Fashion For Liberation
Written by: Rebekah Stokes, Communications Assistant @Threading Change
27 May 2024
[8-minute read]
Picture a French revolutionary.
Now picture a suffragette.
Now a hippie.
What do they look like? Or, more importantly, what are they wearing?
Revolutionary movements and social upheavals have always been symbolized through garments. When we visualize the members of these movements, their attire is inseparable from our mental image. Within a collective, what we wear becomes a powerful tool for creating an identity for movements. Fashion has and continues to serve as a visible cry of protest against oppression and a declaration of liberation.
Fashion Today for Change Tomorrow
Fashion is a medium with potent political and cultural ties and significant communication capabilities. In the past two years, we've witnessed political upheaval in Iran centered around women's dress codes. The brutal enforcement of these standards is a stark reminder that fashion can be weaponized as a tool of oppression, stripping individuals of their personal identity and choice.
The world was horrified in September 2022 when twenty-two-year-old Iranian Mahsa Amini was arrested by the morality police for alleged non-compliance with hijab requirements. After being taken to a 're-education' center, she collapsed and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Her parents stated that police beatings caused her death, sparking a nationwide movement of defiance. More women began rejecting the dress regulations, using their attire as a form of protest. This resistance through dress signifies much more than a mere defiance of clothing mandates; it embodies a deeper exasperation with the current regime and its four-decade-long grip on the nation.
Image credits: https://orangeshirtday.org/
In Canada, garments have also been employed as a powerful form of protest. Each September, Canadians recognize Orange Shirt Day to acknowledge the harm and devastation wrought by residential schools on Indigenous peoples. These schools were designed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into settler society, stripping them of their traditional ways of knowing and being. Beyond this cultural erasure, the schools were also sites of gross abuse and maltreatment.
The original orange shirt belonged to Phyllis Webstad, a six-year-old Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) girl from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). Her grandmother had saved enough to buy her a new outfit for her first day of residential school, including a vivid orange shirt. Phyllis recalled, “It had string laced up in front and was so bright and exciting—just like I felt to be going to school!” However, when Phyllis arrived at the school, she was stripped of her clothes and never saw her orange shirt again.
Years later, Phyllis has shared her story across the country, raising awareness about the impacts of residential schools. This has led to the establishment of Orange Shirt Day, which coincides with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. The orange shirts serve as an indelible visual reminder of the dehumanizing destruction that occurred in residential schools and the ongoing importance of truth and reconciliation. But Phyllis is not the only Indigenous Canadian who has turned to fashion to tell her story.
Image credits: Jaime Black’s The REDress Project | Photo: Jeremy Addington
In 2010, Jaimie Black, a Métis artist, hung hundreds of red dresses in public spaces to represent the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. This act of artistic protest has led to the recognition of Red Dress Day every May 5th.
Evan Ducharme, a Métis fashion designer, has also contributed to this movement by designing a specialized red dress. He stated, “The fashion industry has a great deal of visibility in today’s cultural climate and maintains a firm grasp on the public’s attention. This attention can be harnessed to bring awareness of this epidemic to the public and the industry—one that historically has done very little to uphold the humanity of Indigenous peoples.”
Fashion informs who we are and presents our chosen identity to the world. It may represent individual beliefs or membership in a collective. Even a lack of conscious choice in attire is a statement. Throughout history, fashion has been both a symptom and a source of revolution, as those striving for liberation wear their vision for the future. As Diane Vreeland, an American fashion editor, stated, “Fashion is part of the daily air and it changes all the time, with all the events. You can even see the approaching of a revolution in clothes. You can see and feel everything in clothes.” Clothes are the outward expression of our innermost understandings of the world, and as such, they both represent and propel our fights for liberation.
Liberating History
No Shirt, No Shoes, No… Culottes?
As far back as the French Revolution, fashion was informing revolutionary identity. The “sansculottes”, or “no culottes” revolutionary group were distinguished by their long pants, which directly contrasted the culottes worn by the rich upper middle class. Originally an indication of poverty and lack of status, the long pants became a symbol of patriotic pride and belief in a new France.
Pants for Women!
In the 1800s, the women’s suffrage movement became closely associated with the dress reform movement. The fight for women’s equality often appeared as a rebellion against corsets and skirts, which led to demeaning caricatures and the dismissal of the movement as indecent. However, as the movement progressed into the 1900s, the suffragettes’ ‘uniform’ evolved, though it remained equally intentional. Instead of advocating for trousers and abandoning corsets, suffragettes encouraged their members to dress elegantly and femininely, in line with the fashion of the time.
Prominent suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst observed, “Many suffragists spend more money on clothes than they can comfortably afford, rather than run the risk of being considered outré, and doing harm to the cause.” Many suffragists realized that pairing dress reform with the fight for the vote created too much scandal and instead chose to focus on one issue at a time. By dressing well according to contemporary conventions, suffragists sought to counteract negative caricatures that depicted them as unwomanly and scandalous, thereby generating an image that mainstream society could accept.
This strategy was one of subversion, akin to a Trojan horse approach. The suffragettes advanced the fight for women’s rights under the guise of outward conformity to the era's standards. This tactic created a platform and helped the movement grow, ultimately making “votes for women” a reality.
Small Skirt, Big Statement
The 1960s witnessed a dramatic shift in societal dynamics as the younger generation cast off the rigid social expectations of their parents and embraced a new culture of youth and freedom. This era was epitomized by the miniskirt, pioneered by London designer Mary Quant.
Eve Townsend, lecturer and director of the Fashion Research Collection at the Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University, explained that wearing a miniskirt implied a “stance on several issues that impacted women’s daily lives, including gender inequality and reproductive rights.” This reaffirmed the interwoven relationship between culture, politics, and fashion, demonstrating how clothing can be a powerful tool for social change and self-expression.
Make Clothes, Not War
One of the most instantly identifiable counter-cultural movements in history was the rise of the hippie. This easy identification owes much to the distinctive style associated with the movement. Tie-dye shirts, round glasses, sandals, and headbands were all crucial components of a social identity that visibly renounced the accepted norms of the time. Unlike the suffragettes, the hippies were not concerned with making a place for themselves within existing social structures. Instead, they dressed to distance themselves as much as possible from the mainstream.
Disillusioned by the materialism and repression they saw within typical middle-class society, the hippies strongly opposed much of the decision-making by those in power, particularly concerning the Vietnam War. Their countercultural values, immortalized in the phrase “Make love, not war,” and their identity as 'flower children' were inseparable from the image they created for themselves through their distinctive dress.
Black Panthers
The civil rights movement was also prominent during the 1960s and 70s, with the Black Panther Party emerging as a powerful force challenging white conventions and fighting for Black equality. Members of the Black Panthers adopted a carefully curated look composed of black leather jackets with pins, dark shirts, sunglasses, and berets. This ensemble was not merely fashion but a deliberate construction of a political identity.
The influence of this iconic look can be seen in more recent times, such as Beyoncé's 2016 Super Bowl halftime show, where she paid homage to the Black Panthers. This nod to the past underscores the enduring political weight and symbolic power of the Black Panthers' style.
Image credits: ALBERTO RODRIGUEZ FOR VARIETY, GREGG DEGUIRE FOR WWD, GILBERT FLORES FOR VARIETY.
Ceasefire , NOW!
Fashion's influence is never more apparent than on the red carpet, where designers' fortunes can rise or fall under the relentless glare of spotlights and camera flashes. Yet, beyond mere glamour, celebrities have increasingly used this platform to make statements that extend beyond themselves or their work, showing solidarity with movements around the world.
One such campaign is Artists for Ceasefire, a call for a complete ceasefire in Gaza amidst the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Supported by entertainment industry elites like Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, and Drake, this campaign made its red carpet debut during awards season. 'Ceasefire' pins, featuring a red pin with a black heart centered on a hand, made their red carpet debut as they became integral parts of multiple celebrities' ensembles at prestigious events like the Oscars, Grammys, and Screen Guild awards.
This isn't the only instance of the Gaza conflict making waves on the red carpet. At the Cannes Film Festival, supermodel Bella Hadid proudly showcased her Palestinian heritage and expressed solidarity with those in Palestine by donning a keffiyeh-inspired dress. Traditionally worn by men in the Middle East, the black and white checkered keffiyeh has become a symbol of the Palestinian liberation movement. Hadid's dress, adorned with a red-checkered pattern, served as a poignant reminder of her stance, which she later reaffirmed with the caption, "Free Palestine forever."
Fashion for Liberation
When we envision our collective pursuit of liberation, both throughout history and in contemporary times, the garments intertwined with these movements are inseparable from the mental imagery. Fashion serves as a tangible representation of our ongoing quest for liberation, embodying the essence of our aspirations for freedom and equality.
From the suffragettes' deliberate choice of attire to the symbolic ensembles worn by activists on the red carpet, clothing has consistently played a pivotal role in shaping and articulating our struggles for justice and empowerment. As we continue to navigate the complexities of societal change, fashion remains a powerful tool that not only reflects but also shapes our collective journey toward liberation.
As we recognize the impact of fashion in our pursuit of liberation, let us also remember that it is but one avenue through which we can enact change. Let us be inspired to take action on the causes we hold dear, knowing that fashion is just the beginning of our potential for activism and change.
Edited by: Luiza Giocondo Teixeira, Communications & Engagement Director @ Threading Change
Rebekah Stokes
Rebekah is a Global Development student, passionate about creating real-world solutions to complex issues. She advocates for pivoting current systems towards a more just and sustainable future. She’s applied her knowledge and skills in various projects, such as in urban planning on Granville Island, circular economy, and local outreach initiatives. Her passion for fashion was born out of a love for its storytelling capability and through her work in the sustainable fashion sphere, she seeks to advocate for more stories of justice and equity in the clothes we wear.
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