History on the Edge: Zgodovinska in kontekstualna analiza slovenske mode, 1945–2024
You are kindly invited to a new lecture in the History on the Edge series, which will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at the INZ premises or via the ZOOM link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85093074535?pwd=chFdSCgScVg8fw1djh3bVz8h9gqWtm.1 . In the new season, lectures will take place at 3 p.m. and if you will be joining us in person, you are welcome to a coffee 20 minutes before the lecture begins.
The lecture will be given by Tanja Devetak, and the title of the lecture is “A Historical and Contextual Analysis of Slovenian Fashion, 1945-2024”. The lecture will be held in English.
A Historical and Contextual Analysis of Slovenian Fashion, 1945-2024
Slovenian fashion has evolved through a complex interplay of local traditions and global influences, yet its historical trajectory remains largely overlooked in scholarly discourse. This study examines the emergence and transformation of Slovenian fashion between 1945 and 2024, situating its development within temporal, geographical, political, economic, social, cultural, and sustainability-related contexts. Employing qualitative analysis of archival records, industrial data, and oral testimonies, the research identifies six distinct phases: post-war industrialization, structural shifts of the 1960s, the industrial expansion of the 1970s, the instability of the 1980s, the rise of independent designers after 1990, and the integration of sustainable practices in the 21st century.
To interpret these transformations, the study establishes parameters for each context, including design awards (temporal); consumer participation, Slovenian fashioneasta, regional taste and DIY practices (geographical); influencers, sales networks, media-driven consumerism, and production systems (economic); women’s roles, modeling, and the designer as a product (social); symbolic political support and the absence of political commentary in design (political); costume versus fashion, clothing as art, and bodily representation (cultural); and emergent sustainable business models (sustainability).
The findings reveal how socio-political, cultural, and economic conditions shaped Slovenian fashion across these periods, while also tracing its evolving relationship to global currents. By offering the first comprehensive historical overview of Slovenian fashion, the study also provides a framework for analyzing other fashion systems of small-scale post-socialist economies within the global cultural economy.