Indigenous fashion trendsetters: A quantitative analysis of cultural resistance and decolonial self-concept in Bolivian Indigenous women

Despite ongoing calls for diversity in fashion, Indigenous women remain underrepresented as fashion trendsetters. This study examines how Andean Indigenous celebrities in Bolivia shape the fashion consumption practices of urban Indigenous women, offering an alternative framework for understanding style, and ethnic identity through fashion consumption. Drawing on self-congruity theory, the research examines how these figures align with consumers’ real and ideal self-concepts through the cultural meanings they convey to their attires. Using the Balance Worth methodology, a quantitative analysis is conducted to examine how Indigenous celebrities influence the dress styles of 400 urban Indigenous women. Findings reveal that the most influential icons belong to the so-called chola bourgeoisie , an urban Indigenous elite. These trendsetters symbolize prestige, economic prosperity and strong ties to folkloric traditions – traits that reflect consumers’ aspirational identities. The results suggest that Indigenous women are actively redefining beauty ideals by embracing role models rooted in their own cultural and social context. This preference constitutes a form of symbolic resistance, positioning fashion as a tool for empowerment, identity affirmation and the legitimation of an emerging Indigenous elite. This research contributes to fashion and ethnic studies by foregrounding the role of Indigenous consumers in redefining cultural legitimacy and decolonizing self-perception through fashion.