Fashion, the City, and the Spectacle: Expanding the Role of the Designer

Fashion is a spectacular (literally and metaphorically) means of seeing the world, a bellwether of society, its hopes, cares, and fears. Fashion-making and city-making are both social processes bound together in conceptual and mundane ways. This chapter purposefully draws on references spanning a century to demonstrate that fashion, as a city spectacle, has a long-held place in sustainability discourse. The author argues the connection between fashion and cities and the role designers play. Three specific design roles in the fashion sector are expanded on by the author in this chapter. The first is the designer as a determiner; their part is heavily constructed as the decision maker. The second is the designer as co-creator, where the role focuses on working in an open and flexible context that involves a wide range of individuals and interactions. Lastly, the designer as host which focuses on leadership and encouragement.