Black Identities: A Historical and Current Review of Representation in the Fashion Industry

Gabriela Ambás () and Paula Gárgoles ()
Additional contact information
Gabriela Ambás: Universidad Panamericana
Paula Gárgoles: Universidad de Navarra

A chapter in Fashion Communication in the Digital Age, 2026, pp 151-164 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This article examines the construction of black identities through male fashion, tracing its evolution from the eighteenth century African diaspora to contemporary black designers. The study explores black dandyism, which combined African and European aesthetics, as both a personal and political statement to assert individuality. Employing a literature review methodology, the study is structured into two main sections. The first provides a historical analysis of the origin and evolution of black dandyism and its influence on the identity formation of Afro-descendant communities in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The second section focuses on the contributions of designers such as Stephen Burrows, Virgil Abloh, Pharell Williams, and Kanye West, whose work integrates Black heritage into global fashion narratives. By contextualizing these contributions, the article highlights the role of fashion as a powerful tool for cultural representation, affirming the transformative influence of black identities on the fashion industry while fostering conversation about self-expression, identity formation, and visibility. This study contributes an academic approach on current discussions leading up to the Met Gala 2025 exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Keywords: Fashion; Black identities; Black dandyism; Virgil Abloh; Stephen Burrows; Pharell Williams (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-99481-4_12

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031994814

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-99481-4_12

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().