Whodunit Wednesday - Fashion

(The picture is of Sean and Jill's dog, Pierre)

I remember when I figured out that Haägen Dazs ice cream was not some European brand (it sounds somewhat Danish), but simply American. It was at that time that I realized that things aren’t always what they sound like. 

This is also true when you think of fashion. Perhaps there are some (real fashionistas) who have heard of the “Antwerp Six” and know that Antwerp is a Belgian city. Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulenmeester and Walter Van Beirendonck were all part of the Antwerp Six. Others, like Diane von Furstenberg (who was born in Belgium) and Liz Claiborne, simply sound German or Amnerican. They are Belgian, as is Raf Simons, the head of Dior. 

Even brands can sound like something else. Scapa, which has an English aesthetic, is a Belgian fashion brand. America Today, G-Star Raw and Scotch & Soda, despite what they might sound like, are Dutch brands. Viktor & Rolf are two Dutch fashion designers

It reminds me of how beautiful I have always found the idea of a melting pot in the United States. People come from everywhere. You cannot tell from a last name where someone might be from. When we first came to Belgium and The Netherlands, our last name helped. Raab is originally a German name and the double “a” makes perfect sense in the Dutch/Flemish language. Even better, in the family of God, we can come from everywhere and still belong, no matter what your name sounds like. We just want to wear the right fashion. 

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.    Galatians 3:26-29