A Proposed Methodology for the Revival of the Egyptian Identity in Fashion

Abstract

For centuries, Egyptians have maintained their cultural identity, they were known to proud of this identity throughout history, including the times during which they were occupied by foreign powers that were superior to them both economically and scientifically. Even during these hard times, history never registered that the Egyptians, in general, have given-up bragging about their cultural identity, on the contrary, they have mastered the art of creating ways to preserve their rich identity through expressive artistic forms which exhibited their heritage, as shown in the patterns, styles and embroidery of their clothes; as well as the types of jewelry and accessories that were derived from their homeland and its culture. But recently, Egyptians have become influenced by different styles that tend to blindly imitate the Western fashion, by importing forms and models that are unsuitable for our cultural identity. This is a result of globalization and the influence of Western patterns that are rich with advanced economical possibilities, which try to eliminate the communication barriers using modern communication techniques, to promote their values, standards, traditions and perceptions, and to export their merchandise, hence, their identity, resulting in the society losing its own identity. The research problem emerges from the need to return to the national heritage; and to characterize clothes and jewelry designs with the Egyptian identity, so that it can protect the Egyptian society from foreign influences and trends, also, the need to abstain from imitating fashions that doesn’t suit the Egyptian identity, as well as eliminate fashions that are foreign to the society, by creating a design vision originated from- and according to- the Egyptian identity. So, the research aims to affirm the need to restore the identity that distinguish our culture by reviving the national heritage through creating designs for Egyptian clothes and jewelry that combines between authenticity and contemporary. It also aims to set a suggested methodology to utilize elements and items of the identity, to create an Egyptian fashion that competes nationally and internationally, in the field of clothes and jewelry design. The research is based on a methodology that includes the descriptive aspect of the academic study, and the experimental aspect of the practical study. The research studies and discusses four main aspects: the first aspect discusses the “concept and characteristics of the Egyptian Identity”, the second study “fashion and jewelry design between authenticity and contemporary”, the third reviews “competitive values of fashion and jewelry nationally and internationally”, the fourth presents a “suggested methodology to utilize elements and items of the Egyptian identity to create an Egyptian fashion that can compete nationally and internationally in the fields of designing fashion and jewelry – practical study”, and the research ends with results and recommendations on both academic and practical levels. The research has concluded that: it is effective to utilize elements and items of the national heritage in designing clothes and jewelry with an Egyptian character and identity. The research also presented a suggested methodology to utilize elements and items of the Egyptian identity to create an Egyptian fashion that can compete nationally and internationally in the fields of designing fashion and jewelry.