“Design must disengage itself from consumer culture…[and] participate in projects for the welfare of humankind both inside and outside the market economy” (Victor Margolin 1998: p89)Critically evaluate this statement and discuss with reference to relevant theory and examples.In nowadays, fashion industry has made huge welfare and work placements worldwildly. Because of the Global Economic Intergration and Culturalizasion, designers are not only gained ideas from objects, media, national cultures but also globle problems, social issues and the market. Somehow, Victor Margolin, who has presented a notion that “Design must disengage itself from consumer culture…[and] participate in projects for the welfare of humankind both inside and outside the market economy” (Victor Margolin 1998: p89). Margolin points out that designs should not be affected by the consumerism of profit and market trend; assemble preferences and neglect issues that created by mass production and swiftly changed trends could be harmful for future designing developments and human habitat. This school of thought is supported by Kate Fletcher, who is recently researching Fashion Ecologies. Fletcher explors localism in fashion, noticed that design is not only related with what people need but what people will need in the future. In Fletcher’s researches and projects, sustainability has been the main topic of her textile design. “… Through enabling users to make their own simple but experimental garments the research aims to challenge the understanding we have of making, wearing, modifying and designing clothing. With future development in the areas of mono-fibre production, digital embroidery, models of distributed production with online support, and the ongoing development of modifications by users, the garments can challenge the dominant monological discourse on fashion as consumption” (Fletcher, 2008). According to her research and developments, Fletcher is trying to use high-technology to reduce the effect of fashion insdurty made to the society, pushing designers to re-understand the meaning of design clothes and apperiences. Instead of following the trend, create personalities and modifying identities have become the goal of Fletcher. But somehow, because of the huge amount of consumers, designers need consumers’ support to keep their design processes. Charles Frederick Worth, British womens wear designer in Paris, who was also the most popular designer in Paris at that time and the founder of the French haute couture Association. Worth proposed the idea of a living human body model. When he opened his own shop, his wife imitated his work in the salon. When the idea worked, he hired mannequins to walk on salons or runways and show off his collection to consumers. It was early in 1911 that the life model was used as a regular part of fashion promotion for retailers and the earliest fashion show manufacturers. It’s worth starting his own salon in 1858. And in 1911, the life model was used. Charles Frederick Worth’s design is full of innovative spirit, he has made many reforms to the structure of women’s wear; he is good at adjusting the original design for different customers to meet different needs. (web)This experience from Charles Frederick worth explained that design can be related with customer culture for consumer’s satisfaction and functions of clothes in different time. In this article, to judge both opinions of this quote, these will have examples of how trends influenced designers, why does designs can be disengaged with customer culture, factors that and analyse the reasons for them.
