Defining Fashion
Defining Fashion is a digital humanities project that documents and shares YOUR definition of fashion
What does the word “Fashion” mean to you, and what does it mean to DEFINE it?
Defining Fashion is a digital humanities project that documents and shares YOUR definition of fashion
Defining Fashion was born from the desire to bridge the discipline of Fashion Studies and the public by exploring how EVERYONE defines fashion - not just the academics!
The Goal?
To help shape a more inclusive future of fashion education by challenging academic and historically eurocentric understandings of the word "Fashion".
Challenging Eurocentrism
Historically, the word "Fashion" has been defined through a eurocentric lens - an idea that has been perpetuated in the discipline by its development through predominantly European history. As academic attention shifts towards challenging preconceived notions, we aim to contribute to shaping the future of Fashion Studies by asking EVERYONE what they define as "Fashion" with the hopes of creating a more inclusive fashion education.
We ask the question: how are definitions of fashion used to OWN or CONTROL fashion?
Beyond Academia
Everywhere, every day, we all get dressed - which makes everyone a dress expert! Defining Fashion believes that it shouldn't just be up to academics to define our understandings of the word - you should have a say too. We hold that academia, scholarship, and knowledge should be accessible to everyone, and that everyone should have the chance to shape what questions academia asks, how we interpret our findings, and what makes it meaningful!
How We Do It
We use a survey to collect your definitions of the word "Fashion" and share them both here on the Defining Fashion website as well as the Defining Fashion Instagram in an attempt to make this conversation accessible to all.
We also analyze your definition and code it using qualitative methods to track what kinds of themes are emerging in the public consciousness regarding Fashion!
The Data at a Glance
Questions?
Contact us below to get more information on the project or check out our About page