Ready to Wear

A portrait of the British fashion industry that patronises its African intended audience

Made in a period when many African countries were proclaiming their independence from Britain, this episode of a Central Office of Information-sponsored series, Looking at Britain, speaks to a colonial mentality that local movements were challenging. Evidence of the filmmakers' oblivious attitude is clear in the frankly bizarre choice to focus on Samuel Sherman's 'Sambo' fashion line. Also note the tendency to portray women working in fashion as machinists and men as craftsman.