Research project
Fashion Professorship
At the Fashion Professorship, led by professor Daniëlle Bruggeman, we explore how fashion can contribute to change – towards a fairer, more caring and more sustainable fashion system.
Fashion and research at ArtEZ
Fashion goes beyond clothing. It is about identity, community and the world you live in. We study fashion from social and cultural perspectives, using artistic and design research to develop alternative fashion practices. We critically examine the fashion industry while also developing new ways of making, wearing and thinking. Together, we are building a future in which fashion has real meaning.
Our mission: from ego-systems to ecosystems
We believe that fashion can help shape a world centred on care, solidarity and connection. Our mission is to develop alternative systems grounded in equality – for people, animals, nature and materials alike. Together with designers, researchers and makers, we imagine new fashion practices that show things can be done differently.
Our vision: fashion as a driving force for change
Fashion is a mirror of society. The current fashion industry reflects how power, market forces and inequality operate – often at the expense of people and the planet. We want to offer an alternative.
Our professorship examines how fashion can contribute to:
• greater equality for people and animals in vulnerable positions
• more mindful use of materials and natural resources
• healthier ecosystems where empathy and wellbeing take centre stage
How we work: our research in practice
Our research focuses on three key themes – the levels at which we explore and question fashion: system, human and material.
1. Fair value systems
Using fashion to develop new ideas and systemic approaches rooted in values such as empathy, wellbeing and solidarity.
2. Equality and embodiment
Giving greater recognition to the values, emotions and bodies of people and animals in vulnerable positions.
3. A new perspective on materials
Viewing fashion as part of a larger ecosystem and engaging with materials responsibly, so that healthier systems can emerge.
More on research in the field of fashion
Collaboration and sharing knowledge
Our Fashion Professorship is a place for exchange and encounter. We work together with students, lecturers, researchers and partners from the Netherlands and abroad. You can take part – by combining research with your own practice, joining projects or sharing knowledge within a wider network. We share our findings through publications, exhibitions and events. Together, we are shaping a new dialogue on fashion – critical and forward-looking.
Contact
Curious to learn more about our research or how you can be involved? Contact us at fashionprofessorship@artez.nl