Canadian Critical Luxury Studies

Nigel Lezama, Jessica Clark

Description

Canadian Critical Luxury Studies: Decentering Luxury is a dynamic new contribution to the study of luxury. The essays in this collection challenge Euro- and US-centric perceptions that bind luxury to either a colonial past or a consumerist present. The book announces a new collective of thinkers who focus on Indigenous and Canadian instances of luxurious production, experiences and sites to propose a new definition of luxury that includes a plurality of regional practices highlighting that Canadian luxury centres on community and connection.

Each of the interdisciplinary contributions analyse luxury from different vantage points to understand why luxury has succeeded or failed in the Canadian context. From the history of the fur trade to the latest Indigenous fashion movement, from the T. Eaton Co.’s 1920s Made-in-Canada campaign to the on-again-off-again Toronto Fashion Week, from Vancouver public art commissions to Montréal’s future-forward fashiontech sector, the essays in this volume explain what makes and breaks Canadian luxury.

These original case studies redefine luxury for Canada – a former colonial possession and contemporary second-tier cultural market – and lay the foundation for the critical study of luxury in other historically secondary geographies that produce, consume and circulate material and symbolic luxuries. The collection ultimately challenges old myths and the mystique surrounding European luxury to give it a new lustre that shines light on those actors who have been historically excluded from its privilege: Indigenous peoples, immigrants, the working classes. It sheds light on the reasons that conventional expressions of luxury may fail in secondary markets and offers guidance for fashiontech innovations that invest in the individual without imposing dehumanizing values of efficiency and rational measurement.

Although focused on the Canadian context, the book will appeal to an international audience of scholarly and industry readers. Its interventions about broadening the focus of luxury studies beyond traditional sites in Western Europe make it an important text for global audiences. It offers an alternate reading of conventional luxury histories, sites and practices; in doing so, it models a national approach to luxury that can be applied to alternate national markets.

Jessica P. Clark is a historian of Britain and empire, with a focus on gender, consumption and labour, and an associate professor of history at Brock University, Ontario, Canada. Nigel Lezama is an associate professor of French studies at Brock University and works at the intersection of fashion, luxury, literary and cultural studies.

Contributions are drawn from a number of fields including, but not limited to, Indigenous studies, museum studies, business management, cultural studies, fashion studies, technology and industry. Contributors include Kathryn Franklin, University of Toronto; Rebecca Halliday, Toronto Metropolitan University; Riley Kucheran, Toronto Metropolitan University; Valérie Lamontagne, Concordia University; Marie O'Mahony, Ontario College of Art and Design; Julia Polyck-O'Neill, York University, Ontario.

This is a primarily an academic book. It is of great relevance to scholars within the subfield of critical luxury studies, as well as scholars of consumer and commodity cultures more broadly, and those working or interested in Canadian studies, media studies, critical studies, and historians.

Researchers and postgraduate students studying luxury as well as those studying the history of the development of Canada, its colonial past and the marginalization of Indigenous people, and with the development of fashion technologies will also find it useful.

Academics and practitioners concerned with the development of city and nation branding will find the book of value.

 

List of Figures

Acknowledgements

Introduction – Nigel Lezama

PART 1: RESURGENCE AND REVISION

1. Luxury and Indigenous Resurgence – Riley Kucheran with Jessica P. Clark and Nigel Lezama

2. Putting Canada on the Map: A Brief History of Nation and Luxury – Jessica P. Clark

3. From Unvalued to Surplus Value: ‘Made-in-Canada’ Luxury at Eaton’s in the 1920s – Nigel Lezama

PART 2: SPACE AND PLACE

4. Runway off the Mink Mile: Toronto Fashion Week and the Glamour and Luxury of Yorkville – Kathryn Franklin and Rebecca Halliday

5. Vancouver’s Monuments to Capital: Public Art, Spatial Capital and Luxury – Julia Polyck-O’Neill

PART 3: FUTURE OF CANADIAN LUXURY 

6. Beyond the Catwalk: What Happens When Luxury Meets Digital? – Marie O’Mahony

7. Contemporary Case Studies of Performative Wearables – Valérie Lamontagne

Epilogue – Jessica P. Clark and Nigel Lezama

References 

Contributors 

Index

Sujets

• Arts visuels
• Arts visuels
• Montréal
• ART
• Mode (habillement)
• Cultural Studies
• Canadian
• General
• Canada
• Fashion
• Media studies
• General officer
• Indigenous
• Montreal
• Canadians
• Mixed Media

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 08 juin 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781789385175
• Langue: English

Extrait

Canadian Critical Luxury Studies
Canadian Critical Luxury Studies

Decentring Luxury
Edited By
Jessica P. Clark and Nigel Lezama
First published in the UK in 2022 by
Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK
First published in the USA in 2022 by
Intellect, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street,
Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Copyright © 2022 Intellect Ltd
Chapter 1: Luxury and Indigenous Resurgence by Riley Kucheran with Jessica P. Clark and Nigel Lezama is an Open Access publication distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. You are allowed to download and share it with others as long as credit is given. You can not change it in any way or use it commercially.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover designer: Aleksandra Szumlas
Copy editor: Newgen
Production managers: Naomi Curston, Georgia Earl, Debora Nicosia
Typesetting: Newgen
Hardback ISBN 978-1-7893-8515-1
ePDF ISBN 978-1-7893-8516-8
ePub ISBN 978-1-7893-8517-5
Printed and bound by Severn
To find out about all our publications, please visit www.intellectbooks.com
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This is a peer-reviewed publication.
This research was supported by the Matching and Discretionary Research Fund, Brock University.
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Nigel Lezama
PART 1: RESURGENCE AND REVISION
1. Luxury and Indigenous Resurgence
Riley Kucheran with Jessica P. Clark and Nigel Lezama
2. Putting Canada on the Map: A Brief History of Nation and Luxury
Jessica P. Clark
3. From Unvalued to Surplus Value: ‘Made-in-Canada’ Luxury at Eaton’s in the 1920s
Nigel Lezama
PART 2: SPACE AND PLACE
4. Runway off the Mink Mile: Toronto Fashion Week and the Glamour and Luxury of Yorkville
Kathryn Franklin and Rebecca Halliday
5. Vancouver’s Monuments to Capital: Public Art, Spatial Capital and Luxury
Julia Polyck-O’Neill
PART 3: FUTURE OF CANADIAN LUXURY
6. Beyond the Catwalk: What Happens When Luxury Meets Digital?
Marie O’Mahony
7. Contemporary Case Studies of Performative Wearables
Valérie Lamontagne
Epilogue
Jessica P. Clark and Nigel Lezama
References
Contributors
Index
Figures
1.1 Tania Larsson, a Gwich’in and Swedish designer based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and her 2018 ‘Protect the Caribou’ runway look. Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto 2018. Modelled by Lio Francis Keahna Warrior (White Earth Anishinaabe and Meskwaki) and photographed by Nadya Kwandibens of Red Works Photography (Kwandibens 2018).
2.1 George Hunt, ‘A Beaver Pelt’, 1948. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada/National Film Board of Canada fonds/e011175745.
2.2 ‘Niagara Falls Fashion Plate, 1842’. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada/W. H. Coverdale collection of Canadiana Manoir Richelieu collection/e010947274.
2.3 Interior view of Alter Furs, Yonge Street, Toronto, c. 1927. Courtesy of Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, item 1282.
3.1 An advertisement from The Globe newspaper, dated 28 January 1922, that announces the ‘Made-in-Canada’ sale. Note the message from Eaton’s then president, John C. Eaton (1876–1922), promoting the surplus value of ‘Keep[ing] Canadians Busy’ imbued in Made-in-Canada goods. Image in public domain.
3.2 An advertisement from The Globe newspaper, dated 28 October 1930, that announces the imminent opening of the Eaton’s College Street store. Note the use of perspective in the image that foregrounds the grandeur of the new building and the ad copy that emphasizes the modernity of the space and its offerings as opposed to any specific qualities of ‘Canadianness’. Image in public domain.
4.1 Map of Bloor-Yorkville Boundary. Courtesy of City of Toronto.
4.2 Donna Mason, ‘Beautiful Girls of Yorkville’, Toronto Daily Star , 29 July 1968. From Toronto Star . ©1968 Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.
4.3 A street view of the RE/SET showroom in Yorkville Village during Toronto Fashion Week, Fall 2019. Courtesy of Rebecca Halliday.
4.4 The street outside the former Anthropologie store during Toronto Fashion Week, Fall 2019. Courtesy of Rebecca Halliday.
5.1 Douglas Coupland, Digital Orca , 2009. Powder-coated aluminum, stainless steel, LED lights. 762 cm. Vancouver, BC. Collection of Pavco (B.C. Pavilion Corporation). Courtesy of Julia Polyck-O’Neill.
5.2 Ken Lum, Monument for East Vancouver , 2010. Concrete, steel, aluminum, impact modified acrylic, LED illumination. 17.5 m. Vancouver, BC. Collection of the City of Vancouver. Courtesy of Ken Lum.
5.3 Ken Lum, Monument for East Vancouver , 2010 (illuminated). Concrete, steel, aluminum, impact modified acrylic, LED illumination. 17.5 m. Vancouver, BC. Collection of the City of Vancouver. Courtesy of Robert Keziere.
6.1 Iris van Herpen’s ‘Aeriform’ dress produced in collaboration with the Canadian architect Philip Beesley. Acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and exhibited at the museum’s ‘Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion’ show in 2018. Courtesy of Marie O’Mahony.
6.2 Philip Beesley, shown here with his Transforming Space . The installation uses 3D printed forms to create an artificial nature, reanimated by an artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, sound, lighting and movement to interact with visitors to the exhibition. Courtesy of Marie O’Mahony.
7.1 Anouk Wipprecht, ‘Spider Dress’, 2014. Courtesy of Jason Perry.
7.2 Diffus, ‘Climate Dress’, 2009. Model: Anne Sophie Fioritto Thomsen. Courtesy of Anni Norddahl.
7.3 3lectromode, Strokes&Dots , 2013. Models: Mathilde & Yollie (Dulcedo). Courtesy of Julia Marois.
7.4 XS Labs, Captain Electric and Battery Boy , 2010. Models: Émilie Grenier (‘Sticky’), Marjorie Labrèque (‘Stiff’) and Lisa Small (‘Itchy’). Courtesy of Guillaume Pelletier.
Acknowledgements
This volume has been long in the making. From initial conversations to planning small events for institutional and public outreach to a larger international conference to, finally, this volume, there are many people to whom we are beholden for their guidance, advice and assistance and institutions we must thank for their support and funding.
We are grateful to Carol Merriam, Dean of Humanities at Brock University, who gleaned the potential convergences in two new hires and saw fit to introduce them. It was during our first meeting, one late summer evening over wine, that we determined that the idea of luxury was the common element in our respective research programmes. We started working right away and have been fortunate to have had the continued support of our institution. We would like to thank Brock University’s Faculty of Humanities, the departments of History and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the Office of the Vice President, Research and the Humanities Research Institute for the financial, administrative and moral support our project has received at all phases.
We have personally benefited from the collegiality among scholars in critical luxury and fashion studies. We would especially like to thank Riley Kucheran, who has been a steadfast friend and supporter. Our long conversations – about luxury and everything else – have changed the ways we understand our collective work. Many thanks to John Armitage and Joanne Roberts, Shaun Borstrock, Dellores Laing, Veronica Manlow, Katrina Sark and Thomaï Serdari for their support.
Many of the key ideas in this volume came out of discussions had and connections made at the 2017 conference, Nouveau Reach: Past, Present and Future of Luxury , co-organized with Alison Matthews David and Robert Ott. We deeply appreciate their support. We are grateful for the rich and varied contributions of our plenary speakers, Jonathan Faiers, Giorgio Riello and Jana Scholze. We’re also thankful for the contributions of Toronto-area makers and thinkers Tala Kamea Berkes, Farley Chatto, Peggy Sue Deaven-Smiltnieks, Sage Paul and Anjli Patel. This invaluable opportunity to exchange ideas would not have been possible without the incredible work of Dylan Kwacz, Daniel Drak, Hayley Malouin, Jaclyn Marcus, Kate Marland and Juliana Scott.
Our production editors, Naomi Curston, Georgia Earl and Debora Nicosia, have been a great source of support since Intellect Books first approved our proposal. They have guided us through the process efficiently and with geniality. We are also indebted to the anonymous reviewers who offered critical and generous recommendations that enhanced the quality of the book. Thanks to Tania Larsson, Nadya Kwandibens and Lio Francis Keahna Warrior for allowing us to feature their striking work on the cover.
At the end of Nouveau Reach , a small group of participants met to form the Canadian Critical Luxury Collective. These are the contributors to this volume. We are grateful for all of their ideas, energy and stamina. Their ideas are what give Canadian luxury its meaning. Their energy is what will keep the collective active. Their stamina was essential to bring an edited volume to fruition. Personally, we are thrilled that we are able to share their disruptive ideas with the readers of Canadian Critical Luxury Studies .
A remarkably innovative scholar and maker in the field of wearables, Valérie Lamontagne had agreed to participate in this project before her sad passing. We are especially grateful to Brad Todd and Joanna Berzowska for helping us to share an edited version of case studies from her doctoral thesis, which brought a different depth to the key themes in this volume.
Introduction
Nigel L