This research comprehends three different subprojects:

• Tailored to Customers’ Needs. Horn of Africa Consumers and the Global Textile Production: This subproject will explore how, between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the preferences of consumers in the Horn of Africa influenced the textile production of some of the countries that traded in the region: India, Italy, France, and the United States, all of which competed with one another to sell their products and to accommodate local demands, needs and preferences.

• Appearance Matters: Between the 19th and 20th centuries, many travellers who visited the Horn of Africa reported on the profound changes that were taking place in the ways of dressing. In addition to shapes, fibres, and textures, the meanings associated with clothing and the use of certain accessories also changed. Footwear took on a high symbolic value, while hats, tarbooshes, pocket watches and walking umbrellas became the hallmarks of new social classes that creatively domesticated these everyday objects. Drawing inspiration from the works of Allman (2004), Prestholdt (2008) and Riello, Lemire (2020), the aim of this subproject is to investigate how cultural and social logics informed consumer desire, as well as the demand and use of cloth and fashion accessories.

• Digitizing African Consumerism: A postdoc with training in digital humanities will develop this subproject under the supervision of Zaccaria, who has considerable experience in the application of digital humanities to African studies (Zaccaria 2014; 2018). One of the main roles of the postdoc will be the development of the online exhibition and of the digital maps.