International Journal of Fashion Studies - Volume 12, Issue 1, 2025

As pregnant women are faced with consumptive pressures, the cultural practice of wearing used garments from a previous pregnancy creates a meaningful alternative that circulates outside of the economic fashion system and increasingly within it. This study explores how garments become assembled with mothers and children to create carework that is then carried from one pregnancy to the next. Five pregnant women in the United States between 20 and 30 weeks gestation were recruited to wear a previously worn maternity garment and record their reflections throughout growth. From this research, we find that maternity garments become entangled with mothers, foetus, partners, extended family members, friends and other non-human bodies. Affective traces were present in each garment, acting as intimate reminders of the kinship between gestational experiences. Physical signs of wear, such as holes, fabric stretch and aromas of breast milk, remind mothers of other pregnant narratives. Findings indicate that the liveliness of maternity garments imbues support during the pregnancy period, providing further context to conceptualize the dressedbody and potentials of material culture.

Recent debates in sociology have pointed to the emergence of new forms of capitalism capable of commodifying even the most resistant dimensions – the art, the affection – in their relentless pursuit of profit. A question that can be better understood when analysing certain markets, the relationship between the economy and cultural and artistic goods is well delineated in the contemporary luxury fashion industry. Using methods from sociology and anthropology to think about issues such as the role of artists in this sector, the function of art in flagships and its effects on consumption, this article qualifies the term, ‘artwashing’, a phenomenon characterized by the use of traditional resources from the art world to reinvent the way the luxury industry is perceived by both consumer society and its clientele.

In this article, we reflect on fast fashion and see-now-buy-now. The first has its origin in mass fashion and proposes the acceleration of the speed of collection launches. The second emerged in the luxury market and consists of selling products during or right after the collection shows. Starting from these strategies, we present a theoretical reflection on the imperative of self-expansion and expanded reproduction of capital. The aim of this work is to show that it is this necessity, and not the consumers’ desires, that motivates the increase in the speed of production and commercialization of goods – and why business models like fast fashion and see-now-buy-now emerge. We develop our argument based on the concepts elaborated by Karl Marx, as we consider historical materialism gives us grounds to understand the stimulus of accelerated fashion consumption as a consequence of demands from the sphere of production. Thus, we demonstrate how fast fashion works to increase capital turnover. Next, we reflect on aesthetic innovation and ‘lifestyles’ as tools for accelerating consumption. We address the influences of this dynamic on the luxury market, on the emergence of see-now-buy-now and on inventories formation. Finally, we provide an overview of fashion consumption in Brazil.

The purpose of this research was to study the role of Queen Sirikit in the development of Thai women’s clothing. Information gathered from qualitative research was used to analyse the Queen’s role in the promotion and conservation of Thai fabrics. The study found that Queen Sirikit actively worked to promote and conserve Thai fabrics and traditional designs. She successfully helped to restore national cultural heritage by promoting traditional weaving techniques and patterns, which at the time were disappearing from Thai society. Queen Sirikit’s role transcended traditional theories of the fashion cycle as she became the figurehead of a Thai royal clothing movement, publicly dressing in traditional Thai cloth until it became more widely known throughout the country and beyond. Through Queen Sirikit’s efforts, Thai royal costumes and traditional Thai cloth became an accepted and respected form of modern dress. The main theoretical contributions of this article are to challenge the widespread perception that traditional Thai sartorial culture has been thoroughly westernized. The article also presents broader implications of Queen Sirikit’s work on cultural preservation and innovation.

Review of: Male Idols and Branding in Chinese Luxury: Fashion, Cosmetics, and Popular Culture, Amanda Sikarskie, Peng Liu and Lan Lan (2023)

London: Bloomsbury, 248 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-35028-331-2, h/bk, $115

ISBN 978-1-35028-606-1, p/bk, $39.95

ISBN 978-1-35028-332-9, e-book, $35.95

Review of: Fashion & Motherhood: Image, Material, Identity, Laura Snelgrove (ed.) (2024)

London, New York and Dublin: Bloomsbury Publishing, 264 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-35027-669-7, h/bk, $115

ISBN 978-1-35027-673-4, p/bk, $39.95

ISBN 978-1-35027-671-0, e-book, $82.80