Fashion as Political Communication: Protest Aesthetics and Identity Signaling

Kakungulu Samuel J.

Faculty of Education, Kampala International University, Uganda

                                                                              ABSTRACT
Fashion has emerged as a powerful medium of political communication, functioning as a visual and material language through which protest aesthetics and identity signaling are articulated. This study examines how clothing, accessories, and stylistic choices operate as communicative tools within protest movements, conveying political meanings, social affiliations, and collective identities. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from symbolic interactionism, signaling theory, and visual rhetoric, the paper explores how protest fashion encodes and transmits messages through elements such as color, silhouette, materiality, and graphic design. It traces historical trajectories from civil rights and labor movements to contemporary digital activism, highlighting how protest aesthetics have evolved alongside socio-political and technological transformations. The analysis further investigates the dual role of fashion in expressing both personal and collective identities, emphasizing how attire mediates belonging, moral alignment, and audience interpretation. The rise of social media has amplified the visibility and diffusion of protest fashion, transforming localized expressions into global visual repertoires while also introducing challenges related to authenticity, commodification, and algorithmic mediation. Through case studies of global protest movements, the study demonstrates how fashion contributes to the construction of political narratives and the mobilization of public sentiment. Ultimately, the paper argues that fashion is not merely decorative but constitutes a critical site of political meaning-making, shaping how protests are perceived, communicated, and remembered in contemporary society.

Keywords: Protest Fashion, Political Communication, Identity Signaling, Visual Rhetoric and Social Movements.

CITE AS: Kakungulu Samuel J. (2026). Fashion as Political Communication: Protest Aesthetics and Identity Signaling. IDOSR JOURNAL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES 12(1):52-59.
https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJAH/2025/1215259