Description

Fashion History: A Global View proposes a new standpoint on fashion history. Arguing that fashion has occurred in cultures beyond the West right through history, this groundbreaking book explores the geographic places and historical spaces which have been in large part neglected by up to date fashion studies, bringing them together for the first time.

Reversing the dominant narrative that privileges Western Europe within the history of dress, Welters and Lillethun adopt a cross-cultural approach to explore a vast array of cultures all over the world. They explore key issues affecting fashion systems, ranging from innovation, production and consumption to identity formation and the effects of colonization. Case studies include the cross-cultural trade of silk textiles in Central Asia, the indigenous dress of the Americas and of Hawai’i, the cosmetics of the Tang Dynasty in China, and stylistic innovation in sub-Saharan Africa. Examining the brand new lessons that may be deciphered from archaeological findings and theoretical advancements, the book shows that fashion history will have to be understood as a global phenomenon, originating well before and beyond the fourteenth century European court, which is continually, and erroneously, cited as fashion’s birthplace.

Providing a fresh framework for fashion history scholarship, Fashion History: A Global View will inspire inclusive dress narratives for students and scholars of fashion, anthropology, and cultural studies.

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