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Rapidly rising China, say touchy feely types, is better understood by its fashion scene than its statistics. By Aresh Shirali How come? Simple. Fashion is more transparent. In a manner of speaking, that is. Nothing in China, you'll be told by visiting veterans, is all that obvious. People are not given to speaking much, especially to outsiders, and when they do, it's always in measured half-tones, half an eye over your shoulder. "It seems only reasonable to wear traditional attire on these occasions," Lei-Lei, the 34-year-old editor of a Beijing publication was reported as saying, recently, in the context of a Chinese festival, "Besides, updated with modern design and fashionable colours, these rather conservative jackets have taken on a much more modern look to catch up with the times." Lei-Lei, in his own measured way, was referring to the traditional Chinese silk jacket, one of the ornate dazzlers of olden times that gave way to the monotony of Mao jackets once the aristocracy got the boot. Monotony of Mao jackets? Think of that sea of dress-alike cyclists that made up the country's image for years and years, and you'll get the picture. A full-blown case, you'd think, of monomania. Meanwhile, Bai Ling has another picture to offer. A Chinese film star, she was photographed the other day in a diaphanous red gown held together by a maze of strings, with her cleavage adorned ever so delicately with a tattooed butterfly, a nude figure embedded in each wing. No monomania here, at least not if Bai Ling has her way. So, what does China's fashion scene have to say about China? There is, of course, market research to go by. In a survey that polled 2,500 youngsters in 2000, just over 7 per cent of the respondents agreed with the proposition: "Sexual liberation is the landmark of modern civilization and an inevitable aspect of love." A hefty 73 per cent said no. Only around a fifth weren't sure. Other observers draw lessons from the popularity of retro-style fashion shows and products in China. A recent 'Forbidden City' themed apparel show proved itself a thumping success-with the aesthetics of classical Chinese architecture used to drape the human body. The cheongsam, China's classic female figure-hugger that has been around for ages, is finding interesting new expressions too. Whiffs of style from the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), actually, have been pretty much in vogue ever since the country discovered the fashion runway. It was a peculiar period, and what one wore had plenty to say about what was on one's mind. Those were also the days that China was hailed as a major source of knowledge and discovery---worth stretching one's efforts across the planet for. But doesn't that represent a sort of retreat to past glories? Well, not really. It's only an inspiration source. Moreover, if anything, China seems more engaged with the lucrative markets of the West than ever before. This, after all, is the country that is projected by the WTO to take over half the European and American markets for textiles and apparel in just under a decade. That's enough to wallpaper the Great Wall end-to-end with greenbacks, and have enough left to make Hawaiian hoola-hoops of. And if you're not convinced that China is serious about the opportunity, just look at the sheer alacrity with which it responds to any threat to its ambitions. Just the other day, the US was only as much as mulling the idea of tariff-crimping the import of Chinese brassieres, that China decided to impose its own export tax (!) to achieve the same effect (of calming American nerves), while cleverly keeping the gains in fiscal cash to itself. Why boost US revenues when you can boost your own? And American protectionists can claim victory in keeping American boobs safe in American cups. China seems to have the market nicely mapped, if not wrapped just yet. If Western-wear is what the West wants, Western-wear is what they get. The bra, for instance, is a marvel of European aeronautical engineering, but the Chinese make it much cheaper than anybody else. The mass market game is pretty straightforward, actually, given how easy it is to reproduce the stuff the crowds wear on the streets of London, LA and elsewhere. Even a casual glance at any of China's export catalogs will make it clear that its exporters are well on their way to clothing the West. So, what does that leave us with----the world's largest sweatshop for sweaty functional low-margin clothes? Ah, but that story has already been captured by the statistics (even those that aren't part of the set of lies and damned lies). That's why people tell you that China is going to wrap up the world market---as smoothly as a silken thread emerges from a cocoon. Real revelations require road research. For China's fashion secrets, try this. Travel the silk route. What you see here might change your mind about value addition in China. It might also overturn your assumptions about life behind the Great Wall. And if you can't sneak your way in yourself, go on a film footage hunt. Some months ago, FTV served a startling glimpse of the sort of influence that Chinese fashion has been in the thrall of, lately. It was quite a clip. The musical accompaniment was oriental in sound and spirit, like good Saki---not to be had chilled, but rather, savoured for its first-contact feel as much as its fullbodied taste. The ambience was... well, warm. Warm enough to "make the hard man humble" in Murray Head's memorable phrase from Thailand. The runway? All bare midriffs and bellies, with gossamer chiffons doing a breathtaking ripple, sway and shashay job for much of the rest---with the ladies' lips barely discernible through the ear-to-ear sequins. In sensuality culturally determined? To an extent, yes. But that only makes the West one helluva virgin market for the East. Is China suffering from monomania? Most certainly not. It's just that the country has been spectacularly successful in keeping itself under wraps. One more point. Hollywood makes annual revenues of one billion yuan in China---50 times the local film industry's take, according to an Internet source. This statistic sounds way too lopsided to be true, but if it is, China has a big problem. It may have plenty of eclectic stuff floating about, but how is any of it going to get marketed across the world? Bollywood, at least, survives uniquely----and sounds good for the long haul. The global game in fashion, ladies and gentlemen, is still wide open.
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