Class signalling explores the means of social distinction and an individual’s positionality relative to wealth. Today’s class system is not solely concerned with the binary of those who own the means of production and those who don’t, as theorised by Karl Marx, but extends to education, political affiliation, and cultural capital. The criteria is now varied and thus social mobility becomes easier to attain. Class signalling operates within spaces  of social mobility, where this cultural and economic  currency is garnered and deployed to gain leverage. Fashion in particular becomes a site of this signalling where the use of clothing, materials and accessories non-verbally communicate socio-economic and cultural standing. 

Although, as social mobility becomes easier, the luxury fashion industry in particular, reflects this transition and brands that once prioritised high quality materials and slow production roll outs, have now adopted ‘fast fashion’ methods that adhere to growing consumer needs. Consumers mirrored this performance of prioritising luxury brands rather than the ethical production of the garments themselves. Consequently, collectivism in fashion becomes stifled by class signalling's hyper-individualistic portrayal of fashion as a tool for social power, rather than a tool for self-expression. And this social power is the basis of class signalling. So, this will delve into examples that challenge the monolithic lens by which fashion is viewed in western culture.  

While researching the handcrafting process and rich cultural symbolism of indigo-dyed cloth, Àdìre (tie-dye), I understood it to be a pre-colonial subscription to class signalling, as indigo fashions an indicator of wealth status and prosperous reclamation of Nigerian heritage. Yet, the key here is that it is concerned with more than just wealth status, but how ÀdÌre symbolises rich ancestral heritage and female solidarity. Comparing how class-signalling operates in varying cultures, raises the question of whether signalling in fashion should still be quantified solely by its positionality to wealth but about cultural integrity. 

‘Àdìre is not just a pattern, but an identity’, explains Àdìre maker, Ayodeji Basirat Atinuke. A symbol of resistance, female solidarity and cultural status, in Yoruba culture, Àdìre are indigo-dyed cotton cloths decorated using a resist-dying technique to create striking patterns in blue and white. Extraction of the brightly coloured indigo from plants is a laborious process, leaves are collected, pounded and formed into balls. Once dried, the dye vat is then mixed with water that has been filtered through ash collected from the burning of green wood and after fermentation, the mixture is ready to impart colour to cloth. Initially yellow-green, the dye finally turns blue after exposure to air. 

The cloth holds both symbolic and monetary value. In Maska district, a prominent traditional elder wears a blue gown enriched in colour by the indigo with a white robe underneath so that the rich indigo bleeds onto the white robe. This is the sign of prosperity, one who has the resources to buy cloth with enough indigo to colour two robes. Men were also traditionally not allowed near the dye vats as the work enclosure is considered a ‘sacred precinct’ performed solely by women. Fabrics and colours have historically adhered to methods of class signalling, whether it be the Chinese ceremonial Yellow Robe (Huáng páo) worn exclusively by the Emperor or Alasho, worn by Hausa men, emblematic of their religious authority and protection. 

Beyond sporting a symbol of wealth, these centuries-old crafts of Àdìre making are demonstrative of women’s social and economic roles in Yoruba culture, symbolising female solidarity and the tradition of collective production. Delving into this unifying intergenerational process has galvanised my desire to reintegrate a sense of pride into the way we dress and reject a hyper-individualised signalling of status. On a practical level, this may involve investing in locally sourced designers or integrating cultural heritage into one's personal style. It’s empowering to know the journey your clothes have taken to get to you, whether it be the fabrics or the items of clothing themselves that have had full experienced lives before getting to you. 

Of course, a large part of signalling involves the unconscious communication of the garments themselves that are status indicators, such as quality of material and the fabric themselves. Yet, there is something to be said about the intentionality of fashion by way of self-expression and collectivism. Crucially, Àdìre doesn’t subscribe to class signalling solely by way of hierarchical signalling in the way that western fashion is often concerned with. Signalling is also about ancestral pride, the motifs that the patterns themselves symbolise, and the solidarity in production. 

Today’s era of signalling is dominated by the iconography of high-end brands that veer further from their traditional slow fashion model. Where luxury fashion previously would have  been a tool to negotiate social status, the democratisation of fashion has lowered the barrier of affordability to high-end clothing, through ‘fast’ behaviours like rapid production cycles to meet consumer demands. The oversaturation of branding iconography has meant that the means of social distinction aren’t as overt. Western consumers become gradually fatigued by signalling because unlike traditional garments that are used to signal class, modern high end fashion doesn’t carry the same overwhelming sense of community and pride as it once did. The stark comparison between traditional and contemporary clothing made here is intentional as it reintegrates the concept of collectivist pride in fashion. Dismantling westernised class signalling by detaching social currency from clothing and instead, reconnecting with fashion as intentional self-expression, recontextualises fashion as community. 

References and Further Reading: 

V&A, 'Àdire - 'Tie and Dyed', Indigo Textiles 

Joseph, Marietta, 'Western African Indigo Cloth'

AA, 'Adire fabric symbolizes cultural identity and empowerment in Nigeria'

The Change Forward, 'Article of Social Class and Clothing'