Rethinking Fashion

In recent years, the fashion system has undergone significant deterioration. The obsession with growth, mass production, and globalized aesthetics has transformed the fashion and garment industry into a space marked by ethical and environmental neglect. In response, a complex movement has emerged within the field, seeking to challenge and transform this reality. Designing ethical and sustainable fashion has become a central challenge, opening space for new analyses and critical inquiry. This theoretical essay aims to provoke reflection on the process of ethicization in fashion and explores how certain non-hegemonic and non-Western forms of clothing can offer innovative perspectives on the key issues and challenges currently facing the field. This reflection is illustrated through the case of the Cuentepec woman, whose clothing practices, situated outside the dominant fashion system, reflect a distinct worldview and deep social integration. The essay calls for a dialogue among designers and scholars to deconstruct prevailing paradigms and foster a more comprehensive, inclusive, and culturally sensitive approach to fashion.