The geography of fashion has distant roots, and world capitols rely on a large accumulation of materials from around the world in order to grow. As a Nazi-occupied island, isolated from the rest of the world, Paris lost its monopoly on fashion, with competition growing stronger in New York, London and Italy. In order to recover, French ateliers returned to the haute-couture stage, but with innovative cooperation between the fashion and textile industries.
Read MoreFashion History: From WW1 through WW2 - The Chanel Years
The interwar years saw a profound shift in the cultural values of the Western World. Women's fashion was particularly affected, with formality taking a backseat to practicality and comfort. Gabrielle Chanel was among the first designers to not only understand this cultural shift, but to capitalize on it and build an empire in the process.
Read MoreFashion History: From the Belle Epoque through WW1
The advancement of the leisure lifestyle and creation of Sportswear was the first reason for women to turn away from traditional dress. Oriental influences became hugely popular in the West through art and performances. Paul Poiret became the first to capture these trends, after Charles Worth had blazed the trail for the original designer to become the arbiter of taste. Poiret introduced the modern marketing concept of fashion: he sold the dream, not just the dress.
Read MoreFashion History: The 19th Century Dress Reform Movements
While Charles Worth and his ilk had monopolized the heavily adorned and radically contorted body cuts, a backlash was brewing. Industrial elite members of the "Grand Denial" sought a more discrete luxury and sober distinction in their fashions. Moralists felt that the modern fashions were shameful and ostentatious, and they sought a return to "worker-friendly" produced clothing that was natural and free from dyes. In addition to radicals, social reformers and feminists, doctors and hygienists also supported the Dress Reform Movement, warning against the hazards of corseting and "artificial" textiles.
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