National passion seeps into crisis fashion

By Sophie Hardach

PARIS (Reuters) - You could call it fashionalism. At a Vivienne Westwood show, buyer Amanda Ware lists new trends she has spotted in London: quirky hats, trendy scarves -- and British-made designer accessories featuring the Union Jack.

Several fashion buyers visiting this month's Paris shows reported a jump in nationalist purchases, especially in London, which before the economic crisis prided itself on being the capital of multicultural style.

"I think it's this whole Britishness thing," said Ware, who buys accessories for luxury store Fortnum & Mason in London. In the boom years, the French and Italian brands she stocks were more popular than British ones, she said. That has changed.

Ware has adjusted her purchases accordingly, buying visibly British accessories such as a Paul Smith scarf with a London city print, which she expects to do well despite the general retail slump.

"There's been a lot of support for both Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith, it's been the strongest this season," she said.

"Vivienne Westwood is more tartan, Paul Smith is strong with the Union Jack. It's really flown over the past 8-12 weeks."

From workers protesting against foreigners taking jobs to governments bailing out failing local industries, fashion executives point to a global wave of nationalist protests and policies since the world economy turned sharply down.

The World Bank said in a report this month that since last November, 17 of the G20 nations had implemented measures whose effect is to restrict trade at the expense of other countries.

"The trend in protection is up and the full effects (of) recession have not yet been felt," said the report by Elisa Gamberoni and Richard Newfarmer.

The patriotic shopping spree suggests such nationalism is seeping into the middle classes, steering those who can afford designer accessories costing several hundred pounds.

BUYING YOUR OWN

"I think there is a general trend of people buying from their own country. Globally, protectionism is growing, and you see that in fashion," Geoffrey de La Bourdonnaye, chief executive of Liberty of London, told Reuters at the Christian Lacroix show in Paris.

In a curious backlash, the trend appears to be strongest in Britain, whose former Prime Minister Tony Blair was one of the most vocal defenders of globalization.

The French have supported protectionist policies such as aid for the car sector but designers and retailers say they are not particularly looking to buy French fashion brands.

In the United States, which came under fire last month for a "Buy American" campaign, clothes and accessories featuring President Barack Obama are popular. But fashionable New Yorkers see wearing national symbols such as the flag as an expression of right-wing politics.