Is Tradition Timeless?

Designed by Wendy Zhu

Recently, trends have rotated and repeated in a rapid, hard-to-keep-up-with, spinning cycle. The “ins” and “outs” across generations are reborn, rejuvenated and restyled. Some of the most reliable bases for these trends originate from tradition and culture, where the ancestors of people in the fashion scene today laid the groundwork for the rise of popularity in specific styles.

While styles are often created from multiple origins, sequined crop tops, cowboy boots and white linens are some examples of popular trends that have roots across South Asia, Mexico and Egypt. Diving deeper into other style influences from these regions reveals the larger implications of how tradition resurfaces modern day.

India

Mehaa Amirthalingam, a junior studying data science and economics at UC Berkeley, co-founded a clothing brand called Kalumkāri with her older sister. The pieces are manufactured in India and the brand is based in Los Angeles. Amirthalingam named her business after the Kalamkari textile, which is a block print design that typically features geometric or floral motifs in a repeated pattern.

“This Kalamkari print has been in India for centuries,” Amirthalingam said. “We take that and create a silhouette that fits designs that we wear today.”

Amirthalingam’s clothing brand explores this and other Indian textures in a variety of trendy tops including the halter. Kalumkāri’s slogan, “Inspired by tradition. Crafted for today,” emphasizes the influences they took from their mother and grandmother’s clothing. Unlike fast fashion trends, designs like these stay relevant because of their roots in cultural history.

“We want to provide clothing that is at the peak of what is considered fashion today, but also something you can wear five years from now, ” Amirthalingam said. “We took inspiration from a lot of pieces that we really enjoyed wearing when we were younger.”

Mexico

Northwestern performance studies doctoral candidate Gabriel Guzman taught the “Latino/a Performance” course winter quarter, answering the overarching question of “How is fashion performed and expressed through the body as a performance of identity and culture?”

One unit of study was indigenous fashion in Latin America. Students explored the huipil blouse worn by Indigenous women in Mexico and Central America characterized by its loose-fitting fabric, boxy silhouette and floral embroidery. Dior’s Cruise 2024 show featured four huipils crafted by artisans using traditional techniques. However, the attempt to turn tradition into high fashion came with some controversy, since the price points for the blouses became inaccessible to the community they come from.

“What does it mean for this style, practice or way of dress rooted in Indigenous Latin American cultures to be taken up by these designers?” Guzman said. “Other people who see them want to wear them and won’t necessarily know that origin.”

Weavers and embroiderers were photographed and featured in the show campaign and credits. Their involvement introduced Indigenous craftsmanship from Oaxaca as a part of the larger show’s tribute to Frida Kahlo.

Egypt

School of Education and Social Policy sophomore Mahmoud El-Eshmawi says his style is based on three core influences: Egypt, New York and soccer. El-Eshmawi was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and grew up close to the Mediterranean Sea. He immigrated to New York in 2011 as a kid and has been exposed to the hub of fashion culture ever since.

After experimenting with his aesthetic in the first six months of college, El-Eshmawi found some of his favorite brands. Two U.K.-based brands he follows incorporate Arabic text into their designs: Zidouri into athleisure and jewelry and Kuba Petals into knit pieces.

“Anyone can put an Arabic puff print on a hoodie and call it a day, but it's about making it fashionable and wearable,” El-Eshmawi said. “It's a beautiful piece, and it also has that personal connection that only I can understand most of the time walking around.”

El-Eshmawi also integrates his heritage into the accessories he wears. Through social media, an emphasis on statement jewelry has become especially important.

“I have an old Egyptian coin my grandma passed down to me, and I DIY-ed it with some leather, lace and clamps, to turn it into a necklace,” El-Eshmawi said. “I wear it every single day. It's become a staple for me.”

For El-Eshmawi, consistently connecting his clothes to where he comes from is an important reminder. He recently walked in the fashion segment of the annual cultural show, Jabulani, hosted by Northwestern’s African Student Association this winter. In opportunities like these, he said he feels most comfortable wearing his cultural clothing.

Although just a sample of styling created from cultural inspiration internationally, this glimpse into fashion from India, Mexico and Egypt shows the value of renewing tradition in the mainstream. Tradition is defined by its surrounding history and meaning to different groups, and in fashion traditional features can be innovative and provide significance to an outfit. However, it's critical that when outfits center around these specific pieces, the deeper background of the clothing isn’t overlooked or appropriated. This boundary between extrapolating culture and integrating it into fashion can be challenging, yet it is undoubtedly worth the effort. Tradition that is manifested in trends successfully, offers unlimited opportunities for impact in the fashion world and beyond.