Fashion and Fascism

A turning point in recognizing fashion as a political weapon for the far right was identified by Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan in the summer of 2017, in the context of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Since then, it has become increasingly evident that fashion is not merely a matter of aesthetics or lifestyle, but can also function as a medium for ideological communication and political mobilization.

Germany has long been one of the international hubs for far-right fashion. Today, this segment is characterized by a range of self-designations such as “German Nordic Brands,” “Northern European textile labels,” “Viking lifestyle,” or clothing for “conservatives and patriots.” While brands, products, and online stores based in small towns and rural areas continue to expand, far-right influencers on social media are simultaneously producing and circulating new stylistic codes and visual identities. The establishment of explicitly far-right fashion labels is a growing trend.

This development raises pressing questions: How do far-right fashion systems produce and circulate power, cultural violence, aggression, and hate? What kinds of political and economic networks emerge within this field? And how are aesthetics mobilized to normalize or amplify extremist ideologies? The lecture addresses these issues by presenting current research findings from the FWF-funded project “Fashion and the Far Right” at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

Elke Gaugele is an empirical cultural scholar and professor of Fashion and Styles / Design in Context at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her research and publications develop a postcolonial and intersectional feminist approach to fashion studies. This perspective examines the interconnections between aesthetics, ethics, global and social justice, and politics. She currently leads the research project “Fashion and the Far Right: The New Complexity in Style,” funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) (2023–2026).

The guest lecture (in german) is par of the lecture series “fashion is …”.

Prof. Dr. Elke Gaugele: Fashion und Faschismus
Monday 8.Juni 2026, 16:30 Uhr
Isenburger Schloss, 1. OG (Lehrgebiet Mode)