#5 The Fashion and Race Database

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This week we’re excited to share The Fashion and Race Database with you. Founded by Kimberly M. Jenkins, the project’s principal researcher, The Fashion and Race Database grew out of Jenkins’ experiences teaching fashion history and theory, and her disillusionment with the lack of diversity in resources for teaching courses in fashion. What originated as The Fashion and Race Syllabus, Jenkins’ collaborative project with scholar Rikki Byrd, has evolved into the current database (relaunched in early July), with the central goal of amplifying BIPOC scholarship and histories in the fashion industry. In addition to the ongoing support the database offers to established BIPOC writers, they also aim to support diverse futures in the fashion industry by offering publishing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. 

The database is comprehensive, and serves a multitude of functions for fashion designers, students, educators, creative professionals, and scholars alike, with plenty of offerings for those more casually interested in fashion as well. You can subscribe to the database using the subscription box found at the bottom of each page. You can also support their work directly by donating to the database here.

The site is beautifully designed and easy to navigate, but if you are looking for a place to start, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of my favorite features below.

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Among the many features of the database are: 

1. A Library, featuring everything from books and scholarly articles, to films and documentaries, exhibitions, and even lectures and podcasts on relevant topics. Some offerings from the library that I’m particularly excited about include:
   • African Luxury: Aesthetics and Politics
   • Asians Wear Clothes on the Internet: Race, Gender, and the Work of Personal Style Blogging
   • ​Cloth that Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz
   • Conflict and Costume: The Herero Tribe of Namibia
   • ​​Contemporary Muslim Fashions
   • Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style
   • Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
2. A customizable section called “My List,” where a reader can browse the library and save specific resources for future reference and research (this is Leslie’s favorite feature). Find the list feature here.
3. An “Objects That Matter” section, where the database spotlights BIPOC fashion objects of particular historical significance, with robust information on each, including things like materials, traditional uses and history, and even techniques used in making the objects.  (I particularly enjoyed reading about the history of Ajrak textiles)
4. A Directory (under the “Community” Menu) of other relevant collections, databases, blogs, collectives, institutions, and projects that build on the critical issues the database addresses. This is a particularly amazing resource to acquaint yourself with for further reading.
5. A Calendar section (also under the “Community” Menu) for events, lectures, symposia, exhibitions, and other programming organized in a user-friendly format for perusing. Keep a pen nearby- I already took mental note of several programs I’m interested in, and I’m sure you’ll want to do the same.
6. An Opportunities page: this page is still under construction, but keep it on your radar to check back, especially if you’re a student or emerging scholar interested in Fashion; I anticipate some really compelling calls for writing and other opportunities to come.

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If you’re interested in reading more about the origins of the database, check out their Vision Statement, and read more about the project’s staff here. 

-Jackie