How does Fashion Media reframe non-Western cultural items as part of the Scandi-style aesthetic, and how does this reframing influence the visibility, interpretation, or erasure of their cultural origins?
Author
Kiebel, Hannah
Term
4. term
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-29
Pages
573
Abstract
This thesis examines how fashion media in and around Scandinavia engage with cultural appropriation and the Scandi-style aesthetic. It explores how non-Western cultural items are used within Scandinavian fashion narratives and how this affects whether their origins are visible, how they are interpreted, and when their roots are overlooked. The study starts from the view that fashion media do not just mirror trends but actively shape cultural meaning. Empirically, it focuses on five cases from digital fashion media and brand communication: fashion articles, Instagram brand campaigns, and journalistic coverage of appropriation debates. The materials center on Havaianas flip-flops, South Asian dupattas (long scarves/shawls), and lehenga-inspired garments (skirt-and-blouse sets), presented in Scandinavian or Scandinavian-adjacent fashion contexts. Methodologically, the thesis uses a qualitative, multimodal critical discourse analysis that studies words and images together, including captions, headlines, styling, model representation, color palettes, spatial settings, and commercial integration. The analysis is guided by decolonial fashion discourse, cultural appropriation theory, the concept of Nordic whiteness, and the idea of fashion media as cultural intermediaries that translate and shape cultural value between producers and audiences. Findings show that non-Western items are often made visible in fashion media, but with conditions: their cultural origins are minimized, abstracted, or omitted, and their meanings are reinterpreted through Scandi-style values such as minimalism, effortlessness, and understated elegance. The thesis identifies recurring reframing mechanisms, including Nordic ownership, context evaluation, origin naturalization, commercial integration, and digital circulation. It argues that the Scandi-style aesthetic functions as a strong discursive framework that makes items fashionable while detaching them from their original contexts. In doing so, fashion media contribute to broader processes of cultural recontextualization and erasure and reinforce unequal power relations within global fashion discourse.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan modemedia i og omkring Skandinavien håndterer kulturel appropriation og Scandi-stilens æstetik. Den ser på, hvordan ikke-vestlige kulturelle genstande bruges i skandinaviske modenarrativer, og hvordan det påvirker, om deres oprindelse bliver synlig, hvordan de fortolkes, og hvornår deres rødder forsvinder fra historien. Udgangspunktet er, at modemedia ikke blot afspejler trends, men aktivt er med til at skabe kulturel betydning. Empirisk fokuserer studiet på fem cases fra digitale modemedia og brandkommunikation: modeartikler, Instagram-kampagner fra brands og journalistiske indslag om debatter om appropriation. Materialet omfatter Havaianas-klipklapper, sydasiatiske dupattaer (lange tørklæder/sjaler) og lehenga-inspirerede beklædningsgenstande (sæt med nederdel og bluse), som præsenteres i skandinaviske eller skandinavisk-nære modekontekster. Metodisk anvender afhandlingen en kvalitativ, multimodal kritisk diskursanalyse, der undersøger både ord og billeder, herunder billedtekster, overskrifter, styling, modelrepræsentation, farvepaletter, rumlige settings og kommerciel integration. Analysen trækker på dekolonial mode-diskurs, teori om kulturel appropriation, begrebet nordisk hvidhed og forståelsen af modemedia som kulturelle mellemled, der oversætter og former kulturel værdi mellem producenter og publikum. Resultaterne viser, at ikke-vestlige genstande ofte gøres synlige i modemedia, men med betingelser: deres kulturelle oprindelse minimeres, abstraheres eller udelades, og deres betydning nyfortolkes gennem Scandi-stilens værdier som minimalisme, ubesværethed og underspillet elegance. Afhandlingen identificerer tilbagevendende mekanismer for omramning, herunder nordisk ejerskab, kontekstvurdering, oprindelsesnaturliggørelse, kommerciel integration og digital cirkulation. Den argumenterer for, at Scandi-stilens æstetik fungerer som en stærk diskursiv ramme, der gør genstande fashionable, mens de løsnes fra deres oprindelige kontekster. Dermed bidrager modemedia til bredere processer af kulturel re-kontekstualisering og udviskning og forstærker ulige magtforhold i den globale modediskurs.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]