Onset of Decolonization Within Fashion History Curriculums
Decolonization Efforts Within Fashion Curriculums.
The MA History of Design program at the Royal College of Art in London is amongst the many
initiatives aimed at decolonizing fashion curriculums. The design history course describes, “Our programme is strongly committed to inclusivity, decoloniality, and social and environmental engagement.”
Academics across the world are attempting to move away from the Western-dominated narratives that populate most fashion and design curriculums. This phenomenon is based on filling in cultural gaps not necessarily erasing Western fashion history.
This reworking of curriculums may present an issue for major European fashion houses. Names like Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent are amongst some of the names previously centered in many curriculums.
Raissa Bretaña, a fashion history professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and Pratt Institute, told Vogue Business “Heritage brands have to reckon with the less savory aspects of their history. It’s an incredible opportunity to be on the right side of history going forward and [to] recognise that they need a more diverse pool of creatives and advisors.”
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