Ethnic Influence on Apparel Design

Looking at clothing today, it is quite obvious that designs are greatly influenced by different ethnicities. In researching this ethnic influence, I decided to take a look at the popular retailer, Forever 21, and observe just how much these styles have integrated into clothing lines.

When visiting the Forever 21 website (http://www.forever21.com/) I noticed, first off, that ethnic patterns and designs are very apparent. Just by looking at the first page of shirts alone, there were two that immediately stood out as being characteric of a certain culture.

photos courtesy of forever21.com

The first of these shirts is called a Jeweled Asian Flower Shirt. (www.foreve21.com) By looking closely, it is easy to see the ethnic influences in this design. The presence of Chinese lettering and Asian flower go to show just how popular Asian designs are today. The second shirt is called a Cheyenne Knit Tunic (www.forever21.com) Obviously the pattern is a tile design in earthtones, suggestive of a Native American cultural infulence. By looking at just these two articles of clothing, it is easy to see how cultural and ethnic influences are currently being mainstreamed in retail stores.

Personally, I think there are more ethnic influences in fashion than we realize. Designers draw their inspiration from things such as artwork, architecture, etc. Honestly, when you think about it, artwork and architecture are typically specific to a certain ethnicity. Therefore, it is only understandable that fashion has direct cultural influences.