local brand names.Her awareness of what makes a beautiful woman has been vastly expanded.In Tokyo,on the same day,Maki Ko is doing a presentation for her public relations company.Her trim size 8 figure is zipped into an Italian suit.In her English pocket-book Elizabeth Arden cosmetics share space with products from Shisiedo,the Tokyo-based beauty company.Last year Maki had Japan's most popular cosmetic surgery procedure,a rhinoplasty to make her button nose look more Western.The list goes on:The globalization of fashion is one of the phenomena of our time,a vast market for those companies who somehow have a look that translates worldwide. 2 There's nothing new,of course,about the process of fashionable imitation.In Roman Britain prosperous natives wore togas.This fashion remained popular for some time. "Likewise,after the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066,French styles became chic.This kind of fashion trend has been happening for centuries.But what is new is the sheer size and depth of penetration of this global fashion. 3 Consider Levi jeans,a company with a brand imprint carried by 2,800 retail companies in 45 countries.Worldwide sales for 1996 were US $7.1 billion.Or Estee Lauder,which since it went international in 1960,has penetrated 100 markets and racked up sales of $3.4 billion in 1997.Or take China,whose women were forbidden as recently as 10 years ago to powder their noses-in recent years,the fashion and cosmetics market has expanded by 20 to 30 percent annually.But is this all a plot by greedy designers, manufacturers and fashion editors to clone the world into one image?Alison Lurie,author of The Language of Clothes,thinks not.She says people and cultures themselves decide on what is fashion these days. 4 Of far more importance to fashion trends,according to Marc Bourgery,an advertising consultant,is the question of how a country entertains itself.He gives the example of Japan,a country that has a love affair with golf and,more recently,with American situation comedies."Japanese people now want to be defined as witty,successful and affluent,and so that style has become cool and sought after. 5 Bourgery,who travels the world in order to advise clients on which images sell best in which countries,thinks that global fashion is not about the West dictating to the East. 689local brand names. Her awareness of what makes a beautiful woman has been vastly expanded. In Tokyo , on the same day , Maki Ko is doing a presentation for her public relations company. Her trim size 8 figure is zipped into an Italian suit. In her English pocket-book Elizabeth Arden cosmetics share space with products from Shisiedo , the Tokyo-based beauty company. Last year Maki had Japan' s most popular cosmetic surgery procedure , a rhinoplasty to make her button nose look more Western. The list goes on: The globalization of fashion is one of the phenomena of our time , a vast market for those companies who somehow have a look that translates worldwide. 2 There' s nothing new , of course , about the process of fashionable imitation. In Roman Britain prosperous natives wore togas. This fashion remained popular for some time. "Likewise , after the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066 , French styles became chic. This kind of fashion trend has been happening for centuries. But what is new is the sheer size and depth of penetration of this global fashion. 3 Consider Levi jeans, a company with a brand imprint carried by 2 , 800 retail companies in 45 cοuntries. Worldwide sales for 1996 were US $ 7. 1 billion. Or Estee Lauder , which since it went international in 1960 , has penetrated 100 markets and racked up sales of $ 3. 4 billion in 1997. Or take China , whose women were forbidden as recently as 10 years ago to powder their noses 一in recent years, the fashion and cosmetics market has expanded by 20 to 30 percent annually. But is this all a plot by greedy designers, manufacturers and fashion editors to clone the world into one image? Alison Lurie , author of The Language of Clothes, thinks not. She says people and cultures themselves decide on what is fashion these days. 4 Of far more importance to fashion trends, according to Marc Bourgery ,an advertising consultant , is the question of how a country entertains itself. He gives the example of Japan , a country that has a love affair with golf and , more recently , with American situation comedies. "Japanese people now want to be defined as witty , successful and affluent , and so that style has become cool and sought after. " 5 Bourgery , who travels the world in order to advise clients on which images sell best in which countries, thinks that global fashion is not about the West dictating to the East. 689