The Academy enters the world of fashion, in collaboration with the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection (FHCC) of Drexel’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, with a new special exhibition: The Ecology of Fashion.
Examining the interconnections between fashion and the natural world, the exhibit features stunning and provocative garments from the FHCC, diverse and wondrous specimens from the Academy’s collections, and works by contemporary change-makers.
The Ecology of Fashion aims to boldly show how materials, production processes and our own patterns of clothing consumption truly impact the world around us.
Throughout history, designers have often paid homage to nature even while utilizing materials and processes that can cause environmental harm, such as pearls, ivory, feathers, or even synthetic animal prints and manufactured dyes that resemble those drawn from harvested mollusks. A coat worn by First Lady Jackie Kennedy or an evening gown designed by Givenchy worn by Princess Grace of Monaco, both displayed in the gallery, are reflections of how humanity continues to use natural materials simply for beauty and fashion’s sake.
Contemporary household designer names and modern high-end brands — Oscar de la Renta, Levi Strauss & Co. — equally continue to draw inspiration, as well as lessons learned, from the natural world. What do we do with worldwide garment waste? How do we make the textile industry more equitable and sustainable? The exhibit delves into ways in which brands, corporations, artisan crafters, fashion influencers and everyday consumers can better understand the history of materials and dyes, as well as their role in the current cycle of the clothing industry.
“It is exciting to present the items from the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection in an interdisciplinary context. The pieces on display in The Ecology of Fashion exhibition — from renaissance velvets to pleated polyester — tell a story about our environment, our history and our future,” said Clare Sauro, director of the FHCC, who co-curated the exhibit along with the Academy’s Vice President of Experience and Engagement, Marina McDougall.
Across the planet, and throughout time, shifts in textile production and fights to address labor rights have also helped move the needle toward more environmentally friendly and ethical practices in the fashion world. But this work needs to continue.
From raw materials — fauna, flora, fungi and fossil fuels — to the agricultural and manufacturing processes behind the making of our textiles, the clothing that we wear is and has been deeply connected to the natural world. The Ecology of Fashion vividly explores fashion and its environmental impacts through images, stories and one-of-a-kind displays of varied types of garments and specimens.
Ultimately, while considering the delicate and nuanced relationship between human culture and environmental nature, The Ecology of Fashion aims to inspire new ways in which we can participate in bringing about positive change — perhaps starting right in our own closets.
Is there a way to do a docent tour of this exhibit for 15 to 2o women on either January 3rd or February 7th. What is the cost. We are all Seniors Thanks