MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion student Lisa Strunz was recently awarded with the LCF Whitespace Award. Lisa was awarded the prize for her novel proposal to investigate a current issue within fashion. We caught up with Lisa to find out more…
LCF News: What course did you study at LCF?
Lisa Strunz: I am on the MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion.
LCF News: Why did you choose that course?
LS: I studied fashion journalism and media communication in my bachelor, and worked for 6 years as a freelance journalist for newspapers and magazines. Having interviewed and portrayed lots of people and brands, I was always interested in understanding human behaviour in the fashion business and wanted to learn more about it from a scientific point of view. The new course was exactly what I was looking for.
LCF News: Can you tell us about the Whitespace Award and how you found out about it?
LS: We were informed about the award by our course leader Dr Carolyn Mair, and had to submit an abstract describing our Masters project idea.
LCF News: Can you tell us a bit about the work you submitted?
LS: The title of my Masters project is ‘Enclothed Cognition and Moral Judgement’. I am investigating if the clothes that we wear have an impact on our morality and decision-making. It would be for example great to find out if putting on a fairly produced piece of clothing can lead to more reasonable consumption.
LCF News: What were the inspirations behind your work?
LS: My work was inspired by a study called ‘Enclothed Cognition’ by Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky. They asked participants to wear a white coat and found that those who believed it was a doctors coat performed much better in attention tests than those who believed it was a painters coat. These results suggest that we take on the perceived characteristics of the clothes we wear, so much that it influences the way we think and behave.
LCF News: What have you won?
LS: Confidence for my project and money for my research.
LCF News: How does it feel to be given this award?
LS: I feel very honoured and privileged. It’s a great validation of my research.
LCF News: What’s next for your future career?
LS: Hopefully many exciting projects. I am looking forward to going back to journalism and apply all the new knowledge I gained, but also working in consultancy, research or trend forecasting very much interests me.
Carolyn Mair said: “The Whitespace Fashion Matters Award for Psychology in Fashion was awarded to Lisa for the innovative approach of her proposed work and the impact it could have on both well-being and sustainability. Lisa’s work stood out because it took an existing paradigm, enclothed cognition, and applied it in an innovative and creative way. It demonstrated the power of psychology to understand human behaviour and to develop realistic and feasible solutions.”