Description
Book SynopsisFashion knockoffs are everywhere. Even in the out-of-the-way markets of highland Guatemala, fake branded clothes offer a cheap, stylish alternative for people who cannot afford high-priced originals. The author approaches the fashion industry from the perspective of indigenous Maya people who make and sell knockoffs.
Trade Review"Reading
Regulating Style, one could imagine the IP conditions described by Thomas as unfolding in Bangladesh, the Philippines, or any of the myriad of other places that produce clothing for the fashion industry. Alongside a historically-specific disregard for and de-legitimization of Mayan culture, the refusal to acknowledge the informal rights of clothing pirates has produced a form of colonial dispossession increasingly common around the world. However, as Thomas also shows, by appropriating a fashion brand, marginalized communities can subvert not only corporate domination and appropriation of locally-produced value, but also the socio-economic and political conditions that cause oppression." * PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review *
"This is a methodologically rigorous, carefully crafted, innovative book. Besides being an example of thorough academic scholarship, it becomes evident that the author has exceptional knowledge of and authentic concern for life in the Maya highlands. This fundamentally anthropological study raises many interesting questions with respect to the global IP framework and its impact on development." * ReVista *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Economic Regulation and the Value of Concealment 2. The Ethics of Piracy 3. Brand Pollution 4. Fiscal and Moral Accountability 5. Making the Highlands Safe for Business Conclusion: Late Style Notes References Index
