Gowda, Krishna (2023) “Impact of Information Technology (IT) on Society,” ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, July-December 2023 4(2), 3513-3517.
Launched in 2011, Southern Innovator’s first issue on mobile phones and information technology proved highly influential, profiling the work of a new generation of innovators. It has been cited in books, papers and strategic plans.
Last year’s fashion runways were dominated by one influence: Mongolian traditional design. If a designer wanted to show they were boldly embracing natural fibres and furs, then the refrain ” my show is all Mongolian” would be proudly boasted to the media. The country has become a synonym for sartorial flare and rugged beauty. It also doesn’t hurt that one of Mongolia’s top exports, cashmere wool, is in vogue, from Japan to Europe to the United States. After years of being isolated from the west under the umbrella of the Soviet Union, Mongolian fashion is proudly strutting the catwalks of the world.
Her square glasses reminiscent of Yves Saint Laurent (ysl.com), Mongolia’s top designer, Soyolmaa, talked to Ger about the ubiquitous nature of traditional clothes in the late 1990s. “There are few countries who still wear the national costume these days. Mongolia is one of them,” she says sitting regally in the studio of her home, surrounded by models draped in dresses for her latest collection: a tribute to the style and attitude of Mongolia’s ancient queens.
“Because the design of Mongolian national clothes is highly developed, no further changes are needed.” As head of the Mongolian National Designers’ Union, she has spent many years trying to find ways to improve the national costume to “no effect” she adds.
Busy tailors come and go, checking designs. The studio is crowded with four tailors and the models (not to mention this reporter). Two clients patiently wait in the hallway to see her. In a country where the soldiers and police wear uniforms designed by Pierre Cardin, it is no surprise Mongolians aren’t slouches when it comes to clothes. While budgets may be tight and the shops far from world standard, people still find a way to dress with flair.
It is still common to see the traditional del – a cloak of either wool, leather or silk – worn by men and women of all ages, even in the capital. As herders are quick to say, the del serves many practical purposes. It is padding for long rides on the steppe, it is a makeshift tent in bad weather, it is a warm blanket, and for women, a nod to modesty when nature calls on the open steppe. While it is standard wear for older generations, younger urban Mongolians turn to the del on special occasions like school graduation ceremonies.
Last year collections by Christian Dior (Dior.com), Chanel (chanel.com), UNGARO and Pierre Cardin (pierrecardin.com) all paid homage to Mongolian design, typically characterized by variations on the del cloak, flamboyant displays of fur and knee-high boots.
“Asian styles are now having a big impact on world fashion design,” continues Soyolmaa.
“It is because Asian clothes offer pure, simple patterns with eye-catching colours and adornments. There is a trend towards purism in the fashion world. They like high collars, askew lapels, loose sleeves and nudarga (long sleeves). The bright colors of Asia are showing up throughout Western design. You can see the askew lapel and high collar and bright colors from Christian Dior to Chanel.”
The Mongolian national costume is a classic example of purism. The pattern is very simple, with no separate sleeves or shoulder parts, and very economical with little waste of cloth.
And why did this style evolve over the generations? Soyolmaa has a simple answer: “It is because of the harsh weather of Mongolia.” The askew lapel doesn’t let wind pierce the body, nudarga or long sleeves don’t make arms cold in the minus 30 to 40 degrees Celsius winters. Winter dels have fur interiors, using wolf, fox, sheep or lamb’s wool. From ancient times to now, Mongolian men wear wolf fur coats in winter when guarding horses at night.
There are about a hundred styles of hat. Loovuus, made of fox fur with a cloth top, is a common hat in winter. The back part is open. “Fox fur is very dense. Without an open back one feels too hot and it causes high blood pressure and a headache,” according to Soyolmaa. The extraordinary design of boots with pointed toes is suitable for riding a horse while leaving enough dead air space to keep the toes warm.
Soyolmaa takes difference with those who claim “Fashion sense ends in Mongolia.” “It might because they have nothing to compare it with. But now that fashion shows are available on cable TV, Mongolians are learning how to compare Mongolian fashion and models with the global standard.” For Soyolmaa, as it is the time for Asian fashion, it is also the time for Asian models.
“Irina Pantieva, the world’s top model is Mongolian. She is from the Buriat Republic (a province of Russia directly north of Mongolia and populated by a large number of people of Mongolian heritage).” She says Mongolian models are ready to take on the world.
To the soothing sounds of Enigma, Mongolia’s top models parade Soyolmaa’s tributes to Mongolian queens in early May at the Las Vegas Entertainment Centre, a former communist-era cinema. Long silk dresses are complemented with furs and enormous hats, at times evoking Cleopatra, at other times something from a Dr. Seus cartoon, some hats reaching a meter high. Judging by the audience’s reaction and the quality of Soyolmaa’s creations, the time has come for Mongolian designers to take centre stage on the world fashion scene.
A Mongolian cashmere designer once opined that Mongolians are lucky that most goats in the country are capable of producing fine cashmere. And while Chinese cashmere dominates the marketplace, Mongolian cashmere is by far the purest and finest.
About 30 cashmere companies contributes tens of millions of dollars a year to the country’s wealth (though nobody is quite sure how much because most cashmere sales go unreported to the government). But the revenue isn’t what it used to be due to problems in the domestic industry and a drop in the world price. Z. Ayur, chief secretariat of the Gobi company, thinks it doesn’t have to be that way.
“Unfortunately we lose half of our raw cashmere to China,” he says.”
“The Chinese buy cashmere at a high price, not depending on the quality. This means national manufacturers lack raw cashmere to process into garments.”
He thinks raw cashmere exports should be banned or subject to a duty of 100 to 150 per cent. Mongolia’s weak infrastructure plays a part as well. It is cheaper for herders to travel to the Chinese border with cashmere than to bring it to the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Often when they are at the border with China, they are subjected to some hard bargaining by Chinese brokers, who exploit the fact herders can’t afford to walk away empty handed.
Cashmere has always been considered a luxury and expensive. But in the past two years it has lost its fusty image as only for old people. Trendy designs have attracted a vast market of younger cashmere consumers. “I guess in the past it was dear and expensive and designs weren’t very appealing to the younger set,” thinks Gerelmaa, the chief designer of Gobi company.
The Gobi company is one of the few state enterprises left over from the socialist period that still makes money (and is due for privatization this year – a prime pick for foreign investors).
In 1972 the United Nations funded projects to experiment with starting a cashmere garment industry in Mongolia. This innovative thinking led to a joint Japanese-Mongolian venture in 1981 to start the first cashmere manufacturer, Gobi. These days it still produces one third of the country’s cashmere products.
Mongolian Wool and Cashmere Federation head Tsendmaa is optimistic about the drop in the world market price.” It will soon go back up again,” she says with confidence. “The reserve of cashmere in the world will run out soon. What happened with the drop in prices is typical of any industry when it overproduces.” What worries her most is the flood of Mongolian cashmere going to China, where Chinese workers process and knit the garments and reap the job benefits.
While cashmere is still known for its use in classic turtle, crew and v-neck jumpers, things have changed. “Before we mostly exported classic styles in off-white, brown, grey, black, bark, blue or dark red to Japan or Germany,” continues Tsendmaa. “Now Americans order more fashionable cashmere for the young. The designs of short jumpers that expose bare chests and waists are cheap to produce (less material) and suitable for young fashions.”
Italian, French or Belgian customers are fussier and demand greater variety in designs. These countries determine the vogue for cashmere wear and use the most high tech knitting technology.
Contemporary cashmere fashion in France or Italy can combine fur or silk. Colours have also been revamped, with the young going for light blue, light pink, snow white, off-white and light green. Italians and Americans like metal grey with rose or pink. Mixing up the colours in sporty stripes and lines is also popular.
Cashmere is very practical, warm and light. “It is not suitable for the office,” says Gerelmaa.” Cashmere wear is more suitable to wear for a night out or just for hanging out. But of course it is not for sport!”
Fashionable Mongolian cashmere is becoming a strong competitor to Chinese, Italian, Scottish or American cashmere. “The raw material is pure and the design is more fashionable.”
And a happy Gerelmaa likes the sound the cash register makes in Japan: “In Japan classic Mongolian style is sold for more than US $1,200 in the Takashimaya Store, in GINZA.”
Now if more of that kind of hard cash found its way back to Mongolia, the country would definitely be better off.
David South Consulting 
You must be logged in to post a comment.