Afro-Italian fashion through the lens of practice theory

The traditional paradigms of fashion are facing an ongoing process of redefinition driven by the emergence of new markets and new imaginaries. Migration and diasporic movements play a role in this transformation. The case of ‘Made in Italy’ is particularly emblematic in light of the growing contribution of Afro-descendant designers to the Italian fashion scene. Within this context, we observe new cultural intermediaries as well as less visible, smaller-scale activities operating at the local and community level. These dynamics contribute to the transformation and diversification of the Italian fashion system across its latent and explicit dimensions, from everyday informal practices to more formalized and institutionalized ones. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Afro-descendant designers and key informants, ethnographic notes and secondary sources, in this article we employ concepts from the interdisciplinary field of practice theory to examine how Afro-descendant designers navigate and influence new forms of economic, social and cultural capital. Drawing from the interconnected dimensions of competence, meanings and materials as developed by sociologists of practice, we demonstrate how Afro-descendant Italian designers integrate new cultural elements into the Italian fashion industry, mediating between inherited traditions, local craftsmanship and the aesthetic and symbolic legacies of their cultural backgrounds.