Decolonizing the Mannequin

‘What is fashion?’ is a question I often pose at the beginning of classes to undergraduate fashion students; a simple question which, surprisingly, perplexes them and often renders an uncomfortable silence in the classroom. As a prompt, I then show students two images of busy streets in London and ask them to consider which street is more fashionable: Bond Street in Central London, synonymous with many designer label shops such as Burberry and Chanel; and Ealing Road in Wembley, North-West London, a road housing many South East Asian and Indian diaspora fashion design shops, such as Variety Silk House. At this stage, a lively debate will ensue, resulting in even more confusion and uncertainty, but with the addition of understanding the aim of the task: why are some fashions included into the classroom and why are some fashions excluded?