Hegarty, Olivia; Stevens, Luke; Chong Kwan, Sara; O'Donovan, Cian; (2023) Fit but you Know it: Workshopping Methods for Decolonising Fashion Education. Presented at: Transformative Fashion Pedagogies Symposium, Online conference.

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Abstract

Fit But You Know It addresses the challenge of decolonising fashion education by exploring a core fashion concept: fit. Industrially-produced clothing has fit ‘built-in’ using pattern-cutting techniques of darts and seam shaping. By contrast, pre-industrial or contemporary examples of non-western garments, rely on fitting techniques deployed by wearers’ hands when wrapping, knotting, or rolling. The standardisation and simplification of fit is critical to fashion's ability to sell, ship and scale products globally. Informed by Enlightenment values of universalism underpinning global trade, Fashion commits ‘episitemicide’ - the destruction of existing knowledge. In this case, that’s the tacit embodied knowledge of how to fit fabric to our bodies. Art schools are ideal settings to challenge deeply embedded industrial-colonial practices and shift epistemic power relations. In this presentation, we will share the workshopping methods developed for this ongoing research project, alongside initial findings from a range of participants, including design educators and students. The workshops are intended to pilot pluriversal design methods for future fashion practice and education.

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