HISP 310 - Early Modern Fashion and Global Trade

What was fashion before Vogue and Gucci? Did Fashion Weeks exist before New York or Milan? How was fashion produced and circulated before globalization? And, was Paris always the fashion capital of the world? To answer these questions, this interdisciplinary course will examine a remarkable case study. During the 16th and 17th century Spanish fashion ruled the world. The military and political dominance of Spain in Europe, America and parts of Asia turned Madrid into the fashion capital of the world. Madrid was the place to see and be seen, offering unlimited possibilities for entertainment and consumption. Plazas and streets were the stages to display power and status from Madrid to the world. Styles seen in Madrid were soon copied all over the Western world. How did this happen? What were the distinguishing features of Spanish fashion? What were the production systems of the fashion industry? Were there famous tailors and dressmakers? Was international trade important for the fashion industry? Was the fashion made locally from imported fabrics or was it all produced nationally? What came first, political and military domination or fashion and culture hegemony? This interdisciplinary course will examine the distinguishing features of Spanish fashion, as well as the various political, economic, ceremonial and protocol factors that exported this model to other continents. We will also focus on how the colonial conquest of Spain and Portugal of today’s Latin America and the Philippines developed caste-like socioeconomic and political systems in which indigenous people and African slaves were forced to convert to Christianity and to wear Western styles of dress. Yet the rich weaving traditions such as those as the Maya and Andean regions did not disappear and developed creative designs combining local and Christian symbols that allowed them to not only develop a distinctive way of expressing their identity through dressing, but also a way to challenge and contest colonial practices.

Credits 1

Area
Humanities

Division
Arts and Humanities

Foundation
Beyond the West

Compass Attributes
Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Global Honors