The Research Centre for Fashion, the Body and Material Cultures was launched in May 2006 as a cross-college initiative between Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion at the University of the Arts London. The Centre is dedicated to the analysis of fashion, the body and material cultures and seeks to develop creative and theoretical work in these inter-related areas. The interfaces that exist between the interiority of the body and the external material world are the field of research. The Centre brings together researchers in cultural and historical studies and those working within fashion design and technology to explore the synergies and productive tensions that exist between theory and practice.
The Centre’s London location marks its close engagement with the fashion capital, its commercial and cultural industries, and the broader global network. The Centre’s connections with academic and industry partners, both nationally and internationally, make it a dynamic focal point for the promotion of fashion as an area of intellectual enquiry.
The Centre aims to:- explore the nexus of fashion, the body and material cultures
- address contemporary concerns emerging from this nexus
- interrogate fashion as object, image and text
- engage theory with practice
