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The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty Are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures Kristen Gallerneaux, The Henry Ford’s curator of communications and information technology (and chief content curator for this magazine), appreciates the journeys of self-expression found in Christian Allaire’s new book on reclaiming and honoring culture through fashion.
“THE PEOPLE YOU WILL MEET IN THIS BOOK ARE USING FASHION AND BEAUTY TO PROMOTE CULTURAL ACTIVISM, EMPOWERMENT, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSIVITY. THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY USING GARMENTS, ACCESSORIES, OR VARIOUS BEAUTY TECHNIQUES TO RECLAIM THEIR IDENTITIES AND CELEBRATE WHO THEY ARE.” — CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE, AUTHOR OF THE POWER OF STYLE PHOTO BY CAMERON LINTON/COURTESY OF JAMIE OKUMA
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JANUARY-MAY 2022
As an Indigenous teen growing up in rural Canada, my fashion choices didn’t always align with local style. Perhaps this is why I felt instant kinship with The Power of Style author Christian Allaire’s experience as a “fashion-obsessed Ojibwe teen” who grew up on Nipissing First Nation reserve. This book was inspired by a “lack” — specifically, Allaire’s frustration with the absence of Indigenous representation in fashion and media. But what began as a project focusing on contemporary Indigenous style soon expanded to include natural hairstyles in the Black community, the political-spiritual weight of long hair among Native American peoples and the use of glamorous wigs by drag performers to manifest personae. Other chapters highlight plus-size cosplayers who emphasize body-positivity, hijabs and modesty sportswear among Muslim people, and the history of high heels in men’s and nonbinary fashion. Here, and as a writer at Vogue magazine, Allaire centers diversity, amplifying a broad spectrum of emerging voices within the cultural fashion arena. Chapters demonstrate (to use designer Bethany Yellowtail’s description) “bridges of understanding” between traditional and contemporary clothing — from couture to ceremonial regalia, costumes and streetwear. Throughout The Power of Style, Allaire reminds us that “fashion holds more power than you think,” and this book provides a compassionate roadmap for self-identity and gender expression through style — all with young adult readers in mind.
