fashion dictionary | Fashion History Timeline

adinkra

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, A, Africa, BIPOC, term definition

Produced by the Asante peoples in Ghana, adinkra is a flat, cotton textile that is stamped with symbols which create the meaning of the garment.

banyan

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, B, term definition

A banyan is a loose-fitted informal robe or gown worn by men in the late 17th to the early 19th centuries.

agal

19th century, 20th century, 21st century, A, Asia, term definition

An agal is a rope made from animal hair which wraps around a keffiya (square cloth) on the head and is worn typically by Bedouin men.

bogolanfini

20th century, Africa, B, term definition

Bogolanfini (bogolan- meaning cloth; fini- meaning mud) is a cotton cloth made from strips of woven fabric, which are decorated with symbolic patterns using the mud-resist technique, sewn together at the selvage to create a fabric that is utilized during the main four stages of a West African Bamana woman’s life: puberty, marriage, motherhood, and death.

xicolli

Americas, ancient, term definition, X

A xicolli is a sleeveless, sewn vest usually embellished with fringe that comes in various lengths worn by priests and high rank warriors in ancient Mesoamerican cultures.

backstrap loom

Africa, Americas, B, L, term definition

The backstrap loom is a lightweight, mobile loom made of wood and a strap that is wrapped around the back. It only needed to be attached to a tree or a post for stability and to provide tension.

dentalium cape/dress

19th century, 20th century, Americas, D, term definition

A dentalium cape or dentalium dress is a garment worn by Native American women that is made from the stringing together of dentalium shells in a circular pattern around the neck and across the chest and shoulders.

faience

Africa, ancient, F, term definition

Faience is a man-made ceramic material that was often used in ancient Egypt to make jewelry and devotional objects. It is usually a blue color.

tupu

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, Americas, ancient, T, term definition

A tupu is a long pin used to secure a garment worn across the shoulders. It was typically worn by Andean women in South America.

anorak

19th century, 20th century, A, Americas, term definition

An anorak is a jacket that typically has a hood, but not always, which was originally worn by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic designed to keep them warm and protected from harsh weather.