Fashion

Welcome to the Fashion – Exploring Critical Issues Project home page. Fashion is a statement, a stylised form of expression which displays and begins to define a person, a place, a class, a time, a religion, a culture, and even a nation. This inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary conference seeks to explore the historical, social, cultural, psychological and artistic phenomenon of fashion. Fashion lies at the very heart of persons, their sense of identity and the communities in which they live. Individuals emerge as icons of beauty and style; cities are identified as centres of fashion. The project will assess the history and meanings of fashion, evaluate its expressions in politics, music, film, media and consumer culture; determine
its effect on gender, sexuality, class, race, age and identity; and explore future directions and trends.

The project will explore and assess a number of key core themes. These will include;

1. Understanding Fashion
2. Philosophies of Fashion
3. Cultures of Fashion
4. Fashion and Identity
5. Fashion and Representation
6. The Future of Fashion

Related themes will also be identified for development and exploration. Out of our deliberations it is anticipated that a series of related cross context research projects will develop.