Fashion has long moved beyond the confines of traditional fashion capitals, yet the mechanisms by which it engages with inherited cultural legacies still perpetuate old hierarchies.
The four words in this section describe different facets of one process: how traditional craft becomes a resource for the global industry, what kinds of images are constructed in this process, and who ultimately benefits.
Cultural Appropriation—the use of elements from another culture (patterns, techniques, clothing, ritual objects) without understanding their meaning or acknowledging their source. In fashion, this most often arises when a dominant culture profits from something that the representatives of the source culture have historically been persecuted for.
Decolonial Fashion—a movement in fashion production and research that challenges the hierarchy between Western and non-Western design and clothing creation.
Click on the cards to read more about the terms «Cultic Appropriation in Fashion» and «Decolonial Fashion»
Exoticization — an aesthetic strategy wherein elements of non-Western cultures are presented as distant, mysterious, and decorative, devoid of specific historical or social context. In fashion, it manifests as a visual language that constructs the image of the Other to serve the Western gaze.
Craftsmanship in fashion describes more than just handmade work; it refers to a specific approach to the process that emphasizes the time invested in creating a piece, knowledge of artisanal techniques and materials, and respect for the makers.
Click on the cards to read more about the terms «Exoticization in Fashion» and «Craft».
Photo: Maxhosa Africa SS2025
Read the terms in other dictionary sections
On the connection between fashion and technology, fashion and art
On Fashion Professions and the Archival Turn