University of Rhode Island  
Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design

TMD 402K The Art and Science of Fashion - Speaker Summaries

Kaohlee Xiong: Paint it Black: and anthropological, technological, and psychological exploration of the color black

Jen Simpson: Graffiti: writing its way through time and into our closets

by Clarissa Nault

 Kaohlee Xiong’s presentation was “Paint it Black: and anthropological, technological, and psychological exploration of the color black”. Kaohlee shared the history of the development of black dyes; revealing that most black dyes have always been a mix of other colors, or extremely saturated other colors like green or blue. She then discussed the history of black as it relates to western cultures. She discussed the various religious denotations, as well as the development of black as a color representing mourning, dignity, and the badge of antisocial subcultures.

In order to better examine the effect of black on our thinking, Kaohlee focused on a study  which asked ‘Do sports teams with black uniforms receive more penalties than other teams?’ The answer was yes, which naturally led to the question of ‘why?’ The conclusion was that in addition to the referee expecting the team in black to cause more trouble, the players felt more aggressive. The black uniforms effected the players self perceptions, not just the way that they were perceived by others.

Kaohlee’s presentation was well organized, and comprehensive; I appreciated her summary point that our perceptions of the color black, and those that wear it are in many ways contradictory. I was left with only one question: has the significance of black through history been different for men and women.

Jen Simpson’s presentation was “Graffiti: writing its way through time and into our closets”. There are two kinds of graffiti. The anthropological definition applies to carvings on ancient buildings and in caves. A more modern definition of graffiti applies to the “tagging” that happens in urban areas. Jen focused on modern graffiti.

She traced the beginnings to “Kilroy was here” tags on bombs in World War II. She then traced the trend to Cornbread and Kool Earl in the 1960s in Philadelphia and New York City. It developed in complexity and became ubiquitous in urban areas until a documentary in 1982 brought it to international attention as an example of modern art and urban culture. Graffiti became a venue for expression and political statement, urban beautification, and legitimate art.

Like all the classics of modern art, it was inevitable that graffiti would make the leap to apparel. It started appearing on t-shirts, patches, and shoes. Since the 1980s graffiti has come and gone from fashionable apparel. Jen thinks that it will continue to do so, never staying long in the spotlight, but because of its adaptability to current events, and its rebellious roots, it will never leave the fashion consciousness for long.

Graffiti forces us to examine several difficult questions: what is the difference between art and vandalism? Does mainstream awareness ruin a counterculture? For example when graffiti artists started designing for apparel were they selling out? Was graffiti’s political edge lost when it was marketed to the masses?