February theme: Fashion, Race & Politics
And we couldn't have chosen a more relevant time to discuss this.
Hello everyone,
It’s the start of a new month, which means it’s the start of a new theme. Last year we focused on “Black (Fashion) History Month,” and we will still celebrate it across our platforms, but this time we are setting the stage for “Fashion, Race & Politics.”
The way that we fashion our identity in everyday life is, in many ways, political, as it expresses our beliefs and personal (or collective) interests. Throughout fashion history, we can identify myriad archetypal garments, hair styles and accessories that make a political statement–a black beret, a ‘liberty’ cap, an all-white dress ensemble, an Afro, a ‘MAGA’ hat, a t-shirt with a provocative message emblazoned on it, and so on. We use fashion to show our alignment with, or disapproval of the state of affairs that affect us, with the utility of color, materiality and cultural references transforming wearable symbolism into thoughts and actions.
Throughout the month of February, The Fashion and Race Database® is exploring how what we wear and how we wear it sends a political message–a phenomenon that extends across history, cultures and geography.
As we plan our virtual events/programming, what would you like to see discussed during this month’s theme?
-Kim Jenkins (Founder, Principal Researcher)
