Emancipating in style: escaping the infinite staircase of the fast–fashion industry
MSc project by Thomas Beekes, a DFI MSc student.
“Prevalence of Userist design principles in the fast-fashion industry leads to the disappearance of local culture in fashion and costume.”
(Thomas Beekes)
A personal observation of the prevalence of Userist design principles in the fast-fashion industry has led Thomas Beekes, a Design for Interaction student, to embark on a graduation project. His work aims to construct an alternative interaction with fashion that allows for more diverse cultural expression. A theoretical framework that tests for Userist oppression was adapted to the tangible and performative nature of fashion.
A metaphorical worldbuilding exercise was created to immerse users in their relationship with fashion through roleplaying, supporting reflection on normalised behaviours and speculation regarding less performative alternatives. As a result, Thomas designed a participatory workshop to be held in communal social contexts to facilitate the expression of aspirations for interactions with fashion, promote community-supported repair and alteration, and encourage artistic expression.
This project also aims to inspire other designers to expand community-driven research into alternative interactions with fashion, providing a pathway for emancipation from a consumptive relationship with the fast-fashion industry and reclaiming communal cultural agency through participatory design. The project overall demonstrates the value of experimenting with artistic expression as a complement to reflection and speculation in academic interaction design.
This project is supervised by a committee:
Chair — Fernando Secomandi
Mentor — Caiseal Beardow
