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Harnessing uncertainty: social, cultural and economic capital in fashion

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The Enterprise of Culture returns to Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University on Thursday 10 March 2016, with a public conference looking at the current state of fashion against the backdrop of an uncertain world.

As the world continues to become more and more uncertain with questions relating to technological advances and environmental concerns so, too, does the fashion industry. This one-day conference, Harnessing uncertainty: social, cultural and economic capital in fashion, will consider some of the ways in which fashion attempts to address global concerns rather than being part of the cause.

Speakers from the UK, USA and the Netherlands will discuss topics such as sustainability, Chinese identity and fashion, fashion blogging as labour and leisure, new perspectives on the suit, the European fashion business since 1945 and conscientious fashion. A round-table will consider conference themes in more depth and will open the floor for debate.

Speakers from academia include Professor Chris Breward, Edinburgh College of Art, who will address key issues from his forthcoming book The Suit: Form, Function and Style.

Dr Agnès Rocomara, London College of Fashion, will interrogate the ways fashion bloggers define and practice their activity.

Dr Alana James from the School of Textiles, Heriot-Watt University, will provide suggestions for moving the fashion industry towards a sustainable future whilst also questioning the factors currently preventing change.

Dr Wessie Ling, University of Northumbria, will look at how textile has been employed as an agent of (re)production and (re)construction of a ‘place’ or locality and cultural identity in the creative industry.

Professor Regina Lee Blaszczyk, Project Leader for the Enterprise of Culture project (based at the University of Leeds) will discuss some of the highlights of the project’s research with reference to the relevance to fashion studies.

Sonnet Stanfill, Acting Senior Curator of 20th century and contemporary fashion at the V&A, will examine the garments that were displayed in the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition, as well as the techniques of build, film, sound and other elements that enhanced the exhibition's staging.

The conference will welcome Elissa Bloom from The Philadelphia Fashion Incubator, an organisation that supports and promotes emerging fashion designers and the fashion community of Philadelphia, USA. Elissa will consider how fashion designers can thrive and innovate in today’s changing marketplace.

Students Eshiva Wright, Laurence Meeuwis and Wida Arian from the New Fashion Society in Edinburgh and Rotterdam will give their insights into how fashion impacts on our environment, and the value of organisations such as the New Fashion Society.

Organised by team members at The Enterprise of Culture from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Leeds, the conference will bring together academics, fashion industry practitioners, students, archivists, museum curators and the general public.

Dr Andrew MacLaren, Heriot-Watt University, said:

“One of the positive things that the Enterprise of Culture has achieved so far is uniting the academic world with leading practitioners in the field. On top of this a passionate student community has engaged with the project and the future of fashion looks to be in safe hands in that regard. For this conference we are particularly excited to welcome Europe’s first international student society for fashion, The New Fashion Society, and entrepreneurial practitioners, like Elissa Bloom from the USA, to join in what stands to be a vibrant conversation.”

The venue for the conference is the James Watt Conference Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, starting with registration at 9.30am.

Booking is essential as places are limited. The conference is free to attend and includes lunch, refreshments and a drinks reception. More information, including how to book, can be found on the project website.