BACKGROUND
The United States has entered an era of authoritarianism marked by the open consolidation of power by an autocrat, the normalization of political violence, and the erosion of democratic guardrails.
Fascism does not advance through policy alone. Story, image, spectacle, and emotion manufacture longing for a mythic past, fear of targeted groups, and a permanent state of emergency — all in service of justifying strongman rule and violence.
Legal challenges, electoral tactics, and mass protest are vital forms of resistance. But they are not enough on their own.
CULTURAL RESISTANCE TO FASCISM
Resistance requires cultural strategies capable of reaching broad audiences even amid fear, repression, and political fatigue. Cultural projects can expose the absurdity and danger of fascist narratives while offering a compelling alternative — one rooted in justice, equality, and collective belonging.
Design by La Muerta Maria
ABOUT FASHION VS. FASCISM
Fashion vs. Fascism (FvF) is a live, narrative-driven fashion show that doubles as political education — exposing how fascism operates in the contemporary U.S. and illuminating pathways of resistance. By combining fashion, performance, and satire, FvF uses fashion’s visual impact and mass appeal to reach broad audiences, build political understanding, and catalyze collective action.
Design by Evarize
OURSTORY
FvF has its roots in Fashion Resistance to Militarism, a popular education event first produced by the Women of Color Resource Center in Oakland, CA, in 2005, amid the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Using immersive storytelling, music, poetry, and a talk by Clark University professor and militarism scholar Cynthia Enloe, the show exposed how militarism infiltrates American homes, closets, and minds. The show went on to tour dozens of cities, including Atlanta, Detroit, Eugene, San Diego, San Francisco, Syracuse, Washington, DC, Hawai’i, and Guåhan.
THECOLLECTIONS
FvF is structured around five collections that depict core elements of fascist ideology, and the imperative to resist consolidation of fascist rule:
1 The Mythic Past – Fascism invents a glorious time in the nation’s history and blames outsiders for its loss, suppressing the truth in the process.
2 The Other/The Enemy – Fascism deepens hierarchies of race, religion, gender and immigration status, casting marginalized groups as threats to national identity and traditional values.
3 It’s An Emergency, Or Is It? – Fascism manufactures constant alarm over crime, borders, and internal enemies— pretext for surveillance, repression, detention and state violence.
4 Fascism’s OGs: Oligarchs and Grifters – Fascism turns the state into a piggy bank for the ruler, his loyalists, and favored capital, while gutting social programs for everyone else.
5 Act Free to Be Free – Fascism can be defeated, but only through sustained resistance across every pro-democracy sector of society.
Design by Evarize (left) Design by LEERICKIE (right)