Afro-Indigenous Influence in Brazilian Fashion
In this episode of Fashion Series, we talk about the importance of knowing the origins of the peoples of each country, as general culture. Fashion it’s an expression of the history and culture of those people. We explore facts about the importance of learning from the source itself, instead of relying solely on media and politics, and the danger of the single story.
I interview Julia Vidal, a Brazilian fashion designer, author and educator. Founder of Etnias Culturais (Cultural Ethnicities) and her area of expertise being the history and culture of afro-indigenous peoples, she aims to provide fashion education that values Brazilian culture and diversity. Julia currently launched “Ewa Poranga” – a pioneering school that promotes pluriculturalism in fashion.
Countries and communities that went through a colonization phase, the origins of these peoples have been forgotten, due to Globalism and Capitalism. Indigenous peoples are all different depending on their location and groups, even if within the same country. They have different languages, symbols and fashions.
Julia enhances the fact of studying and understanding the proper use of indigenous symbols in fashion prints, and how we can educate ourselves, promoting dialogue and co-creating with the indigenous and other ethnic groups.
From cultural appropriation to the morality of these symbols, what can you actually bring to these cultures and how to have a fair and advocate partnership with them. You have to immerse in their world and also explain your views, see it in their own eyes and try to understand each other.
