Fashion Systems and Global Perspectives
Beyond the required courses for the first year students of the MA Fashion Studies program, there are several Fashion Studies electives that students are eligible to take. One of the courses encouraged in the first semester is Fashion Systems and Global Perspectives, taught by Giulia Mensitieri. This course focuses on the imaginaries of the fashion industry, as well as the circulation of fashion products and images on a global scale. The class frequently discusses issues of labor, ethics and the social construction of fashion transnationally, and invites students to be critical of the industry and its many problematic facets.
Fashion Systems and Global Perspectives features many course readings that expose students to the detrimental effects of fashion on its workers. As the course is a seminar, class discussion concerning the issues of the readings is a main feature. While many other courses in the first year of MA Fashion Studies culminate in a final research paper, the final objective of this course is a group project that engages students in the creation of the fashion imaginary in an intimate and hands-on way. In the Fall of 2018, the class worked during Paris Fashion Week alongside inDigital, a digital image company that provides fashion images to Condé Naste, as well as many other publishers and companies. The students were instructed to interview employees, and through these interviews, uncover different aspects of the creation of the digital image. This research is finally presented in the form of a group exhibition at the end of the semester.
The course also invites guest lecturers from both within the fashion industry, such as Sabine Le Chatlier, as well as within international organizations such as Nayla Ajaltouni. All guests address with labor issues and provide real world perspectives on the fashion industry. Students are given first-hand experiences through visiting industry trade show Première Vision, and unpack the many facets of fashion from all angles including supply chain and haute couture. Fashion Systems and Global Perspectives provides students a space to engage critically with issues concerning the fashion industry on a global scale.
Written by Victoria Nergaard, MA Fashion Studies
Photos by Rocio Sanchez MA Fashion Studies & Victoria Nergaard MA Fashion Studies