Fashion: culture, consumption and communication

Fashion is one of the ultimate symbols of modern consumer culture. Instead of wearing clothes until they are worn out, they are often replaced by new ones, simply because they are no longer in fashion. The aim of the course is to describe how fashion shapes consumers, both as individuals and on a group level, but also to show how the fashion system drives the overconsumption of clothes. Consumption of clothes is strongly linked to how fashion is communicated, through advertising and social media, and therefore great emphasis is placed on the relationship between clothes, identity and culture, as well as the on role that communication plays in the process of expressing one’s identity.