‘Not a trend. It’s a tradition’: Remaking Pacific identity and culture at London Pacific Fashion Week 2019

Abstract

In recent years, the recognition of creative industries such as art, design, media and fashion has thrust these sectors into the spotlight as valuable tools for economic development and integration into global markets. By establishing themselves as creative hotspots, developing countries grow small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and promote creative entrepreneurs who are involved in transforming culture. While an emphasis on incorporating ‘culture’ into design might also be seen as stultifying or essentializing culture, stakeholders working in the region consistently emphasize the significance of incorporating local cultures into their creations. In this article, we draw on interviews with Pacific designers and fashion festival organizers to demonstrate the range of ways in which ‘culture’ is woven into the story of Pacific fashion. In doing so, we highlight the ways in which participants are ‘remaking’ cultural identity and expression by ‘spinning it into something new’, keeping cultural connections alive and personal for those involved in these industries, while also allowing makers to situate their brand or product in the global market. Furthermore, we suggest that involvement in the world of fashion on a global scale represents an opportunity for participants to explore more inclusive and diverse versions of Pacific identity than those sanctioned or imagined outside the world of fashion.