Movement

Fashion Element and Purpose

Origin

Abacost Protest

Burning/discarding the Abacost tunic - Post-dictatorship liberation and rejection of Mobutu’s rule. After Mobutu’s fall, people burned or discarded the Abacost, reclaiming fashion as a symbol of post-dictatorship liberation.

Democratic Republic of Congo: 1970s-1990s

Bangladeshi Garment Workers’ Strikes

Destroying rejected fast fashion goods - Labor rights and fair wages. Workers protested exploitative conditions by sabotaging unsold garments to disrupt production.

Bangladesh: 2010s-Present

Black Panther Uniform

Black leather jackets, berets, sunglasses - Black power movement and resistance to systemic racism. The Black Panther Party used fashion to present strength, unity, and resistance against police brutality.

USA: 1960s-1970s

Bloomerism

Loose trousers under knee-length skirts - Women's rights and rejection of restrictive clothing. Amelia Bloomer and other activists promoted this attire to challenge the corset and gender norms.

USA & UK: 1850s

Calico Acts

British authorities outlawed the importation of Indian cotton textiles, punishing traders and wearers. Smuggling and black-market sales continued..

Britain, 1700s

Calico Acts Resistance

Illegally producing and wearing Indian cotton fabrics - Defying British textile monopolies. Indian artisans secretly continued production, often destroying British goods in retaliation.

India: 18th Century

Chicana Pachuca/Zoot Suit Movement

Zoot suits, dark lipstick, pompadour hairstyles - Rejection of racism and gender norms. Chicanas embraced Pachuca fashion to challenge both racial discrimination and expectations of femininity.

Mexico & USA: 1940s

Chilean Arpilleras Movement

Hand-stitched textiles documenting abuses - Protest against Pinochet’s dictatorship. Women secretly embroidered scenes of political violence and disappeared loved ones as acts of resistance.

Chile: 1973-1990

Chola Fashion & Tamil Resistance

Military fatigues instead of sarees - Tamil nationalist and feminist identity. Tamil women in resistance movements adopted military attire to assert equality and defy gender roles.

Sri Lanka: 1980s-2000s

Counterfeit Fashion Crimes

The illegal production and sale of counterfeit luxury goods continue to be a multibillion-dollar crime industry..

Global, Present Day

Extinction Rebellion 'Red Rebel' Costumes

Red robes and slow ritual movements - Environmental activism. Participants wear striking red to symbolize the blood of species lost due to climate change.

Global: 2018-Present

Hijab Bans & Mandates

Women faced legal consequences for either wearing or refusing to wear religious dress, depending on the regime..

France, Iran, Turkey, 20th-21st Century

Homespun Movement

Homemade cloth instead of British textiles - Boycott of British goods and economic independence. Colonists promoted self-sufficiency and resisted British economic control through local textile production.

American Colonies: 1760s-1770s

Khadi Movement

Hand-spun cotton instead of British textiles - Colonial resistance and self-reliance. Mahatma Gandhi encouraged spinning Khadi as a symbol of independence and defiance against British rule.

India: 1920s-1940s

Miniskirt Protest

Miniskirts - Women’s liberation and rejection of conservative norms. Young women embraced the miniskirt as a sign of personal freedom, challenging gender expectations.

UK: 1966

Prohibition-era Flapper Fashion

Short dresses, bobbed hair, and accessories associated with speakeasies and bootlegging were sometimes targeted by authorities..

USA, 1920s

Punk Fashion & Political Repression

Vivienne Westwood’s provocative designs, especially those with anarchist or anti-establishment slogans, led to police crackdowns..

UK, 1970s-1980s

Pussy Riot Balaclavas

Brightly colored balaclavas - Protest against political repression. The group wore masks to symbolize anonymity and resistance against authoritarianism in public performances.

Russia: 2010s

Sans-Culottes

Long trousers instead of aristocratic breeches - Rejection of monarchy and class hierarchy. Working-class revolutionaries distinguished themselves from the aristocracy by rejecting knee-breeches.

France: 1789-1799

SlutWalk Movement

Revealing clothing - Challenging victim-blaming in sexual violence cases. The movement reclaims the right to dress freely without being subjected to harassment or violence.

Global: 2011-Present

Sumptuary Laws

Laws regulated clothing based on social class, restricting certain fabrics, colors, or styles to the elite. Violating these laws could lead to fines or imprisonment..

Various Countries, 13th-18th Century

Thamizhar Kalai Ilakkiya Peravai

Refusing to wear sari pallu over the breast - Dalit women’s resistance against caste-based dress norms. Dalit women redefined traditional attire to assert their dignity and reject imposed cultural inferiority.

India (Tamil Nadu): 1990s

Weaving Resistance Movement

Traditional huipiles - Cultural preservation and rejection of appropriation. Indigenous women fought legal battles to protect their textile designs from global fashion exploitation.

Guatemala: 2010s-Present

Women’s Dress Protests in Iran

Loose headscarves, removing hijabs - Women’s rights and opposition to mandatory dress codes. Protesters defy laws by unveiling in public, risking arrest to assert their autonomy.

Iran: 1979-Present

Zoot Suit Bans

During WWII, extravagant zoot suits were seen as unpatriotic due to fabric rationing. In some cities, wearing one led to arrests..

USA, 1940s

Zoot Suit Riots

Flamboyant oversized suits - Mexican-American identity and anti-racism. Mexican-American youth faced racial violence for their distinctive fashion, which symbolized defiance and cultural pride.

USA (Los Angeles): 1943