Abstract
This contribution applies the research approach of issue mapping to the topic of inclusivity in fashion. Issue mapping concerns the cartography of urgent social topics, through digital and visual research methods. In this mapping, we turn to the online platform of Instagram and ask: what or who is included when fashion becomes inclusive? By querying the platform of Instagram (through the tool Crowdtangle) for the most-engaging posts on inclusive fashion for the timeframe of 2012-2021, we are able to study a developing online space to represent and discuss inclusivity and adjacent issues such as diversity in fashion.
We find that inclusivity in fashion prioritizes customers and models over the fashion production workforce and foregrounds women over men and other gender identities. Since the beginning, inclusivity has called for different abilities and ethnicities. Still, it is not until 2020 that designers and models of color are front and center to the inclusive fashion space on Instagram.
We find that inclusivity in fashion prioritizes customers and models over the fashion production workforce and foregrounds women over men and other gender identities. Since the beginning, inclusivity has called for different abilities and ethnicities. Still, it is not until 2020 that designers and models of color are front and center to the inclusive fashion space on Instagram.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | FASHION+ |
| Subtitle of host publication | Inclusive Articulations and Practices in Design, Communication & Development |
| Editors | Dirk Reynders, Marie Geneviève Cyr |
| Place of Publication | Brussels, Belgium |
| Publisher | Academic & Scientific Publishers (ASP) |
| Pages | 112-129 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789461173263 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Dec 2023 |
