How to wear utopia: A dress manual for a convivial future

This research explores utopian dress as a theoretical concept and artistic and curatorial practice, using dress as a tool for imagining alternative futures. Situated at the intersection of visual art practice, dress and utopia, the thesis adopts utopia as a method to foster reflexive engagement, creating a dialogue between theory and practice. Within this framework, dress becomes a medium that connects utopian ideals with human aspirations and dreams, transforming abstract concepts into tangible, embodied experiences. This interdisciplinary crossover is what I define as utopian dress.

Utopia, in this context, is understood as a form of social dreaming, inviting imaginative exploration of future possibilities without prescribing a singular path. Central to this inquiry is the question of how notions of commonality and conviviality might manifest in dress practice, offering an alternative to the individualistic and hierarchical paradigms that dominate present society and clothing. The research asks whether a utopian approach to dress could offer new ways of thinking about the body, society and the role of clothing in fostering commonalities.

The thesis is structured into two complementary parts reflecting the research process: firstly, a theoretical and historical examination of utopian thought, and secondly, a practice-based investigation focusing on curatorial practice and art-based research. This dual approach allows for a broader exploration of the subject from multiple perspectives – both subjectively and emotionally through visual art practice, and more objectively as a historian and curator.

The investigation draws upon the theory and history of utopian dress outlined above, focusing on three art and design movements: Russian Constructivism, Neoconcretism in Brazil and Radical Italian Design of the 1960s and 1970s. The study also examines workwear, historically regarded as the most prominent form of utopian dress, both as a functional tool and as a symbol of utopian ideals such as equality and solidarity. It further explores how artists have used workwear-inspired garments to engage bodies in new forms of art. These findings informed the curation of the exhibition Workwear at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam (March – September 2023). The exhibition serves as a key practice outcome, exploring the cultural and aesthetic significance of workwear while highlighting its utopian qualities and potential to inspire social change.

The art practice-based research investigates how utopia can be embodied and practised through dress. Using a multifaceted methodology, it explores the concept of dress as a tool and examines utopian work-dress scenarios. Outcomes include speculative ‘glove-tools’, collages, drawings, sculptures and a film titled Dresstopia. The film documents the interactive participation of adults and children as they transform flat canvases into wearable forms. These canvases, free from cultural or historical references, offer a blank slate for imagining new possibilities for dress, demonstrating their potential as tools for creative exploration.

The critique and construction of utopian dress possibilities as an art practice suggests that utopia is not an end goal but a reflective method – a continuous re-engagement with the present to envision alternative futures. Through this lens, the study proposes that utopian dress can serve as a catalyst for rethinking social structures and fostering convivial connections in an increasingly fragmented world.

This thesis posits that Dresstopia is a practice in equality, seeking to educate desire rather than create objects of desire. It aims to transform the way individuals engage with clothing, emphasising the act of participation and creation over consumption, fostering a shared, egalitarian vision of embodied practice.