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Aurore Bardey

Profession
Course Leader, BSc Psychology of Fashion
College
London College of Fashion
Person Type
Staff
Aurore Bardey

Biography

Aurore Bardey is Course Leader for BSc Psychology of Fashion. It teaches undergraduate students about how psychological theory can be applied to the fashion industry.

The scientific discipline of Psychology equips graduates with an extremely rich and diverse portfolio of skills and knowledge.

Interview

Psychology and its benefits are known and studied globally. The ability to identify human behaviour, traits and history, then to replace them with different actions has improved the wellbeing of millions. But what is BSc Psychology of Fashion and why should you be interested in studying the link between garments and human feelings? We spoke to course leader Aurore Bardey to answer that question.

Applying psychology to fashion allows someone to enhance their mood through clothing and analyse aesthetic impulses. We asked Aurore how can psychology be applied to the everyday fashion world, she told us:

Psychology can be easily applied to the everyday world. For instance, you woke up this morning, had a shower, and maybe makeup. Why did you buy that cosmetics brand? Did putting on makeup make you feel better, more self-confident? Do you feel the need to put this makeup at work, university, or when you go on a date? All these questions can be answered with psychology. Applied Psychology in Fashion assesses a large panel of topics, using scientific and robust methodology. Fashion Psychologists study the impact of fashion (clothing, cosmetics, accessories) on wellbeing but also on performance, they also assess consumer behaviour (brand loyalty, consumer decision making, stores atmospherics, etc.), and they work towards ‘Inclusive Fashion’ (a fashion designed for and about everyone).

Psychology can be applied to almost every part of your day, but what’s a good example of someone using it within fashion? Aurore told us, “As Coco Chanel said once, ‘fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the ways we live, what is happening’ – well, psychology is, in this sense, interconnected with fashion; psychology is in the clothing we choose to wear to present ourselves to the world, psychology has to do with the mind, the way we use fashion, how we behave or express ourselves’.

Although applying psychology to fashion is relatively new in the academic world and also to many brands, the idea has caught wind lead to new professional occupations, ways of perceiving fashion and Hajinksy – the world’s first online publication dedicated to it, which was also founded by three LCF graduates. We asked Aurore what impact is the psychology of fashion currently having on the industry? She told us, “Psychology is, by definition, a scientific topic based on ethics. As a result, it is not surprising to say that Fashion Psychologists work to make the fashion industry a better industry. At the LCF Psychology department, we understand that fashion is a business, but we believe that this business can be both profitable and ethical. LCF Fashion Psychologists are committed to improving inclusivity in the fashion industry, to promote wellbeing in consumers and fashion experts as well as underlying the positive impact of fashion in cognitive performance, health, and everyday life”.

Links

London College of Fashion

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 7400

Address

105 Carpenter's Road
London

E20 2AR