Wednesday June 15th 2011, London College of Fashion, UK
The symposium ‘Mediating Modesty: Fashioning Faithful Bodies’ brings together speakers from cultural studies, anthropology, fashion studies and religious studies to think about women’s modest self presentation in the context of new forms of commerce, commentary, and community.
The last two decades has seen the development of a rapidly expanding and diversifying market for modest fashion, arising initially from and serving the needs of women from the three Abrahamic faiths who are motivated to dress modestly for religious reasons. This market is also sustained by women whose ‘look’ may share many elements of modest styling but who do not regard their processes of self-fashioning in terms of religion or modesty as such. For both groups the internet has been central to the rapid growth of the modest fashion sector, fostering the development of a niche market through e-commerce, and providing virtual platforms for debates on modesty and fashion on websites, blogs, and discussion fora.
Addressing the relationships between an online and offline presence, the symposium explores how and to what extent women of different backgrounds are engaging in shared discourses about modest dressing and body management within and across faiths. Contributions track emergent styles and taste communities and evaluate the role of innovative forms of fashion mediation and religious interpretation.
Convened by Reina Lewis (London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London) and Annelies Moores (University of Amsterdam), the symposium will be held at the London College of Fashion, UK, on June 15th 2011.
Speakers: Elizabeth Wilson, Marie Griffith, Barbara Carrell, Emma Tarlo, Daniel Miller, Jane Cameron, Annelies Moors, Reina Lewis.