(Special two-part episode!) Every season, all eyes are on the Parisian runways as onlookers try to get a peak at what big and disruptive trends await for the following year. But few know about the history of how this industry came to be, the role of colonialism in its development, and how the industry upholds many of the same ideas and practices today. As you will discover, the legacy of colonialism lives on within the fashion industry, and not only in France.
You’re going to hear from a fashion historian, environmental journalists, and activists over the course of the next two episodes who will help me unpack the darker side to la mode, why it’s crucial to amend old ways and correct for generations of unethical labor and overproduction, and what the idea of decolonizing fashion really means.
GUESTS
Aja Barber, activist and author of Consumed
Khémaïs Ben Lakhdar, fashion historian, lecturer, & PhD candidate at Paris-1 La Sorbonne
Esha Chhabra, journalist and author of Working to Restore
Catherine Dauriac, President of Fashion REvolution France
SOURCES
The King of Couture: The Atlantic
The Empire of Fashion and the Rise of Capitalism in 18th century France (William H. Sewell)
Colonialism's Clothing (Victoria L. Rovine)
Tiffanie Darke's Substack "It's Not Sustainable"
Clothing landfills in Ghana's textile market
Special thanks to Matthew Jordan for producing and editing this episode.