Fashion & Textile Trends through the Ages

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The first time a hunter returned with animal skins for protection and warmth marked the beginning of the clothing era; but the birth of fashion itself can only be understood as a continuing epic of social, historical, cultural, geographical, and technological evolution in an ever-changing tale of people and the worlds they inhabit. In this view, to comprehend the global fashion industry (currently about 4% of world trade) the imperative prerequisite is to learn the analytical tools and theories necessary to understand the agents and actors of change upon which fashion continuously depends; so as to acquire the necessary skills to forecast and foreshadow in a quickly changing world, the trends marketers need to identify. This course will examine the evolution of fashion and textile as a history of the world, and the key skills to understand the spirit of our times and its relation to trend development.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course will explore the fundamental theories in the direction and movement of fashion, as illustrated by the study of trends and textiles through the ages; and give a deeper understanding of the dominant traits and themes in society which influence fashion.

 

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Understand the origin of fashion in its contextual historical context
• Comprehend the meaning of fashion as ideology and theory derived from multidisciplinary fields of study
• Recognize the anatomy of a trend and the framework for fashion change
• Identify the spirit of our times: world events, economic conditions, social changes, entertainment and technological innovations as the continuing catalyst agents acting upon fashion
• Identify the language of fashion and its development and prediction over time
• Learn the process and methods of fashion trend analysis and forecasting
• Identify fashion trends/textiles through the ages

MANDATORY TEXTBOOK: The Fashion Reader: Second Edition 2nd Edition by Linda Welters (Editor), Abby Lillethun (Editor); Bloomsbury Academic (March 15, 2011) ISBN 9781847885890

 

EVALUATIONS:

Midterm exam- 35%

Final exam ? 30%

Cases/assignments/group projects (written and oral)/ participation ? 35%