra-x.de/english/index-2.html :eek::cool:

[TenTigers]

Believe it or not, THIS is the reason I have always loved to wear black. T.H.E. Cat , a highwire arielist, turned cat burgler, turned bodyguard,was my hero, and my friends and I used to climb on the elementary school building at night dressed in black, with ropes. My dad always wondered why I wanted his last season's nylon boat lines! This is way before anyone even heard of Ninjas.
T.H.E. Cat and Kato were my gods.
Lalo Shifrin, the guy who did the music for Enter the Dragon also did the musi score.
(I can't believe I found this...I'm gonna go out and buy a grappling hook...)
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=xFPU1GIGrZY

most of you are too young to remember, but I'll bet Steeve knows.

[TenTigers]

Phantom Agents!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSJJuoATs9E&feature=related
these guys were also one of my faves, way before anyone in US knew what Ninjas were. I used to take a can opener, and cut shuriken out of soda can tops-before they were aluminum., and jump out of trees.

ok, so I was a wierd little kid.

[uki]

ok, so I was a wierd little kid.apparently it wasn't just a faze...

[TenTigers]

um..ya think?:)

[irontiger1981]

my main prioriity with clothing is could i fight if i had to in it?? i ususally wear some sort of tee or hoody(chicago weather) a pair of slickies (nylon athletic pants) and a good ol pair of feiyues fo mobility, and that usually leaves me with plenty of options for style, color,and fashion.

[TenTigers]

hoodies are great to pull over someone's head. Baggy pants and tops give me something to grab. Why do you think that most top fighters wear no-Gi, skin tight rash guards snd shorts, and sport shaved heads and crew cuts? You might want to rethink that.

[irontiger1981]

hoodies are great to pull over someone's head. Baggy pants and tops give me something to grab. Why do you think that most top fighters wear no-Gi, skin tight rash guards snd shorts, and sport shaved heads and crew cuts? You might want to rethink that.

so you are tellin me that a full winter coat is gonna be easier to fight in than a hoody, and i should go out in skin tight jeans instead of athletic pants, i think i ll stick with what i said earlier. you can grab me all you want but trust me thats the last thing you want and 9/10 you not fighting another martial artist in the street and if you wanna be that close to me in grappling range thats fine too:D

[irontiger1981]

so you are tellin me that a full winter coat is gonna be easier to fight in than a hoody, and i should go out in skin tight jeans instead of athletic pants, i think i ll stick with what i said earlier. you can grab me all you want but trust me thats the last thing you want and 9/10 you not fighting another martial artist in the street and if you wanna be that close to me in grappling range thats fine too:D

granted the hoody to pull over the head is partly true. i actually seen someone knocked out focusing on pulling someones shirt up when the person with the shirt was swinging ferociously and broke the kids nose and jaw in gym class back in high school.

[TenTigers]

so you are tellin me that a full winter coat is gonna be easier to fight in than a hoody, and i should go out in skin tight jeans instead of athletic pants, i think i ll stick with what i said earlier. you can grab me all you want but trust me thats the last thing you want and 9/10 you not fighting another martial artist in the street and if you wanna be that close to me in grappling range thats fine too:D

no, not skin tight jeans. Those things the guys you see riding their bicycles in the park wear. Y'know, those..um, leotards.:D

[irontiger1981]

no, not skin tight jeans. Those things the guys you see riding their bicycles in the park wear. Y'know, those..um, leotards.:D

lmao dude you live in new york i live in chicago i cant wear that **** out in public and neither should you for bulge sake

[TenTigers]

bulge? What bulge? I'm jewish!:o

You couldn't get me to wear that thing. It's freakin ghey. I see these guys wearing them while biking, or running, or those bike shorts, which are the same thing but shorts, and although I understand the concept, save it for the olympic atheletes. And what's worse, they get off their bikes and come into the deli or diner. It's waay too pretentious. (pretentious? Hey wuznt I the guy who wears snakeskin boots? Yep-double standard applies)
I grew up riding a bike, and the closest thing to "riding apparel" was a bicycle clip, and if you didn't have one,a rubberband did the trick as well.

But you're right, if you wanna test your Martial arts skilz, just show up wearin that leotard thing in the wrong part of town.

I can just imagine a guy surrounded by bikers in a bar, wondering what went wrong. The sign outside said,"Biker Friendly"

[irontiger1981]

dude your funny!!!!!

[uki]

dude your funny!!!!!he was a weird kid that grew up into an even weirder adult... must be something about him being jewish. :D

[uki]

today there was a winter rain and slush storm... wool is warm.:D
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0920.jpg

[bakxierboxer]

bulge? What bulge? I'm jewish!:o

That could have been an "accident" because your folks decided to try saving a few dollars.
They probably hadn't heard the rumor that "discount moyels" will "do the job"
for minimum wage "plus tips"..... :rolleyes:

[TenTigers]

hear about the Moyel who specialized in circumcizing elephants?
Not much pay, but the tips were big!

[sanjuro_ronin]

A true MA needs no clothes !
Gives a new meaning to "hoda Korosu" :D

[bakxierboxer]

hear about the Moyel who specialized in circumcizing elephants?
Not much pay, but the tips were big!

Nah!
I think I heard that he was just "keeping his hand in" while the locals were having a run of girlie births.

[GeneChing]

There's a vid if you follow the link.

New York Fashion Week 2012: Brandon Sun Draws on Kung-Fu Movies for Fall Collection (http://tv.ibtimes.com/new-york-fashion-week-2012-brandon-sun-draws-on-kung-fu-movies-for-fall-collection/3499.html)
Marisa Krystian | Feb 11, 2012 5:32pm EST | 1min:56sec

Brandon Sun's life-long love of Kung Fu epics moved him to create a chilling Fall 2012 collection called 'Silent Assassins,' which the designer showcased at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City.

In a unique display, the models were placed in a small circle in the center of the room, leaving viewers to move around the beautifully dramatic installation.

The room, which was filled with smoke, blasted a slow swanky remix of Missy Elliott's song 'Rain,' which added to the show's intensity.

The models were clad in heavy metal bangles, high, voluminous pulled back up dos, long sheer dresses, and of course, fur.

Sun is known for his highly successful, and sometimes controversial, line of fur accessories.

Sun helped re-launch an ad campaign for Blackglama, which featured Janet Jackson, along with his fur accents.

Animal rights organizations were upset by the ads, but Sun doesn't let their views alter his artistic vision.

The colors ranged black, grey, and light brown, to moss and pale rose. The varying textures gave off a range of emotions. The models rocked fur, cracked leather, cashmere-gauze, lace, chiffon, and delicate knits.

Sun told me the pieces in his Fall 2012 line are designed to show the juxtaposition between the extreme violence in old kung fu movies, with the elegance and grace of the character's movements.

Brandon Sun's Fall 2012 collection marks New York's Fashion Week debut.

The 30 year old designer feels there is a huge void in the luxury fur accessory market, and he hopes the Brandon Sun line will be there to fill it.

[Drake]

Interesting. You know, when I was thinking of leaving the service four or so years ago, one of the things they mention is the culture shock of not wearing a uniform any more. Basically, the uniform subtly identifies you on so many levels that you don't think about. You have your name on it, which lets everyone know who you are... you have US Army on the left side, just in case people didn't figure that out... you have your unit patch on the left shoulder, so people also know what unit you are from... and even a combat patch on the right, so people also know what unit you deployed with. And there's also the rank, so people know exactly where you are in the power structure. It's like a prepackaged identity.
They noted that you'll be headed back into a world where nobody knows or cares who you are, what you do, or how important you are to whatever. This wasn't briefed to keep people in the service, mind you, but to give some perspective on what we were headed into. So for us, what you wear is VERY revealing.
Off duty, I just wear what lets me blend in with everyone else. Except for when I've recently gotten a very obvious military haircut, I don't stand out in a crowd.

[Lucas]

a physical representation of our core beliefs and ideals.


i wear my old blue jeans, indoor soccer shoes same stuff i train in if im not barefoot, blank black t-shirt, year round. what does that say about me, that im boring?

[Iron_Eagle_76]

A true MA needs no clothes !
Gives a new meaning to "hoda Korosu" :D

Is this you, Ronin!!:p

http://www.myrtlebeachrestaurants.net/nonsense/speedo.jpg

[omarthefish]

which is precisely why i mentioned mixing all the colors to get black... you wouldn't get white light if you combined only the primary spectrum colors, you need all the frequencies to get white light.
obviously if it can be explained and described, it must not be true black.:p

Actually, that's not true. All you need to get white light is a combination of red, blue and green. Those are the only colors that exist on your computer monitor or TV.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/RGB_illumination.jpg/200px-RGB_illumination.jpg

The rest is optical illusion. ;)

[David Jamieson]

Actually, that's not true. All you need to get white light is a combination of red, blue and green. Those are the only colors that exist on your computer monitor or TV.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/RGB_illumination.jpg/200px-RGB_illumination.jpg

The rest is optical illusion. ;)

well, the optical illusion is that you perceive the light to only be red green and blue. It is in fact a lot more than that. There are spectra that are out of range of perception though such as ultra violet and infra red.

For Light - Totality of the spectra = white light Absence of any light = black

For Pigment - Totality of pigment in the vehicle = black / absence of pigment in the vehicle= white

Light and Pigment work in opposing fashion in this regard and add another layer of complexity to expression artistically speaking.

With painting being the highest form of artistic expression especially when revealed that the artist has or had very keen powers of observation and understanding of his/her craft. There is much to understand. Colour, perspective, line and contour, light and dark, gradients and sudden changes and so on and so forth.

the technical demands to be a good painter are high. It is beyond art for arts sake at that level. Yes everyone can be artistic and creative, but real depth of knowledge of the craft only comes with immersion like any other discipline.

An abstract artist who cannot work technically is a scribbler.
A technical artist who cannot move to the abstract is a technician.

the true great artists of renown could move from style to style with ease and understanding and in some cases do so as if it was effortless.

Not unlike really good Kung Fu. I find painting to be a great metaphor for martial arts. Call me an egghead, but there you go.

[Lee Chiang Po]

technically speaking, black is not a colour.

in pigmentation, it is the totality of colour and in light it is the absence of colour.

and white, is the reverse of this.

Lessons from art school you can use! :p

Black and white are both the absence of color. There are only 3 true colors in the spectrum. That is red, or magenta, Blue, or cyan, and yellow. All the colors of the spectrum, amounting to probably millions, are a mix of these 3 colors. When printing in color, white background will give a lighter color or shade, and black will add shadow, making it appear darker. I spent over 35 years mixing and matching ink colors. I can detect even the very slightest difference in color shade.

[David Jamieson]

Black and white are both the absence of color. There are only 3 true colors in the spectrum. That is red, or magenta, Blue, or cyan, and yellow. All the colors of the spectrum, amounting to probably millions, are a mix of these 3 colors. When printing in color, white background will give a lighter color or shade, and black will add shadow, making it appear darker. I spent over 35 years mixing and matching ink colors. I can detect even the very slightest difference in color shade.

35 years and you are not aware that I am speaking of the difference between white light and white pigmentation?

My fellow KFM-er

CMYK are used in print. Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black

So, while you understand 4 color process and offset printing, I am going to have to say that you don't truly understand colour theory.

Why? Because what I am saying is the correct and what you are saying is related to 4 colour process printing only. It doesn't relate to light spectrum colour and how that is opposed to pigment spectrum colour.

No offense taken though. :)

[GeneChing]

There's a difference between projected light and reflected light.

Web, like you're looking at now, is projected. Here's a thought - there's no way to project black. All the black you see on your screen is an illusion. It's just the absence of light.

Print is reflected, thus CMYK. Basically, when light is projected on any surface, some rays are absorbed and others reflected. The reflected ones are the colors that you see. Black pigment absorbs all projected light. White pigment reflects all projected light. Yellow pigment reflects yellow and absorbs all the others.

As a publisher for both web and print, our graphic crew is hypersensitive to the difference.

[omarthefish]

well, the optical illusion is that you perceive the light to only be red green and blue. It is in fact a lot more than that. There are spectra that are out of range of perception though such as ultra violet and infra red...
No...I was talking about what Gene just posted. There is no black on a computer monitor or TV. Wanna see what color is stanging in for black? Easy. Just unplug it.

The other part has been cleared up in the past few posts. Projected light vs. pigment are totally different animals. Additive vs. substractive and all that.

Finally, re:

well, the optical illusion is that you perceive the light to only be red green and blue. It is in fact a lot more than that. There are spectra that are out of range of perception though such as ultra violet and infra red.

Now you're just being pedantic. Whether infra-red, ultra-violet and other non-visible (to humans) wavelengths should be considered colors or not is sort of a philiosophical question IMO. "Color" is, IMO, just what folks can see. Is "x-=ray" a color? If it is, that's the color socks I'm wearing from now on out. I'd wear and X-ray shirt to work but nobody but the emperor would be able to see it . . .

But as long as you're being pedantic, right back at you. I said:

All you need to get white light is a combination of red, blue and green. Those are the only colors that exist on your computer monitor or TV.
I'm pretty sure you can still have white light even in the absence of ultra-violet or infra-red. I never said anything about the full spectrum. I only said "white light". Do LCD computer monitors emit ultra-violet? Not sure. After all, I also only referenced the colours on your "computer monitor or TV". :p

[David Jamieson]

But Omar, even the picture you posted shows the secondary colours.

where did that purple, green and yellow come from?

what exactly are those shades of red blue and green?

;)

p.s I was being somewhat pedantic yes. especially when I said the difference is in light v pigment.

[omarthefish]

Is this gonna be on the final?

I'm a little hesitant to answer because I am not quite sure how LCD monitors work. With my old VGA machine or even the TV in my living room, I could answer with certainty that there is still just the three. If we are talking about the actual light being represented by the jpg then I'd say that the it's like how there's nothing but 1's and 2's in the number 10000. You just have to add them up in the right proportions ... although it's just a rough metaphor because adding waveforms together is somewhat more complicated than adding up a bunch of 1's and 2's. ...although I suppose it's not that much more complicated when you get right down to it.

But nevertheless, you can still look back at my posts and see that I have never said that no other colors exist. I just said you don't need them to make white and that the other colors don't exist on your monitor or TV screen . . .

But yeah, just realized that Plasma, LCD etc. may work differently than I am used to. Tried to google it but came up empty so far. Now I'm actually pretty curious how those newer technologies produce color.

p.s.
Preliminary research indicates that LCD screens are still limited to 3 colors just like VGA. (http://www.theprojectorpros.com/learn-s-learn-p-lcd_how_it_works.htm)

http://www.theprojectorpros.com/images/learn/lcd_how_it_works_1.jpg

[B.Tunks]

red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo, violet. no?

[omarthefish]

But Omar, even the picture you posted shows the secondary colours.

where did that purple, green and yellow come from?
From the link in the previous post:

The three cells per pixel then work in conjunction to produce color. For example, if a pixel needs to be white, each transistor that controls the three color cells in the pixel would remain off, thus allowing red, green and blue to pass through. Your eye sees the combination of the three primary colors, so close in proximity to each other, as white light.
White...or which over color is needed.

It's just combinations of really tiny dots of red, blue and green in varying combinations of intensity that register in the human eye as skittles.


red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo, violet. no?
Those colors all exist. They are just not needed in a computer display. I really don't understand how Green mixes with red to get yellow. It's completely counter intuitive to me but there it is. I understand the theory, it's just not intuitive at all.

I also have a feeling that DJ is trying to get me to say that the light emitting from the pixels on a screen combines to produce the colors but AFAIK, if you look close enough at the screen, it's still 3 separate dots. You kind of need to run special software to see it. You need the screen to present a very simply image or there's too much visual noise for your brain to sort it out. The image would be something like a black screen with just a single pixel illuminated. That makes it stand out. That's also why if you want to inspect a new computer monitor properly, you need to run special testing software that basically just cycles the screen from all black to all white and sometimes also through RGB one at a time. It's the only way you can really see what's going on with an individual pixel that is not working right.

DJ seems to be implying that the light combines into a color on the screen. my understanding is that it combines in your brain.

[GeneChing]

http://media.gq.com/photos/57ed0d70063096110cee447b/16:9/w_1600/umit%202.jpg

FASHION
Designer Umit Benan’s Latest Collection Is a Martial Arts Action Flick Come to Life (http://www.gq.com/story/umit-benan-fall-winter-2016-interview)

BY NOAH JOHNSON
4 DAYS AGO
We talk Jean Claude Van Damme, tennis, Mickey Rourke, and ‘80s style with the man who made judo robes fresh this season.

Umit Benan staged his Fall-Winter 2016 runway show around a naked tattooed woman covered in sushi. The models were street-cast tough guys in judo suits, shearling jackets, and elegantly cut overcoats. “My shows are always ironic,” Benan has said. “The men in my show are never perfect. I don’t like perfect.” Perhaps that sentiment is what makes Umit—the man, the clothes, the life—so **** cool. He doesn’t hide his inspirations, whether it’s dojo garb, cowboy gangs of the American West, or retro tennis badasses. His capacity to take familiar style tropes and flip them into something instantly cool, something you never thought you’d wear but suddenly need, is seemingly limitless. On Instagram between his two accounts (one, two) he shares the clothes, travels and friends that define his aesthetic—including plenty of awesome selfies.

http://media.gq.com/photos/57ed0d7333e653ef59f1f450/master/w_1000/Umit%20Benan%20WEB-6695.jpg
A scene from Benan's Tokyo Diaries presentation in Paris. Morgan O'Donovan/MOD54Ltd

Earlier this summer, Benan released a collection of tennis sneakers on his site, which he titled Off Court. His fall collection, titled Tokyo Diaries, was presented in Paris earlier this year, but today it’s available for the first time on his site. We reached out by email to hear a bit more about his latest drops, and what’s next for Umit Benan.

What inspired this new collection, Tokyo Diaries?

In 2014 I visited Tokyo about 16 times. I was working on a made-in-Japan project for my line. Every time I would work 'til late hours I would go to the Golden Gai area to a have a drink and relax. Golden Gai is made from four tiny streets, and there are about 200 bars. A very inspiring area. You can see very interesting characters every time you hang out there. But one thing above all inspired me the most: the kids leaving the martial arts school and hanging out in the bars drinking and having a bite. So what I had done for my Fall-Winter 2016 collection was to create an environment inspired by the judo kids and mix it with my vision of martial arts movies I had seen as a kid, which were mostly Jean Claude Van Damme movies. Technically the clothes and style was based on guys leaving the training sessions with their judo outfits and just putting their daily regular pieces on top such as a classic coat or a bomber jacket.

http://media.gq.com/photos/57ed0d7233e653ef59f1f44f/master/w_800/Umit%20Benan%20WEB-6637.jpg
Morgan O'Donovan/MOD54Ltd
http://media.gq.com/photos/57ed0d725a6573c366552ead/master/w_800/Umit%20Benan%20WEB-6595.jpg
Morgan O'Donovan/MOD54Ltd

You also recently released a collection of tennis sneakers through your own site. Is this part of a new strategy for you?

This is something I basically live in. I spent my childhood playing tennis back home. I trained many years, and I still do play twice a week a least. It’s my passion. I always dreamed to be a world-ranked tennis player. So when I was ready to create my sneakers of course I created an old school tennis-inspired sneakers. Which I call UMIT BENAN OFF COURT. It is the perfect shoe in my opinion, that has design elements but does not look too fashion. So yes, I’m really happy to create a shoe that I am obsessed with. I have about 42 color ways done for myself. The next step will be to create a wardrobe for these sneakers. A high fashion tennis line.

http://media.gq.com/photos/57ed0d745a6573c366552eae/master/w_800/umit%20tennis%202.jpg
The Off Court sneakers in action. Simone Falcetta

Your references range greatly—from the American West to the Far East. How do you arrive at your inspirations?

There is no explanation to how I arrive to be inspired. I do dream a lot. It always starts with, “I wish I was…” I mostly imagine myself being in different situations or even time frames. But it’s very spontaneous. It’s is a mix of what I dream when I close my eyes, and my childhood memories.

Fashion and music are connected at the hip right now. Are there any artists you are excited by right now? Anyone you would like to work with?

I listen to many different kinds of music. Must be connected to my international background. I love Latin music. I love Greek music, Turkish, pop, jazz, piano, hip-hop. My iTunes is a mess when it’s on shuffle. But one thing you will never see me listening is metal. I basically cannot stand that sound…. A$AP Rocky would look good in my clothes. And I also like Dev Hynes very much.

http://media.gq.com/photos/57ec479c33e653ef59f1f435/master/w_800/umit%20grid.jpeg
Pieces from Umit Benan Fall-Winter 2016, available today.

Celebrities have become fashion fixtures. Does that bother you at all?

I like old-school celebrities. Celebrities that were good at their job. One job. I grew up in a real celebrity world. Where you could not see any of them unless in the street. I remember seeing Mickey Rouke and Carre Otis at the Four Seasons in Milan in the early ‘90s. I could not talk for hours. Those days it was something else. Today it doesn't excite me or inspire me. When it comes to dressing them up, I go mostly for the attitude and flexibility. I would have liked to dress Mickey Rouke in the old days. Today: Brad Pitt.

Where do you spend your time living and working these days?

I live in Lake Lugano, and I have my office in Milan. I drive everyday back and forth. This is my daily routine. Other then that every two weeks max I’m around Europe or the States.

Where is your favorite place in the world to travel?

Palm Springs. But in general the US. I just love jumping in a car and driving for days, weeks in that land. Mostly the southwest and California.

http://media.gq.com/photos/57ed0d7033e653ef59f1f44e/master/w_1000/Umit%20Benan%20AW16-6583.jpg
Morgan O'Donovan/MOD54Ltd

There's been plenty of political turmoil in Turkey this year. How has that affected your work?

The political situation in Turkey does not change my life, as I have no business there. It worries me tremendously as my family still lives there. I hate politics and religion—two things that cause war between humans.

What was your last tattoo?

Two graphic roses on my shoulders. My last collection LOS *******OS was inspired by the Mexicans that live in Texas. TEJANOS. So I created this imaginary character named Hector Benan. I got so into that character so I added the Mexican roses and left a goatee to feel the collection vibe.

http://media.gq.com/photos/57ec4a73063096110cee4455/master/w_800/umit%20selfie.jpeg
Selfie via Umit Benan himself.

Who's the most stylish person you know?

Can name many in the ‘80s, but for me Mickey Rouke in the old days. Style has to be natural and effortless. The ’80s were natural and effortless.

What's next for you after the Tokyo Diaries release?

I have done the Spring-Summer 2017 collection: LOS *******OS. Haven’t released it yet—in about 3 weeks I will be doing my show for that collection in Tokyo.

See you there!

I'm glad to see martial arts influence in GQ Style, but this doesn't quite work for me...except for the Nyotaimori (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67500-Naked-Sushi-(Nyotaimori-%26%2322899%3B%26%2320307%3B%26%2330427%3B%26%2312 426%3B)).

[GeneChing]

I don't really see the Kung Fu in this, but whatev. Fashionistas clearly think we dress funny.


http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/10130608/han-kjobenhavn-ss17-lookbook-01.jpg
http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/10130618/han-kjobenhavn-ss17-lookbook-02.jpg
http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/10130628/han-kjobenhavn-ss17-lookbook-03.jpg
http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/10130635/han-kjobenhavn-ss17-lookbook-04.jpg

Han Kjøbenhavn’s SS17 Is Kung Fu B-Movie Meets Sharp-Trashy Danish Suburbia (http://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/03/14/han-kjobenhavn-ss17-lookbook/#slide-4)
By Jack Drummond in Fashion 4 hours ago

Copenhagen label Han Kjøbenhavn presents one of its most personal collections to date for SS17, channelling a childhood love of kung fu B-movies filtered through a lens of teenagedom spent in Danish suburbia.

The collection rests on pieces that blur back-and-forth between “street” and menswear, with a deliberately unglamorous, straight-up, no messing Scandinavian edge. The Euro-trashy purple tracksuit is a vibe, particularly when rocked with the council estate classic car coat, which Han Kjøbenhavn upgrades with biker jacket-esque lapels and chunky zips.

Punchy Chinese characters are splayed across garms in a deliberately incorrect, off-kilter homage to the label heads’ love of martial art B-movies – all filtered through grimy ’90s Danish suburbia. Rather than being a tribute to “real” Chinese culture, it’s thoroughly grounded in the designers’ memories and “how we – 13 year old suburban kids – interpreted this,” according to their accompanying press release. “We didn’t know **** about the real craft and history behind martial arts or anything like it. For us martial arts was Van Damme grabbing fish blindfolded and beating up Chong Lee.”

Raw hems, long and flowing cuts and a splash of pin stripes across a muted, dusky color palette add to a gorgeously raw and dingy Far East menswear look. Think Singapore back alley suits, Danish crime drama and karate. Take a look at the on-point lookbook shots above, taken in what looks like your local neighborhood Chinese takeaway joint, or get a feel for the collection on the runway with our Han Kjøbenhavn’s Copenhagen Fashion Week show snaps.

The SS17 collection drops soon via their online store.

[David Jamieson]

Those are not standard run of the mill models at all. :p

Ima stick with jeans and a T. It's timeless.

[Mor Sao]

scary looking old men should not be clothing models...

Just saying.

No fu themes that I can see.

Just using a buzzword they do not understand.

[IronWeasel]

Those are not standard run of the mill models at all. :p

Ima stick with jeans and a T. It's timeless.



Wow...I never thought that I could be a model, but these guys inspire me.

[boxerbilly]

Trash.

I prefer suits. But Im generally not in them.

[Jimbo]

That stuff has zero relationship to 'kung fu' or 'kung fu movies'. And that model looks like a creepy undertaker in a western movie. Or a mad doctor in an old Hammer horror film.

[boxerbilly]

That stuff has zero relationship to 'kung fu' or 'kung fu movies'. And that model looks like a creepy undertaker in a western movie. Or a mad doctor in an old Hammer horror film.

They look like terrorists. But I profile so I might be biased. One looked like a Nazi.

[Jimbo]

They look like terrorists. But I profile so I might be biased. One looked like a Nazi.

Sorry...I was referring to the skinny old guy. He also looks like a stereotypical Chester the Molester in some of those pics.

[boxerbilly]

Sorry...I was referring to the skinny old guy. He also looks like a stereotypical Chester the Molester in some of those pics.

That's what many Nazis were. Funny because the Left admire these types. Che and Mao and they wont admit it but HITLER. Some how it escapes their pea brains that is in fact what you are modeling your behavior and actions after. They just don't get it. Socialism, Marxism, Communism. Democrats. Its all the same.

[GeneChing]

Intriguing trend. I admire cultures wearing traditional attire but the Cult Rev crushed that notion in PRC. Then there's this:


The Hanfu fashion revival: ancient Chinese dress finds a new following (http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2116289/hanfu-fashion-revival-ancient-chinese-dress-finds-new-following)
400 years after falling out of favour, the flowing, and sometimes controversial, robes of the Han ethnic group are back in style
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 21 October, 2017, 9:16am
UPDATED : Sunday, 22 October, 2017, 2:05pm
Alice Yan

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2017/10/21/9fd4eb38-b4b5-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_1280x720_204644.JPG?itok=j0z251VH

When Luo Zhenchen first put on Hanfu, the traditional dress of China’s Han people, its wide sleeves, crossed collars and long robes transformed him.
“I felt a strong sense of affection and belonging,” the Guangzhou University design student said in an interview with the South China Morning Post. “I like the traditional culture behind it.”
Luo, a sop****re, now wears Hanfu once a week. He also joined the Hanfu Society at his school. Its members celebrate traditional Chinese festivals, clad in Hanfu, and go into the community to lecture about their garments.
Luo is by no means alone in venerating traditional Chinese attire. An increasing number of Chinese argue that Hanfu, which characterised the Han ethnic group for more than three millennia, is worthy of far greater attention today – both at home and abroad.

https://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/10/21/a3454f9c-b4b5-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_1320x770_204644.JPG
Luo said he feels “a strong sense of affection and belonging” when he wears Hanfu clothes. Photo: Luo Zhenchen
After vanishing from history for about 400 years, the style has gained a substantial number of followers on the mainland in the past 15 years as the country attaches more importance to tradition and calls on the public to be proud of Chinese culture.
Hanfu, Luo said, had a “more broad historical context” than he expected. He said he also admired the “historical origins and historical tales” in its components.
Most Hanfu enthusiasts, like Luo and his peers at the university, reserve their outfits for traditional festivals; only a small proportion wear them every day.
A university student recently made headlines on Chinese media for dressing in Hanfu for more than 300 days in a single year to promote the style and culture.
To complement his traditional robe, Kang Wei, a commerce and management student at Southwest Petroleum University in Chengdu, Sichuan province, wore shoes made from black cloth and, on rainy days, carried an umbrella made from oil paper, Chengdu Business News reported.
“I admire Kang’s courage to wear Hanfu every day,” Luo said. “This kind of dress is different from what people wear nowadays.”
Gao Zhiluo, a photographer from Luoyang in central China’s Henan province, is another diehard Hanfu supporter. She has worn the apparel almost every day since 2014.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/10/21/799d4136-b4b5-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_972x_204644.JPG
Photographer Gao Zhiluo has been wearing Hanfu outfits almost every day since 2014. Photo: Gao Zhiluo

She was drawn to the costume from childhood when she was learning to play the pipa, a four-stringed instrument sometimes called the Chinese lute.
When she plays on stage she always dresses in Hanfu, which she described as “beautiful and comfortable to wear”.
Her passion for Hanfu carries into her everyday life. Before she goes out with friends, she spends an hour selecting her clothes, making up, combing her hair and choosing shoes and a handbag.
When she is out and about, she said people often misunderstand her. Lots of people stare, she said, and some mock her for wearing what they assume is a cosplay outfit. Others, with a nationalistic or patriotic bent, get annoyed because they think her traditional robes are Japanese or South Korean.
“I’m never put off by what they think because I know I’ve done nothing wrong or broken any rules,” she said. “But I am sad that people have such a lack of awareness of Hanfu. They don’t know that this is what our Han ancestors wore for thousands of years.”

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/10/21/7cdf3912-b4b5-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_972x_204644.JPG
Gao said that people often stare at her when she is out and about and some are even abusive, but she is “never put off by what they think”. By: Gao Zhiluo

Hanfu is not without its controversy. It has been linked to nationalist movements and even some of its most ardent fans have rejected calls to elevate it to China’s national dress. These naysayers point to the potential conflict such a move could spark between China’s Han majority and its 55 ethnic minorities.
Han people, who have made up the bulk of China’s population since ancient times, were forced to change their clothes to Manchu-style ones by the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) in the mid 17th century. Many were killed for protesting the order.
It is hard to estimate the number of people who wear Hanfu today. Clubs promoting the fashion have sprouted at every major university and that demand has led to the creation of hundreds of new clothing brands. Just 10 years ago, there was barely a handful.
Most supporters say they wear the style to show their appreciation for Chinese culture or just for fashion, without caring about the Han nationalism publicised by some leaders of the Hanfu revitalisation movement more than a decade ago.

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/10/21/989f06be-b4b5-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_972x_204644.JPG
Online broadcaster Wang Tingting said she prefers to see Hanfu as the traditional dress of the Han people, not as a fashion style that represents all Chinese. Photo: Wang Tingting

To raise Hanfu’s profile, in 2015 some members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress proposed making it China’s national dress, while several deputies to the National People’s Congress suggested that the robes worn by university students and academics on the mainland should be designed in a Hanfu style.
Not all Hanfu supporters endorse those suggestions, however. Wang Tingting, an online broadcaster from Chongqing in southwestern China, said she had been wearing Hanfu regularly for several years, but preferred to see it as the traditional dress of the Han people, not as a fashion style that represented all Chinese.
“Making Hanfu China’s national dress could be misleading, as if it was promoting Han nationalism and that could lead to ethnic conflicts,” she said.

https://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/10/21/94ae4646-b4b5-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_1320x770_204644.JPG
Wang makes tea dressed in one of her silk outfits. She said she has been passionate about Hanfu for several years. Photo: Wang Tingting

Luo shared Wang’s concerns, saying that it would be controversial to make Hanfu the national dress.
Gao said she could not understand why it was necessary to have a national dress.
“It’s just clothes,” she said. “Why bother to politicise it? “If Hanfu was our national dress, what would ethnic minorities think?”
Li Bochun, director of the Chinese Culture Rejuvenation Research Institute said it was comforting to see so many young people being drawn to Hanfu, but thought it was probably inappropriate for daily use.
“In this fast-paced society, is it realistic to wear it while riding a bicycle or scrambling to get on a bus or subway train?”

[GeneChing]

OT because gis (http://www.martialartsmart.com/uniforms-karate.html) ain't kung fu (http://www.martialartsmart.com/uniforms-kung-fu.html). :p


Denim Tops for Martial-Arts Athletes (https://www.apparelnews.net/news/2018/aug/16/denim-tops-martial-arts-athletes/)
By Andrew Asch | Thursday, August 16, 2018

https://apparelnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2018/08/16/Denim_kimono_web_t180.jpg?370a03faaa4bde2115f371a0 2430eb3e6a451be5

Mike Dytri’s puffy, cauliflower ears are badges of honor he got after years of gaining expertise in the martial art of jiu-jitsu.

He had the discipline to earn a black belt as well as the ambition to introduce a new look to the traditional, baggy, white top—or kimonos—used by jiu-jitsu practitioners. Instead of a plain white fabric, denim was his textile of choice in keeping with his denim and streetwear brand Ludwig Van.

“They fit like an Armani suit. They were designed to fit in a tailored way, but it doesn’t take away from the performance aspect,” he said of the martial-arts wear from his newly minted Vanguard Kimono by Ludwig Van label.

The limited-run kimonos are made in Los Angeles and have been sold at Dytri’s direct-sales channel at www.vanguardkimono.com.

In September, the denim kimonos will be selling at United Arrows in Tokyo’s Shibuya district with the hope they will be snatched up by jiu-jitsu martial artists and people who spar at jiu-jitsu mixed-martial-arts studios.

Vanguard might be one of the most expensive martial-arts tops produced, Dytri said. They retail for $500 and are made of dead-stock fabric from Cone Mills’ White Oak plant in Greensboro, N.C. Before closing in 2017, it produced high-end denim fabric.

Dytri is a self-taught fashion designer who ran a streetwear brand called Subfreakie, which was sold in 2003 at an undisclosed price. Then he started denim and streetwear brand Ludwig Van, which has been placed at high-end retailers such as Barneys, he said.

The brand does limited runs of jeans made of dead-stock fabrics such as high-end selvage denim and Vietnam War–era U.S. Army sleeping bags.

The pants often feature details such as unique stitching and a label featuring the face of composer Ludwig van Beethoven sporting the bowler and makeup worn by actor Malcolm McDowell in the 1971 film “A Clockwork Orange.”

Ludwig Van has produced collaboration lines with brands including Vans and G-Shock. Dytri said there are plans to produce more special projects for the label.

[SPJ]

something loose

not too tight

:cool:

[SPJ]

I still have my high school shuai jiao clothes.

:cool:

[SPJ]

lots of wear and tear

:)

[GeneChing]

Chinese fashion brand Mukzin has found a fan in Gigi Hadid with modern take on traditional styles (https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/2168972/chinese-fashion-brand-mukzin-has-found-fan-gigi)
Kate Han, the British-educated, Hangzhou-based designer behind the label says her irreverent twist on classic Chinese designs is what makes her clothes popular among both Asian and Western consumers
BY FRANCESCA FEARON
18 OCT 2018

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/landscape/public/images/methode/2018/10/18/86183b60-baee-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_1280x720_151820.JPG?itok=Ma3M4H8L

What is the concept behind Mukzin? “Young Chinese people don’t understand their cultural heritage, perhaps because until a few years ago traditional Chinese design was styled in an old-fashioned way, but I use traditional Chinese imagery and craft in a modern, irreverent way. For example, I’d give a qipao sportswear detailing and a diagonal zip that can be opened to reveal shorts or leggings.

“I launched the label with my husband, George Feng, in 2014. The name, Mukzin, is the Cantonese pronunciation for Mi Shan or ‘secret fan’. ‘Secret’ refers to China’s 5,000-year history while ‘fan’ is a typical Chinese cultural symbol. I am from Dalian and it is a way for the brand to connect the two regional dialects.”

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/10/18/7db7f942-baee-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_972x_151820.jpg
Kate Han, designer and co-founder of Muzkin.

Hangzhou has a history of silk and textiles. Is that why you are based there? “No, it is because it is the most connected city in China, with big internet firms based there. I was so impressed when I visited a friend there. We were sitting by West Lake when she ordered a Starbucks by phone and it was delivered five minutes later. Nobody uses cash; it’s all done by mobile and it opened up a new world to me. You can sit by West Lake in a classic qipao and use a mobile to order things. It is the merging of two worlds, old and modern, that I like.”

What is the concept behind the spring/summer 2019 collection? “I was inspired by the packaging of traditional Chinese medicines like Tiger Balm. In the mid-19th to 20th-century, Western hospitals were being built in Hong Kong and pharmaceuticals imported and so the Chinese were learning about packaging design and were influenced by Japanese graphics. I have used these as prints in the collection [above], although they may require some sense of humour to wear if you under*stand what they say, as I have played with the characters.”

What are your feelings about cultural appropriation? “It is great to see brands like Gucci using Chinese and Japanese paint*ings and dragons in their collections. Everyone knows these influences are from Asia but Western designers use them differ*ently. I, however, deconstruct elements that Chinese people don’t necessarily realise come from their culture, so the inter*pret*ation is unexpected and different.”

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/10/18/9aa0b5d0-baee-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_972x_151820.JPG
A look from the spring/summer 2019 collection.

How is the Western consumer reacting to your aesthetic? “At first, I wasn’t sure if Western people would under*stand my brand because of my use of Chinese characters and culture. However, the pan-Asian style is becoming more popular and New Yorkers want to try something fresh. Maybe half the store’s customers are Asian but models like Gigi Hadid have bought my dresses.”

If a competitor rocked this level of fashion at a Kung Fu tournament (http://www.tigerclawelite.com/) that I was judging, I'd give her extra points...which is one reason why I don't serve as a judge. :cool:

[SteveLau]

Sure the clothing we wear reflects a lot of our self. And I wear clothing mainly on its functions. That is it needs to fit the functions of my activity on the occasion.



Regards,

KC
Hong Kong

[GeneChing]

If someone walked into one of our tournament rings in this, I would score them high just on the bold fashion statement. ;)


Uniqlo says its new spring jacket was not inspired by Mao Zedong (https://shanghai.ist/2019/02/20/uniqlo-says-its-new-spring-jacket-was-not-inspired-by-mao-zedong/?fbclid=IwAR1bA6JtRpyq9HT7wXgaCFRoxTG2Sizkezkyatiy wlS0jrcb0PZXNRHA_yY)
Is 2019 the year that the Mao suit makes a comeback!?
by Alex Linder February 20, 2019 in News

https://i2.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mao-suit.jpg?w=999&ssl=1

Searching for a new look for this spring that’s light, simple, and proletarian? Well, Uniqlo has just the thing!

The Japanese fashion brand has introduced a new “military jacket” for its spring collection that appears taken straight out of Mao Zedong’s old wardrobe with khaki coloring and four front pockets.

https://i1.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mao-suit2.jpg?w=570&ssl=1

In this jacket’s defense, it also comes in both black and navy blue and the pants are sold separately, also in different colors, so a different combination might not make it look quite so much like your classic Mao suit.

Additionally, the jacket was designed not by an old revolutionary but French designer Christophe Lemaire and his team in Paris. A Uniqlo representative told the South China Morning Post that any resemblance to the dress of Communist dictators brought up by net users is “purely coincidental,” adding “that was never in our minds when we designed the item.”

https://i1.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mao-suit6.jpg?w=570&ssl=1

Once known as the “Sun Yat-sen suit” for the Chinese revolutionary father who first popularized it, the “Mao suit” became omnipresent in China for decades after the Communist Party took power. Nowadays, it’s really only worn by the diehards, but you can help bring that fashion back to the mainstream for a mere $63 plus tax.

I confess I would wear this. Anyone who knows me knows I wore an M65 for years, and this is similar (I only stopped wearing my M65 when it get too tattered and I couldn't find a U.S. made replacement). Only I'd probably opt for the black version instead of the khaki. Plus it doesn't look that tough. I'm not sure Uniqlo makes its clothing to have the kind of durability I require.

[GeneChing]

More on the Hanfu resurgence (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52309-the-kung-fu-of-clothing&p=1305631#post1305631).


Wearing pride: Centuries-old Chinese fashion is making a comeback
Updated 12th October 2019
Written by
Jessie Yeung
Lily Lee, CNN
Beijing, China
Contributors
Natalie Thomas, CNN

This feature is part of a wider CNN Style series on how culture in China is evolving in the Xi Jinping era.

When Zhang Lingshan was a child, she would watch the Chinese period drama "Palace" on television, entranced by the characters' ancient clothing. The costumes were colorful and regal, long gowns embroidered with lotus flowers and dragons, topped with intricate headpieces.
She didn't know what these beautiful clothes were called -- only that they were from some distant past.
"When I saw it, I really liked it," she said. "They looked fairy-like, dreamy. I was completely drawn by the beauty of these clothes, and then eventually came to understand the culture of Hanfu, and I liked it more and more."
Now aged 19 and living in Beijing, Zhang is a member of China's growing "Hanfu" movement -- a renaissance of the ancient clothing traditionally worn by ethnic-majority Han Chinese before the Qing dynasty. The movement, which started in the early 2000s as a fringe subculture on online forums and websites, has now stepped out onto the streets.
Though it's still not mainstream, if you walk through major cities you may see a fan dressed in the sweeping robes, crossed collars and wide sleeves of Hanfu, which literally translates to "Han clothing."
There are Hanfu shops, designers and researchers, and even photography studios that rent out accessories and outfits.
Hanfu outfits cost anywhere from $30 to a few thousand dollars, depending on the quality. Sales have soared in recent years -- the Hanfu industry's total market value is estimated to be worth 1.09 billion yuan (about $154 million), according to state-run media China Daily.
Tight-knit Hanfu communities and university clubs often meet up for themed activities like folk games or costume showings. Zhang and her friends sometimes visit places with ancient architecture, like Beijing's Forbidden City, where emperors once resided, to take photos in costume and post them on social media.

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_727,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F191002101239-01-hanfu.jpg
"Hanfu" refers to ancient clothing worn before the Qing dynasty. Young Hanfu fans model the fashion's characteristic wide sleeves and sweeping robes in highly stylized photo shoots. Credit: Chengdu Linxi Photography Room
Chen Zhenbing, chairman of the China Hanfu Association, fell in love with the clothing when he was 16 and handmade his first Hanfu suit back when it was still a niche interest. He recalled holding a 2005 Hanfu event that only attracted about 50 attendees -- five years later, a similar event drew up to 500 people, he said.
Nowadays, Hanfu events around the country can draw upwards of a thousand attendees.
He and many others see Hanfu as a way to celebrate Chinese culture and improve national self-esteem. For years, Chinese professionals looked to the West for their wardrobes, wearing dress shirts and suits as the country's economy raced to catch up. Now, "we don't think China is underdeveloped," said Christine Tsui, a fashion columnist and researcher based in Shanghai. "So it's the confidence of the younger people, the confidence of the country."
And yet, there are others who take a more critical view of Hanfu's popularity, seeing it as a reflection of a monoethnic nationalist surge under President Xi Jinping, who has repeatedly promoted "traditional virtues" and patriotism.
China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, of which 55 are minorities. Han, the majority group, makes up about 92% of the country's population.
Critics of the movement like Kevin Carrico, a senior research fellow in Chinese Studies at Melbourne's Monash University, argue that the popularization of Hanfu only reinforces Han cultural dominance, to the detriment of the millions of people making up China's ethnic minorities.
In this context, he and other academics say Hanfu is no longer just an innocent fashion trend -- but something to be weaponized in promoting a nationalistic political agenda.

A contested history

Some enthusiasts have developed guidelines to define "authentic" Hanfu. For instance, while many may consider the tight-fitting, high-necked "qipao" as an example of typical Chinese period clothing, in the Hanfu community, it's not considered Han clothing because it originated from the ethnic Manchu people.
It can be a touchy topic -- some Hanfu sites claim that Manchu leaders forcibly erased Hanfu during the Qing dynasty. "They forced the Han people to drop their costumes, and so this piece of China's cultural identity almost died out in the 20th century," reads one article in state-run media.
So for some Hanfu fans, wearing Han clothing becomes an act of cultural and historical reclamation.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_727,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F190926155031-hanfu-fashion-2.jpg
A fan takes a break outside a gathering of Hanfu devotees at a park in Beijing. Credit: GREG BAKER/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

But this narrative of Han suppression may not be entirely accurate, and determining "authentic" Hanfu is difficult, said Carrico, who studied and wrote about the phenomenon in his book "The Great Han: Race, Nationalism, and Tradition in China Today."
"There wasn't any singular style of clothing prior to the Qing (dynasty) that was designated specifically for people of Han ethnicity," he said in a phone interview.
Carrico argued that Han Chinese wore all types of clothing styles through the dynasties -- so there isn't one Hanfu style but dozens depending on the time period, geographic region and socioeconomic class.

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_727,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F191002102304-10-hanfu.jpg
Photography studios that specialize in Hanfu photo shoots are becoming more popular. Credit: Chengdu Linxi Photography Room

Some Hanfu enthusiasts acknowledge this historical diversity. For instance, Chen said round-collar robes were preferred in the Tang dynasty, while layered wrap dresses were more popular in the Ming dynasty. Still, he said there are a few common design features that characterize Hanfu -- a cross collar, no buttons and typically three layers of inner garments and an overcoat. Motifs that are frequently used include embroidered cranes, dragons, swirling clouds and delicate flowers.
This fluidity between the different styles is why 23-year-old Lu Yao, who lives in Beijing, prefers to use the term "Huafu," which refers to Chinese clothing more generally without the ethnic connotations.
Hanfu was too narrow a term, she said, pointing out that Chinese culture was full of "fusion and integration" between diverse ethnic groups.
However, many fans take pride in the Han distinction of "Hanfu."
"To some extent, the revival of Hanfu is the revival of Han culture, and the revival of Han culture is also the revival of Chinese culture," said Chen, who now owns a Hanfu store and helps organize events. "I think the Han nationality is the most powerful and unified nationality in the world, with the most sacred and noble culture. No nationality can compare with the Han nationality."

'Ethnic flattening'

Chen echoes the kind of nationalist surge that has swept through China in recent years. Much of this rhetoric harks back to a supposed golden era in China's history, centuries ago.
When Xi Jinping took power in 2012, he promised "a great revival of the Chinese nation," and regularly quotes the ancient philosopher-teacher Confucius. Schools are seeing an increased emphasis on Chinese culture, literature and history, which "teaches the youth to see things through the China lens," said Wessie Ling, an associate professor in fashion studies at the UK's Northumbria University.
But academics like Carrico and Ling fear an emphasis on Hanfu and Han culture could further edge out minority groups and flatten China's ethnic diversity.
Ethnic marginalization and suppression is a particularly prominent concern in today's China. For the last two-and-a-half-years, China has been detaining hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in the far western region of Xinjiang. Beijing describes the measures as "voluntary de-radicalization camps" and "vocational training centers." Critics call them "re-education camps." Critics and former detainees say they are actually forced political "re-education camps" and compare them to internment camps.
Some Uyghurs claim the camps are part of a wider and systemic program of "cultural genocide" by Beijing, intended to eliminate their religion and culture and bring them closer to China's majority Han population.
In recent years, Chinese media has showcased numerous examples of Uyghur schoolchildren and adults dressed in Hanfu during celebrations and public performances.
"While Uyghur clothing is being discouraged in schools, or only allowed under strict parameters set by the authorities, Chinese clothing is being increasingly pushed on Uyghurs students," said non-profit organization Uyghur Human Rights Project in a 2018 report.
According to the report, "assimilative policies" carried out by the government include "pressuring Uyghurs to publicly perform modern dances, sing Communist 'Red Songs,'" and "wear pseudo-traditional Chinese Hanfu robes."
The Xinjiang government has not responded to CNN's request for comment.
Carrico says this is more evidence of forced assimilation -- of "erasing groups' culture and heritage, and imaginarily making them Han."
Matthew Chew, a Hong Kong Baptist University professor who studied the sociology of Chinese national dress takes a different view -- Hanfu still isn't mainstream enough to be worn by most Han people in daily life, let alone prevalent enough to be forced onto ethnic minorities, he said.
"It's still a minority subculture," Chew said in a phone interview. "The risk (of ethnic suppression) is really low."
Besides, he added, "there are nationalists who are not ethnonationalists. Some who don't base their love of the country on ethnic criteria." There are more harmless forms of nationalism, he argued.

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Women rehearsing for a performance at a gathering of Hanfu fans in Beijing. Credit: GREG BAKER/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Other Hanfu fans like the Beijing teenager Zhang take issue with the politicization of Hanfu. "I simply like this clothing, it's beautiful," she said, adding that it was "nonsense" to link Hanfu with nationalism.
"We should have a more relaxed attitude towards Hanfu," she said. "Don't make something that you like so exhausting."
Tsui, the fashion columnist, echoed this sentiment -- people just wear Hanfu "for their own dreams," she said. Besides, she added, Han people make up more than 90% of the Chinese population, so "it's not weird" that Hanfu is so popular.
"It's part of globalization," she said. "We all wear T-shirts, but can you say we are all Americanized?"
Whether or not Hanfu is inherently political and racialized, the ongoing debate reflects the complexity of fashion and trends. Fashion doesn't exist in a vacuum -- it shapes and is shaped by social, economic, and political events. And the crucial question here, experts argue, is whether Han dominance in the popular imagination of what being "Chinese" means, comes at the expense of other ethnic narratives.
"This country is not opening up any more, it's closing down -- so the emphasis of the dominant culture is once again reinforced," said Ling. "We hear a lot about representation of ethnicities... but the people in power in China are the Han Chinese."

If this trend continues, perhaps we'll need a hanfu thread.

[GeneChing]

KAPITAL SS20 Elevates Kung-Fu Inspiration
“KUNG-FU-SION” continues fusing traditional craft and silhouettes with contemporary design. (https://hypebeast.com/2019/12/kapital-spring-summer-2020-collection-lookbook-kung-fu-sion)
Fashion
21 Hrs ago
By Jake Silbert

https://image-cdn.hypb.st/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2019%2F12%2F kapital-spring-summer-2020-collection-lookbook-kung-fu-sion-1.jpg?q=90&w=1400&cbr=1&fit=max

KAPITAL employs a global viewpoint of clothing, drawing from a wealth of inspirations for each immense collection, though some — like Spring/Summer 2019’s Bob Marley range — focus on a singular traceable source. The Japanese brand’s Spring/Summer 2020 range, dubbed “KUNG-FU-SION” wears its influences on its sleeve, offering a bevy of goods indebted to famous martial artists.

Key pieces include jackets and shirts done up in the Kung-Fu style, with button closure indebted to traditional Chinese garments. Loose sarouel-style drop crotch pants, folding fans and nylon headgear inspired by pointed bamboo dǒulì reinforce this motif, accented by familiar KAPITAL touches like Aloha shirts, heavily patched denim layers and an array of tie-dyed garments.

Rich patterns accent the various Western shirts, distressed knits, oversized T-shirts, washed-out sweatpants, and pleated shorts, with imagery ranging from bananas to diamonds to skeletons to abstract cloud shapes, all in the spirit of KAPITAL’s worldly stylistic references. Of course, the militaristic coats and baggy jackets are complemented by a rich assortment of jewelry, scarves, caps and socks, all done up with bold patterns and hues to match the garments.

View the entire Spring/Summer 2020 lookbook in detail on KAPITAL’s website (https://www.kapital.jp/collection/detail/23.html) and expect the new goods to arrive online early next year.

Recent KAPITAL deliveries have included a skeleton-emblazoned Western Mexican tuxedo, stylized varsity jackets and a set of bandanna-covered chelsea boots.

Source Glltn (https://glltn.com/2019/11/kapital-s-s-2020-collection-lookbook/) Follow this Source or website links if you want to see more. :eek:

[GeneChing]

‘Cultural power not a suit and tie’: hanfu traditional fashion revival strengthens, even as China’s economy slows (https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3190171/cultural-power-not-suit-and-tie-hanfu)
Young Chinese people are increasingly favouring hanfu, clothes once worn by ancient Han Chinese, as an expression of cultural identity and fashion
Sales of hanfu clothing leapt more than 50-fold from 2015 to 2021, when they were worth over US$1.45 billion, with sales of US$1.8 billion predicted this year

Mandy Zuo in Shanghai

Published: 2:00pm, 27 Aug, 2022

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The popularity of hanfu, traditional Chinese dress, has boomed in recent years, particuarly among younger generations who are embracing Chinese culture and identity. Photo: Weibo
Decades ago as a young boy, Zhao Bo loved travelling with his tailor father on visits to ancient towns and villages across China collecting traditional clothes once worn by their Han Chinese ancestors.
The 35-year-old comes from a family of tailors in northern China and has continued his father’s passion as an adult, collecting more than 2,000 pieces of ancient clothing, and reproduced dozens more by studying antiquities and ancient books.
Zhao now heads a museum in Yongqing, Hebei province, northern China, showcasing antique garments, some more than 500 years old, and handmade replicas of outfits dating back to more than 2,000 years ago,
An intangible cultural inheritor appointed by the Hebei provincial government to promote Chinese culture, Zhao is a part of a growing movement among younger Chinese that has helped revive hanfu, the name given to clothing once worn by ancient Han Chinese.

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Zhao Bo, 35, has spent the past decade reproducing dozens of traditional Chinese clothing patterns used as early as the Han dynasty (202BC-220AD). Photo: Zhao Bo
Annual sales of hanfu clothing have leapt from around 190 million yuan in 2015 to more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.45 billion) last year, according to Chinese data analysis firm iiMedia Research.
The firm forecasts the hanfu market will grow to 12.5 billion yuan this year – up 65 times since 2015, despite an overall economic slowdown in China.
“People barely talked about hanfu when I opened my museum in 2014,” said Zhao. “They didn’t even know whether it meant clothes worn by the Han Chinese throughout history, or clothes specifically worn during the Han dynasty.”
“But about three years ago I started feeling a craze, especially among the youth, unlike before when hanfu fans were often older people,” he said.
People wearing hanfu-style dress has become a common sight on the streets of major Chinese cities in recent years as increasing numbers of teenagers and young adults turn to the outfits as both a statement of fashion and cultural identity.
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The market for hanfu clothing is forecast to be worth US$1.8 billion this year. Photo: Weibo
Hanfu covers clothes worn during a number of China’s historical periods. The most popular styles are from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. The Ming was the last native Han Chinese dynasty to rule China before the Manchu seized power in 1636 and formed the Qing dynasty that lasted until 1911.
Hanfu often consists of a flowing robe in beautiful shades of colour and a skirt with intricate embroidery.
Zhao said the in-vogue hanfu attire seen on the streets of China today is not exactly what ancient Han people once wore. However, he said it remains a positive promotion of the more authentic hanfu clothing displayed at places like his museum.
“Only when there’s great interest from the public will there be people who bother to learn more about hanfu and make it historically accurate,” he said.
As China’s leaders have pushed for a stronger sense of national Chinese identity and renewed cultural confidence in recent years, hanfu has become a visual symbol of China’s renaissance.
Fashion-conscious youth in mainland China have enjoyed the official promotion and turned hanfu cosplay into a way to express themselves and to connect with history and tradition.
Lisa Zhou, a 17-year-old high school student from Shanghai, said she was fascinated by hanfu after seeing videos on social media where girls “look like fairies” in historical attire.
She was also influenced by enthusiasts from her school who formed a hanfu club, something no school had several years ago, she said.
https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/08/25/4ff56890-cf17-4236-86c5-9781a076ee56_e5628cb6.jpgwears hanfu garments, said she likes them because they are ‘pretty’, but is quick to point out that she is also keenly aware she is wearing a piece of China’s cultural heritage. Photo: Weibo
But the teenager pointed out that she doesn’t just like the clothing because it looks pretty, but it also represents China’s cultural heritage.
“As science and technology develop quickly, we should not forget our traditional culture. As a member of the new generation, I hope we can revitalise our traditional culture in our daily lives,” she said.
It was for this reason that she wore a hanfu outfit to a recent family gathering, she said.
Such attitudes are common among Zhou’s peers, according to the iiMedia report. Nearly 70 per cent of hanfu enthusiasts surveyed said the top reason they wore the garments was to “promote Chinese culture”, with “looking good” listed as a secondary concern by many.
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Zhao believes that as awareness of the history and cultural significance of hanfu garments increases, its relevance to contemporary China will only continue to grow. Photo: Zhao Bo
Despite its rising popularity, most hanfu fans tend to only wear the outfits for photo shoots with friends and at traditional festivals, the report said. Only about 20 per cent of them have worn hanfu in their daily lives.
Zhao, who wears adapted hanfu on a daily basis, said the best way to preserve tradition was to adapt it to modern life.
“The government has vowed to build China into a major cultural power by 2035. There are still more than 10 years to go, and I believe during this period we’ll see a continuous surge in traditional clothing,” he said.
“We won’t call ourselves a cultural power while wearing a suit and tie, will we?” he said.


I'm splitting the Hanfu Resurgence (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72372-The-Hanfu-Resurgence) off into its own indie thread from the-kung-fu-of-clothing/ (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52309-the-kung-fu-of-clothing/)