How Fascists Changed Fashion: An Analysis of Fashion in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

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Thomas Carr
Katherin Hilson
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John Kirk
Sarah Terrill

How Fascists Changed Fashion: An Analysis of Fashion in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich

Name: Caroline Cardamone
Major: German
Hometown: Bloomington, IL
Faculty Sponsor: Gregory Baer
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Senior thesis
Funding: NA

Abstract

In 1933 when the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, fashion not only adapted to the new regime, but was also molded directly by their policies, propaganda, and administration. This thesis aims to investigate the processes and philosophy behind the Nazi’s desire to change the German fashion industry, and in doing so change how German women were viewed, which manufacturers were in power, what the sources for fashion inspiration were, and the overall trends.

Through textual analysis and comparison of photographs that appeared in German fashion magazines between the Weimar (1919-1933) and Nazi eras (1933-1945), the changes in women’s clothing and representation of women are identified. The photographs were also placed in the sartorial and historical context of the eras to better understand their significance. These analyses help reveal the Nazi’s murder and forced exile of Jewish people in the clothing industry, and the oppression of women through fashion. The results of this analysis show the cultural losses to the German clothing industry and the party’s ultimate failure to create a unified national image through clothing.

Poster file