WHAT IS (UN)FASHIONING OUR AUTONOMY?

by Majdouline El hichou

When we talk about fashion, who and what do we imagine? What type of garments? What type of people and cultures come to our mind? Who has the authority to decide what is fashion and what is not? These are some of the questions that have always underpinned my complex relationship to fashion. As an Indigenous African woman growing up within a lineage of seamstresses, weavers, and textile workers, I never truly understood why the point of reference of fashion never included the advanced craftsmanship and creativity with which we decide to fashion our bodies.