Is 'streetwear' a racist term?

　　“街头服饰”是带有种族歧视的词汇吗?

　　At the start of the millennium the New York Timescompiled a list of overused fashion adjectives. “Geek-chic”, “mash-up” and “fashionista” were included. Anupdated list for 2016 might include “streetwear”.

　　在2000年初，纽约时报编辑整理了一份被过度使用的时尚形容词清单。“潮”，“混搭”，和“时尚达人”都包括在其中。2016年的升级版清单或许会新增“街头服饰”这个词。

　　The latter term has troubling connotations for designers such as Nasir Mazhar who suggestedthat “streetwear” was a racially coded term. He told Dazed: “The minute people see black ornon-white models, they think it’s streetwear.”

　　街头服饰”一词带有隐晦性色彩，比如设计师Nasir Mazhar认为：“街头服饰”是一个带有种族歧视的词汇。他告诉Dazed杂志：“当人们看到黑人或非白人模特时，他们认为那就是街头服饰。”

　　Appropriately, for such a linguistically floppy term, its origins are dreamy and sun-kissed. “Streetwear” grew out of the US surf and skate culture of the 1960s and 70s. It later came toencompass comfortable clothes such as T-shirts and baggy jeans. In the UK, say “streetwear”and people think of joggers, caps and hoodies. Low-priced, soft-to-the-touch comfy wear thatnods to hip-hop. They don’t think of haute couture. In that sense, Mazhar tells me, it’s an oddfit with what he does.

　　其实，这样一个慵懒性十足的词汇，其起源也相当地梦幻。“街头服饰”来源于美国20世纪六七十年代的冲浪和滑板文化。此后，“街头服饰”逐渐推出T恤和牛仔裤等休闲服饰。在英国，“街头服饰”令人联想到慢跑者，工人和小混混，是价格低廉，手感柔软，让人随嘻哈音乐点头的舒适衣服。人们不会想到高级女式时装。Mazhar告诉我，由此来看，他所做的是一种怪异的服饰。

　　“I’ve always associated the term with brands that mainly do T-shirts and sweatshirts,” he says. “They are not full-on fashion brands. So, in that sense, it’s belittling.” For him, it’s about feelingmisunderstood by the fashion pack. “When people describe my collection using that term, Ifeel like they don’t get what I’m doing.”

　　“我总是把这个词和主打T恤和运动衫的品牌联系在一起，”他说，“他们不是紧随潮流的品牌。所以从这个层面上，它被轻视了。”对他来说，这就像是被潮流误解了：“当人们用这个词来形容我的作品，我感到他们并未真的了解我做的东西。”

　　It’s a fair point when you consider that Mazhar’s most recent collection was inventive, surrealand contained absolutely no T-shirts whatsoever. His clothes are a celebration of opposites:tracksuits and tailored pieces, formal jackets, rave tops and denim wear. But instead of thocus being on these different aspects, he is seen as an urban streetwear designer. “I don’tthink people know how to talk about the looks or shapes I use. I’m not saying the clothes aremasterpieces, but people’s rerence points were really basic.”

　　如果你认为Mazhar最近的作品很有创造力，超现实主义且没有包含任何T恤这样的元素，那么也是情有可原的。他的衣服是对立面的集合：运动衣裤和定制衣服，正式的夹克，上等的衣服和粗棉布衣服。但人们却并未关注这些方面，只是把他视为一名街头服饰的设计师。“我觉得人们不知该如何评论我所设计的衣服的款式和版型。我并不是说这些衣服是什么杰作，但人们提及的角度确实都太浅显了。”

　　Mazhar says he is always asked about the music in his shows, and the diversity of his models,but never the artistry behind his clothes. It echoes something Daryoush Haj-Najafi, senioreditor of Complex UK, asks: “Why, when Raf Simons designs a trainer, is it art, and whenKanye West does it, it’s a joke?”

　　Mazhar说他常被问及自己秀场的音乐和各种各样的模特，而不是衣服背后的艺术。正好应了Complex UK的高级编辑Daryoush Haj-Najafi说的那句话：“为什么同一款跑鞋，Raf Simons设计出来是艺术，而KanyeWest设计出来就是笑话?”

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