Fashion Studies Presents:
the Fashion Studies Network
Founded in 2023 and led by the School of Fashion at Parsons School of Design – the New School and the Masters of Fashion program at Toronto Metropolitan University, this network is focused on developing connections between New York City, New York and Toronto, Canada graduate students, community members, and educational and cultural-heritage centred institutions.
At present, the Network operates through the following main outlets: 1) An annual symposium; 2) An annual Special Issue of published conference proceedings; 3) A series of forthcoming in-person, online, and hybrid panels and events for Network members.
2023–2024 Fashion Studies Network Members:
Parsons School of Design, The New School
School of Fashion, Toronto Metropolitan University
The Fashion Institute of Technology
The Bard Graduate Centre
The City University of New York
NYU Costume Studies
New Design High School
High School of Fashion Industries
New York Sewing Centre
Fashion Studies
The Fashion Studies Journal
The Fashion and Race Database
Unravelling Fashion Narratives
Friday June 7 - Saturday June 8, 2024
a fashion studies network symposium
We are pleased to announce the first Fashion Studies Network Symposium co-hosted by the School of Fashion at Parsons School of Design – the New School and the Masters of Fashion program at Toronto Metropolitan University. The symposium will take place from Friday, June 7th to Saturday, June 8th, 2024, at the University Center at The New School, 63 Fifth Avenue in New York, NY.
From any vantage point in the fashion system of production, circulation, consumption, and expulsion there are stories to be told. In the worst cases, these stories are of domination and extraction, but in the best case, there are stories that centre sustainability, equity, and decolonization practices. Woven in and printed on textiles are the histories of diverse cultures and communities. As well, dress and style are vehicles that express personal and political tales. We invite proposals, exploring these macro and micro fashion narratives, for our graduate symposium “Unravelling Fashion Narratives,” from curatorial, fashion studies, material culture, and performance scholars, as well as makers, dyers, weavers and other creatives and artists in the field of fashion.
Potential topics include, but are by no means limited to:
Critiquing and challenging dominant narratives in fashion
Archival collections’, museums’ and curatorial stories
Decolonial perspectives in design and representation
Fashion reality vs. fantasy
Stories concealed and revealed by dress
Global dress and textile stories
Inclusion and accessibility in fashion and dress practices
Sustainability in micro and macro practices
Threads of identity and dress
Fashion studies as an interdisciplinary field
Materiality
Personal and political narratives in dress
Dress history
We welcomed graduate students, makers and artists from diverse backgrounds to submit proposals. Priority was given to students at institutions affiliated with the network.
The Fashion Studies Network (FSN) is a collaborative scholarly community focused on sharing innovative research, methodologies, and practices in the field of fashion. Founded in 2023 and led by the School of Fashion at Parsons School of Design – the New School and the Masters of Fashion program at Toronto Metropolitan University, this network is focused on developing connections between fashion-focused New York City and Toronto graduate students, community members, and educational- and cultural-centred institutions. An annual symposium hosted by FSN institutional members is a key goal of the network, resulting in a creative space where innovative research can be shared, conversations can be had, and new connections between communities can be made.
