week 15, post 2, folk meets fashion

On many occasions, a call on folk traditions were observed in modern Swedish fashion at stores such as H&M. Another prime example is this dress on display at Jane Mars that has a folk inspiration and even has a traditional julbock situated next to it. It can be argued that the julbock is there for the purposes of decorating the store for the Christmas holiday, but it is very interesting that it matches the dress and could be seen as a subtle creative tactic of the dresses marketing position. By using this traditional theme, they could be marketing this dress to a more middle age or older crowd that appreciates the connection more so than the younger crowd would. The julbock is most likely there to stress the vintage and traditional yet fashionable aspect of the outfit. I find this very 'Swedish' because they are reusing the idea of strongly rooted traditions that are still celebrated in Sweden to turn it around into a fashion statement. It seems that many themes are recycled over again throughout Sweden's history because they are still relevant and appreciated today, but just need to be addressed to fit the new market and current trends. Sweden in general tends to have more of an appreciation and a wider creativity when it comes to fashion, with more unique ideas being popular and experimented with. Therefore, I am not sure how this idea would work in the United States, but it can be linked to the recent hype of the 'vintage' look that many stores such as Urban Outfitters have sprung off of.

This Urban Outfitters clothing suggestion can be seen as a revamped 'traditional' style, especially the denim shirt. Each of the items can be considered very modest and traditional but together within the Urban Outfitters marketing position uphold to the revival of traditional and vintage style. This is similar to what Jane Mars was doing with their folk style dress, but happens more subtly and has nothing to do with American tradition. I think the nationalistic approach can be very successful for a company and perhaps if some American fashion recalled on Victorian times or Colonial times, many would appreciate it and celebrate it.