Editorial

The theme of globalization crosses many, if not all, disciplines. Fashion is no exception, being a sector, that of textiles and clothing, traditionally marked by international trade. Globalization is a term used to define the meaning and characteristics of an era—at least since 1990s—characterized by remarkable integration of markets and technologies, economies and states. Like all terms, however, it presents ambiguities and contradictions, especially evident when it comes to fashion, an area in which the interplay between global and local is particularly intense. The ZMJ 9.2 issue—edited by Wessie Ling, Mariella Lorusso, and Simona Segre Reinach, is dedicated to the analysis of different aspects of fashion globalization in our time. The introductory essay, by the editors, is intended as a contribution to the theory of global fashion. The issue includes nine fresh contributions dedicated to specific sectors, places and themes of the globalization process of fashion, as evident in the practices and ideas of different subjects and from different parts of the world. The marked presence of anthropologists among the authors of this issue is nothing but a confirmation of how much a cultural analysis of the economic and aesthetic processes of global fashion is necessary.