Skilled Immigrants in the Textile and Fashion Industries: Stories from a Globe-Spanning History

With contributions from leading experts, this edited collection presents original research on the skills brought by immigrant communities to the textile and fashion industries, from the early modern to postmodern periods in Asia and the Islamic World, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Manufacturing of textiles and apparel is arduous work, which historically depended on skilled artisans, inexpensive labor, and the introduction of labor-saving technology. Immigrant communities supplied much of the work force, bringing their own skill sets to new locations, leading to the development of new manufacturing centers and an increase in both production and technical expertise. Throughout the volume, the role of migration and immigrant involvement in manufacturing is also examined in relation to trade, politics, and socio-religious circumstances prompting relocation.

Deconstructing the question of provenance by examining the cultural identity of migrant populations, the research brings to light ongoing dilemmas and practices of diaspora communities. By analyzing material, mythical, and technical aspects of textile and apparel production, contributors create a new narrative about textile- and garment-making as a collective endeavor, requiring diversity of skill and methodology to thrive.

Nazanin Hedayat Munroe is Associate Professor and Director of Textiles at City University of New York, USA. An artist and art historian, she received her Ph.D. in art history from University of Bern, Switzerland specializing in early modern silks, and her M.F.A. in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art, USA. Her research for Sufi Lovers, Safavid Silks and Early Modern Identity received the Henry Wasser Award for Outstanding Research from the CUNY Academy of Humanities and Sciences at CUNY Graduate Center, where she is newly appointed to the Board as Chair of Interdisciplinary Research.