The act of dressing: black people between fashion and survival

Abstract

In Brazil, an heir country to slave colonialism, fashion influenced the construction of racist stereotypes in the social imagination, which caused the rise to typical relationships between clothing and skin color with certain reputations.
The aim of this research was to investigate how fashion can help deconstruct racist stereotypes. The qualitative method analysis was based on bibliographic and
documentary research. It was complemented by a survey with black people in the city of Brusque, in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, to identify memories of racist experiences which arose from their apparel. Also, the interviewed people
shared how they believe fashion can help deconstruct negative stereotypes built
on black bodies. As a result, it was found that the fashion market must be understood as something complex and multiple, consisting of several stages, from the creation of a garment to its exhibition. Thus, it was understood that black people should be included end-to-end in the process, not employing them only in the communication sector, as it happens in the present day.