Researcher Elke Gaugele Maps Right‑Wing Extremist Fashion Trends

Austrian fashion researcher Elke Gaugele of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna examined how right‑wing extremist groups use clothing to spread their messages. Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), the study traced the evolution from 1990s bomber jackets and combat boots to today’s mix of streetwear, polo shirts and “tradwife” styles. Gaugele identified two main tendencies: a shift toward mainstream brand aesthetics, such as Nike, and a revival of the “Baseball‑bat years” neonazi look. Labels like Phalanx Europe, founded in 2013 in Graz and linked to the Identitarian Movement, illustrate a move toward a hipster‑like image. The research involved visits to shops in Germany and the United States, interviews with staff, online image analysis and network‑situational mapping, concluding that extremist fashion is highly parasitic, copying mainstream trends while relying on specific symbols to signal affiliation.