Benjamin Linley Wild

What is cultural appropriation in fashion and how can understanding its causes, consequences and reoccurrences help us to challenge it in the future? As part of the Fashion in Action series of short books aimed at rallying readers on global issues in fashion, Benjamin Linley Wild highlights the long and complicated history of appropriation, guiding us on the pressing question of where we go next. Chapter one considers where we have been - what are the words we have used and what theories continue to frame and potentially hinder discussions about appropriation within the fashion industry? Chapter two moves on to where we are now - what does appropriation look like in the fashion industry and how can understanding this help both educators and consumers overcome the circularity of the current debates? Chapter three draws together the theories and their potential implications to unravel the riddle of appropriation and enable us to look to the future with suggested calls for action. This timely book equips readers with the tools to navigate and reshape the conversation around cultural appropriation, encouraging meaningful action for a more conscious and inclusive fashion industry.

In a little over twenty years, New York–-based fashion designer Thome Browne has decisively and permanently changed the fashion industry. Through his clothes that are rooted in America’s distinctive preppie style, he has challenged age-old conventions of tailoring by altering proportions and blurring gender boundaries. The cropped trouser, which has become a staple of people’s wardrobes around the world, owes much to Browne’s pioneering reinterpretation of the suit. Through highly choreographed catwalk shows, he has enlivened the presentation of fashion, creating soulful spectacles that variously critique and cherish common themes in human lives. Browne’s influence within the fashion industry has been recognised through various awards. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has named him ‘Menswear Designer of the Year’ on three occasions, in 2006, 2013, and 2016. Since 2023, Browne has served as the CFDA’s Chair. In May 2023, Browne dressed nine celebrities to honour Karl Lagerfeld at the annual gala hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.This book considers Browne’s position as a fashion auteur by focusing on four collections that enable detailed consideration of his innovative clothing designs and catwalk presentations, situating them within their historical and social context and drawing out what makes them distinctive and influential.