Fashion and the Far Right: On the Weaponization of Style

Symposium: American University, Washington, DC | May 15–16, 2025

The “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017 marks not only the culmination of violence by the far-right but also of its “weaponization of fashion” (Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 2017). This symposium examines the phenomenon of the far-right “fashion-style-dress complex” (Tulloch, 2010; Kaiser, 2012) and its diverse manifestations on both sides of the Atlantic. Therefore, we will examine fashion as a political and ideological tool, drawing on historical examples such as the Third Reich in Europe and extremist white supremacy in the U.S., as well as contemporary analyses of the renewal and commodification of nationalist, fascist, and racist ethno-pluralist signifiers.
How did far-right dress codes evolve from subculture to mainstream? And how has this been fueling the growth and normalization of various hate cultures?
Addressing the alarming rise of far-right labels, merch and the ongoing globalization of hate groups, the event will also highlight counter strategies in fashion. The portmanteau “hatejacking” (Benton&Peterka Benton 2020) for example, not only reflects the intersection of fashion and its appropriation by right-wing extremists, but also develops solutions to counteract this. 

Through keynotes, lectures and panel discussions, we aim to develop new strategies to counteract the weaponization of style in today’s socio political landscape. We invite you to join us for an in-depth exploration of how fashion is entangled with extremism—and how we can challenge and counter this dangerous trend.

The symposium is a cooperation between the research project Fashion and the Far-Right: The New Complexity in Style at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), and the PERIL Polarization & Extremism Research Lab – School of Public Affairs at American University, Washington, DC.

Fashion and the Far Right: On the Weaponization of Style, 

Day 1: May, 15^th 2025

Keynote: Fashioning Gender in Extremist White Supremacism

Kathleen Blee, Professor of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh

Keynote: Hatejacked World: Reflections on the creation of our hatejacking model and its use as a cudgel of extremism

Daniela Peterka-Benton, Associate Professor, Justice Studies, Montclair University,  

Bond Benton, Associate Professor, Communication and Media, Montclair University 

Fashion and the Far Right: On the Weaponization of Style, 

Day 2: May, 16^th 2025

Keynote: Fashion as Politics: The Example of the Third Reich

Irene Guenther, Instructional Professor of 20th-century European and American History at The Honors College, University of Houston

Extreme Far Right Dress: Diffusion, fandom, and subculture styles move to the mainstream

Monica Sklar, Associate Professor Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, University of Georgia, Athens

Visual Ideology: Decoding Militia Style

Amy Cooter, Director of Research, Academic Development, and Innovation (RADI), Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Middlebury

Playing with Fire: The Symbolic Role of Fire in Political Violence

William Arnold, PhD student, School of Public Affairs and School of Education Justice, Law & Criminology, American University

Kaitlyn DaVisio, PhD student, School of Public Affairs and School of Education Justice, Law & Criminology, American University

Cynthia Miller-Idriss Professor, School of Public Affairs and School of Education Justice, Law & Criminology, American University

You’ve been hatejacked, what’s next?  Organizational prevention and response strategies for hatejacking

Bond Benton, Associate Professor, Communication and Media, Montclair University 

Fight fascism with fashion! Counteract white supremacy, vestimental violence and hate styles.

Elke Gaugele & Sarah Held, Akbild