Description

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.

Table of Contents

Series editor preface
Introduction

1: Where we have been
Culture
Appropriation
Thinking through Cultural Appropriation
Cultural Authentication
Class and Race

2: Where we are now
Class
Race
Fancy Dress Costume
Cultural Authentication

3: What the future holds

A Call to Action

Selected Further Reading
Index

Product details

Published 22 Jan 2026
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 144
ISBN 9781350258051
Imprint Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Illustrations 20 bw illus
Series Fashion in Action
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Benjamin Linley Wild

Benjamin Linley Wild is a cultural historian and R…

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