Performative Processes

For too long, the so called ‘high-end’ fashion designers have maintained that fashion is a product of a singular creative vision where the labour of making is often hidden. In an attempt to shift this perception, Performative Processes aims to highlight the collaborative nature of fashion by making the production visible in open workshops and by creating a space where dialogue can emerge around sharing of skills, knowledge and creativity. As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Aïcha Abbadi collected some of the most exciting examples at the forefront of this participatory approach to fashion …read more

New Mentorship

Awards granted for ‘young designers’, mentorship schemes and sponsorships intended to kick start the careers of budding designers are increasingly being questioned in light of recent scandals but also for their elitist and often insincere nature that now seem incredibly dated in the face of the changing fashion industry.  But in what way can young entrepreneurs and creatives be supported? As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Aïcha Abbadi explores the ethos behind the ‘New Mentorship’ and some of the innovative examples that best capture this …read more

Archivist-Creators

New creative clusters are emerging in countries commonly associated with mass-manufacturing and lower end garment production. Using traditional craft techniques, local know-how and cultural heritage accompanied often with ethically progressive business models, these new ‘Archivist-Creators’ are redefining the label ‘made in’ associate with the country of their origin. As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Aïcha Abbadi investigates the drive behind this reclaiming of design tradition and selects the best-practice examples to illustrate this …read more

Alternative Fashion Media

New alternatives are challenging the often dated, uncritical and merely promotional purpose of fashion media by widening the discourses and representations around fashion. As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Address contributor Aïcha Abbadi selects the most interesting examples of alternative fashion media around at the moment …read more

Future fashion education

Fashion education has been long overdue for an update. Because of the interconnectivity provided by the Internet, the interdisciplinary nature of current fashion and design thinking as well as the changing demands of both the consumers and the fashion discipline at large, new educational philosophies, practices and models are beginning to emerge that challenge dated ways in which fashion should and could be learned. Address contributor Aïcha Abbadi maps some of the most exiting examples of future fashion education …read more

Mended scars

During a time when cheap new clothing is easily available, the lost art of mending is having a revival with diverse practices aiming to transform not only garments but the perceptions people have on repairing and restoring. Instead of seeing them as shameful, drawing on wide variety of examples, Address contributor Aïcha Abbadi suggests that mended scars should be celebrated as a tribute to craft and care as well as visible manifestations of histories …read more

Second life

Gathering common motivations that unite a broad range of practitioners, ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ -series aims to map alternative approaches to thinking, creating, presenting and discussing fashion. It provides an overview of recent developments in the discipline in order to integrate them into a new and more inclusive fashion system that encourages discussion. Instead of being suppressed, these alternatives broaden fashion’s spectrum of activities and help to provide a more complete understanding of the spirit of the time which fashion has always sought to reflect …read more

Fast fashion disruption

Gathering common motivations that unite a broad range of practitioners, ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ -series aims to map alternative approaches to thinking, creating, presenting and discussing fashion. It provides an overview of recent developments in the discipline in order to integrate them into a new and more inclusive fashion system that encourages discussion. Instead of being suppressed, these alternatives broaden fashion’s spectrum of activities and help to provide a more complete understanding of the spirit of the time which fashion has always sought to reflect …read more