Defintion
Sustainable Fashion Application
Body modification
Alterations to the body for cultural or aesthetic reasons e.g. Tattoos or piercings
Sustainable alternatives to body-altering fashion (corsets, shapewear, plastic surgery-related garments) emphasize comfort, body positivity, and biodegradable materials.
Cultural adornment
Decorative items worn to express cultural identity or status e.g. Traditional jewelry or headdresses
Sustainable fashion can honor cultural embellishments by using eco-friendly materials, ethical sourcing, and supporting artisans rather than appropriating designs for mass production.
Cultural Epistemologies
Systems of knowledge and ways of understanding the world that are specific to particular cultures.
Traditional indigo dyeing communities often possess sophisticated ecological knowledge passed down through generations, understanding complex relationships between plant growth cycles, water systems, and dyeing processes.
Cultural hybridization
Blending of clothing styles from different cultures e.g. Fusion of traditional and modern fashion
Ethical cultural fusion in fashion ensures that materials and production methods are sustainable while respecting indigenous and local craftsmanship.
Dress codes
Formal or informal rules governing appropriate attire e.g. School uniforms or workplace dress policies
Sustainable work or event dress codes can reduce unnecessary consumption, promote rewearing, and encourage eco-friendly professional attire policies.
Environmental adaptation
Clothing designed to protect from specific climates e.g. Parkas in Arctic regions
Sustainable fashion must consider climate-responsive design, using biodegradable, breathable, and locally appropriate textiles rather than synthetic materials that harm ecosystems.
Ethnic dress
Traditional clothing specific to a cultural group e.g. Kimonos in Japanese culture
Promoting sustainability in ethnic fashion means respecting traditional techniques, using locally sourced fibers, and avoiding mass-produced replicas that exploit cultural heritage.
Fashion as resistance
Use of clothing to challenge social norms e.g. Subculture fashion styles
Ethical fashion movements (e.g., anti-fast fashion, slow fashion, fair trade clothing) challenge exploitative industry norms and advocate for systemic change.
Fashion diffusion
Spread of clothing styles across cultures e.g. Western fashion influencing global dress
Ethical fashion diffusion ensures that sustainability trends (like upcycling or zero-waste design) spread responsibly without cultural appropriation or greenwashing.
Gender expression
Use of clothing to communicate gender identity e.g. Skirts traditionally associated with femininity
Sustainable fashion challenges fast fashion’s gendered consumption patterns by promoting gender-fluid, long-lasting designs that reduce waste.
Globalization of fashion
Worldwide interconnectedness of clothing trends e.g. Fast fashion and international brands
Ethical globalization in fashion prioritizes fair labor practices, local textile industries, and carbon-conscious production over exploitative, high-emission supply chains.
Material Animacy
The anthropological concept that objects can possess forms of life or agency - challenging Western distinctions between "living" and "non-living" things.
Some cultures treat textiles as living entities that deserve respect, leading to practices like ritual cleaning and proper disposal methods, contrasting with casual Western disposal habits.
Material culture
Study of physical objects, including clothing, in society e.g. Analysis of historical clothing artifacts
Sustainability in material culture means shifting from disposable, petroleum-based fabrics to natural, regenerative, and circular textiles that last across generations.
Material Culture
The study of beliefs, values, and ideas through physical objects. It examines how people interact with and assign meaning to material things.
Analyzing how different cultures value and care for clothing. For example, Japanese sashiko mending transforms repair from a sign of poverty into an artistic practice that extends garment life.
Multi-sited Ethnography
A research methodology developed by George Marcus that follows cultural phenomena across multiple locations rather than studying a single site intensively. It recognizes that in our interconnected world, cultural practices cannot be understood by studying just one location.
Studying how a single garment's lifecycle moves across multiple sites - from cotton farming in India, to manufacturing in Bangladesh, to retail in Europe, to eventual disposal in Ghana's secondhand markets. This reveals how "sustainability" means different things in each context.
Occupational dress
Clothing associated with specific professions or roles e.g. Lab coats for scientists
Workwear can be reimagined with sustainable materials and ethical labor practices, such as eco-friendly uniforms and circular economy models for professional attire.
Ontological Frameworks
The fundamental categories and concepts through which different cultures understand reality and existence.
While Western fashion often separates "nature" from "culture," many indigenous textile practices see no such division, leading to production methods that inherently consider environmental impact.
Rites of passage clothing
Attire associated with life transitions e.g. Coming-of-age ceremonial dress
Sustainable alternatives to disposable event clothing (e.g., graduation gowns, wedding dresses) include rental, heirloom fashion, or upcycled garments.
Ritual attire
Specialized clothing worn for ceremonial purposes e.g. Wedding gowns or funeral garments
Traditional ceremonial clothing can be made sustainably by preserving ancestral craftsmanship, using natural dyes, and reducing the environmental impact of mass-produced occasion wear.
Ritual Theory
The study of how formalized practices create and maintain cultural meaning.
Analyzing how shopping habits have become ritualized in consumer culture, and how alternative rituals (like clothing swaps or mending circles) can create new sustainable practices.
Sartorial communication
Use of clothing to convey non-verbal messages e.g. Business suits signaling professionalism
Clothing choices can signal sustainability values, such as wearing upcycled garments, secondhand fashion, or brands committed to ethical production.
Social Life of Objects
Arjun Appadurai's concept that objects, like people, have social lives and biographies as they move through different contexts and uses.
Tracking how a garment's meaning changes as it moves from "new" to "secondhand" to "vintage" to "waste," revealing opportunities to extend its perceived value.
Social stratification
Clothing as an indicator of social class or status e.g. Designer brands signaling wealth
Sustainability challenges class-based fashion hierarchies by advocating for accessible, durable, and fair-priced garments rather than excessive luxury waste.
Sustainable fashion
Environmentally and socially responsible clothing practices
Symbolic dress
Clothing items with specific cultural meanings e.g. Religious symbols on garments
Wearing sustainable brands, protest fashion (e.g., climate change slogans), and visible repair (like mended clothes) makes ethical fashion a form of activism.
Technological impact
Influence of technology on clothing production and wear e.g. Smart textiles or 3D-printed garments
Innovations like bio-fabrication, digital fashion (reducing sample waste), and closed-loop recycling minimize fashion’s environmental footprint.
Temporal Frameworks
How different cultures conceptualize and experience time - whether as linear, cyclical, or other patterns.
Contrasting fast fashion's linear "wear-dispose" timeline with traditional practices like the Andean concept of pachakuti (cyclical renewal), which influences how garments are maintained and transformed over generations.
Textile traditions
Cultural practices in fabric production and use e.g. Hand-woven textiles in indigenous communities
Reviving traditional weaving, dyeing, and crafting methods supports sustainable practices by reducing reliance on synthetic textiles and fostering local economies.
