Traces and Constellations: the Invisible Genealogies of Fashion

The concept of ‘trace’, the image of the ghost or spectre, the metaphors of history as a labyrinth and the Tigersprung, introduced in philosophy by Walter Benjamin, have become staples within contemporary fashion from both a theoretical and a curatorial perspective. Similarly, the landscape painted by fashion designers, at the start of the 21st century, seems to be constituted by an endless interweaving of references within other references. A question immediately emerges, that is, what is then a ‘trace’? How could this notion be relevant for the theory of fashion and the curatorial perspective? This paper explore traces and genealogies within contemporary fashion and curation.