Fashion / Politics: 20/21 Manifesto

The past few years have seen a more politicised approach to scholarship in the field of Fashion Studies. This has occurred in dialogue with the recent resurgence of feminist activism, calls to decolonize the curriculum, and the increasingly urgent discourse on sustainability. It therefore seems an opportune moment to reflect on the shape of the field as it stands, and explore some of its key ideological concerns and principles as we move into a new decade.

Fashion Politics is a series of seminars/workshops, hosted by faculty from Parsons Paris and London College of Fashion, to explore fashion politics through the idea of praxis. Coming from the Greek term for ‘doing’, the term praxis seems a fruitful term for thinking through what it means to do Fashion Studies today. The term has evolved from its origins in Greek philosophy to critical theory via Marx and later Sartre, Arendt and Gramsci. A means of reflecting on our activity and engagement in the world, based on a person’s will, intention or aim. It has also been used to critique theory for its own sake and has recently been employed to contextualize and legitimize the role of practice-based research and pedagogy in fashion and design. That said the outcome of praxis is not always predictable; it can take one to a space of not knowing, uncertainty, and to the edges of discourse. Praxis does not necessarily apply only in a studio context; it expands to include political activism and interventions in the world. We therefore seek to reflect on the role we as educators and researchers have in terms of the politics of teaching fashion in the contemporary context.