Beginning in 2025, TATTER and community partner The Fashion and Race Database will be working together to create content and uplift artists and scholars of color in fashion and textile arts. The Fashion and Race Database is the first and most trusted education platform that provides dedicated research and programming, guided by subject matter experts, to advocate for diversity and show how the construct of race has influenced fashion history and culture. It is an essential access point in today’s world for researchers, practitioners, and industry professionals— as well as students who will become the next generation of fashion leaders. On December 26th, the first day of Kwanzaa, we are excited to share the first of many collaborations to share resources, images, and information related to decolonization and racial self-determination in textile design.
Created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community, and culture. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in Swahili, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. The seven principles that form its core were drawn from communitarian values found throughout the African continent. These principles are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith).
Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1 with rituals, dialogue, storytelling, poetry, dancing, singing, drumming, and other music, as well as feasting. While there is no official dress code for Kwanzaa, many people wear traditional clothing. Women typically wear kaftans and head wraps, while men usually wear a dashiki over pants and a kufi cap.
In this archive file photo dated Dec. 3, 1992, Sheila Kendrick adjusts a headpiece on her son Justin at Robinson Junior High School during a Kwanzaa celebration, a seven-day observance from Dec. 26 to Jan. (THE BLADE)
Dashikis are loose-fitting pullover tunics traditionally worn in West African cultures, which were adopted by African diasporic communities as a symbol of African heritage. Kaftans, originally from ancient Persia, spread across Central and Western Asia and have appeared in Western fashion, especially in the later twentieth century.
In the 1960s and 1970s, many people began to adopt various forms of African dress—especially in the African American community, but also in Western fashion at large. In particular, the West African garments known as the dashiki and dashiki kaftan became widely popular.
As we continue through the next seven days of Kwanzaa, we are mindful of how we can practice the principles in our textile work and study. In the spirit of collective work and cooperative economics, we want to uplift our community partners in their work to celebrate the creative work of Black and Indigenous people of color. Support The Fashion and Race Database by becoming a member today!
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Boggio, Amanda, (2022). “Dashiki.” Fashion History Timeline.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia, (2024). “Kwanzaa.” Encyclopedia Britannica.
Hizkiyev, Ofir, (2022). “Kaftan.” Fashion History Timeline.
“Kwanzaa.” National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“Kwanzaa Celebration.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San José State University.
Jirousek, Charlotte, (2010). “The Kaftan and Its Origins.” Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: Central and Southwest Asia.
Sullivan, Corinne, (2020). “7 Kwanzaa Traditions That Make the Week-Long Celebration So Special.” Women’s Day.
Lauren Bell is a Graduate Assistant at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the Student Life and Residential department, working primarily with event planning and as a social media manager. She is pursuing her Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, with a focus on decolonial theory within museums. She is from Cleveland, Ohio, and currently lives in New York City.