Fashion, Culture, and Identity
... Concerning the reading of attire, Davis (1992) adds," fabric, color,texture,cut, weight, weave, stitching, transparency, and what everelsemakes difference in how the garment or itssurroundingensemble of apparel is responded toin a community of clothes-wearers" ( 1992, p.13) can be considered the method of the study of the literary clothing. Various dimensions of clothing can be taken as the units of analysis. ...
This research article attempts to explore and examine cultures and their inability to contain the interests and preferences of the individuals and groups that follow them. The objective of this article is to examine the scenes of cultural prescriptions in the fictional setting. This examination, in turn, yields the claim that cultures cannot accommodate the adherents’ preferences, wishes, and interests. Wolfgang Welsch’s theoretical concept of untenable cultural delimitation is employed in the exploration and examination. A culture, in the pragmatic field, is considered to have its boundary; nonetheless, it does not have the edge, upon closer examination. Untenable cultural delimitation as a concept, thus, refers to the cultures’ failure in setting their boundaries. The corpus of the study is chosen to be Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah which discusses the interaction between and among certain cultural groups. The cross-case and within-case analysis for the development of themes is employed. The analytical framework for the exploration has been twofold: states of undress and the desire for distinctiveness in terms of attires. This framework is representative of the theme of untenable cultural delimitation in that the state of undress is not culturally appropriate and the desire for distinctiveness is a matter of an individual’s aspirations which are not containable in a given culture. Informed by a research question: What happens to the cultures when the adherents’ interests, preferences, wishes, and interests cannot be accommodated? The study, with the theoretical explanations along with the review and analysis of evidence, establishes that Gurnah’s Paradise is a statement of untenable cultural delimitation. The characters go against the cultural prescriptions thereby perpetuating the notion of the evolutionary nature of a culture. This study turns out to be significant as it contributes to the critical debate on the nature of culture.
... Lifestyles has been an important concept in sociology and cultural studies, where taste is and self-identity is manifested through lifestyles, e.g., clothing, hairstyles, media use, music-taste (Featherstone et al 1991;Giddens 1991;Davis 1992;McRobbie 1999). Tying this to Media and Communication Studies, Barnard (1996) argues that fashion must not just be seen as "lifestyles", but a medium and as communication for who we are and want to be. ...
A critical mode of being is not only written into the Swedish law of university education as a learning outcome for all students, but also vital for Media and Communication students approach to their studies and their future lives as media producers. Taking on this challenge, I created an experiment 15 years ago, which I term performance teaching. It was a way to force students out of their uncritical absorption of course-content only focusing on exams, into a critical mode of thinking and doing. At first this performance teaching entailed lecturing in totally different lifestyle outfits every day, with the aid of colleagues and the city theatre. The following 13 years, however, only the first day of term was used for the performance and the experiment turned into a permanent teaching method, tied in with theories of critique of sources and media critique. This is the case that will theoretically discuss in this article. I will argue for didactically designing learning processes that tackles the issues embodied critical thinking and doing. My main argument is that by acknowledging that we, as lecturers and students, are physical beings and that learning should take place through one’s entire body, learning processes can be didactically designed to better learning processes. The aim of the article is showing how performance teaching can create a positive base for critical learning, thinking, and doing media, and theoretically analysing and discussing this. Theoretically, the concepts I use are mainly based on bell hooks’ works on feminist critical pedagogy. I also lean on Bourdieu’s (2001) concept hexis and habitus, and Larsson and Fagrell’s (2010) The Conception of Performed Body. I’m furthermore inspired by Selander and Kress’ (2010) book on didactic design and Toke Gissel’s (2016) work on Media Didactics, which ties my research to my subject Media and Communication studies. Methodologically the case study is based on student questionnaires and interviews. The result shows that students yearn the familiar, they want what they believe a university education and a “proper university lecturer” should be. When taken out of their pre-understandings of this and when the course didactics are consciously designed to foster criticality, they start to think and do critically. The performance lecture is but a small starting point in achieving this, but its effects seem to last students’ entire bachelor program (and possibly beyond). The article does not argue for a performance lecture as such, as it could be a hard act hard to follow, but that university lectures should aim for what bell hooks terms practical wisdom. Furthermore, we need to bring embodied learning into the classroom, and we must acknowledge that fostering critical thinking and critical doing is key to any university education.
... It is a general conception therefore that dressing evidently constructs the wearer's social and gender identity, and resonates the ideology the wearer professes. Clothing therefore bears semiotic precepts that define a man or woman [40,41] . ...
This article examines the dimensions of military ideologies that are tactically communicated through the semiotic mechanisms of the Nigerian Army’s regimented practices. Data were sourced through participant observation and semi-structured interview in a fourteen-month fieldwork involving 22 staff members of the Nigerian Army. Drawing on insights from the concept of semiotic ideology to account for the underlying interpretations of semiotic practices in the social context of the Nigerian Army, the findings show various military ideologies nuanced in the agency’s semiotic-mediated activities and communication. Through the semiotic resources and significations embedded in the service uniforms, military funerals, hoisting and lowering of flags, military weddings and their salute system, the Nigerian Army is to seen to have maintained regimented performances of core military ideologies. Such practices constantly resonate ideologies of patriotism, courage, ruggedness, regimentation, comportment, subordinate-superior relationship, professionalism, perseverance and suppressive mien for victory in military battles. These beliefs present Nigerian Army’s personnel and their operating environment as regimented sites that consistently reproduce semiotic impulses that portray the agency as the totalistic organisation it propagates. Such performances through their unspoken actions help to rebuild and stabilise the psychology of the officers and men, enhance unwavering social bonding of soldiers, foster communication of professional identity and sustain the resilience of the troops as they work towards strengthening the workforce for the protection of the sovereignty of Nigeria.
... As a result, definitions and approaches to sustainability in fashion are continuously evolving. While the traditional model of three or four main pillars has long been utilized by designers, the fashion industry also encompasses unique characteristics tied to the esthetic and wearing standards of diverse communities [34][35][36][37]. Esthetics in fashion are closely linked to culture [38,39], and designers' esthetic development is profoundly influenced by the cultural contexts in which they were raised or trained [40,41]. ...
Recent research in Sustainability has gained increasing attention within the past years, particularly regarding methods and approaches for designing sustainable products and services to address environmental and societal challenges. However, there has been limited exploration of incorporating cultural materials into the design process, which could enhance the cultural sustainability of products and services. This article aims to investigate the potential of integrating traditional royal costumes into fashion design to foster sustainability values and behaviours in contemporary society. A descriptive study focused on the Nhat Binh robe; a formal dress worn by noblewomen of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802–1945). The findings reveal that this traditional costume is rich in visual elements, offering a wealth of inspiration for fashion designers. However, existing products and services have yet to fully leverage the emotional and visual aspects of this unique cultural material. To creatively and sustainably preserve and promote traditional cultural values, this study proposes a model for incorporating traditional cultural materials into fashion design through co-design activities. This model emphasizes close collaboration between designers, artisans, and fashion consumers, with the goal of safeguarding traditional cultural values while advancing sustainable fashion. By fostering collaboration among them, the model has the potential to encourage a sense of ownership and emotional connection to the products, enriching consumer experiences. It not only addresses existing gaps in the use of cultural elements in fashion design but also positions designers to play a pivotal role in the future of sustainable fashion.
... It carries the changes of the times, social needs, and individual expression. It is also affected by various factors such as the economy, technology, and environment (Davis, 1994). Fashion design is closely related to fashion trends and market demands (Eckert & Stacey, 2001, December). ...
Background and Aim: Fashion design is a highly creative, interdisciplinary field that covers many aspects such as clothing, accessories, and textiles. Through creative design, material selection, process technology, etc., provide people with unique, beautiful, and practical fashion products and services. There has been a significant surge in research activity in the field of fashion design over the past decade, and by reviewing the data it was found that there is an academic gap in the bibliometrics of Fashion Design. The purpose of this study is 1) To study the research overview of Fashion Design. 2) To analyze the research frontiers of Fashion Design. 3) To analyze the evolution Path of Research Frontiers of Fashion Design. Materials and Methods: The key steps in retrieval: (1) Select database; (2) Enter "Topic"; (3) Select Document Type; (4) Select Document Language; (5) Enter Document Release Time Scope. Enter Topic="Fashion Design". Document types are article, proceeding paper, and English review from 2014-01-01 to 2022-12-31 for recent research. Book Citation Index-Science and Book Citation Index-Social Science & Humanities were excluded, leaving 1,049 documents. Common scientometric software includes CiteSpace, HistCite, Loet Tools, SciMAT, and VOSviewer. This study uses VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) for visualizing and analyzing scientific literature, helping researchers identify patterns, trends, and relationships in data. Results: The result of this research is that there are many prolific authors, Countries, and Publishers in this research field. There are three research fronts: "Impact", "Consumption" and "Industry". The evolution path of the research fronts starts from "Clothing Design" in 2014-2018. and "Arts", to "Innovation" in 2018-2019, to "Creativity" in 2019-2020, then to "Technology" and "Sustainability" in 2020-2021. Conclusion: The quality of articles in the "Fashion Design" research field is generally higher, with more research and very active. Research Frontiers: There are three research fronts: "Impact", "Consumption" and "Industry" The fashion design field’s focus on influence, consumption, and industry reflects its increasing emphasis on business and social impact. Evolution Path of Research Frontiers: The evolutionary path of the research frontier ranges from “Costume Design” and “art” in 2014-2018, to “Innovation” in 2018-2019, to “Creativity” in 2019-2020, and then to “technology” in 2020-2021 and “Sustainable development”. After 2021, it will be "Impact ", "Consumption" and "Industry". The evolution path of the research frontier reflects the shift in the development direction of the field of fashion design from single design and art to more design and art: diversification and comprehensiveness. From focusing on innovative ideas to technology and sustainable development to market, consumer, and industry development, it reveals the changes and evolution in the field of fashion design in the pursuit of excellence, sustainable development, and social impact.
... inuity of tradition through people's tendencies to protect their various traditional systems. McCracken (1988) wrote about costume as the element that expresses cultural values indicating that at the early stage of man's development, most orientation was seen and expressed as a critical issue of understanding other people's traditions and culture. Davis. (1992) proposed that costume indicates the expected features of humans' characteristics and values, interests, and attitudes. According to Davis, tradition, in most cases, show a great symbolism of a modifier of the actual human nature as considered most as woman and men or the way they consider gender. Thus, applying some specific traditional ...
The study assessed the influence of Western culture on traditional costumes in the Volta Region. The descriptive design was employed using one hundred and fifty respondents, with thirty (30) selected from each of the five (5) selected traditional areas for data collection. Questionnaires were the primary data collection instrument administered to the respondents through purposive sampling. The results saw the respondents affirming education, tourism, trade, religion and politics as the main dimensions through which the Western Culture had influenced the traditional costumes in the Volta Region. Out of the religious groups, the respondents who belong to the Islamic religion came first as the most affected religion regarding their ways of dressing. It was recommended that efforts be made to re-engineer the expertise that existed in weaving traditional costumes in the Volta Region and Ghana at large, as this will go a long way to boost the Government efforts in job creation and create avenues for the citizens to be engaged in self-employment activity that will reduce the volume of unemployment and the high demand for hard currency to import foreign clothes.
... As Fred Davis put it, fashion is not a code-like language but a "quasi-code", which leaves too much room for the receiver's interpretation (Davis, 1994;d'Aura, 2024). It can be argued that different Fashionistas may wish to communicate several messages through clothes. ...
... On the one hand, it involves converting resources into products that satisfy human needs and desires (Boivin, 2008). On the other hand, it involves the symbolic process of attributing meanings to these products that resonate within cultural and social contexts (Davis, 1992). This duality is particularly evident in fashion, where clothing has both functional and self-expression purposes. ...
By its very nature, fashion consumption assumes a diverse and updated relevance in light of social, cultural, and economic transformations. The global fashion industry is undergoing a paradigm shift driven by rapid technological advances (Bertola & Teunissen, 2018; Lee, 2022), increased awareness of environmental sustainability (Heim & Hopper, 2022; Mishra et al., 2020), and the changing values of individuals (Bürklin, 2018; Camacho-Otero et al., 2020; Domingos et al., 2022). These transformations are forcing creative, production, distribution and communication systems and, not least, the “end consumer” to critically reflect on the role and impacts of the fashion system (Luchs et al., 2015). Digital technologies, for example, have revolutionized how fashion is produced, distributed, and consumed. Digital platforms enable unprecedented levels of interaction between brands and consumers, fostering new forms of engagement and co-creation (Gielens & Steenkamp, 2019). These are widespread, ubiquitous platforms that expand and fragment the fashion narrative (Sadler, 2021), creating a more interconnected, immediate ecosystem within which to experiment with new systems of relationship and mediation. In addition, the growing recognition of the fashion industry’s environmental and social impact has catalyzed a movement toward more sustainable practice. On the one hand, the fast fashion model, characterized by rapid production cycles and disposable garments, is being challenged by consumers and activists calling for greater accountability and transparency (Mazzarella et al., 2019). Conversely, sustainable fashion emphasizes ethical production, resource efficiency and circularity, seeking to minimize negative impacts and promote long-term well-being (Centobelli et al., 2022). Finally, European legislation has been proactive in promoting sustainability within the textile and fashion industries through several key legislative initiatives and strategies aimed at reducing the environmental and social impacts of textile production and consumption (European Commission, 2022; Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 Establishing a Framework for the Setting of Ecodesign Requirements for Sustainable Products, Amending Directive (EU) 2020/1828 and Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and Repealing Directive 2009/125/ECText with EEA Relevance., 2024). The term “consumption” is inherently multivalent and nuanced. Its very etymology encompasses several facets: consumption means “transformation” of natural resources into fungible goods, but also of signs and symbols into systems of meaning and value. This dual nature of consumption underscores its complexity. On the one hand, it involves converting resources into products that satisfy human needs and desires (Boivin, 2008). On the other hand, it involves the symbolic process of attributing meanings to these products that resonate within cultural and social contexts (Davis, 1992). This duality is particularly evident in fashion, where clothing has both functional and self-expression purposes. Consumption also means “destruction”, that is, the reduction to nothingness of tangible or intangible elements, in turn rendering them unusable through the very act of use. This aspect of consumption highlights the inherent tension between use and waste. Every act of consumption carries with it a potential for depletion and degradation, whether physical goods or intangible experiences. In fashion, this is manifested in the life cycle of clothing, from creation and use to eventual disposal (Shirvanimoghaddam et al., 2020). The environmental cost of producing and discarding garments is significant and prompts a critical examination of consumption practices and their sustainability. Obviously, in its most common meaning, consumption stands for “use” or “utilization”, which consists of the activity of making use of a tangible or intangible item but also, in a broader sense, in the act of enjoying services, experiences or activities that do not involve transformation or destruction. This broader interpretation of consumption emphasizes the experiential dimension, where value derives from enjoyment and engagement with fashion as a social and cultural phenomenon (Woodward, 2007). Fashion consumption thus encompasses a wide range of activities, from the purchase and use of clothing to its enjoyment in cultural terms to the experience provided by virtual worlds. The fashion system has always intertwined its practices and processes with this multivalent universe that constitutes the landscape of the consumption system of both the creative, material and human resources along the entire fashion supply chain and the fashion object itself, its images and projections. The interaction between creation and consumption is a distinctive feature of the fashion industry. Designers and brands create products that are functional and charged with symbolic meanings, anticipating how consumers will interpret and interact with them. This relationship extends throughout the supply chain, influencing decisions about material sourcing, production processes, communication strategies, and retail experiences. In the current digital and sustainable transformation context, this intertwining opens up broad areas for thinking about consumption practices, processes and impacts with a more critical and responsible approach (Colombi & D’Itria, 2023). Digital technologies have expanded the possibilities for creating, sharing and experiencing fashion. Virtual and augmented reality, for example, offer consumers new ways to interact with fashion products and brands, blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds (Zarantonello & Schmitt, 2022). These innovations enable more personalized and immersive experiences, fostering deeper connections between consumers and fashion. On the one hand, focusing on more sustainable forms of natural resource use promotes new business models and circular forms of production, which involve reducing, recovering, and reusing finished products and their waste. Circular fashion models aim to extend the life cycle of garments, reducing the need for new resources and minimizing waste. Practices such as upcycling, recycling, and using sustainable materials are integral to this approach (de Aguiar Hugo et al., 2021). By designing long-lasting products and encouraging practices such as repair and resale, the fashion industry can reduce its environmental footprint and promote a more sustainable consumption pattern. On the other hand, new forms of collaborative consumption are emerging, aimed at extending the life cycle of products through the adoption of curation practices, re-signification and rethinking. These practices promote more active and conscious consumer participation, emphasizing the shift from passive consumption to an engaged and responsible use of fashion (McNeill & Venter, 2019). Collaborative consumption models, such as clothing rental services, fashion exchanges, and peer-to-peer resale platforms, encourage consumers to share and reuse clothing, reducing demand for new products (Arrigo, 2021). These models not only promote sustainability but also create communities of individuals who share values and practices. The third issue of Fashion Highlight investigates the dynamics, practices, and impacts of fashion consumption in the light of the transformations taking place, questioning the role and potential that fashion industries, creative communities, consumers and education can express. The issue comprehensively covers the different declinations of contemporary fashion consumption, highlighting the trajectories that shape practices, processes and methods within the context of the - long and complex - fashion value chain. The contributions cover three relevant and promising macro-areas to understand the state of the art of fashion design, manufacturing and consumption and to get a preview of the near future: “Consumed fashion”, with a focus on the economic-productive dimension of fashion within a context for which digital and sustainable transformation is crucial, with necessary implications in terms of reconfiguring and updating processes and competences; “Consumer communities”, through the investigation of new and contemporary orientations towards more responsible and sustainable consumption practices; “Consumer culture”, concerning the dynamics, approaches and practices through which fashion is narrated, conveyed, and experienced. The first section, “Consumed Fashion”, brings together articles that critically explore the trajectories within which fashion manufacturing systems are evolving, highlighting both the criticalities and impacts of a socio-economic system dominated by hyper-production and hyper-consumption, and outlining and experimenting with new and more responsible approaches to design and manufacturing. Likewise, the selected articles highlight transformational dynamics involving the fashion “know-how”, delving into the implications needed to reconfigure and update processes and skills and emphasizing the need for continuous evolution in how fashion is understood and practiced. These dynamics require a shift in the sector’s knowledge base, leading to a re-examination of traditional practices and the development of new sustainable approaches that respond to contemporary transformations. Jacopo Battisti and Alessandro Spennato critically examine the profound impact of fast fashion on individuals and societies in the context of globalization and consumer capitalism. The study explores how the industry’s rapid replication of trends and profit motivations have transformed clothing consumption, leading to hyper-consumption and disposability, with negative impacts in terms of economic dependency and inequalities to the detriment of low labour-cost countries. The paper underscores the need to address these systemic injustices through collective action, stressing the importance of prioritizing social and environmental responsibility to envision a more ethical and equitable fashion industry. Erminia d'Itria and Chiara Colombi propose an examination of sustainable innovation dynamics within the fashion industry, scrutinizing various merchandising strategies through fashion companies’ case studies. The authors build a system model centered on refashioning, formulated from diverse strategies aimed at enhancing product longevity and curbing overconsumption and overmanufacturing. Through their analysis, they identify three thematic frameworks that encapsulate sustainable design approaches, responsible practices, and conscious consumption strategies, thus providing reference for future research to explore the implications, challenges, and benefits of a viable, eco-sustainable future scenario. Isabella Enrica Alevato Aires and Stefan Lie explore the integration of next-generation materials into products with psychological significance to improve consumer acceptance and achieve environmental benefits. The study hypothesizes that customizing products with users’ genetic material can better represent their environmental concerns and individuality. Focusing on biofabricated bags, the research moves from secondary research to materials testing and prototyping to investigate whether incorporating the user’s genetic material into a bag can symbolize self-extension and advances in materials design, thus supporting environmental sustainability. Gianni Denaro and Andrea Pruiti’s article delves into the evolution of production and consumption paradigms in the fashion industry, highlighting the growing emphasis on customising fashion products through local craftsmanship, an approach considered more environmentally, economically, socially and culturally sustainable. Beginning with a renewed interest in local craft traditions, particularly in Italy, where the “Made in Italy” label exemplifies a fusion of creative manual skills and taste rooted in local tradition, the article explores how designers are integrating these craft practices into industrial production, promoting a new dimension of “know-how” that combines local specificity with industrial processes. Ludovica Rosato, Alberto Calleo, Simona Colitti, Giorgio Dall’Osso e Valentina De Matteo present an interesting case study on a multidisciplinary, multistakeholder model designed for a hybrid research-education-business environment. This model shows how involving research and industry professionals in a collaborative learning model can produce results that address contemporary fashion industry challenges. The study emphasizes the importance of collective intelligence in design-led innovation, particularly in the framework of open innovation, and through the adoption of co-design processes, proposes new strategies for industry transformation, especially in the shaded realm of technical apparel and uniforms. The article by Angelica Vandi, Paola Bertola and Emma Suh explores the evolution of the concept of “materiality” in fashion, influenced by Industry 4.0 technologies, and its implications in human-computer interaction (HCI). The research, resulting from a collaboration between the Gianfranco Ferré Research Center of the Politecnico di Milano and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, employs a Reverse Engineering approach to study and deconstruct a garment from the Gianfranco Ferré archive. This process aims to rematerialize the garment and integrate HCI principles into educational applications in culture and design. The results underscore the innovative potential of the fusion of traditional craftsmanship and advanced production, highlighting the democratization and dissemination of archival knowledge through technological hybridization and interdisciplinary collaboration. The second section, “Consumer Communities”, brings together articles that critically reflect on the changing dynamics of fashion consumption and the growing influence of consumer communities, highlighting their intrinsic motivations and imagining future trajectories. This section analyses how consumer behaviour, social movements and community-led initiatives are reshaping the fashion industry towards sustainability and ethical approaches. By examining different case studies and research findings, the selected articles provide insights into how consumer participation, digital platforms and innovative consumption patterns are beginning to contribute to a more sustainable and responsible fashion ecosystem and what - desirable - impacts they may have on the future of fashion. Claudia Morea and Silvia Gambi explore the central role of consumers in the transition to sustainable fashion. Recent consumer purchasing decisions have shaped new trends and business models, with one segment viewing purchasing as a political choice and in line with European legislation promoting sustainability in the fashion industry. The research surveyed Generation Z to investigate their familiarity with eco-design strategies related to the use phase, revealing a gap between policy and design orientations and actual consumer engagement. The study highlights the need to bridge the gap between policy, design and consumer behaviour for true sustainability in fashion. Lam Hong Lan and Donna Cleveland’s article analyzes the shift to sustainable consumption through pre-owned fashion in Vietnam. The research includes observations of local media, analysis of two major pre-owned fashion platforms, and insights from an online survey of Vietnamese consumers. This comprehensive study reveals how online media, particularly celebrity endorsements and social commerce, contribute significantly to this transformation by building e-communities that support circular fashion practices. The findings reveal that these e-communities are crucial in promoting responsible consumption among Vietnamese youth, driven by economic, environmental, and style considerations that make second-hand fashion attractive. Iryna Kucher’s article examines fashion consumption by analyzing clothing purchase, use, and disposal practices in Denmark and Ukraine. Employing the theory of fashion consumption temporalities, the study analyzes how these practices have evolved due to social changes. Through wardrobe studies of different age groups, the research highlights the unique and common aspects of sustainable clothing consumption among Western and post-Soviet consumers. It also introduces an additional temporality of clothing consumption, challenging previous studies and offering new perspectives for understanding the transition to sustainability in fashion. Laura Giraldi, Marta Maini, and Francesca Morelli examine the contemporary fashion consumption landscape, focusing on consumers' growing awareness of sustainability in the fashion industry. Analyzing the current state and highlighting exemplary sustainable practices, the article reveals emerging service design solutions that promote more sustainable and conscious fashion consumption. These practices, such as second-hand shopping, collaborative wardrobe sharing, and clothing customization, reshape consumer experiences and push brands to adapt their communication strategies to appeal to the more conscious Gen Z audience. Remaining in collaborative fashion consumption practices, Gabriela Fabro Cardoso analyzes the final stages of retail dynamics as potential pathways to a more sustainable future, focusing on the distribution and use phases through collaborative consumption models such as resale, rental and subscription services. Through case studies, the research explores the relationship between community involvement in retail activities - such as product authentication, promotion, price negotiation, and transaction completion - and corporate commitments to sustainability, including consumer education on circularity, financial support for sustainable practices, and progress monitoring systems. Finally, Giovanni Conti and Martina Motta explore the resurgence of knitwear in the contemporary fashion industry, emphasizing its role as a bridge between creation and consumption and challenging traditional fashion norms. Their qualitative research highlights knitwear’s response to changing consumer attitudes, technological advances and global events, showing its potential to promote creativity, sustainability and ethical practices. The article investigates the space created by knitwear, questioning the new role of individuals, who are freer to experiment and experiment with interconnected aspects, breaking away from being mere consumers and becoming conscious makers. The third and final section, “Consumer Culture”, presents a selection of articles that aim to analyze, adopting different points of view, the dynamics, approaches and practices through which fashion is narrated, transmitted and experienced. This section explores fashion narratives and recent evolutions in terms of languages, content and formats, focusing on the impact of digital technologies. Examining historical perspectives, philosophical readings and the transformative power of digital media, these articles offer a comprehensive understanding of how consumer culture shapes and is shaped by fashion. The studies provide insights into the cyclical nature of fashion, the intersection of fashion and social class, the emerging role of the metaverse, the motivations behind digital fashion consumption, and the implications of technologies in sustainable fashion. Karmen Samson opens the discussion with a theoretical reflection on fashion as an “economy of the ephemeral”, emphasizing its cyclical and transitory nature within consumer culture. Using the concepts of “blooming” and “decay”, the author elucidates the temporal dynamics of fashion, integrating these natural processes with the temporal politics of industry. By investigating the interplay between time, consumerism, and fashion’s impermanence, the article provides a deeper understanding of cycles that extend beyond traditional notions and presents a detailed and nuanced analysis of fashion's fleeting essence, encouraging to reconsider the significance of decay within the fashion industry. Shajwan Nariman Fatah’s article delves into the social dynamics captured in the narratives of the Toile de Jouy textile through a philosophical perspective. This study aims to reveal the fundamental connection between working-class labor and bourgeois consumption patterns as depicted in Toile de Jouy. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of Karl Marx and Jean Baudrillard, the research examines the links between fashion, production methods, consumer behavior, and the concept of simulation, highlighting how the capitalist system commodifies/appropriates the product without regard for its aesthetic qualities, labor origins, or intrinsic value. Finally, diving into the impacts of digital technologies on fashion consumption, Romana Andò delves into the emerging and evolving concept of the Metaverse within the fashion industry. Through qualitative research focused on international Millennials and Generation Z consumers, the study explores the meanings associated with the Metaverse, its intersection with the digitization of fashion and digital apparel, and its target audience's media literacy and expectations. The investigation highlights the relationship between fashion and individual self-presentation in the Metaverse and examines how these digital environments are transforming consumption processes in the fashion industry. Adil Boughlala and Silvia Mazzucotelli Salice’s article explores the intricate relationship between contemporary fashion consumption and digital tools, from pre-purchase browsing to post-purchase sharing on social media. The study delves into the growing field of digital fashion, particularly the motivations behind consumer adoption of digital fashion end products such as NFT fashion, video game skins, and AR filters. The research, adopting a mixed-media approach, examines the profiles and cultures surrounding digital fashion consumption, suggesting that digital fashion contributes significantly to identity formation and self-expression, creating a new “phygital” hybrid identity paradigm in which the physical and digital realms merge, reinforcing socio-cultural dynamics within brand communities. By means of data from web platforms and social media recommendation systems, Tommaso Elli proposes research to identify and analyze significant local projects in sustainable fashion and design initiatives in the Milanese context. The research aims to investigate the relationships between urban actors, highlight key sustainability advocates, and evaluate the effectiveness of digital methods in studying local phenomena. The results demonstrate the potential of these methodologies to improve the understanding and promotion of sustainable practices in fashion and design. To conclude, Ermanno Petrocchi investigates the influence of persuasive technologies on consumer behavior in sustainable fashion. The study addresses the ethical concerns surrounding sustainability labels and their implementation within digital platforms, highlighting potential consumer risks in the digital age. By analyzing consumption patterns and consumer preferences, the paper reveals how persuasive technologies can manipulate individuals with weak preferences for sustainable fashion, thereby affecting the formation and expression of their identity. Together, these sections offer a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted nature of fashion consumption in the contemporary world. By examining the economic, social and cultural dimensions of consumption, the issue provides a nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics shaping the fashion industry today. Contributors highlight the critical need for a more responsible and reflective approach to fashion consumption that recognizes the interconnectedness of production, distribution and use and the potential for more sustainable and ethical practices. Through this critical lens, this issue thus advances the discourse on sustainable fashion and deepens understanding of the changing landscape of fashion consumption.
... In the same survey, when asked what the most important aspect of clothing was in day-today life, 65% said it represented 'them' as an expression of their identity. We can see how these answers evidence the confusion, mixed emotion and attitudes towards ideas of worn clothing: the mental load of clothing and identity has been well documented (Hebdige,1979, Davis, 1994 yet the entanglement of expression through the worn clothing of others adds to the complexity. ...
... In addition to adding new findings to understanding women's experiences of embodiment, this research adds to previous literature invested in exploring women's relationships with clothing, and clothing as a form of agentic embodied practice embedded within women's daily lives (Entwistle, 2000). Clothing has been theorized as a bridge, not only between an individual's identity and their spatial body, but as an "inter-subjective" bridge between a person's identity and sense of social belonging within society (Davis, 1992;Entwistle, 2000). The quantitative results indicate that not only trying on clothing, but needing to up in clothing size negatively impacts women's state embodiment. ...
The purpose of this project was to explore how certain socially informed individual factors relate to women’s positive embodiment and how a socially informed situation can impact women’s positive embodiment. Embodiment as conceptualized using the developmental theory of embodiment is a multidimensional construct at the crossroads between dominant social structures and individual’s embodied practices (Piran, 2017; Piran et al., 2020). We explored these relationships and impacts over two studies. In study one, we explored the relationships between women’s positive embodiment, internalized weight biases, and mindfulness. We also tested whether moderation or mediation models best fit the data. Results indicate that internalized weight bias significantly negatively relates with all dimensions of embodiment as well as with mindfulness. Partial mediation was supported. Internalized weight bias partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness monitoring and positive embodiment as well as the relationship between mindfulness acceptance and positive embodiment. Moderation was not supported for either mindfulness monitoring or mindfulness acceptance. These results imply that increased trait mindfulness helps to improve women’s positive embodiment by reducing the internalization of weight biases, and not by reducing the relationship between internalized weight bias and positive embodiment. In study two, we used parallel mixed-methods to examine and explore how a socially informed situation can impact women’s embodiment. Women were surveyed and interviewed on their experiences with trying on clothes in a dressing room. Surveys had a between-subjects experimental design, and interviews were semi-structured. We found that women, in a scenario where they imagined fitting into pants two sizes larger than they were expecting, had significantly lower general affect, lower core affect pleasure, lower positive emotions, and higher negative emotions than in the other scenarios. Additionally, women in a control scenario reported significantly lower state body surveillance than the dressing room scenarios. From interviews we found that women’s experiences with dressing rooms were largely negative, included aspects of all but one dimension of embodiment, and reflected the complexity of the construct. Overall, our results reinforce the multidimensionality of the experience of embodiment, and the complexity of the dialectical relationship between these experiences and “macro” level social factors.
... Strój i wybory odzieżowe są ważnym wyznacznikiem oraz sposobem konstruowania i wyrażania tożsamości oraz przekonań. Ich rola zdaje się wzrastać w społeczeństwie konsumpcyjnym, gdzie to nie materialny i funkcjonalny wymiar odzieży, lecz jej wartość jako komunikatu odgrywa wiodącą rolę (Davis, 1992;Żuchowska-Zimnal, 2019). Ubiór może być medium i wyrazem utożsamiania się z określoną klasą, grupą społeczną, zawodową, subkulturą, przekonaniami politycznymi lub miejscem zamieszkania. ...
Strój i wybory odzieżowe są ważnym wyznacznikiem i sposobem wyrażania tożsamości oraz przekonań. Celem artykułu, opartego na wynikach badań ankietowych przeprowadzonych w 2022 r. na reprezentatywnej próbie mieszkańców Polski, jest pokazanie, w jakim stopniu współcześni polscy konsumenci odzieży wykorzystują ubiór do wyrażania postaw etnocentrycznych. Oprócz najczęściej jak dotąd analizowanego patriotyzmu konsumenckiego związanego z preferencjami nabywania dóbr krajowej produkcji zaproponowano typologię innych form etnocentryzmu odzieżowego. Uwzględniono zarówno „etnocentryzm kreatywny”, odnoszący się do umiejscowienia procesu projektowania odzieży i pochodzenia tworzących ją projektantów, jak i „etnocentryzm symboliczny”, w przypadku którego istotne są treści kreatywne i symboliczne komunikowane przez wzornictwo, odnoszące się do narodowej (odzież patriotyczna) lub lokalnej i regionalnej skali wyrażania tożsamości (stroje ludowe, etnodizajn). Stwierdzono następnie, w jakim stopniu nabywcy zwracają uwagę na to, czy kupowane przez nich ubrania są zaprojektowane i wyprodukowane w Polsce, a także w jakim zakresie obecna jest w szafach Polaków odzież odwołująca się do kultury i dziedzictwa kulturowego. Pokazano uwarunkowania zróżnicowania postaw i zachowań mieszkańców Polski w tym względzie, biorąc pod uwagę ich cechy społeczno-demograficzne. W części końcowej wyróżniono cztery grupy konsumentów o różnym stopniu identyfikacji z zaproponowanymi postawami etnocentrycznymi.
... Firstly, they suggest a high degree of standardisation. For example, t-shirt, trousers, shoes, jeans, jackets and trainers can be regarded as unisex items of clothing used indiscriminately by men and women at present (Davis, 1992). Similarly, dogs, cats, birds and fish are typical pets that are found frequently in Spanish homes; cows and horses are familiar domestic animals, part of the rural landscape surrounding the region in which this study took place, whereas, tigers, lions, elephants and snakes are wild animals commonly found in children's books, as well as in English textbooks for primary and secondary school EFL learners (Jiménez Catalán & Ojeda Alba, 2009). ...
This study explores the available English lexicon of Spanish adolescents in the twelfth form. It combines a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the English words produced by males and females in a lexical availability task. The objectives are twofold. Firstly, we identify the number of words retrieved by each group in response to nine prompts related to learners’ realities, such as ‘Food & drink’, ‘Clothes’, ‘School’, or ‘Hobbies’. Secondly, we analyse the most frequent words retrieved by males and females to ascertain whether patterns of gender variation are observed. Overall, the results indicated more similarities than differences. A closer analysis on the means points to the absence of significant differences in the number of words produced by males and females both for the whole task and per prompt. However, differential tendencies were also observed in the exclusive words for each group that were found in the prompts ‘Professions’ and ‘Clothes’.
... Despite impactful writings on the psychology of dress (e.g. Davis, 1992), an upsurge of empirical social-psychological investigations failed to materialize. We aim to highlight attire as a research subject by investigating one of its psychological benefits. ...
Clothing behaviour remains an understudied research area within social psychology. Through the present research, we aim to anchor attire as an empirical research subject by investigating the psychological properties of one of its functionalities, namely, to provide protection. We argue that attire's undisputed role in shielding humans from environmental hazards may extend to the psychological level and protect them from the incorporeal consequences of existential threats symbolically. In this Registered Report, a mixed-methods approach links an ecologically valid field study of self-presentation in social media posts during Russia's war on Ukraine (Study 1; N = 248) with supraliminal priming of mortality salience in an online experiment (Study 2; N = 248). Across both studies, we expect that mortality concerns let people accentuate the physically protective attributes of clothing (e.g. more layers of clothing) and resort to more in-group prototypical dress styles (i.e. more gender-stereotypical). Findings show that people adjust their clothing preferences in response to existential threats, favouring in-group prototypical clothing (more gender-typical for both women and men in Study 1) and physically protective attire (higher in women and lower in men in Study 2) during high (vs. low) levels of existential threat. By positioning clothing as a research area within social psychology, our goal is to stimulate a wave of research on its profound role for humankind. Furthermore, we provide a dynamic and robust methodological approach to researching terror management theory.
... 10: 230052 organisms'. To date, patterns of rise and decline have been quantitatively identified in a number of studies over history of human subcultures, including modern fashion trends [51], musical styles [27] and movie genres [52]. For instance, the history of Western classical music can be divided into wavelike periods of predominant styles such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic [3]. ...
The notions of change, such as birth, death, growth, evolution and longevity, extend across reality, including biological, cultural and societal phenomena. Patterns of change describe how success and composition of every entity, from species to societies, vary across time. Languages develop into new languages, music and fashion continuously evolve, economies rise and decline, ecological and societal crises come and go. A common way to perceive and analyse change processes is through patterns of rise and decline, the ubiquitous, often distinctively unimodal trajectories describing life histories of various entities. These patterns come in different shapes and are measured according to varying definitions. Depending on how they are measured, patterns of rise and decline can reveal, emphasize, mask or obscure important dynamics in natural and cultural phenomena. Importantly, the variations of how dynamics are measured can be vast, making it impossible to directly compare patterns of rise and decline across fields of science. Standardized analysis of these patterns has the potential to uncover important but overlooked commonalities across natural phenomena and potentially help us catch the onset of dramatic shifts in entities' state, from catastrophic crashes in success to gradual emergence of new entities. We provide a framework for standardized recognizing, characterizing and comparing patterns of change by combining understanding of dynamics across fields of science. Our toolkit aims at enhancing understanding of the most general tendencies of change, through two complementary perspectives: dynamics of emergence and dynamics of success. We gather comparable cases and data from different research fields and summarize open research questions that can help us understand the universal principles, perception-biases and field-specific tendencies in patterns of rise and decline of entities in nature.
... While entrepreneurship scholars devoted limited attention to the fashion industry, it is one of the most frequently studied of the creative industries (e.g., Blumer, 1969;Davis, 1992;Pesendorfer, 1995;Crane, 1997;Caves, 2000;Cappetta et al., 2006;Tran, 2010;Khaire, 2014;Uzzi, 1997;Johnson & Lindberg, 2013;Godart et al., 2015). The fashion industry spans from clothing, garments, and accessories characterized by high functionality (specialist and work wear) to those with high symbolic value. ...
Using a multiple case study of Italian high-end fashion, we analyze how new ventures pursue an open innovation by forming network ties to facilitate symbolic value propositions. We identify three strategies to form these ties: leverage of extant ties, Product exposure, and Entrepreneur exposure. Discussing the specificity of our empirical setting, we find that the identified strategies accommodate an industry context where market value is socially constructed and uncertainty is high. As a result, rather than being set by entrepreneurs, symbolic value propositions result from a mix of multiple diverse network ties. New high-end fashion ventures form these ties by applying strategies facilitating flexibility through open-ended search.
This paper examines the power of the UAE abaya. Moreover, it is concerned with the exploitation of luxury in the pursuit of social status and the attainment of greater freedom within an authoritarian context. As will be argued, the abaya has transitioned from serving the state in the process of identity formation to becoming a non-state actor capable of challenging dominant strictures and providing for policy alternatives. However, while the new or revamped abaya has contributed to self-actualization and made taboo topics more visible, it is also important to note that some Emiratis or minority groups may end up being excluded from this largely luxury-driven process. For the leadership, this could create an unenviable situation, particularly when considering the potential rift between the promises outlined in the state vision and the prerequisites needed for its implementation. With this in mind, the present analysis is also intended to assist policymakers working on tolerance and social cohesion, as well as those striving to position the UAE as a major point of reference in global affairs.
This research examines the intersection of fashion and consumer technology, introducing the concept of “IT fashion” to describe how individual perceptions of technology as fashionable influence consumer behaviors. The paper introduces novel constructs associated with IT fashion and fashionable consumer technology, particularly perceived societal-level IT fashion (PSITF, reflecting a person’s perception of society’s views on a technology) and perceived fashionableness of IT (PFIT, capturing a person’s perception of the technology’s fashionableness). Through two empirical studies, we demonstrate that IT fashion significantly impacts consumer behaviors by enhancing the symbolic values associated with technology use. These findings suggest that marketers and technology developers should not only focus on the utilitarian aspects of technology but also on its aesthetic and symbolic appeals to boost consumer acceptance and market success. The paper contributes to policy by highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding of the sociocultural dimensions of technology adoption, encouraging stakeholders to consider these factors in strategy development and communication.
After the partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia and Austria, Poland disappeared from the maps of Europe. The failure of the November Uprising of 1830 against the Russian occupiers led to harsh repressions imposed by the tzarist rule on the Polish people. Many insurgents were imprisoned, or sentenced to death, or forcibly deported to Siberia, their manors and estates were confiscated, and family members were persecuted. As a result, the revival of patriotic attitudes among the subsequent generation in the Kingdom of Poland led to outburst of opposition to the imposed Russian authorities. On the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Grochów, the citizens of Warsaw organized a demonstration in the Castle Square. The Russian soldiers attacked the protesters and killed five. Around that time, a national mourning was secretly announced, and women decided to wear black dresses and silver or bone jewellery in the form of a cross or a crown of thorns, thus sending a hidden message to compatriots and to the Russians. As a result, the decree was issued against the black garments, stating that only personal mourning was allowed based on an official certificate of a family member’s death, otherwise the mourners could be imprisoned. Therefore, other colours, white and violet were introduced as a sign of resistance as well. Black dresses and the konfederatka caps meant not just fashion during the years of the January Uprising; they gained recognition as a hidden patriotic code among Poles living both in the occupied country and in emigration. Poet-emigrant Cyprian Norwid explained the importance of wearing the special type of men’s headgear, referring to the great history of his enslaved country and arguing that symbols and power of thought are powerful weapons in the modern world.
Los estudios de género y los movimientos feministas cuestionan la condición de género, teniendo en cuenta que las diferencias de género no son naturales sino que están construidas socialmente, especialmente la desigualdad entre identidades femeninas y masculinas en la sociedad heteropatriarcal.
This article revisits ear ornament data from Tikal—both material and visual—to better understand the varied roles of ear ornamentation in ancient Maya society over time. The author discusses relevant terms and terminology, then emphasizes the social aspects of ear piercing and stretching as well as the place of ear ornaments in economic exchange. Ear ornamentation was a critical aspect of socialization for ancestral Mayas, but the extent of this practice was classed. Whereas the styles of nonelite ear ornaments were more resistant to change over time, the jade earflares of elites became more standardized in form while growing in complexity. With this standardization, jade earflares achieved a status close to currency, not just to be coveted or collected but also to be displayed on the body to the fullest extent possible. However, like many currencies, jade earflares were more complex than simple tokens of exchange. The symbolic dimensions that gave these objects meaning and economic value were integral to their power.
Acting as a foil to the preceding chapter, Chap. 5 explores the many positive characteristics of bash spaces. Considering access to pleasure and desirability discourses that are often off limits to fat women outside of these zones, I consider the impact on self-esteem and self-worth. Further, I significantly consider the ways that gatherings of people with similar experiences of weight stigma may allow for intense community connections despite other differences among participants. Finally, I explore the notion of bashes as potential (uneasy) sites of fat activism.
This article analyzes the conceptual framing of inclusion and exclusion in fashion discourse, discussing how women are denied or restricted the access to the bounded space of fashion based on a part of their identity, be it their race, religion, disability, gender identification, body weight, or social class. It relies on the data corpus is 1061 Vogue articles, collected between July 2019 and June 2020 and analyzed qualitatively. The current study complements ample research on the container metaphor in political discourse and aims to open a debate on the role of this metaphorical model in a so far largely overlooked discourse of fashion. Drawing on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Critical Discursive Psychology, I demonstrate how the container metaphor pinpoints the repertoire of inclusivity, problematizes the dichotomous relationship between the center and periphery of the fashion industry, and normalizes roles of insiders and outsiders in fashion.
The purpose of this research is to explore the current industrial status and the possible trend of China’s fashion industry which would be a supplement to previous research on the topic of “current and future sustainability of international fashion industry”. This research applies the unsupervised machine learning technology “Latent Dirichlet Allocation” (LDA) to analyse the researches on the topic “sustainable development and approaches of China’s fashion industry” from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science (WOS) from 2013 to 2023, and mine keywords in it so as to clarify what scholars consider as the key elements of China’s fashion industry’s development. There are two findings of this research: firstly, sustainable development would be the main path of China’s fashion industry; Secondly, China’s fashion industry would appear three subdivided directions in the future, which is digitalise, green-system and regional integration. The value of this research lies in offering rational prediction through professional data in order to provide experiences, references, empirical merit for more fashion researcher that concerned about issues of industrial structure optimisation and sustainable development.
Посібник пропонує огляд ключових елементів підходу, орієнтованого на сильні
сторони клієнтів, а також дає змогу ознайомитися із деякими практичними методиками, які використовуються у межах цього підходу під час експериментальної роботи.
Посібник може бути використано в освітньому процесі – для підготовки
здобувачів за спеціальністю 231 «Соціальна робота» та для підвищення кваліфікації фахівців соціальної роботи. Він також може бути корисний практикам при плануванні та впровадженні короткострокових структурованих інтервенцій.
Fashion, Upcycling, and Memory questions practices and explores its profound connection to memory and sustainability. Through a practice-based researcher lens, the research examines the intricate interplay between upcycling and memory, unveiling assemblages of concepts, objects, and values that inspire action.
This book takes readers on a journey through the multidimensional relationship between individuals and clothing. It delves into the disposal of garments and the transformative aspirations embedded within the fashion industry. Employing the unique research methodology known as "A/r/t/ography," which merges artistic practice, rigorous research, and educational development, this book unearths the dynamic interplay between upcycling and memory.
The author unravels the intricate web of connections within upcycling through diverse practices, methods, and insightful interviews. By critically questioning established norms and scrutinizing the actions of fashion designers, the book makes significant contributions to existing literature. Additionally, it offers practical recommendations for sustainable fashion education, making it an indispensable resource for individuals involved in the textile and fashion field. Enhanced with visual aids such as images and illustrations, this book ensures an engaging reading experience that immerses readers in the research-based discourse.
Fashion is regarded simply as a display of individual preference, while it offers deep perspectives on social standards, cultural shifts, and the identity construction. Clothing is a medium for reflecting and expressing complex social dynamics, norms, and changes in identity, particularly during significant cultural shifts. In 18th-century Britain, the fashion industry experienced considerable transformation, driven by increased consumerism, and this period revealed a critical relationship between gender roles in society and fashion trends. Women, usually portrayed as erratic and unpredictable, emerged as the most ardent fans of fashion, personifying its transient nature. This paper examines the intricate bond between fashion and gender roles in 18th century London by using Frances Burney's well-known work Evelina; or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World (1778) as a primary reference. Fashion during this era was not merely a means of decoration; it was inextricably linked to the prevailing social norms and standards. By studying the clothing choices in Evelina (1778), this research aims to expose the rigorous gender conventions of the period and demonstrate fashion's critical role in upholding societal expectations. Essentially, this study goes beyond the physical layers of clothing to uncover the stringent gender conventions prevalent in 18th-century London. It reveals how fashion, typically considered superficial, is a pivotal factor in reflecting and forming societal standards and norms.
Perceptions of clothing are complex, varying across individuals, situations, cultures, and time. Although there is very little research on the topic in our field, evidence from a wide variety of other disciplines points to the importance of clothing in the workplace. In this article, we review this evidence and identify three universal and distinctive clothing characteristics at work: formality, provocativeness, and fashionability. We also identify two other categories: uniforms and religiosity of clothing, which are tied to particular social groups. Drawing on attribution theory and the stereotype content model, we provide a cohesive conceptual framework in which clothing characteristics influence observers’ perceptions of wearer’s warmth and competence through observers’ dispositional attribution processes. These perceptions, in turn, influence facilitation behaviors, such as providing support to wearers, and harm behaviors, such as negatively biased performance appraisal. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research and implications for employees and employers with regard to managing clothing choices and avoiding potential biases.
The aim of this paper is to indicate the possible consequences of the intensification of dietary, cosmetic and medical interference in the human body. Nowadays, creation or construction of identity takes place largely through modifications of the human body. Thus, the body ceases to be the domain of solely biology, and becomes dependent on culture and fashion. Transforming the body and controlling it through diets and other regimes is seen as pro-social and even morally correct. At the same time, body modifications serve as a medium for the individual to communicate his attitude and his inner self to the world. While some of these methods may be or appear to be helpful, others are associated with a number of serious consequences, such as self-harm, anorexia or orthorexia. The article aims to present the way in which culture shapes and transforms the body, as well as the possible consequences - both positive and negative
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