Description
Founded in 2009, The Common Thread Project combats racial inequality within the fashion industry by highlighting local minority-owned fashion businesses. We take an anthropological approach to unpacking the historical, cultural, and political roots behind why local minority communities wear what they wear. By looking specifically at the ways in which these style choices communicate what these community members value, we work to educate the public about the contributions local minorities make not only to the fashion industry but to wider society. We share this knowledge with the public by offering cultural shopping tours. On these tours, we visit local, minority-owned boutiques, while sharing fun cultural, historical, political, and architectural facts that shape the fashion trends in that area. We also share this awareness with both local fashion artisans (i.e., designers, boutique owners, and stylists) AND fashion consumers using curricula that enable them to better provide and access fashion choices that are as culturally sensitive as they are consumable.