Regina A. Root – författare

Following Argentina’s revolution in 1810, the dress of young patriots inspired a nation and distanced its politics from the relics of Spanish colonialism. Fashion writing often escaped the notice of authorities, allowing authors to masquerade political ideas under the guise of frivolity and entertainment. In Couture and Consensus, Regina A. Root maps this pivotal and overlooked facet of Argentine cultural history, showing how politics emerged from dress to disrupt authoritarian practices and stimulate creativity in a newly independent nation. Drawing from genres as diverse as fiction, poetry, songs, and fashion magazines, Root offers a sartorial history that produces an original understanding of how Argentina forged its identity during the regime of Juan Manuel de Rosas (1829–1852), a critical historical time. Couture and Consensus closely analyzes military uniforms, women’s dress, and the novels of the era to reveal fashion’s role in advancing an agenda and disseminating political goals, notions Root connects to the contemporary moment. An insightful presentation of the discourse of fashion, Couture and Consensus also paints a riveting portrait of Argentine society in the nineteenth century-its politics, people, and creative forces.

The Handbook of Fashion Studies identifies an innovative spectrum of thematic approaches, key strands and interdisciplinary concepts that continue to push forward the boundaries of fashion studies. The book is divided into seven sections: Fashion, Identity and Difference; Spaces of Fashion; Fashion and Materiality; Fashion, Agency and Policy; Science, Technology and New fashion; Fashion and Time and, Sustainable Fashion in a Globalised world.Each section consists of approximately four essays authored by established researchers in the field from the UK, USA, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and Australia. The essays are written by international subject specialists who each engage with their section's theme in the light of their own discipline and provide clear case-studies to further knowledge on fashion. This consistency provides clarity and permits comparative analysis.The handbook will be essential reading for students of fashion as well as professionals in the industry.

What if we took 'slow' as an ethical strategy and practice for fashion, rather than considering ‘slow fashion’ as another passing fashion movement? Part of the Fashion in Action series of short books on global issues in fashion, calling on readers to become active participants in its future, Hazel Clark explores fashion's cultural role as a potential force for, not against, sustainability. Against a backdrop of massive waste, intensive energy use, human exploitation and over-consumption of fast fashion, Slow offers a thoughtful, practical, sustainable approach to fashion for businesses, educators and ordinary wearers of clothes, speaking to more mindful, caring and humanitarian attitudes and practices.Divided into 3 sections, the argument is framed by neoliberalism, and the increased attention to fashion around the globe, set alongside growing interest in eco design, the slow food movement, second hand clothes and the emergence of ethical brands. The book begins with ‘where we are now,’ focussing on the emergence and huge impact of fast fashion. The next section looks at the way a slow discourse developed for fashion – in practice, in academia and in public. More mindful and slow approaches are set against greater global connectivity, digital communications, climate change and activism. This leads to a third and final section which seeks for a redefinition of fashion through the lens of slow approaches, ending with an urgent call to action. With references to good fashion practices and ideas from around the globe throughout, this book offers real guidance, and, crucially, advocates that real engagement with a 'slow' approach to fashion offers a more sustainable future for all.

What is cultural appropriation in fashion and how can understanding its causes, consequences and reoccurrences help us to challenge it in the future? As part of the Fashion in Action series of short books aimed at rallying readers on global issues in fashion, Benjamin Linley Wild highlights the long and complicated history of appropriation, guiding us on the pressing question of where we go next.Chapter one considers where we have been - what are the words we have used and what theories continue to frame and potentially hinder discussions about appropriation within the fashion industry? Chapter two moves on to where we are now - what does appropriation look like in the fashion industry and how can understanding this help both educators and consumers overcome the circularity of the current debates? Chapter three draws together the theories and their potential implications to unravel the riddle of appropriation and enable us to look to the future with suggested calls for action.This timely book equips readers with the tools to navigate and reshape the conversation around cultural appropriation, encouraging meaningful action for a more conscious and inclusive fashion industry.

Fashion thrives on fame and success, capitalism and culture. But beneath the luster and hype, fashion is also inevitably about failure – an essential part of its history and evolution. In his contribution to the Fashion in Action series of short books rallying readers to tackle pressing issues in fashion, Nick Rees-Roberts unravels the relationship between forms of creative and commercial failure to consider how we might begin to address the systemic failings of the fashion industry today. Positing failure as a speculative way to rethink fashion and focussing on the checkered histories of a number of designers and brands, Rees-Roberts explores how forms of commercial failure within a capitalist framework might actually be productive, enabling designers to retain independence and balance by potentially opting out of the fashion establishment, if not of the system altogether. He then goes on to look at the broader systemic failures of the 21st-century fashion industry, arguing that rather than keep focussing on doing and making, we should be undoing and remaking the idea of fashion itself in order to rethink design outside of the framework of a hyper-globalized industry.By applying failure as a critical mode of inquiry, this book invites readers to consider a new direction for the future of fashion – one that values resilience and reinvention over the relentless pursuit of the next big success.

The fashion industry has long exploited animals for their materials, whether fur, leather, silk, wool or feathers – so how can we find other ways of working with, or without, animals in the production of clothing? This volume in the Fashion in Action series of short books, which champion change on global issues in fashion, introduces and challenges our problematic reliance on animal products in fashion, calling for more caring practices that work towards post-animal fashion.Simona Segre-Reinach argues that fashion, with its far-reaching influence and power to communicate, can lead other industries toward genuinely inclusive sustainability. Divided into three sections, the book first looks at the fashion system’s entrenched use of animal-based materials in garment production. Section two explores pathways to kinder, next-generation materials that break away from animal exploitation. The final section advocates for a complete reimagining of fashion through a lens of empathy and respect for all beings.Featuring practices and ideas from around the globe and with views from philosophers, animal rights activists, scientists and artists intersecting with designers, stylists, companies and consumers, this book inspires a shift towards a sustainable future that respects life in all its forms.

The New Latin American Fashion Reader invites readers to engage with key questions and in contemporary debates around decolonization, sustainability, and agency, in the context of Latin American fashion production and design.With its publication in 2005, The Latin American Fashion Reader established a more diverse and inclusive approach to fashion, bringing about explorations of historical foundations, altered cultural landscapes, and the potential to understand more fully consumption trends. Since then, Latin American fashion’s presence on the international stage has grown amidst an urgent need for decolonization, increased representation and sustainability, at moments of political upheaval.Taking up the story where The Latin American Fashion Reader left off, this multi-authored book allows contributors from the Americas and beyond, many of whom have encountered challenges to their craft and work, to share experiences, ideas, and knowledge.

The New Latin American Fashion Reader invites readers to engage with key questions and in contemporary debates around decolonization, sustainability, and agency, in the context of Latin American fashion production and design.With its publication in 2005, The Latin American Fashion Reader established a more diverse and inclusive approach to fashion, bringing about explorations of historical foundations, altered cultural landscapes, and the potential to understand more fully consumption trends. Since then, Latin American fashion’s presence on the international stage has grown amidst an urgent need for decolonization, increased representation and sustainability, at moments of political upheaval.Taking up the story where The Latin American Fashion Reader left off, this multi-authored book allows contributors from the Americas and beyond, many of whom have encountered challenges to their craft and work, to share experiences, ideas, and knowledge.

Latin American fashion's recent gain in popularity can be seen most obviously in mass-market ranges throughout the industrialized West. From the tango-inspired dress of Argentina and guerrilla chic in downtown Buenos Aires to swimwear on Copacabana Beach and the rainbow that adorns Mayan women, Latin America has long been a source of inspiration for designers throughout the world. Until now, however, the pivotal role played by dress in this region has surprisingly been overlooked. This book is a long overdue assessment of Latin America's influence on global fashion. The authors examine the significance of textiles and dress to Latin American culture and the reasons behind it from fashion history to popular culture and the (re)making of traditional garments, such as the poncho, the guayabera and maguey-fiber sandals. This book also considers fashion icons such as Frida Kahlo and Eva Peron, women who have been worshipped and transformed into marketable symbols of exoticism and passion, as well as the key role that dress played in their rise to celebrity on the international stage.Providing a first and definitive overview of Latin American fashion, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in Latin American cultural studies or fashion history. Winner of the 2006 Arthur P. Whitaker Prize, awarded by the Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies