FEXP 127 Chicago Fashion Tribes Women's Wear Daily once described dress code unifiers as fashion tribes; calling out those that flaunt their sartorial signage to show who they run with. Fashion in Chicago is shaped by mainstream brands and local style tribes. A hundred years before there were brand name stores in every town or shopping online, Chicago was the capital of the mail-order catalog industry, providing and distributing ready-to-wear clothing and accessories for the masses. Nowadays, with a diverse population of close to three million people, it is possible to see high fashion and street style in the same neighborhood. Add to the mix the diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religions, political beliefs and ideologies, then Chicago represents a fascinating fashion fusion; a global experience without leaving the city. Students will observe and participate in the function of fashion as a form of belonging. With a focus on observing and documenting fashion tribes, and identifying their own, students will learn how fashion can define, incorporate and galvanize by expanding their understanding of what makes Chicago style unique.