2. Paris, Capital of Fashion - Valerie Steele

Europe and Fashion: Questioning Identities and Cultures. EFHA Conference 2018

Valerie Steele discusses the reasons why Paris has been the fashion capital of the world for more than three centuries. Drawing on the new edition of her book Paris Fashion: A Cultural History and on research for her forthcoming exhibition Paris, Capital of Fashion, she emphasizes the importance of fashion in the French historical narrative. Her ‘case study’ of Paris looks beyond the typical litany of great designers to explore the influence of artists and writers, milliners and actresses. Steele's work has contributed to the discourse on fashion cities and on the cultural context within which fashion flourishes. The idea of a Paris as a fashion city or fashion capital obviously has more than academic importance. Today, urban leaders around the world recognize that fashion can play a very important economic role. However, they should also bear in mind that this necessarily goes hand-in-hand with an important cultural role.