Fashion Cultures

Fashion Cultures is a growing area of research expertise in the School of Design. It draws on the School’s established heritage of fashion making and brings in interdisciplinary perspectives and creative methodologies from the Arts and Social Sciences to expand understanding of clothing, identities, and communities. We have particular focus on responsible fashion, experimental approaches to fashion and textile making and practice, and the visual and cultural contexts of fashion through image and narrative. Research in the group seeks to unpack the diversity of fashion thinking and practice and harness the ways that fashion can create change.

Practice-based approaches underpin the work our academics do with external partners within and beyond the world of fashion. Broad ranging topics covered by our staff include consumer and manufacturer engagement in responsible fashion design; interactive and smart materials for everyday and high-performance fashion, and the relationships between clothing and bodily experience.