La mode reconnue par l’histoire de l’art au Festival de Fontainebleau
The 15th edition of the Festival de l'histoire de l'art (FHA), held June 5-7 at the Château de Fontainebleau, has declared fashion a full-fledged artistic medium, a category long neglected by the humanities. The event features over 300 events, including a keynote by Moroccan architect and anthropologist Salima Naji, and Morocco is the first African country to be the festival's guest of honor. The program explores fashion as both aesthetic object and identity marker, with discussions on textile circulations, pre-classical Greek footwear, and a screening of Mounia Meddour's film *Papicha*.
This edition matters because it marks a significant institutional shift, aligning with the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (INHA)'s goal of opening art history to new subjects. By centering fashion, the festival reflects a broader reconfiguration of the art scene, where luxury brands increasingly leverage museum prestige for institutional strategy, as seen in recent exhibitions at the Louvre and Musée du Quai-Branly. The choice of Morocco also highlights fashion as a vehicle for cultural identity, underscoring the growing academic interest in fashion heritage, including a new chair at Université Paris I.