Moma 1 Art and design

Welcome to Fashion as Design

Among all objects of design, our clothes are the most universal and intimate.
Every day, everywhere, everyone wears something, whether a full outfit or
nothing more than a tattoo. Like other kinds of design, fashion thrives on
productive tensions between form and function, automation and craftsmanship,
standardization and customization, universality and self-expression, and
pragmatism and utopian vision. It exists in the service of others, and it can have
profound consequences—social, political, cultural, economic, and
environmental.

The first exploration of fashion at The Museum of Modern Art was in 1944,
when architect and curator Bernard Rudofsky organized the exhibition Are
Clothes Modern?, intended to prod museum-goers to reconsider their
relationship with their clothes. The question still holds. Fashion as Design and
the 2017 MoMA exhibition Items: Is Fashion Modern? expand this exploration
and shift the focus from the individual to the collective sphere, highlighting not
only the ways in which clothing is made but also the ways in which it might be
made.

Fashion as Design focuses on a selection of garments from around the world—

ranging from kente cloth to jeans to 3D-printed dresses. Through these
garments, we’re going to look closely at what we wear, why we wear it, how it’s
made, and what it means. Each week begins with a conversation between the
course instructors that introduces the themes, items, and questions that we will
explore. Hear directly from a range of designers, makers, historians, and others
working with clothing every day—and, in some cases, reinventing it for the
future. Studio visits, interviews, abecedarium presentations, and other
resources will introduce the history and development of each garment and their
changing uses, meanings, and impact over time.

We also want to hear from you. Reflect and exchange ideas with fellow learners
in the discussion forums. Review what you have learned each week through a
short quiz and, in the final week, draw on the discussions and course resources
in a culminating, peer-reviewed assessment. As you progress through the
course, we hope you will look at fashion with more curiosity, awareness,
agency, and respect.

Why do we wear what we wear?

https://coursera.org/share/0763e5e37fd255dc5bffea7172e19237

Who's Afraid of Fashion? by Paola

Antonelli

Paola Antonelli. “Who's Afraid of Fashion?” In Items: Is Fashion Modern?,

edited by Paola Antonelli and Michelle Millar Fisher. The Museum of Modern
Art, 2017, 14–23.
https://medium.com/items/items-is-fashion-modern-checklist-e353b83e7652
• Kilt. A look from the A/W 1994 Anglomania collection
specially remade by Vivienne Westwood
• Pearl necklace. Choker lent by Mikimoto
• Silk scarf. c. 1960 stereotype by Hermès, lent by
Catherine Benier

Additional Readings & Resources

Below are optional readings and resources that

provide further information on some of the items and
ideas explored this week. You will not be quizzed on
these resources.

Readings
Items: Is Fashion Modern? exhibition catalogue at the MoMA Store

Paola Antonelli. Bernard Rudofsky’s 1944 exhibition “Are Clothes Modern?,”

Medium

Paola Antonelli. Items: Is Fashion Modern? // Checklist, Medium

Are Clothes Modern? MoMA

Items: Is Fashion Modern? MoMA

Items: Is Fashion Modern? Medium

An archive of everything worn to MoMA from November 1, 2017, to January 28,

2018. Read about this Artists Experiment project by Emily Spivack here.

Contemporary photographer portfolios from the Items: Is Fashion Modern?

exhibition catalogue.

Videos

Items: Is Fashion Modern? A Salon, MoMA, May 15, 2016.

Items: Is Fashion Modern? Abecedarium, MoMA, May 16, 2016.

Is fashion modern? | HOW TO SEE the Items exhibition with MoMA curator
Paola Antonelli on MoMA's YouTube Channel, December 20, 2017.

Recording of Office Hours: Live Q&A with Instructors Paola Antonelli and Anna
Burckhardt, July 10, 2020.

Resources
The Fashion History Timeline: The Fashion History Timeline is an open-access
source for fashion history knowledge, featuring objects and artworks from over
a hundred museums and libraries that span the globe. The Timeline website
offers well-researched, accessibly written entries on specific artworks, garments
and films for those interested in fashion and dress history.

How do clothes make heroes?

https://coursera.org/share/98e10f65674330a76a58632104993bbd