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Fashion History and Artefact (2 credits) - Mandatory

Taste is not definable. It is elusive but also instinctive. Such intuition does not come from thin air, it constantly evolves as awareness of the world increases and the skills to process and prioritise this knowledge heighten.

The three mandatory units are constructed to analyse a broad range of social, cultural, historic and behavioural factors. The premise is that an understanding of the past informs a discerning interpretation of the present and fuels an intelligent anticipation of what is to come.

This class is delivered in different locations around the London every week. You will participate in a series of lectures and guided visits to key collections, fashion districts, exhibitions in museums and art galleries.

“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought” (Albert Szent-Gyorgyi)

Fashion is continually changing. This is clearly seen in London where history and traditions are without doubt major catalysts that influence this change. Knowledge of the past allows for a considered understanding of why things are the way they are NOW, which in turn informs an intuition with which to predict the future.

The unit will focus on how change occurs by examining fashion from sociological and cultural perspectives.
Research into a wide cross section of relevant fields acts as the backbone of this unit.
You will have access to a variety of fashion and cultural influences, some traditional and some unexpected. This research will allow you to further develop and underpin an understanding of what fashion means to you.

You will continually reflect upon, critically examine, and develop your individual interests in fashion history and artefact through note taking and sketching in a journal. Further self-directed research will culminate in a PechaKucha visual presentation.

This research will allow you to establish connections, contextualise and define what fashion means to you.