Sharifa Jamaldin Fashion Fiction is an educational exercise to build a better vision of the fashion world. Why not start by imagining a perfect place. The Fashion Fiction exercise is useful in classroom settings or in an ideation stage of a project.
In other words, it is like writing a science fiction story to improve fashion practices. Fashion Fiction is a wonderful idea conceptualized by Dr. Amy Twigger Holroyd, professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Nottingham Trent University. Fashion Fictions is inspired by the Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan of Kate Fletcher and Mathilda Tham. These fashion fictions are world-building exercises. This means you imagine an alternate reality that is better than the one we have now. Imagine a sustainable world.
We can create positive fashion realities in a kind world.
Fashion Fictions is as stated on their website ‘ a form of activism’
How to participate right away
The core exercise: All you have to do is write a short 100-word paragraph with your vision of a fair and equitable fashion as if it is today. You can add your world on the Fashionfiction.org website.
This act makes the impossible possible now. As the possibilities are seen, solutions start to appear.
If you are part of the creative or fashion culture, you should try this exercise as a mind-altering mental activity.
As a project, you could try Fashion Fictions and apply its three-stage structure:
Stage 1
As outlined above, dream up a good fashion culture or story or world in a short paragraph.
Stage 2
Create a visual or prototype based on your Stage 1 World.
Stage 3
Make the Stage 1 World real. Build and live in your world real such as in a workshop or in an exhibition or an activity over a period of time, which is called the ‘everyday dress’ projects.
How to get involved?
- Contribute your Stage 1 fiction or world
- participate in future Stage 2 prototyping workshops and Stage 3 projects
- Organise your own Fashion Fictions activity