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Moda Negra, Past and Present
  • ISSN: 2051-7106
  • E-ISSN: 2051-7114

Abstract

This article delves into the remarkable work and journey of Goya Lopes, an Afro-Brazilian designer, entrepreneur and activist. It explores the intersection of fashion and art within her designs of patterned fabrics, which encompass a wide range of everyday and unique garments, household items and more. The discussion highlights pivotal moments in Lopes’s career, including her 2008 solo exhibition , her collaborative book (‘Images of the diaspora’) with Brazilian historian Gustavo Falcón in 2010 and her 2017 installation (‘Afro-Bahian senses’). Through examining select fabric patterns, the article unveils their significance as integral components of Lopes’s ongoing anti-racist activism, which has spanned over five decades from the region of Bahia in northeastern Brazil. Lastly, it delves into Lopes’s unique conceptualization of her fabrics as , drawing on the Yoruba term for (‘cloth’), and highlights their role as empowering, protective and militant Afro-diasporic mantles. The article underscores how Lopes employs fashion design as a form of activism and a subtle yet potent means to propagate political ideas.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Southern Methodist University
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2023-11-01
2026-04-19

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/content/journals/10.1386/infs_00093_1
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Axó of the spider woman: Black activism in Goya Lopes’s patterned fabrics
International Journal of Fashion Studies 10, 157 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1386/infs_00093_1
/content/journals/10.1386/infs_00093_1
/content/journals/10.1386/infs_00093_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): Afro-Brazilian art; Afro-Brazilian culture; Afro-Brazilian fashion design; Afro-diasporic design; Bahian culture; graphic arts; textile design

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