Week 4 - Katrina Shi

4. How can Social Entrepreneurship assist in a country's development?

Social entrepreneurship is a term that best captures a unique approach to economic or social problems. A social entrepreneur, thus, is someone who is a leader that is able to create large scale change that is both continuous and systematic in nature. Kensuke Ishizu, for example, can be seen as a social entrepreneur. In the readings we see how he, seeing the need to provide the emerging middle class a functional work uniform, thought of incorporating Ivy League style into the designs targeted towards the Japanese young generation at the time. As a result, we see how the change in Japan’s menswear fashion was able to influence its fashion industry and create a culture for Japanese youth that redefined what American style means in the fashion industry. Japan’s fashion achieved success both nationally and across the globe by adopting a more Western style in textiles and attire, allowing Japan to establish a cultural connection to more developed countries such as the US. Combined with the nation’s economic power and its policies to extend foreign diplomacy and influence, the establishment of American style in Japanese menswear fashion allowed for Japan to insert itself into the American consciousness. 

Question: How can a nation best preserve its own unique culture while incorporating elements from other cultures in an effort to diversify and reach out to other countries?

Sources: 

Fernandez, Chantal. "How American Style Fueled Postwar Youth Fashion in Japan."Fashionista.com. N.p., 2 Dec. 2015.
"Japanese Mens Fashion." Fashion Gens. Fashion Gens, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.