On Stage Design Indaba 2006: Valerie Steele

Fashion historian and curator Valerie Steele gives profound insight into the global exploration of fashion, culture and identity. She believes that fashion is rich in history; it is not a Western phenomenon.

She discusses the empire of fashion and reveals how multiple styles around the world have replaced the dictatorship of a single fashion house.

Valerie Steele has a PhD from Yale University and is director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York.