• 복식문화연구
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.30-44
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• 2020

Bootleg fashion emerged from the fashion industry after 2010, and has been used across a range of different genres. However, it has yet to be theoretically established; therefore, this study will explain bootleg fashion as a new genre, which will help in the planning and designing of products within domestic fashion brands. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics and internal meaning of bootleg fashion as a recently emerged fashion phenomenon that borrows from other brands without permission. The research methodology included a theoretical literature review of fashion sites and related materials and empirical research using case analysis. Results of the analysis of both characteristics and internal meaning of bootleg fashion suggest the following characteristics: "unauthorized use of symbolic elements," "disorganization of boundaries between fashion," "multiplicity through globalization," and "newness through deconstruction and recombination." Internal meanings derived from the analysis were "parody through symbol," which is seen as "a parody and homage resulting from the unauthorized use of a brand," while "decomposition through disorganization" is seen as a break-up of the boundaries between different fashions from a mainstream-oriented perspective. A juxtaposition of elements was demonstrated by "playfulness through transformation," which showed that such fashion cannot coexist with positional transposition. Finally, "spread as a cultural phenomenon" was derived through the diffusion through digital media with DIY culture. As such, bootleg fashion has been reborn as an innovative fashion genre, breaking the taboo of the illegitimate from the past and demonstrating new endeavors.