An exploration of textile’s rich history as a communicative medium, and its appropriation by colonialist and capitalist systems.

In this open access publication, Ganaele Langlous describes how textile has been used as a medium of communication since the prehistoric period. In fact, up until the 19th century, civilizations throughout the world manipulated thread and fabric to communicate in a way that would astound many of us now.

Unlike text and images, textile is haptic and three-dimensional. Its meaning is unfixed, constantly shifting as it circulates between different owners and creators. In How Textile Communicates, Langlois dissects textile’s unique capacity for communication through a range of global case studies, before examining the profound impact of colonialism on textile practice and the appropriation of this medium by capitalist systems.

A thought-provoking contribution to the fields of both fashion and communication studies, Langlois’ writing challenges readers’ preconceptions and shines new light on the profound impact of textiles on human communication.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by York University, Toronto, Canada.

"A major contribution to intercultural and decolonial studies as it examines how the communicative capacities of textile have been taken for granted across boundaries, borders, disciplines and technologies." - Janis Jefferies, Emeritus Professor of Visual Arts, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK