'Is it because you know who did it?' Authorial Fashion Shifting Users' Relation to Clothes

The last two decades have seen major changes in how the fashion system is organized. The fast-fashion invasion in the ‘80s promoted clear detachment between users and the pieces they wear, including not only the makers but also the designers. This shift led to a boom of recent questionings over the prevailing mass production and a call for alternative modes of making, consuming and wearing clothes. As recent studies propose, these modes of making are able to foster a stronger attachment between users and things and point to a more sustainable future.

This paper focuses on a case study that investigates authorial fashion as a means to strengthen connections between individuals and the clothes they wear through their experiences. Supported by new materialism theories, this project sheds light on the dialogues established between body and clothes and how the pieces can change the attitudes of those who wear them. Led by design probes developed together with wearers of the pieces, this research suggests an increase in awareness of what they wear, the creation of tighter bonds with the objects and a clear positioning towards patterns of consumption. The results retrieved from the probes and group discussion show that the use of authorial clothes promoted deeper reflections on the relationship established between wearers and garments. They also informed us that objects that call for the discussion of person-product relations are able to change wearers’ perception of their responsibility as wearers and consumers of clothing goods. This paper therefore supports efforts in researching alternative modes of design and production as a means to more sustainable approaches to fashion.