What to wear to a contemporary UK funeral: The impact of cultural diversity on mourning dress

This article explores contemporary mourning dress in the United Kingdom. There is considerable research about the decline of traditional mourning wear; however, there is much less material available on what is worn to funerals in the twenty-first century. What literature exists appears to suggest that contemporary funeral outfits are shaped by the intersecting influences of multiculturalism and personalization. The city of Leeds in the United Kingdom is home to over 160 nationalities representing many different faiths and cultural groups. It therefore seemed valuable to explore what people are currently wearing to funerals in the city as a case study. The research is based on a pilot study involving a focus group, which drew participants from diverse cultural clusters. All participants reported changes in the practices of their own group, but these did not appear to be solely the result of multiculturalism. It became apparent that the rise of individualism had also become associated with personalized and themed funerals, where mourners could be asked to wear bright colours or outfits with special relevance to the deceased. The article will discuss the results of this pilot study in relation to a literature review and an analysis of the cultural diversity of contemporary mourning dress. It addresses a significant gap in literature related to cultural diversity in mourning dress in the twenty-first-century United Kingdom and serves as a catalyst for new thinking and global research in this area.