Fashion: What's psychology got to do with it?
- Written byJekaterina Rogaten, Soljana Çili, and Ameerah Khadaroo
- Published date 08 September 2023
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On 28 March 2023, London College of Fashion hosted its first international online conference on the psychology of fashion. This conference was organised by Dr Soljana Çili (Senior Lecturer in Psychology), Dr Jekaterina Rogaten (Senior Lecturer in Fashion Psychology), and Dr Ameerah Khadaroo (Lecturer in Psychology). It was supported by LCF Research Office and the Fashion Business School.
In her opening remarks, Dr Soljana Çili gave a brief overview of the undergraduate and postgraduate courses which apply psychology to fashion at LCF. She also highlighted how these courses build on a long tradition of psychologists researching and writing about dress and fashion starting from the nineteenth century.
The conference featured 16 presentations of novel empirical research which demonstrated the relevance of psychology for understanding fashion and the fashion industry. They covered a wide range of topics, such as:
- Exploitation and working conditions in Leicester’s and India’s garment industry
- Fashion models' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Expression and understanding of the self through fashion
- The importance of clothing in the doctor-patient relationship
- The application of psychology to fashion curation and exhibition making
The presenters were researchers and practitioners from countries such as England, France, Germany, Portugal, Israel, Mexico, and the United States. They included a combination of external presenters, Fashion Business School staff, a current LCF PhD student, and alumni from LCF’s MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion.
The conference generated considerable interest worldwide. Attendees came from Europe (e.g., the UK, Netherlands, Ireland, France, Greece, Italy), Africa (e.g., Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa), Asia (e.g., India, Malaysia), and North and South America (e.g., the US, Canada, Argentina, Chile). They were very engaged during the conference, making interesting questions and generating important debates.
Overall, the conference was a great success and received extremely positive feedback from both presenters and attendees. It further highlighted the role of LCF’s Fashion Business School as a leading institution in promoting the application of psychology to fashion. Special thanks go to Ellen Smith, who helped to organise the conference and made sure everything was working, and to MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion students, who worked along with the Organising Committee providing support, practical help, and encouragement.
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