Creatures of Fashion: Animals, Global Markets, and the Transformation of Patagonia

Creatures of Fashion explores how the exploitation of animals has shaped Patagonia's transformation from Indigenous lands to national territories, revealing the power of fashion beyond Europe's haute couture. It traces the circulation of furs and fibers, revealing how struggles for control over commodities and the reproduction of animals drove social and environmental changes.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 02 April 2024
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

Creatures of Fashion: Unraveling the Threads of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego

Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, renowned for their pristine landscapes and untouched beauty, have long been associated with a sense of isolation and untouched by the forces of globalization. However, the book Creatures of Fashion challenges this notion by unveiling the profound impact of animal exploitation on the region's transformation from Indigenous lands to the national territories of Argentina and Chile.

Through meticulous research and analysis of archives and digital repositories, author John Soluri traces the intricate web of furs and fibers that shaped the region's history. He reveals how the power of fashion extended far beyond the glamorous world of European haute couture, entangling the fates of Indigenous hunters, migrant workers, and textile manufacturers with those of fur seals, guanacos, and sheep at the farthest reaches of the world.

The book unfolds a captivating narrative that spans from the nineteenth-century rise of commercial hunting to the twentieth-century sheep ranching and contemporary conservation-based tourism. Soluri adeptly explains how struggles for control over the production of commodities and the reproduction of animals drove significant social and environmental changes that linked Patagonia to global markets, empires, and wildlife conservation movements.

By exposing the seams that connect national territories and global markets through the force of exploitation, Creatures of Fashion offers valuable perspectives and analyses that are essential for understanding the contemporary conflicts surrounding mass consumption, biodiversity conservation, and environmental justice in Patagonia and beyond.

Through its rich narrative and insightful analysis, the book sheds light on the complex interplay between human societies, animals, and the natural world, challenging us to reevaluate our relationship with the environment and the impact of our choices on the world around us.

Dimension: 235 x 155 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781469675718