A New Luxury: Deconstructing Fashion’s Colonial Episteme

Abstract As fashion acts as a mirror of society, the crisis it is facing today reflects the same dynamics of the human and ecological crisis that is affecting the world as a whole. While questions of sustainability have come to occupy center stage in terms of thinking of ways that the fashion industry can help solve this larger societal crisis, all these discussions tend to remain addressed in a compartmentalized manner. Most critiques of the destructive and exploitative nature of the fashion system are centered around its tangible symptoms, such as environmental degradation, human exploitation or lack of inclusion. In contrast to these fragmented critiques, this paper will focus on exposing the root cause of these interconnected symptoms, by putting forward the argument that the very foundations of the fashion system are inherently, humanly, and ecologically unsustainable because they are based on a colonial epistemology. In order to excavate this, an intersectional approach will be used to unveil the different forms of coloniality that make up the foundations of the world, and subsequently the fashion industry, namely: anthropocentrism, imperialism and capitalism. Through a detailed understanding of these colonial markers, the necessity for an epistemological shift will be put forward, one that deconstructs this coloniality and challenges the way we view, produce and consume fashion in a holistic way. And while luxury has historically been praised for its excellence through going beyond the ordinary and being of supreme quality, this paper will make the case that a true transcendental luxury in today’s context needs to be at the forefront of deconstructing the coloniality that makes up the norm of fashion.