Fashion, Gender and Public Policies: the case of Brazilian bobbin lacemakers

Abstract

The title of this article is “Fashion, Gender and Public Policies aimed at valuing traditional Brazilian crafts”, taking as a case study the bobbin lace makers in Brazil, heirs of the cultural heritage of colonial times. The work was motivated by the need to follow the debate on gender relations and public policies, noting that a significant part of the fashion workforce is made up of women. Fashion is traditionally guided by countries in the Global North and by large urban centers. From an empirical point of view, we note that traditional handicrafts have been adapting to the market after policy management that brought traditional proposals closer to the Fashion market, in a period in which feminist groups had access to state instances in the promotion of public policies of gender. From a conceptual point of view, we understand the urgency of approaching, and understanding, the support of public policies in the approximation of social design and income generation practices from female groups. In this way, our case study will contextualize a public policy that contemplates the making of bobbin lace made by women as a continuity of the inherited cultural heritage and its adaptation by bringing it closer to social design, expanding the family income of women in the great interior from the country.