In the News, Issue 08, August 20
Twice a month, we bring you a curated news report that addresses some of the most critical and timely headlines as it relates to fashion and race.
NOTE: This is an abridged version of our full “In the News” issue. To read the full stories and view all of the images, continue on at our website.
In Issue 08 of In the News, we consider the impacts of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, share an update on Shein’s problematic faster-fashion approach, unpack the tensions between inclusivity and luxury, and explore the complexities of artisan-designer collaboration.
– Anu Lingala, Contributor, “In the News”
Dress Politics
This week, news broke of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the Taliban took control. First and foremost, we would like to share the comprehensive community resource guide compiled by Hawa Arsala and Slow Factory Foundation, an organization featured in the Fashion and Race Database Directory.
The current crisis has forced many to reflect on the past twenty years of warfare, and even longer histories of political intervention driven by Western nations. Although these issues may seem far removed from fashion, the politics of dress and its intersection with religion are often central to Western narratives justifying such intervention. For decades, sensationalist media headlines have pointed to religious coverings and modest dress to portray Muslim women as oppressed and in need of being rescued. After this week’s news broke regarding Afghanistan, these narratives again took center stage. Recognizing the problematic nature of this commentary as seen in mainstream media, Zara Rahim took to Twitter and Instagram Stories to collect and share literature that “[unpacks] the weaponization of western feminist narratives to advance military occupation/Islamophobia.” One of the articles shared by Rahim is a powerful editorial published by Rafia Zakaria in The Nation, which details how white feminist leaders have been complicit in championing the idea that “war and occupation were essential to freeing Afghan women,” despite indigenous Afghan feminist groups actively voicing opposition to such American intervention.
This speaks to the broader Western narrative that Muslim women are unaware of their own oppression and …
Further Reading:
Consider nuanced interpretations of religion and culture with the essay, “Wrapped in Meaning: Modest Fashion as a Feminist Strategy.”
View our reading list on the relationships between Fashion & Politics.
Read Emma Tarlo’s book, Visibly Muslim: Fashion, Politics, Faith.
Read the full story and find the other headlines within “Sustainability & Labor Issues” that are on our radar.
Business & Retail
In our last issue, we discussed the problematic practices involved in Shein’s faster-fashion business model. Since then, more information has come to light, drawing even more attention to the labor issues intertwined with this unsustainable approach. Reuters has reported that the retailer is under fire for neglecting to make “public disclosures about working conditions along its supply chain that are required by law in the United Kingdom, and until recently, falsely stated on its website that conditions in the factories it uses were certified by international labor standards bodies.” Further, last week Diet Prada called out Shein for one of its most blatant instances of copying a small designer, highlighting allegations by knitwear creator Bailey Prado that over 40 handmade designs from her latest collection were knocked-off.
While investors flock to Shein and other faster fashion companies, most intentionally-minded and BIPOC-owned small businesses find it…
Further Reading:
Listen to a podcast episode highlighting Garment Workers Voices.
Read this article about How Data Reveals Fashion’s Inclusivity Problem.
Consume consciously with some of the designers and shops listed in The Directory.
Read the full story and find the other headlines within “Business & Retail” that are on our radar.
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Design & Imagemaking
A recent article published in Business of Fashion takes a deep dive into exploring how a new wave of global brands are “changing the conversation around cultural appropriation.” In this piece, Lolita Maesela profiles young designers around the world who are “seeking more sustainable ways to work with indigenous artisans to support and promote their craft.” These emerging BIPOC creators are reclaiming the designer-artisan relationship by collaborating with craftspeople who are connected to their own cultural heritage.
Working with artisans does not, in of itself, absolve a brand from being culturally appropriative. Maesela briefly points out that, “Though skilled artisans in countries like India are responsible for some of the most exquisite detailing in fashion’s couture creations, their work has been routinely underpaid, undervalued and uncredited by the fashion industry, which has instead promoted a western-centric view of what should be considered luxurious.” The global artisans creating pieces for major luxury brands are often hidden from view to preserve fallacious notions of European craftsmanship as preeminent. Alternatively, another common trope seen in the fashion industry is…
Further Reading:
Read Minh-Ha T. Pham’s paper on Racial Plagiarism.
Read this book on Artisan Culture and Collaborative Exchange.
Read the full story and find the other headlines within “Design & Imagemaking” that are on our radar.
In the News is researched and written by Anu Lingala and edited by Anthony Palliparambil, Jr. and Kimberly Jenkins. This newsletter is published by Kimberly Jenkins.
Anu Lingala is a trend forecaster, brand strategist, and founder of Revisionary: a space dedicated to reframing our aesthetic vision and decolonizing our aspirations by centering BIPOC-owned brands. She also helped launch Public Service: a platform and creative studio working to advance equity in imagemaking. Anu has always been passionate about applying sociocultural and historical analysis to contemporary industry contexts. She holds a BS in Apparel Design from Cornell University and an MA in History of Design from the Royal College of Art, where her dissertation examined cultural appropriation in fashion.