Abstract

        A recent study of critical perspectives on fashion textbooks found that out of 28 textbooks on fashion and apparel only 374 images out of 3124 could be identified as Black, Asian or other Women of Color (Reddy-Best, Kelly, L et al. 2018). This reaffirms that the visual representation of fashion in textbooks, especially in the history of fashion, is predominantly white. Through Critical Race Theory, I intend to highlight the lives of Latinx and Black throughout centuries of fashion. I argue that individuals whose visual representations are available throughout the centuries, should be represented and be part of the history of western fashion. Combining this narrative and descriptive paper with the construction of garments, I intend to place People of Color in white-centered fashion as a juxtaposition of power in order to grasp attention from a white-dominated perception of reality to provide visibility and promote equity in fashion education.  The intent of this study is to shed light on the little recognized issue that the visual representation of fashion is not equitably diverse and that it contributes to the erasure of Latinx and Black lives in the world of fashion education.

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