Fashion as Design
The Museum of Modern Art
Acerca de este Curso
Among all objects of design, our clothes are the most universal and intimate. Like other kinds of design, fashion thrives on productive tensions between form and function, automation and craftsmanship, standardization and customization, universality and self-expression, and pragmatism and utopian vision. It exists in the service of others, and it can have profound consequences—social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental.
Fashion as Design focuses on a selection of more than 70 garments and accessories from around the world, ranging from kente cloth to jeans to 3D-printed dresses. Through these garments, we’re going to look closely at what we wear, why we wear it, how it’s made, and what it means. You’ll hear directly from a range of designers, makers, historians, and others working with clothing every day—and, in some cases, reinventing it for the future. Studio visits, interviews, and other resources introduce the history and development of each garment and their changing uses, meanings, and impact over time.
Course Learning Objectives:
Develop critical tools to appreciate and contextualize fashion design—from everyday clothing to couture garments—through many different perspectives.
Trace the history, development, and impact of garments over time, and explore how they may be reinvented.
Investigate garments through multiple lenses including politics, identity, and economics.
Understand more about the lifecycle of clothing, from its design and production to its marketing, distribution, and consumption.
Better comprehend the choices you make about fashion with respect to the visual language of dress, individual and collective identities, and issues such as labor practices, sustainability, and body politics.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1
Section
Introduction
1 video (Total 3 min), 3 readings
1 videos
3 readings
Welcome to Fashion as Design10m
Who's Afraid of Fashion? by Paola Antonelli10m
Additional Readings & Resources10m
2
Section
Heroes
Wearing certain garments can inspire heroic transformations, while heroes can elevate everyday clothing to iconic status. In this module, you will discover the relationship between aspiration, achievement, adulation, and attire through a wide range of heroes—and even imagine yourself as a space hero in the future.
8 videos (Total 35 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz
8 videos
On Site in Los Angeles: Recreating Bruce Lee's Tracksuit7m
Curator Stephanie Kramer on Sports Jerseys2m
Guy Baldwin, International Mr. Leather 1989, on Leather Pants2m
Designer Richard Malone on the Jumpsuit2m
Designer Kerby Jean-Raymond on the Hoodie3m
Designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, Abecedarium Presentation on the Hoodie8m
On Site in London: Designing a MarsBoot with Liz Ciokajlo6m
8 readings
A Close Look at the Items: Sports Heroes10m
A Close Look at the Item: Subcultural Heroes10m
A Close Look at the Items: Military and Political Heroes10m
A Close Look at the Items: Celebrity and Pop Heroes10m
Bandana Tewari, Vogue India, on the Sari10m
Malika V. Kashyap, Border&Fall, on the Sari10m
A Close Look at the MarsBoot Prototype10m
Additional Readings & Resources10m
1 practice exercises
Heroes20m
3
Section
Silhouettes
When we put on clothes, we change the shape and outline of our bodies—sometimes profoundly. The silhouettes we adopt are determined by everything from shifting trends in fashion to what looks and feels good. This week, we explore how clothes shape the body and how cultural constructions of the body shape clothes.
7 videos (Total 38 min), 7 readings, 1 quiz
7 videos
On Site at MoMA: Designing Mannequins with Tae Smith6m
Curator Valerie Steele, Abecedarium Presentation on the Little Black Dress10m
Fashion Historian Francesca Granata on Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body—and Become One1m
Linda Loppa on the Tabi Boot2m
Designer Janie Bryant on the Pencil Skirt3m
Mickey Boardman, PAPER magazine, Abecedarium Presentation on the Muumuu and Caftan7m
7 readings
A Close Look at the Items: Shape10m
A Close Look at the Items: Conform10m
A Close Look at the Items: Augment10m
Designer Norma Kamali on the Sleeping Bag Coat10m
A Close Look at the Items: Free10m
Fashion Historian Lauren Downing Peters and Co-founder of Universal Standard Alexandra Waldman on Non-Sample Size Clothing10m
Additional Readings & Resources10m
1 practice exercises
Silhouettes20m
4
Section
Coutures
The French word couture means "dressmaking" or "sewing,” and often refers to one-of-a-kind, primarily handmade garments intended for a specific individual. This module approaches couture from a broader perspective, exploring the complex processes—from traditional handcrafting to the use of new technologies—that go into the making of high-end and everyday garments.
6 videos (Total 38 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
6 videos
On Site in London: Making a Bespoke Savile Row Suit with Anderson & Sheppard, Part I9m
On Site in London: Making a Bespoke Savile Row Suit with Anderson & Sheppard, Part II12m
Designer Carlo Brandelli on the Suit2m
Designers Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg on the Kinematics Dress1m
On Site in New Jersey: Designing 3D-Printed Dresses with threeASFOUR7m
6 readings
A Close Look at the Items: Crafting10m
A Close Look at the Items: Producing10m
Jason Schott, Schott NYC, on the Biker Jacket10m
A Close Look at the Items: Growing10m
A Close Look at Design Collective threeASFOUR10m
Additional Readings & Resources10m
1 practice exercises
Coutures20m
5
Section
Lifecycle
This module examines the lifecycle of garments, an often overlooked aspect of fashion that many individuals and companies are addressing with growing urgency. How do garments begin, how do they end, and how does the cycle of production, consumption, and disposal impact the world?
9 videos (Total 70 min), 7 readings, 1 quiz
9 videos
On Site in San Francisco: Levi's Wellthread Design Team Meeting7m
On Site in San Francisco: Historical Jeans in the Levi's Archive with Tracey Panek7m
On Site in San Francisco: The Future of Denim Case Study with Paul Dillinger3m
Curator Emma McClendon, Abecedarium Presentation on Jeans7m
Designers Carmen Artigas and Mary Ping, Abecedarium Presentation on Rana Plaza10m
Curator Michelle Millar Fisher and Historian Francesca Granata on Premaman2m
Maxine Bédat, Zady, Abecedarium Presentation on E-Commerce10m
Conversation with Designer Pia Interlandi on the Little Black Death Dress13m
7 readings
A Close Look at the Items: Jeans and White T-Shirt10m
A Close Look at the Items: Anew10m
Cheng Kang, Woolrich, on the Plaid Flannel Shirt10m
Designer Wei Hung Chen on the Modular Dress for Pregnant Women Prototype10m
A Close Look at the Items: Forever10m
A Close Look at the Little Black Death Dress Prototype10m
Additional Readings & Resources10m
1 practice exercises
Lifecycle20m
6
Section
Modesty
Modesty has many varied expressions that can be informed by social, religious, or political identifications, as well as by personal choice. But whether covered up or exposed, our bodies are often battlegrounds for continually shifting societal claims around morality, agency, and etiquette.
4 videos (Total 25 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz
4 videos
Designer Hana Tajima on the Turtleneck and Hijab6m
Grace Ali, OF NOTE Magazine, Abecedarium Presentation on the Veil10m
Historian Leila Ahmed on the Hijab2m
8 readings
A Close Look at the Items: Head and Neck10m
Rabbis Jodie Siff, Charles Savenor, and Melissa Buyer-Witman on the Kippah10m
A Close Look at the Items: Swimwear10m
Curator Glynis Jones on Speedo10m
A Close Look at the Items: Legs10m
Designer Miguel Mesa Posada on the Harem Pants Prototype10m
Designer Zhijun Wang on the Sneaker Mask10m
Additional Readings & Resources10m
1 practice exercises
Modesty20m
7
Section
Expression
What we wear and how we wear it can communicate messages, create group identification, borrow and remake existing styles, or subvert a garment’s traditional associations. While choosing and wearing clothes is an act of personal expression, it is also a response to many of the topics addressed in the preceding weeks of this course. In this final week, we look at the ways in which clothing allows us to feel connected to others and to stand out.
8 videos (Total 59 min), 10 readings, 2 quizzes
8 videos
Conversation with Artist Amanda Lopez and Designer Tanya Melendez on Door-Knocker Hoops19m
Photographer Tom Gould on the Lo-Life Crew3m
Curator Stephanie Kramer on the Slip Dress3m
Model Hari Nef, Abecedarium Presentation on Unisex Fashion8m
Photographer David Godlis, Abecedarium Presentation on Dr. Martens8m
Historian Christopher Richards on Kente Cloth3m
On Site in New York: Designing a 21st-Century Biker Jacket with Asher Levine6m
10 readings
A Close Look at the Items: Appropriate10m
A Close Look at the Items: Subvert10m
Jessica Barber, CALVIN KLEIN, on the Slip Dress10m
A Close Look at the Items: Message10m
Designer Peter Saville on the Graphic T-Shirt10m
A Close Look at the Items: Identify10m
Valarie Benning on New Breed's Dashiki Fashions10m
A Close Look at the Biker Jacket Prototype10m
Additional Readings & Resources10m
Funding & Credits10m
1 practice exercises
Expression20m
4.9
42%
83%
Top Reviews
By AB•Apr 9th 2018
This course is excellently taught and very engaging, I have enjoyed it immensely and cant wait to do further courses produced by MOMA! Great course, I would highly recommend it :)
By MI•Apr 17th 2018
I really enjoyed this course. I love the facts and new things I have learned about garments and items that I use in my every day life but also other objects from other cultures.
Instructors
Paola Antonelli
Senior Curator, Department of Architecture & Design, and Director, Department of Research & Development
Michelle Millar Fisher
Curatorial Assistant
Stephanie Kramer
Research AssistantAbout The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds, and provides inspiration. With extraordinary exhibitions and the world's finest collection of modern and contemporary art, MoMA is dedicated to the conversation between the past and the present, the established and the experimental. Our mission is helping you understand, enjoy, and use the art of our time.
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