From the indigenous people of sub-Saharan Africa to Eastern trade networks dating back to the Bronze Age, fashion has occurred in cultures beyond the West throughout history. This book explores the geographic places and historical spaces that have been largely neglected by traditional fashion studies together for the first time, reversing the dominant narrative that privileges Western Europe in the history of dress. Adopting a cross-cultural approach, Welters and Lillethun explore a vast array of non-western cultures to examine key issues such as gender, production, consumption and colonisation. Case studies include the cross-cultural trade of silk textiles in the Ottoman Empire, the indigenous dress of Hawai’i and the cosmetics of the Tang Dynasty in China and Japan. Examining the new lessons that can be deciphered from archaeological findings and theoretical advancements, the book shows that fashion should be understood as a global phenomenon, originating much before the fourteenth century European court, which is continually, and erroneously, cited as fashion’s birthplace. Providing a fresh framework for fashion history scholarship, Fashion History: A Global View will inspire inclusive dress narratives for students and scholars of fashion, anthropology and cultural studies.

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