(Schneider 2006: 205). Dyeing, just like alchemy, was a practice and esoteric knowl-
edge with deep mystery and with a great potential to social recognition and
wealth.
Central to the experience of ritual self-enhancement in clothing, as discussed
above, are the ways that various layers of experiences are added to the garments,
either by the wearer or by the makers. They are also placed within the system of
fashion that as times shift also shifts the meaning of garments. These are processes
beyond the reach of the users even if they as believers replicate the rituals of fash-
ion on the streets.
Far too many analyses have been written by fashion “atheists” and they usually
neglect the quasi-magical, emancipatory and extravagant sides of fashion. It some-
times seems that this happens simply because they don’t believe that they could
exist. To better understand these relations we must not step too far outside the
belief system but instead stay believers. We should see what a theology of fashion
could be.a theology of fashion
To find ways of engagement in fashion beyond the ready-to-wear logic we must
look at how power struggles take place in other belief systems, such as religion, and
how a top-down stratified and pacifying logic can be bent and used for social em-
powerment by the believers. Various forms of dogmatic controversies and heresiesThe House of Diehl is a New York
based design group organizing “Style Wars”,
a merger of MC battling & Haute Couture.
These are live styling and design events, often
hosted at nightclubs, where the participants
creates new garments and work against the
clock on live models, live on stage, only using
recycled garments and ordinary objects as raw
materials and with a time limit of 5 minutes.
House of Diehl define their work as “Au-
thentic involvement and collaboration. Rather
than shallow infiltration and shameless
imitation. Think fashion from the mosh pit.
Fashion as Olympic sport. Fashion as sex.
Fashion as Hendrix.” Their work “seeks not
only to express a community, but to generate
one. [...] To make the ‘spectator’ the star.”
(House of Diehl n.d)