DESIGN TO DECOLONIZE & DIVERSIFY

AUTHORS: Jeonghyun Byun, Patricia Henke, Kristi Koumati, Ava Pajohan, Rutuja Patil

TO DECOLONISE, IS NOT JUST TO HAND THE REIGN OF POWER OVER TO MORE LOCALISED MASTERS, IT IS NOT TO SOFTEN POWER IMBALANCES, BUT TO ENGAGE IN THE WHOLESALE TRANSFER OF POWER FROM ONE SOCIAL CLASS TO ANOTHER.

FROM ‘THE ANTICAPITALIST BOOK OF FASHION’

DECOLONIZATION

Decolonization is cultural, psychological, and economic freedom for indigenous people with the goal of achieving indigenous sovereignty.

Marginalized backgrounds: Marginalization occurs when people are excluded based on social identities such as race, gender, sexuality and social class as well as the inequitable distribution of social, economic, physical and psychological resources.
Anti-hierarchical: To believe in full equality before the law and strong civil liberties. Sometimes the term is used interchangeably with anarchism, an ideology which entails opposing authority or hierarchical organization in the conduct of human relations, including the state system.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Challenging discrimination in the garment industry by Clean Clothes Campaign

Photo by Matthew Sichkaruk on Unsplash

COLONIAL PATTERNS IN HISTORY

KEY DEFINITIONS

NEOCOLONIALISM

Neo-Colonialism (China & Africa) is the continuation or reimposition of imperialist rule by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony). Neocolonialism takes the form of economic imperialism, globalization, cultural imperialism and conditional aid to influence or control a developing country. China as a Major Donor and Investor in Africa- Funding from China comes mostly in the form of loans and credits from the People’s Bank of China, the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China and the China-Africa Development Fund (CADF) - economic submission.

POLLUTION = COLONIALISM

Indigenous, Hispanic and Black communities in both countries live in counties that have far higher levels of air and water pollution compared to their white counterparts. (Ghana kantamanto market)

WASTE COLONIALISM

The countries that are struggling the most with the impacts of waste colonialism are Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. While these countries are busy tackling the immense challenge of recycling and incinerating millions of tons of plastic waste annually, they are simultaneously blamed for “failing” to manage pollution. In 2018, China banned waste imports from other industrialized countries. After that, Vietnam witnessed a dramatic increase in the amount of plastic waste being shipped from the West.

COLONIALISM IN FASHION

At every stage of the fashion cycle, harm is placed on non-white communities in the Global South. During the pandemic, popular retailers accrued millions to billions of dollars worth of profit, while garment worker wages fell by 21%.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Does fashion contribute to colonialism? by Remake

How colonialism spawned and continues to exacerbate the climate crisis? by Climate Columbia

Why our second-hand clothes are causing an ‘environmental catasrophe’ on the other side of the world? - Fashion Round Table

A must watch: Dead White Man’s Clothes by deadwhitemansclothes.org

Photo by Oliver Morgan Media on Pexels.com

DIVERSIFICATION

Diversify socially refers to the wide range of identities. It broadly includes race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, veteran status, physical appearance, etc. It also involves different ideas, perspectives and values.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion glossary by College of the Environment

Photo by Amy Elting on Unsplash

TERMINILOGIES

AAME. African, Asian and minority ethnic

BAME. Black, Asian and minority ethnic

BME. black and minority ethnic (common in media and policy making

LGBTQIA+. An inclusive term for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual.

BIPOC. Black, indigenous, people of color

POC. People of color

ISMS. A way of describing any attitude, action or institutional structure that oppresses a person or group because of their target group. For example, race (racism), gender (sexism), economic status (classism), older age (ageism), religion (e.g., anti-Semitism), sexual orientation (heterosexism), language/immigrant status (xenophobism), etc.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

KEY DEFINITIONS

INTER-SECTIONALITY

Intersectionality is the complex, interconnected way in which the effects of different forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) are deemed to create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or inequality, particularly in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.

WHITE SUPREMACY

The belief that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races. But also the social, economic, and political systems that collectively enable white people to maintain power over people of other races.

HETERO-PATRIARCHY

The supposition that the normal expression of heterosexuality in society is one of a married couple. Such a normative view of heterosexual relations is expressed through everyday discourse, the media, welfare systems, the law, and moral panics with respect to casual sex, promiscuity, one-parent families, illegitimacy, pornography, and prostitution.

CAPITALISM

“Capitalism is often thought of as an economic system in which private actors own and control property in accord with their interests, and demand and supply freely set prices in markets in a way that can serve the best interests of society. The essential feature of capitalism is the motive to make a profit” IMF definition.

SETTLER COLONIALISM

An ongoing system of power that perpetuates the genocide and repression of indigenous peoples and cultures. Essentially hegemonic in scope, settler colonialism normalizes the continuous settler occupation, exploiting lands and resources to which indigenous peoples have genealogical relationships. Settler colonialism includes interlocking forms of oppression, including racism, white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and capitalism.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Decolonisation: Evolving social values by Martina Rocca, WGSN

Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds - Arturo Escobar

Patrick Wolfe (2006) Settler colonialism and the elimination of the native, Journal of Genocide Research, 8:4, 387-409, DOI: 10.1080/14623520601056240

What is intersectionality, and what does it have to do with me? - YW Boston

STAKEHOLDERS

To understand what designers can do it is important to look into the main stakeholders that have a role to play in decolonization and diversification. 3 stakeholder groups can be underlined, the makers, the users and the drivers. This study focuses on designers as one of the makers further in depth.

MAKERS

Redistribute POWER, Supply-chain Transparency, Ethical & equitable production. The makers are the designers, the craftsmen, the brands and their supply chain. Learn more: Inspiring Designer’s Role

2. USERS

Diverse CONSUMERS, Decentralize European design perspectives, Inclusive size, gender, abilities. The users are the consumers. They have an important role to play when thriving towards an overall industry change.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Tansy Hoskins, The anticapitalist book of Fashion
Decolonizing Fasion by futuress.org, Futures is a mix of a learning community and publishing platform trying to democratize design education and amplify marginalized voices.
Fashion Africa Now, digital information platform with a magazine and a podcast, Fashion Africa Now – Contemporary creative Africa, up close and personal.

3. DRIVERS

De-centralise KNOWLEDGE, Diverse COLLABORATIONS, Indigenous wisdom. The drivers can be various stakeholders like policy makers, organizations, software and platform providers, researchers and activists. The drivers are the ones pushing for a change in the consumers and the makers. When looking into decolonization and diversification there are a few notable drivers:

ALOK VAID MENON

Acclaimed author, poet, comedian, and public speaker. As a mixed-media artist their work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. acclaimed author, poet, comedian, and public speaker. Discover more here.

Portrait by Celeste Slowman

CULTURAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS INITIATIVE

A worldwide movement to support the recognition of cultural intellectual property rights. Born from the need to eliminate cultural appropriation in the fashion industry. They act as mediators between makers and stakeholders of the industry and provide legal counseling. For more details visit Cultural Sustainability Consulting | Cultural Intellectual Property Law.

THE ROLE OF DESIGNERS

iNSPIRING DESIGNER’S ROLE

One of the designer’s role in design to decolonize is to change the paradigm and create a beautiful, inclusive fashion and to change the decision making process when designing. However, this is not an easy task and raises the question of

“How as a designer can I change things when usually the decisions come from management?”

We will try to find answers and guide you through the design process steps towards a decolonised fashion industry thanks to best practices and works available in the field. With the help of Inspirational practices along design process.

Photo by Charlota Blunarova on Unsplash

PROJECT BRIEF

REDEFINING BEAUTY STANDARDS

Challenging Eurocentric beauty standards and embracing diverse notions of beauty is essential for fashion decolonization.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Photo by Deep6 photography on Pexels.com

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

A.I. & DATA ANALYTICS

Artificial intelligence and data analytics are being used to analyze consumer behavior, trends, and preferences.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Generative AI in Fashion - Mckinsey

Use cases and benefits of AI in Fashion - LeewayHertz

RANGE PLAN

ARTISANAL COLLABORATIONS

Studio Palha is an equity-centered community design practice revealing alternative narratives and holistic meaning behind materials and making processes, with deep reverence for INDIGENOUS WISDOM and NATURE.

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

ARTISANAL COLLABORATIONS

WhyWeCraft is a strategy for a GREEN and EQUITABLE FUTURE. This is an invitation to discover a holistic approach to REIMAGINE fashion and merging traditional knowledge with sustainable design processes.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

MATERIAL SOURCING

ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

Remei India focuses on transparent systems, working with fairness and respecting nature. With an innovative economic model, All-holder value, for financial, human and ecological balance.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Ethical sourcing standards for apparel sourcing - Fibre2Fashion

Transforming the fashion industry - Sustainable Sourcing

Photo by Plato Terentev on Pexels.com

FASHION ILLUSTRATION

With a size-inclusive fashion croquis to cater all and exclude none vision. MoraRae by Sharae Averhart provides free access to these on sign-up, along with other guides on petite plus size guides.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Ethical sourcing standards for apparel sourcing - Fibre2Fashion

Transforming the fashion industry - Sustainable Sourcing

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

PATTERN MAKING

When grading/sizing the garments make sure to take into consideration the evolution of the shape of the body and adapt the garment to how the body evolves, based on research and methods towards more inclusivity in pattern making beyond size 44 by Ready to sew.

Have more diverse fitting models, usually the sample size is 34 or 36 and the pattern and sizing is based on this, switching this up to a bigger size and a more realistic body will already have an impact.

Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels.com

STYLE SELECTION

DIVERSIFICATION OF STYLE AND SELECTION METHODS

Rebirth Garments are gender non-conforming wearables and accessories centering No-binary, Trans, Disabled and Mad Queers of all sizes and ages.

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

DIVERSIFICATION OF STYLE AND SELECTION METHODS

Both& altered proportions, sourced the best fabrics, and worked with thousands of community members to ensure that our clothes create the most euphoric fit.