Faith & Fashion

The Faith & Fashion public talks program facilitates discussions on the interplay between religious and fashion cultures. Professor Reina Lewis, from the London College of Fashion, UAL, leads engaging conversations with speakers from the global fashion industry, representing a variety of faiths, spiritual backgrounds, and secular and political viewpoints. Faith and Fashion events are held at East Bank, London College of Fashion, UAL, in collaboration with partners across the UK and around the world.

The latest event sees Reina traveling to Nigeria to research new perspectives on world religions in emerging fashion markets, focusing on the fashion implications of religion, belief, and community in the country. This chapter delves into Nigeria’s Christian and Muslim modest aesthetics and both niche and mainstream fashion industries, influenced by spirituality, cross-denominational tribal dress traditions, and cloth-based cosmologies. This shift from a scholarly and commercial focus on MENA and Muslim attire emphasises belief-related practices in a uniquely evolving market and fashion infrastructure, as well as in nation branding and the economy.

Find out more about Faith & Fashion.

Performing Dress Lab

Performing Dress Lab is an International Research network that has evolved in partnership between University of the Arts London (UAL) , Aalto University, Finland  and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)

It was founded by UAL Research Alumni across these institutions who collectively inform a specialist platform for Research and Knowledge Exchange between Academia and Industry.

The Lab provides a platform to convene, debate and develop existing and future research studies and activities on the ‘dressed’ body in performance in its varied forms of expression. The core objectives are to interrogate and challenge traditional perceptions and practices by the promotion of innovative and experimental work within this increasingly popular and diverse discipline. The Lab will provide a platform to share, develop, and promote questions about the role of dress in performance, its relationship with body and space, the Scenographic Body.

The Lab aims to support practice and theoretical innovations in the field through collaboration with local and global theatres, dance companies, film, media and digital production industries, museums, galleries, archives and wider creative industries.

Find about more about Performing Dress Lab.