Fashion as a practice that creates identity

From the university magazine Zett

Cover of the book. Design Manu Beffa. Photograph: Jonas Konrad: das neue blau, 2020

Published on

Author Maike Thies

The publication “Mode und Gender” (Fashion and Gender) deals with the complex and often tense relationship between identity politics, society and fashion. It does so both from a cultural-historical perspective and in the form of contemporary analyses by young design researchers. The two editors Anna-Brigitte Schlittler and Prof. Katharina Tietze provide insights into their motivation for realising the book.

Maike Thies: How did you go about curating the book “Mode und Gender”?

Anna-Brigitte Schlittler: The anthology is the result of a conference organised by netzwerk mode textil, which is a major player in the German-speaking world. We wanted to bring together as many different voices as possible. For example, we were interested in how different age groups reflect on the topic. It was also important to us to let theorists and designers have their say; and to include non-European positions.

We go back a long way historically with our book contributions, but then we also catapult our readers directly into the present.

Anna-Brigitte Schlittler
How does the anthology differentiate itself from existing literature or, to put it another way: where does it challenge the current discourse and expand it?

Anna-Brigitte Schlittler: The definition of fashion is always in flux, which is where we come in. It’s about much more than just clothes. What about body movement, hair, make-up, etc.? I see a vast research field there. In addition, we criticise the still Eurocentric concept, which means that large parts of the global fashion scene receive little attention in both academic debate and commercial reporting. Katharina and I understand fashion as a practice. We go back a long way historically with our book contributions, but then we also catapult our readers directly into the present. /// Katharina Tietze: With this anthology, we are clearly positioning ourselves within design research: fashion is design. But we are also taking a stand on current political developments. With regard to queer people, the urgency of the topic has once again become extremely clear to me. They are exposed to public hostility because of their look. And that makes it clear to me once again how much politics is involved in the question of how clothing is gendered. We can no longer talk about a superficial phenomenon, because fashion has a lot to do with identity politics.

Does fashion enable individuality?

Katharina Tietze: I would say that fashion ever since Georg Simmel – one of the first sociologists to study fashion – has always had to do with this tension between uniformity and individualisation: showing that you belong to a group, but at the same time wanting to set yourself apart from it. The offensive proclamation of an individualised position is often a pseudo-individualisation, because we are effectively much more uniform than we think.

  • Jonas Konrad: das neue blau, 2020
What do you think about unisex fashion?

Anna-Brigitte Schlittler: Many big fashion brands have jumped on the hype. At some point, it dawned on everyone that unisex clothing is orientated towards a western, masculine appearance. That’s why I think the trend has also faded again. I find the resulting disorientation exciting.

Can gender norms be unlearned and what can fashion contribute to this?

Anna-Brigitte Schlittler: I think that you can question norms through a kind of altered repetition. We are here at an art university and we know that things can be shaped. We shouldn’t cling to the illusion that we can do everything fundamentally differently and better. But in our actions – be it in play or through provocation – we can shift perceptions bit by bit; and this makes things possible.

The young voices were crucial to us, which is why we structured the publication in such a way that it begins in the present and then goes back.

Katharina Tietze
Young design researchers from the ZHdK also have their say in the publication. What topics have they been working on?

Katharina Tietze: The young voices were crucial to us, which is why we structured the publication in such a way that it begins in the present and then goes back. Laura Haensler and Larissa Holaschke have looked at the question of pyjamas in film. In my view, they represent a new generation of design researchers who combine design and theory. They also include social media and Netflix as sources in their research as a matter of course. The two of them show how important the digital realm is for analysing fashion – especially when it comes to fashion as an everyday phenomenon.

One part of the publication deals with fashion and gender from a cultural-historical perspective. Your contribution, Katharina, for example, deals with the textile and fashion class at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts. What fascinated you about the topic?

Katharina Tietze: It’s amazing to me that the Arts and Crafts School of Zurich City – a predecessor of the ZHdK – was aimed at both men and women from the very beginning. There’s an exciting disparity: women’s suffrage was introduced late in Switzerland, but educational institutions admitted women early on – this also applies to the University of Zurich. That’s why women from all over Europe came to Switzerland to study here. So a lot of women were educated at the school. And I’m curious to know what they wanted, what became of them, what they learned during their studies, and who taught them. I am very pleased that I can now explore this topic in greater depth with my colleagues in a research project and that I’m being supported by the Zürcher Seidenindustriegesellschaft (Zurich Silk Industry Association). (more about the project: https://www.zhdk.ch/forschungsprojekt/quellen-erschliessen-die-textilklasse-der-kunstgewerbeschule-zuerich-606943)

Anna-Brigitte, what topics would you like to explore in more depth in your teaching and research in the future? What trends are you particularly interested in?

Anna-Brigitte Schlittler: I’m currently very interested in the tension between fashion and politics. In the debates since MeToo, we have come a long way in terms of diversity and questions of identity. In view of the impending backlash, it is important to defend what we have already achieved, but also to take it further and think ahead. I am currently considering writing an article on the topic of right-wing extremist fashions. I would like to focus on Switzerland and look at the appropriation of traditions and clothing for right-wing extremist purposes. Furthermore, I am concerned with the question of the post-colonial view of fashion, that is, the analysis of the interconnection between fashion, clothing and textiles and colonial history. There is a lot to be done here.

What, in particular, would you advise young students who want to explore the topic of fashion and gender in more depth?

Katharina Tietze: I think it’s worth understanding how phenomena have developed historically. It’s good to take a step back, leave the present behind for a while and search for clues in history. This way we learn to appreciate pioneers and possibly make people and positions visible that have received too little attention so far. /// Anna-Brigitte Schlittler: “Encouragement” is a good keyword. At the moment, everything seems so stuck in its ways. What can we – lecturers and students – actually achieve by studying design? It offers both a historical perspective and a view of the present, of the world. In this way, we come across courageous people who make suggestions and don’t let themselves be beaten.