{"id":12645,"date":"2019-12-30T09:50:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-30T14:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/?p=12645"},"modified":"2020-01-31T19:50:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T00:50:05","slug":"remembering-paris-1968-fashion-theatre-of-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/?p=12645","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Paris 1968: Fashion Theatre of Protest"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Remembering Paris 1968: Fashion Theatre of Protest<\/h1>\n
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Elena Siemens<\/p>\n

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Table of Contents<\/a> | Article doi: 10.17742\/IMAGE.OI.10.2.7 | PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he contributors to this creative portfolio comment in images and words on the high-fashion brands\u2019 campaigns commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Paris 1968 student protests. Young scholars themselves, many participants charge Dior, Gucci, Sonia Rykiel, YSL, and others with pursuing their covetous commercial interests.<\/p>\n

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Elena Siemens, \u201cDior\u2019s Window\u201d (Vancouver 2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy collage is primarily a response to the Gucci Dans Les Rues campaign that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Paris 1968 protests in a way that is glamorized and hypocritical,\u201d Sam Beethan states. Similarly, Maria Andrade points out that \u201cit is important to question Gucci\u2019s motives.\u201d She adds: \u201cHowever, the campaign takes direct inspiration from a historical event and it references the youthful energy in a way that is not looking past the horrific events, but commemorating them.\u201d Gillian Herbert\u2019s contribution \u201cbrings across the message of commodification and commercialization that appears to have taken place within the Dior campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Elena Siemens, \u201cStreet Vendors on Granville\u201d (Vancouver 2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several contributions address the representation of space in the 1968 inspired advertising campaigns. Corissa Tymafichuk\u2019s emphasizes \u201can emotional disconnect between the protestors in the photos of May \u201968 and the actors used in Gucci Dans Les Rues<\/em>.\u201d She comments that the \u201creal riots took place in the streets, with protestors digging up pav\u00e9<\/em> to use as weapons and overturning cars to barricade police.\u201d Whereas Gucci, Tymafichuk continues, chooses to use \u201ca mix of indoor and outdoor spaces \u2026 in a completely staged interpretation of May \u201968.\u201d In Natalya Boiko\u2019s collage, her hand-made cardboard cobblestones \u201cpoint to the importance of space in the overall atmosphere and meaning of the Youthquake.\u201d In particular, Boiko comments on Sonia Rykiel\u2019s anniversary campaign that \u201cturns the symbol of violent rebellion\u201d into a high-priced handbag, and how this alters the meaning of \u201cthe once revolutionary space of the street.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Elena Siemens, \u201cStreet Vendors on Granville\u201d (Vancouver 2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many contributors seek to connect the past and the present in a more meaningful way. Alida Radke\u2019s collage \u201cputs black-and-white photographs of real \u201968 protesters alongside colour photographs of models acting as protesters from Gucci\u2019s Dans Les Rues campaign and Dior\u2019s Fall 2018 collection.\u201d Radke writes: \u201cI made half of the background in black and white and half in colour to better put the past in conversation with the present.\u201d In Parul Kanwar\u2019s collage, \u201cruggedly painted words \u2018Egalit\u00e9! Libert\u00e9! Sexualit\u00e9!\u2019 pay homage\u201d to the 1968 riots, as well as \u201creferencing Gucci\u2019s advertisement in which a girl can be seen writing this slogan on a washroom wall.\u201d Designed \u201cin the form of a protest sign,\u201d Jillian Harbin\u2019s contribution combines personal photography and images \u201cof the actual Youthquake movement.\u201d Harbin places \u201cthe 1968 photos on the edges of the collage, as a nod to how these students pushed the boundaries and limitations initially placed upon them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing somewhat apart, Thomas Wier\u2019s contribution foregrounds the present. Wier focuses on the young French designer Marine Serre and her sustainable fashion. He explains: \u201cSerre channels the mindset of the \u201968 protesters, but in a way that feels very contemporary and aware of the issues that now impact young people in 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Elena Siemens, \u201cTiffany\u2019s Window\u201d (Brussels 2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My set of images accompanying this introduction also suggests that sometimes a loose association makes a greater impact than a more literal one. A case in point is Tiffany’s flamboyant window display in Brussels. With its cutout of a hooded graffiti artist spray-painting the brand’s name over the storefront, Tiffany’s communicates more revolutionary energy than the neat pile of red cobblestones in Sonia Rykiel’s thoughtful but overstated window display next door. Similarly, the street vendors’ takeover of Granville Street in Vancouver evokes the spirit of 1968 with a greater force than Dior’s hybrid mise-en-sc\u00e8ne of high fashion and graffiti on the neighbouring West Georgia Street.<\/p>\n

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Elena Siemens, \u201cHarvey Nichols Window\u201d (London 2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In London, the Harvey Nichols department store displayed heaps of newspapers featuring provocative headlines. Designed to promote a new menu at the store\u2019s restaurant, the campaign\u2019s tagline \u201cVeg Out!\u201d read like a Situationist slogan (albeit re-commercialized and reabsorbed for consumerist society). An inspiration behind the 1968 protests, the Situationist International and its spiritual leader Guy Debord encouraged people to paint cities with statements such as \u201cNever Work\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s Forbidden To Forbid\u201d (Lewisohn 75).<\/p>\n

When asked about the famous Odessa step sequence in his film classic Battleship Potemkin<\/em> (1925), Sergei Eisenstein replied that it was the result of a purely \u201cspontaneous encounter\u201d (173). A fierce advocate of the \u201ccollision montage,\u201d he offered this explanation: \u201cChance brings a sharper, more powerful resolution\u201d than any \u201cpreliminary outline\u201d (Eisenstein qtd. in Siemens 24).<\/p>\n

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Elena Siemens, \u201cHarvey Nichols Window\u201d (London 2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Works Cited<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Eisenstein, Sergei. \u201cA Miracle in the Bolshoi Theatre.\u201d Beyond the Stars: The Memoirs of Sergei Eisenstein<\/em>. Edited by Richard Taylor, BFI Publishing, 1995. Print.<\/p>\n

Lewisohn, Cedar. Street Art: The Graffiti Revolution<\/em>, Abrams, 2008.<\/p>\n

Siemens, Elena. Theatre in Passing 2: Searching for New Amsterdam<\/em>. Intellect, 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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2018 marks five decades since the French Protests of May 1968. The events of ’68 challenged Conservative values, both economic and social. The youth of France demonstrated, rioted, and adopted dress that subverted the attitudes and appearance of those in power. The influence of the events of ’68 can still be seen in contemporary society today. Looking to Paris Fashion Week 2018, designers can be seen chanelling both the mindset and the styles of the protesters. A rebellious yet functional stylishness can be observed in the work of the young designer, Marine Serre. Serre\u2019s style references issues within Fashion and the world at large. Her sustainable approach to design also battles issues associated with climate change and fast fashion. Throughout her work, Serre channels the mindset of the ’68 protesters, but in a way that feels very contemporary and aware of the issues that now impact young people in 2018.
\nThomas Wier<\/em><\/p>\n

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Using the Boulevard Saint Germain (one of the sites of the 1968 riots) as a background, my collage puts black-and-white photographs of real \u201968 protesters alongside colour photographs of models acting as protesters from Gucci\u2019s Dans Les Rues campaign and Dior\u2019s Fall 2018 collection. In addition, I made half of the background in black and white and half in colour to better put the past in conversation with the present. I paid special attention to the facial expressions of both the rioters and the models, as the group of six protesters in the middle display emotions of anger and pain appropriate to a riot, whereas the models show little to no emotional investment at all. The actual protesters in the lower right corner appear injured, as many were during the riots, something often left out of nostalgic portrayals, as images of bloody, injured rioters would not help sell a superficial image of \u201968 to future generations.
\nAlida Radke<\/em><\/p>\n

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My collage is primarily a response to the Gucci Dans Les Rues campaign that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Paris 1968 protests in a way that is glamorized and hypocritical. In particular, I saw a dissonance between how Gucci positions itself as an exclusive, high-priced designer clothing brand and the reality of the Paris 1968 events. My collage is composed of three primary sources designed to highlight the stark contrast between Gucci and the protests: partial images of the promotional material for Gucci Dans Les Rues campaign, signs created by the protesters, and images of the actual protests that depict the violence of the events. In so doing, I aim to emphasize exactly why I think Gucci\u2019s use of this monumental event is disingenious. What struck me most about the Gucci campaign was how fun the scenes of protest seemed. I have crossed out \u201cEgalit\u00e9\u201d in the storefront scene, placing the price of the \u201cRe(belle) leather backpack\u201d beside it, to highlight the disconnect between the equality the rioters fought for and the high-class distinctions associated with the Gucci brand.
\nSam Beethan<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cSoyez R\u00e9alistes, Demandez l\u2019Impossible!\u201d (Be realistic, demand the impossible!) is the title I chose for my creative piece, drawing from a slogan used by Parisian youth protesters during the May \u201968 riots in France. My collage transitions from the Paris riots on Rive Gauche, portrayed in black and white, to the bright fashion transformation of Youthquake in the 60s, finishing with 2018 fashion campaigns that commemorate the 50th anniversary of both revolutions. The performance space affects the public perception of both May \u201968 and Gucci Dans Les Rues.<\/em> There is an emotional disconnect between the protestors in the photos of May \u201968 and the actors used in Gucci Dans Les Rues.<\/em> May \u201968 photos show hurt, bleeding, and exhausted people. The Gucci campaign shows a student protest that looks fun. The difference is due to the performance space of both events. The real riots took place on the streets, with protesters digging up pav\u00e9<\/em> to use as weapons and overturning cars to barricade police. The Gucci campaign uses a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces, such as a classroom or an alleyway, in a completely staged interpretation of May \u201968. The intention is different, as Gucci\u2019s campaign is designed to sell designer products.
\nCorissa Tymafichuk<\/em><\/p>\n

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#GucciDansLesRues commemorates the period marked by youthful disgust and revolt. The youth would not stop until \u201cliberty, equality, and sexuality\u201d were fully embraced. This fashion campaign was shot by Glen Luchford and is filled with glamorous, youthful, anarchic rage intertwined with liberating sexuality. Gucci has been criticized for romanticising the 1968 riots and using the youths\u2019 anti-institution slogans to create profit. I believe it is important to question Gucci\u2019s motives. However, the campaign takes direct inspiration from a historical event and it references the youthful energy in a way that is not looking past the horrific events, but commemorating them. In my collage, I compare the #GucciDansLesRues campaign with the May 1968 protests by including images from Luchford\u2019s short film on the left side and the archival images of the riots on the right side. I include as well the slogans that were put up by the French youth: \u201cBE YOUNG AND SHUT UP\u201d and \u201cTHE BEAUTY IN REVOLUTION.\u201d In the centre I have added a picture of myself dressed in an all-red attire in a pant suit and sneakers with the words \u201cEssential Revolution\u201d emblazoned across the page. I chose to include this image of myself because the everyday person holds power to create change even when everyone is telling them that they cannot.
\nMaria Andrade<\/em><\/p>\n

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High fashion brands such as Dior and Gucci have referenced the Youthquake in their 2018 anniversary campaigns. I have recorded this in my collage, which incorporates, among other things, references to Dior and its peace symbol. The collage also portrays several distinct fashion styles, such as the shift dress associated with the revolutionary attitude of the times. In addition, I included an image of the Eiffel Tower collapsing, several archival images of the 1968 riots, and a picture of a girl holding a red banner. The students took over the Bourse, the Paris Stock Exchange, and plastered landmarks with red revolutionary flags.
\nDan Waissi<\/em><\/p>\n

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My collage aims to emulate the Dior Fall\/Winter 2018 Fashion Week. For their backdrop, Dior incorporated many layered words and magazine covers. I took inspiration from this. I cut out different magazine and newspaper headlines and advertisements to create a similar look. My objective was to bring across the message of commodification and commercialization that appears to have taken place with the Dior campaign. I have added a hashtag to Dior\u2019s iconic NON branding as a way to emphasize its modernity and to make this movement \u201ctrendy.\u201d The way this major brand enveloped a youth movement and turned it into something commercial suggests that the famous subculture theorist Dick Hebdige may have underestimated mainstream culture\u2019s ability to hybridize and commercialize subcultures and their style. The absorption and adoption of this youth movement by Dior undermines the struggle and actual experience of the students who were involved in the protest, by taking the personal and political issues which were important to them and then repackaging and marketing them to Dior\u2019s high-end clientele. This commercialization of protest distances what was intended as an homage from the actual issues the Youthquake movement represented.
\nGillian Herbert<\/em><\/p>\n

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Paved streets of Paris, which once indicated a prosperous society, became a weapon during the 1968 revolts. My collage further incoporates the revolt\u2019s slogan \u201csous les paves, la plage\u201d (\u201cunder the cobblestones, the beach\u201d). This Situationist slogan refers to students\u2019 desire to escape controlling institutions. The cobblestones in my collage point to the importance of space in the overall atmosphere and meaning of the Youthquake. The fashion campaigns from 2018 also incorporate references to cobblestones, as in Sonia Rykiel\u2019s totes. Rykiel turns the symbol of violent rebellion into a harmless handbag that costs over $900, altering the overall meaning of the once revolutionary space of the street.
\nNatalya Boiko<\/em><\/p>\n

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This collage is made up of several components. I have placed the outline of France at the centre of the collage and colour on the edges, making the entire page resemble the French flag. I also bring attention to the connection between the original 1968 Paris riots and the 2018 anniversary fashion campaigns. The riots resulted from student and worker dissatisfaction with capitalism and capitalist culture. These fashion campaigns, however, are inherently part of the capitalist system, as they advertise products for sale. In my collage, this contradiction is symbolized by the cracked and broken borders of the colours, and the juxtaposition of images from the riots and the 2018 fashion campaigns.
\nHope Jubenvill<\/em><\/p>\n

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As Susan Sontag once said, “the problems of this world are only truly solved in two ways: by extinction or duplication”. Gucci’s Dans Les Rues campaign (2018) focuses on the recreation of the problems that continue to plague the world in the present. My collage represents the union of the two events, past and present, different worlds apart brought together through their political substance. The use of see-through film represents the desire for transparency, and the red and black cross-section symbolises the constraints placed on the youth whose pictures are stationed behind the cage-like structure. Lastly, ruggedly painted words “Egalit\u00e9! Libert\u00e9! Sexualit\u00e9!” pay homage to one of the most popular slogans used during 1968 riots while also referencing Gucci’s advertisement in which a girl can be seen writing this slogan on a public washroom wall. My collage conveys the convergence of Youthquake of 1968 and the present day as represented by Gucci. The youth of today play a critical role in shaping the political dimension, much as Youthquake did in the 60s. Hence, this is an opportunity for Gucci to not only ignite rebellious political strains, but also capitalise on them. Parul Kanwar<\/em><\/p>\n

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In my collage, the black and white images represent young college protesters in 1968 Paris. Turtleneck sweaters, denim jackets and trench coats were popular fashion items at the time. The colour pictures depict contemporary runway models wearing Dior\u2019s 2018 collection inspired by the Youthquake. Dior\u2019s turtleneck sweater is inscribed with \u201cNON, NON, NON\u201d\u2014a sentiment French students shared with regard to the injustice prevailing in the 1960s. Despite pursuing commercial interests and being staged in theatrical settings, these fashion shows still succeed in commemorating the important Youthquake anniversary.
\nSampati Kohli<\/em><\/p>\n

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I designed my collage in the form of a protest sign, much like one that might have been in 1968 in Paris. The base layer of the collage is made of pictures I took of some of my own \u201cstreet wear\u201d clothing. I took close-up, fragmentary shots to show the distinct fabrics, colours, and patterns of the items. As a university student myself, these are items I\u2019d wear on an everyday basis. The items themselves aren\u2019t anything elaborate or spectacular. These items would never be considered high fashion or of any special design, and therefore don\u2019t assert themselves as the important element of the collage. The key pictures are the ones of the actual Youthquake movement. I decided to give each protest picture a border to make them stand out, thus playing on the idea that the message of the protest and the physical act of marching down the street is the important overall theme. As well, I placed the 1968 photos on the edges of the collage, as a nod to how these students pushed the boundaries and limitations initially placed upon them.
\nJill Harbin<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Youthquake of 1968 in Paris was referenced in 2018 fashion campaigns to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Campaigns such as Gucci Dans les rues, YSL Rive Gauche, and DIOR ‘s 2018-2019 ready-to-wear collection referenced this protest and used it as a means of selling ideologically loaded garments. The 1968 Youthquake is regarded as the most successful cultural revolution in France\u2019s recent history. I believe the protests were a performance of resistance and an outcry directed at administrative bodies to force them to acknowledge the disparity between the interests of students and workers and the bosses and the government. Student protests against capitalism and consumerism in May of ’68 resulted in the shut down of Nanterre campus of the University of Paris. Within days, 20,000 students, teachers, and supporters of the movement occupied the Sorbonne campus. The protests spread to the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) of la Seine and nearby factories, which were also occupied. The occupation of these spaces helped the protesting students and workers reclaim them as their own. In my collage, I attempt to demonstrate that the performance aspect of protest makes the proximity to issues being protested important, especially in the case of movements that seek to occupy and reclaim spaces.
\nZeinab Abugrga<\/em><\/p>\n

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Gucci Dans Les Rues<\/em> ads (Pre-Fall 2018) do not immediately announce their connection to the 1968 student protests in Paris. These crowded images of young models marching in the streets or populating campus-like environments celebrate camaraderie and exuberant fashion. In one of the ads, the models are gathered on a balcony, their attention directed at the street below them. The viewer cannot see what it is. My collage incorporates several cutouts from Gucci’s ads, including the balcony one. In addition to Gucci, I was inspired by William Klein’s remarkable photographs of Paris, his adopted home. Klein’s “Armistice Day, Paris, 1968” foregrounds a young man and a woman, their faces express both devastation and resolve. The protests are supressed; it is a day of mourning. Designed initially for a pop-up exhibit Hotel Metropole<\/em>, (Intermedia Research Studio, University of Alberta, Fall 2018), my collage addresses the theme of today’s congested world, a world on the move, its citizens in pursuit of places to discoverer, and places to call their home. A world as a hotel.
\nElena Siemens<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remembering Paris 1968: Fashion Theatre of Protest Elena Siemens Table of Contents | Article doi: 10.17742\/IMAGE.OI.10.2.7 | PDF The contributors to this creative portfolio comment in images and words on the high-fashion brands\u2019 campaigns commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Paris 1968 student protests. Young scholars themselves, many participants charge Dior, Gucci, Sonia Rykiel, YSL, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7986,"featured_media":12650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-10-2-open-issue","wpautop"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p707hj-3hX","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/siemens-image4-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7986"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12645"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12845,"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12645\/revisions\/12845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imaginations.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}