A Magazine Reader #06

This edition of A Magazine Reader, that took place at MA Critical Fashion Practices at ArtEZ University of the Arts in collaboration with Chet Bugter and graphic designer Zuzana Kostelanská, revolves around the idea of the ‘culture of emotions’, self-help, therapy and self-transformation within the construct of fashion. Besides our constantly changing looks, that are expressions of fluid identities, our minds and ‘inner selves’ are also ever changing and the idea of transformation is pushed beyond changing clothes or moving between traditional forms of status in society. Being responsible for our own emotional state of mind as something that should be transformed to a higher sense of being, todays fashion is strongly focussed on self-care, therapy and self-transformation and has connected this to symbols, object and situations. The fashion magazine is one of the cultural formats in which this societal focus becomes clearly visible and commodified.