Subversive fashion (?)

witches, embroidery and political activism at Dior

Abstract

Because it is a dynamic sociocultural manifestation, fashion has the ability to connect to various aspects of social life in order to communicate ideas and positions. The main objective of this research is to explore the intersections between fashion, art and political activism through fashion shows. To this end, we initially developed a theoretical path seeking to better understand these relationships, especially articulating with marketing issues in the light of terms such as “artist capitalism” and “hyperfashion” (Lipovetsky and Serroy, 2014). Next, we will carry out a semiotic analysis that will have as corpus two fashion shows presented by Dior in 2023. By exploring these fashion shows, it was possible to identify the narratives and elements that the brand used in order to materialize a political appeal and question the scope and intention of this political expression.