ANTHOLOGY

WritingS

SYSTEMATIC

A word on the Fashion Feudal Caste System

2023

“The French cultivated it’s roots of Haute Couture spreading it across the world while establishing itself as the tree. From this specific system grew other fashion capitals such as Milan, London, New York, and Tokyo. They too have established their roots in Mode, therefore securing their presence on the map as a “must see” place of tourism, culture, and fashions. These capitals only help to further solidify the strong hold Haute Couture has over the global fashion system.”

CRAFT

Fashioning the culture and craft of African Hair Braiding

2017

“African Hair Braiding has been a staple in African American culture since the first ships carrying precious cargo to the lands of the indigenous people landed in the Americas. My mother braided the culture and sophistication of Africa into my hair as a child. I remember now with nostalgic joy going to African hair braiding shops and feeling excited to get my hair braided, but also apprehension with anticipation of pain due to the tightness and pulling of the braids. I have long admired how the women in these shops would effortlessly, swiftly, and neatly add hair without missing the beat of precision. Each braid was done with care. Each was meticulously crafted—measuring by the eye and pinch of fingers the precise amount of hair to use. And each section where the hair was added was parted and gathered into a perfect, identical, crocheted lock.”

BRINGING THE SPECTER OUT OF THE SHADOWS: THE HUMAN BEHIND THE GARMENT — Specter

How enslaved African labor in the United States kickstarted the fashion industry in Europe

2016

“However, the connection is clear, the enslaved also picked cotton that went to the mills in Europe, which in turn disseminated textiles for the slaves to make their own “handmade clothing, shoes, accessories”.[1] Although I was not able to access the books from the mills that Charles Frederic Worth utilized to create cotton-blended fabrics, fabrics for the crinolines, and velvets for his adornment of the elite. Reasonable minds can conclude with the vast amount of American cotton consumed by France and Great Britain by 1861, Charles F. Worth’s cotton came from America, by way of France’s importation. Therefore, the enslaved Africans are the original people behind the garment, the commodity, the kick starters of the European Fashion Industry.”

[1]. Madelyn Shaw. “Slave Cloth and Slave Clothing: Craftsmanship, Commerce, and Industry.” Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, vol. 36 (2015). http://www.mesdajournal.org/2012/slave-cloth-clothing-slaves-craftsmanship-commerce-industry/

Arbitrators

How the ancestors made room in the Fashion System for their forbears

2016

The Jim Crow era of the United States approximately commenced in the 1870s. The ending date (in the mid 70s) is debatable as the systemic and cyclical problems of the disenfranchisement and segregation of people of color still occurs in the 21st century, through education, real estate, economics, racism etc. Particularly in the US, the barriers of success are not as direct as the Jim Crow Laws, but the remnants and effects of the system are still in play through the gatekeepers in present day society. This text primarily focuses on four Designers of color and the clothing businesses formed out of share necessity and the will to create during the Jim Crow Era. The objective is to bring Elizabeth Keckley, Ann Lowe, Arthur McGee, and Jay Jaxon to the forefront, and discuss their contribution to the industry of fashion.