Utopian clothing: the futurist and constructivist overalls in the early 1920s’

‘Can fashion start from zero?’ is a question that, as observed by theorists, historians and curators, ultimately haunts those radical sartorial projects embodying a ‘new’ vision of the world. In the experimental overalls designed at the beginning of the twentieth century by Thayaht in Italy, and Stepanova, Rodchenko and Popova in Russia, it is possible to follow and progressively unfold the aspiration to a total renovation and re-organization of life. The differences between the artistic contexts to which these artists belong – Italian Futurism and Russian Constructivism - have often induced critics to separately discuss their sartorial proposals, overlooking their points of convergence. Within this article, the overalls by Thayaht and the Russian Constructivists are instead analysed in relation to each other, as agents of change, or rather as instances of a ‘utilitarian outrage’ (Davis, 1992). In examining their biographies, the article questions the newness of these creations, the rhetoric of the ‘new’ that accompanied them, and their status as ‘anti-fashion’ projects. Combining material culture with cultural history, it argues that their iconoclasm and utopian potential, resides precisely in their proposing a rationalization of clothing, and in ‘questioning the very fashion project itself’ (Wilson, 2003), in both its symbolic and tangible presence. Finally, on the basis of archival research and interviews conducted at the Thayaht-RAM Archive, Florence, the characterization of Thayaht’s tuta as a Futurist creation, which has often been taken for granted, is reconsidered and problematized further

The racial capitalocene and the 'not yet': a discourse for the politics of the possible

This contribution brings in conversation two theoretical perspectives - the position of political theorist Françoise Vergès and the utopian philosophy of Ernst Bloch - to frame a discourse reclaiming the critical potential of cultural studies, research and creative practices. The concepts of the ‘racial Capitalocene’ (Vergès, 2017) and the ‘not yet’ (Bloch 1986[1959]; 2000[1964]) are particularly relevant not only for a critical analysis of fashion, but also, and more broadly, for knowledge, research practices, and pedagogy, which are constantly at risk of becoming the latest cogs in the wheel of cognitive capitalism. In particular, the notion of a ‘racial Capitalocene’, which exposes those ‘naturalised inequalities, alienation, and violence inscribed in modernity’s strategic relations of power and production’ (Moore 2014), is crucial in counteracting oversimplifications offered by green capitalism, and helps re-contextualise current debates surrounding contemporary fashion. From this discourse, the racial Capitalocene emerges as an epistemological tool to reaffirm and reclaim the critical potential of cultural studies and a radical pedagogy based on a decolonisation of knowledge production. At present, when it seems easier to imagine a natural catastrophe, or even a great extinction, rather than the end of capitalism, the very ‘capacity to imagine that things could be different’, invoked by Ernst Bloch in The Principle of Hope (1986[1959]), presents itself as an ethical, cultural and epistemological urgency. The discussion focuses hence on the 'not yet' (Bloch 1986[1959]; 2000[1964]), and the 'politics of the possible' (Vergès 2017) as critical concepts, opening up possibilities to counteract dominant narratives, including the imperatives of cognitive capitalism, and imagine other futures, different than those suggested by the racial Capitalocene

A Lack of Transparency and the Uyghur Crisis

View point on transparency, human right abuses and labour exploitation tainting the global supply chains. The contribution addresses due diligence and the lack of transparency in relation to the relatively recent case of Uyghur exploitation within contemporary fashion, and specifically the cotton sector. Published by Fashion Revolution, The Fashion Transparency Index analyses and ranks 250 of the world’s biggest fashion brands and retailers based on their public disclosure of human rights and environmental policies, practices and impacts, in their operations and in their supply chains

Let’s get Lost. Southampton as the Situationist city

Let’s get Lost. Southampton as the Situationist city curated by Flavia Loscialpo, as part of as part of Being Human - A Festival of the Humanities 2017 dedicated to the theme 'Lost and Found'. Drawing from psychogeography, this festival invites the public to explore hidden narratives, individual and collective stories, highlighted by contemporary artists evoking distant voices, absences and presences linked to the city of Southampton. It invites the audience to experience the city in a new way and contribute to two collective installations. Series of events: Friday the 17th November-23rd November 2017. Venues: Solent Showcase Gallery, Southampton Solent University (SSU), sound walking tours, God's House Tower. Artists: Sebastian Hegarty - Sound Walking, tour and installation, Southampton various locations, and SSU. Sarah Filmer - ‘Knit the Walls’, God’s House Tower, Southampton. Rosy Maguire - ‘Carbon 31’, The Dancing Man Brewery,Southampton. Jennifer Anyan - 'Embodied Memories', The Spark, SSU. Atsu Ito - 'The Museum of Dustology', The Spark, SSU. Assistant curators: Juanrie Strydom Marina Ignarski Paige Baker Lua Coja