fashion itself, rather than coldly observe or apply it from outside by people who
have “seen through” the “illusionary social construction” of fashion. The angle I
put on Liberation Theology is just this; to use belief and power from within the
system and bending it for social change through individual and community em-
powerment.
One reason to underline this difference is that fashion theory is often written from
the viewpoint of the distant observer, rather than of an engaged participant. It is
often as if theory does not “believe”, but instead tries to “explain” fashion and un-
veil its “illusion”, rather than follow, enhance or supplement its processes. Perhaps
we could imagine approaching fashion from a theological, or “believer” angle,
rather than from a religious studies or “atheist” position.
Another thing to keep in mind before discussing Liberation Theology is the differ-
ence between Protestantism and Catholicism regarding the immediate activity and
interventions of God in the world. While Protestants traditionally view the king-
doms of God and Man as essentially separate, Catholicism stresses a perfect con-
tinuum between the divine and the human. The ritualized mysteries of Catholi-
cism, such as the Transubstantiation of the wafer into the body of Christ during the
holy sacrament, emphasize the intimate and physical connection between the hu-
man and divine. Even though the sacrament is also a part of Protestantism, the
rituals of Catholicism make the transition between the divine and human worlds
Serpica Naro (anagram of San Precario) was a
fashion brand temporarily set up before the Milan
Fashion Week 2005 by around 200 precarious work-
ers. The group managed to get their new brand into the
official show calendar by faking a history of spreads
from Japanese fashion magazines. The catwalk show
they pulled off, with the established fashion press at front
row, was a demonstration against precarious work by
means of a critical collection of clothes. The group hadprepared special garments for the show, comment-
ing on precarious working situations. These were
functions for hiding pregnancy or keeping workers
at the job longer etc. Important for the group
behind Serpica Naro was to stage a spectacle
similar to that of fashion, but with a
critical message about globalization,
the atomization of the individual
and labour conditions in
consumer society.