Representation, education and advocacy: Reflecting on the Asian Fashion Archive

The Asian Fashion Archive, launched in 2020, is a digital humanities initiative addressing the marginalization and stereotyping of Asian cultures and individuals in western media and fashion. By presenting a curation of historical and contemporary materials across Instagram and a complementary website, the project challenges Eurocentric narratives, amplifies under-represented voices and repositions fashion as a site of cultural resistance. Combining digital curation with participatory engagement, it fosters global conversations on Asian fashion, identity and history through an accessible space. This article situates the Asian Fashion Archive within broader efforts to decolonize fashion studies, emphasizing the potential of digital tools in disrupting traditional hierarchies and advocating for nuanced representations. The article reflects on the project’s development, challenges and impact, while calling for new directions for inclusive and accessible fashion scholarship.