Even fashion is authoritarian in North Korea

Fashion on the streets, while showing more diversity, still takes its cues from above

It has been said that fashion in the reclusive DPRK is as insipid and stagnant as the leadership itself. Lately, however, from titillating short skirts at the Pyongyang fashion show to eye-catching “killer heels” strapped to the soles of the capital’s elites, new trends in authoritarian fashion are taking center stage in the reclusive DPRK. The 12th Annual Pyongyang Fashion Exhibition, held in the showcase capital of the DPRK last September, offered a range of contemporary and traditional designs, all available for purchase.Fashion articulates society more precisely than any other art form and the styles of Pyongyang