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’fashion & _______’ is a platform exploring the scope of the term ‘fashion’ from various thematic angles. The platform was active between October 2017 and April 2018.

As the title suggests, the project is composed of a constant and a variable. The Ampersand (‘&’) evokes a string which connects the constant ‘fashion’ with the changing topic, signified by the input field ‘_______’. This field is a line consisting of seven underscores, a reference to the word ‘fashion’ itself, which consists of seven letters: regardless which term fills the input field, the connection to fashion is ubiquitous.

Consequently, ‘fashion & _______’ treats and explores topics from all aspects of life in theoretical, conceptual and artistic manners, and therefore reflects the universal connection they have with fashion.

„Dress is a basic fact of social life and this […], is true of all known human cultures: all people ‘dress‘ the body in some way, be it through clothing, tattooing, cosmetics or other forms […].”(1)

Fashion is an aspect of our lives which concerns and applies to everyone regardless of culture, religion or nation. For the term ‘fashion’ is not limited to garments or the outer appearance, on the contrary, it describes an abstract field which unravels itself in the form of a network into all aspects of our lives: from the erotic aura of a mattress lying on the ground (2), to a mixtape incorporating sounds from animalistic mating rituals (3), to a description of various creatures and their attributes from the Greek mythology (4) – fashion manifests itself everywhere!

‚fashion & _______’ intends to undertake a fundamental investigation into these different manifestations, and thus to effectuate a change of attitude and perception of the term ‘fashion’. In contrast to the prevailing prejudices held against fashion in media and pop culture, depicting it as less cultivated and of lower intellectual standards, the most important goal of ‘fashion & _______’ is to affirm and interpret the scope and openness of fashion in a broader context.

To reach this goal, the project fosters an interdisciplinary pool of creative works from artists of various fields to be presented and shared on the platform that the online publication provides. New contributions take shape within this framework in relation to the changing topics. Since the publication follows a timeless approach, it also offers a suitable platform to feature already existing works and to revisit them in new contexts and constellations.

Furthermore, ‘fashion & _______’ supports collaboration between its internationally working contributors and strengthens the network between all participating entities.

The terms placed on the ‘_______’ change each quarter and are chosen collectively from all participants of the project through online voting. Topics can be suggested continuously by every interested person.

Topics included IMMORTALITY, LIGHT, NATION, MASQUERADE, DATING, CATASTROPHE, RITUALS & FUTURE.