Fashion and Posthumanism

    The fashion system is so vast and heavily fragmented that it appears increasingly difficult to grasp what “Fashion” means nowadays. Avant-garde and archive stans tend to counter the definition given by hypebeasts and serial-trends afficionados. We could view fashion as a form of dressing, reduce it to its industrial counterpart, or even consider fashion as a means of expression through clothing. However, in doing so, we risk losing its conceptual value and essence and the possibilities it offers when thinking of Fashion as a whole. We’d like to approach fashion as a concept and fashion design as the technological application of this concept in garments and accessories. To better understand the interactions between posthumanism and fashion, as well as the reintegration of post-humanity into fashion, let's clarify our definitions of fashion and design here.


I prefer to approach Fashion as a conceptual notion and as a phenomenon so that we can depart from the traditional understanding of fashion as “clothing-fashion”. It encompasses both tangible and intangible elements, symbolic and communicative aspects. This notion encompasses multiple facets of the creative and production processes and involves the aesthetic in-formation of materials and fabrics, influencing, informing the body and reshaping silhouettes. Fashion is both practical and conceptual, and it's important to emphasize that these two notions are not mutually exclusive. When understood as an autonomous and evolutive concept, we can see how fashion is discloses itself negatively. Consider the concept as a diacritic sign in a sentence or on a word: it adds value by distinguishing the sign from the rest of the sentence and dictates how you should interpret or read the sentence/word. For this specific reason, many might label fashion as "snobbish" or "elitist." In my opinion, this perception arises from a profound misunderstanding of the concept. Something that presents itself negatively in space and time, dictating its modes of interpretation and evaluation, is not necessarily exclusive or discriminatory; it encourages us to question and adapt. I would argue that fashion design involves a mode of conceptualizing the notion and its technological application. It's both an intellectual/cognitive and creative process where creativity encompasses technique. Fashion design responds to both imagery and imaginative representations, situated historically, socially, and aesthetically. Given this, fashion design consists in the application of the creative thought emanating from an understanding of Fashion as a concept. Consequently, the aesthetic, conceptual, and symbolic aspects take precedence over the functionality of the garment.


These two concepts and practices are responsible for the materiality of the garment, including textiles and leather; they are inherently connected to reality. The industrial aspect of fashion makes it challenging for the concept to attain the status of art, and fashion is often denied as an artistic practice, considered more as a creative one. The distinction between the two is noticeable. However, we believe that fashion design serves as a means to inform and reshape reality by influencing the silhouettes you encounter daily. Since fashion is a concept that reveals itself in a negative sense, we would regard Anti-Fashion as one of the purest forms of expressing and technologically applying this concept. The "Anti" prefix would only refer to a heteronormative and counterhegemonic view of the fashion industry. To gain a better understanding of this, I believe Yohji Yamamoto articulates it perfectly in that video you should watch.  So, how does fashion intersect with posthumanism, this new hyper-modern condition we find ourselves in?

    Well, "Fashion Towards Post-Humanism" is the title of the 26th Annual Conference of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institute (IFFTI), which will take place in April 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. The theme proposed in the Call for Submissions issued by IFFTI is as follows:

“Post-Humanism is being proposed as a new sensitivity that we, living in the Anthropocene, should have. In “The Posthuman Condition”, Robert Pepperell emphasized that the period of social development defined by humanism is over, and we have entered the era of ‘post- humanism’.
 The entry into the new era is accompanied by a demand to redefine the meaning of ‘human-being’ as we cannot think of human-beings in the same way as in the past/present. From the standpoint of those who research, educate, and create fashion that cannot exist apart from the human body and circumstances, we should seek a new definition of human together in the posthumanism era that is starting in earnest, and we would like to have a place for having various discussions related to fashion.”

    When considering posthumanism, you might immediately think of science fiction, and rightfully so, as the term has long been associated with the genre and has experienced a resurgence within cyberculture and cyberspace. In the context of the Anthropocene, we can view posthumanism as a new state of being that reframes our existences and relationships. I would like to analyze the interactions between posthumanism and fashion, both before the Anthropocene and after the coining of the term. We will examine these interactions within the framework of the Anthropocene because it allows us to contemplate how the relationship between raw materials, fabrics, textiles, and finished/consumable products has gradually dissolved. It also enables us to consider the stages of dispossession and dissolution of the human body. Over time, our bodies, like clothing, have become commodified. They have transformed into identifiable archetypes, both functional and iconic structures defined by brands, ways of dress, and the products we wear. The posthuman body evolves within a confined space. It is mediated by garments and virtualized as it projects and communicates itself on two-dimensional screens (social networks, e-commerce, newsletters, etc.). I would say that the main contradiction we can observe in today's fashion is that clothing has reached a point where it has been stripped of its inherent nature: a three-dimensional piece of material/textile/fabric that informs the body.

    To provide a concise yet accurate definition of posthumanism, I will reference Nancy Katheryn Hayles' text, "How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics.". She considers the erasure of embodiment and incarnation as the inaugural moment of the computational and informational era. In this era, "intelligence" has become a synthetic property, a formal manipulation of symbols, rather than being embodied by humans. Posthumanism implies a shift in which intelligence has been transferred to machines. What's noteworthy in Hayles' approach is her inclusion of gender in discussing the processes of deindividuation and disembodiment induced by posthumanism. Hayles also distinguishes between two different types of bodies: one is a body in action, vividly experienced, a body of flesh; the other is a mode of representation defined by semiotic and verbal markers that virtually define it. The latter transforms the individual into a cyborg as the fleshy body and the represented body merge within technology.

    According to Hayles, posthumanism characterizes a state of existence in which we prioritize informational patterns over materiality. To illustrate this, consider how we have become data for brands and industries. We have become quantitative criteria, with our actions and interactions on social media being collected and analyzed based on Key Performance Indicators. As a result, the fundamental principles of organicity and biology have transitioned from being intrinsic and original to us to becoming accidental. Our consciousness, which serves as the seat of identity in Western ontologies, is reduced to an epiphenomenon that can be easily transposed and actualized within a computational system, such as artificial intelligence. Posthumanism views our bodies as original prostheses that we learn to manipulate and navigate before extending them within technology as a quasi-natural progression of the process. Ultimately, it reconfigures humanity to harmoniously coexist with machines and intelligent machines.

    Hayles contends that posthumanism is deeply intertwined with modernity and hyper-modernity. Individuals do not transform into actual cyborgs in the manner of science fiction characters. Instead, we have become cyborgs by continually projecting our identities into cybernetics and cyberspaces. Our relationship with our bodies has shifted from one of embodiment to one of possession. Embodiment now operates primarily in virtual realms and has gradually dissolved into representational systems and archetypal modes of self-presentation.

    How can we counter the modern anxiety stemming from the virtualization of the body? Is there a way to challenge the archetypal constructs of ourselves? Well, the reality is that our current prioritization of informational patterns over embodiment can easily be observed in the realm of fashion. Take shapewear, for instance; it reshapes the body in the terms of desirability. The prevalence of cosmetic and surgical procedures aimed at conforming to new trends is also relevant (no shame, we love it). We operate within constantly evolving stereotypes and archetypes, exemplified by figures like the Kardashians or the revival of the "heroin chic" aesthetic from the 1990s (pale skin, slender and thin body, dark circles, angular bone structure, etc.). While these archetypes may not inherently represent the posthuman, the mass adoption of prostheses and fillers certainly does.

  In the posthuman era, our humanity has become marginalized, reduced to additional data. This shift challenges our modes of recognizing and appreciating interspecies differences, creating a fertile ground for the exploration of hybridity, mutation, and human-machine imaginaries. The posthuman body may lack a traditional form, but it possesses a tangible shape. I also believe that the appropriation of posthumanism within fashion operates in a similar manner as that of science fiction. It involves understanding and analyzing our current existence and interactions, allowing us to anticipate and comprehend a reality that is increasingly unfamiliar. As both fashion and fashion design serve as modes of response to the contemporary context, they provide us with both material and aesthetic representations of the posthuman condition. Let's not fear posthumanism and the dissolution of self; there are numerous ways we can reassert ownership of ourselves and our bodies through fashion. Embracing our evolution toward becoming cyborgs can be approached with appreciation.
  I would say that Comme des Garçons FW1982 collection, "Destroy," presented in 1981 in Paris, serves as a key reference if we want to understand the interaction between the two concepts—Fashion and Posthumanism. Firstly, this collection challenges the traditional values of high fashion and luxury-wear, particularly in the 1980s. Secondly, Rei Kawakubo’s work operates in a diacritic way and redefines the system of fashion.  From what I've read, the collection and her design process are inherently conceptual and abstract, drawing inspiration from Wabi Sabi for instance and the appreciation of contradictory values. 
  Why is "Destroy" so relevant, you might ask? Well, it's because of the concepts of "Hiroshima Chic" and "Post Atomic." The collection's chosen color palette primarily consists of different shades of black and white. The garments intentionally appear destroyed, torn, and "unfinished," featuring dangling threads and holes. It was quite shocking, to say the least. However, the most significant aspect concerns the silhouettes. For the first time, we saw loose, ample, and fluid garments that enveloped, redefined, and reshaped the body beyond its natural contours giving a real impression of movement around the body and not of the body itself. It introduced a new architectural approach to the body. By refusing to adhere to conventional contours and operating beyond them, this approach was not only revolutionary and liberating, but it also challenged the sexualization of bodies and redirected our focus towards the designs and the technique. It essentially erased the principle of desirability typically associated with clothing. Rei Kawakubo mentioned her need to distance herself from a traditional vision of women and relocate feminine bodies within modernity. What's intriguing is that the body is in the middle of the material, the fabric no longer served as the informative principle of the garment; instead, it reinformed the body. These new silhouettes became desirable and aspirational as they allowed us to exist beyond the desirability and aspiration conveyed by fashion.
    The posthuman element in "Destroy" is not solely found in the dissolution and erasure of silhouettes; it also resides in the concept of "Hiroshima Chic." Kawakubo captures the necessity of contemplating humanity in this "post" era. This is my general impression of the collection and several of her other works. I like to interpret this collection through my understanding of Timothy Morton's "Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World." Morton suggests that the end of the world has already occurred, and for something to happen, it often needs to happen twice, to re-actualize itself. The end of the world has already transpired multiple times throughout history and then again in 1945, in Trinity, New Mexico, where the Manhattan Project tested the Gadget, the first atomic bomb. It happened later that same year when two nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, dehumanizing the people of these cities and the country as a whole, subjecting them to a Western-made apocalypse. Reflecting on the apocalypse and presenting apparently disembodied silhouettes provides us with an understanding of the existential and ontological tensions that underpin the posthuman condition.
    By constricting and concealing the body, these collections allow for the restoration of its spatial relevance, making our movements more visible and intentional. This approach is also reflected in Merce Cunningham's collaboration with Rei Kawakubo for the costumes of her piece "Scenario" (1997), which was reenacted in November 2019 by the Lyon ballet. The "bump dresses" seen in Comme des Garçons SS1997 collection "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body" gracefully reinformed the silhouettes of the dancers. Comme des Garçons SS1997 presented us with hunched, arched, and deformed models who appeared to merge with the garments. A variation of this theme can be found in 18 looks from the brand's FW2015 collection, where models' faces are hidden by lace veils, and their bodies are concealed, seemingly fused with the layers of fabric. This collection, described as a "Ceremony of Separation," oscillates between the realms of the living and the dead. Mourning "faces" and ghost-like figures, mostly in black or white, invite us to question the symbolic and cultural meaning attributed to these two shades. We consider this practice not only innovative but also as a material and technological translation of the holistic understanding of reality through design.
    These collections purposefully or inadvertently reinvest in posthuman elements as a formal and aesthetic means to critically remodel the body. Here, we can draw a distinction between posthuman fashion (inherently desirable, spectacular, and star-system oriented) and the posthuman condition as a conceptual tool that drives a collection.

    For Undercover's FW2006 collection, "GURU GURU," Jun Takahashi also provides a glimpse of what the posthuman body might look like and would look like in the future. Covered and opaque faces, constrained bodies, and camisole-like jackets and tops give us an idea of how humans in late-stage capitalism might appear. The collection evokes cyberpunk imaginaries, with looks like 8 or 22 subtly echoing a constrained silhouette wearing a gas mask, while looks like 1, 2, or 19 remind us of knight armors. In "GURU GURU," the body is revealed on two occasions: look 6 reveals the shoulders, still interlaced with fabric, sort of a hanging bandage, and look 25 reveals a bit of the model's bust and face, covered by a sheer black mesh from which a purse-scarf hangs. However, her right arm remains covered and constrained with a leather sleeve, suggesting that protection and defense remain thematically relevant in this look. The final look of the show presents us with deconstructed parts of tailored jackets assembled to create a new piece heavily resembling a camisole. This prompts us to question our design and fabrication practices in a post-collapse environment where resources have become scarce. The garments wrap around the bodies and reframe them, with bandages and dangling pieces of fabric and jewels serving as distinctive and symbolic accessories. Key pendants on necklaces evoke the idea of a main quest that these cyberpunk characters must undertake. The concealment of faces enacts posthumanism and underscores the increasing need for protection.

   These are just two examples of the reinvestment of posthuman themes within fashion and design as responses to the future of the human body and our self-representation. Posthumanism has also influenced the way we approach romantic relationships, dispersing our reproductive needs and desires for mating. This is reflected in fashion collections and brands that play with and sometimes overuse sexuality as a selling point, where "less is more" becomes more about less fabric than simplicity and sobriety. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of debate, but it certainly aligns with the posthuman shift.

    To me, fashion, much like art, has the unique ability to materialize, model, and represent three-dimensionally the ruptures we experience. Many designers have understood and translated this shift in their designs in different ways. For example, Walter van Beirendonck, Masahiro Nakagawa, and Azechi Lica, the founders of 20471120, play with the relationship between sci-fi and posthumanism to create hybrids and mutants. Alexander McQueen brilliantly presented the necessity of rethinking the future of humanity in his SS2010 collection "Plato's Atlantis," a year before linking this necessity to global warming in "Natural Dis-Tinction, Un-natural Selection," SS2009. When at Givenchy, McQueen also offered insightful collections on this notion, such as his FW1999 collection. On the contrary, I believe that Jeremy Scott falls short in this regard, despite presenting several sci-fi-inspired collections, as he relies a bit too much on the notion of desirability and playfulness, undermining the critical perspective of his collections. The Y2K revival is also significant in how easily we have accepted our posthuman condition.

    Posthumanism is deeply ingrained in trends, aesthetics, and archetypal fashion. To quote Comme des Garçons quoting E.E. Cummings: "To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting." So corny, so cute but so true hihi.

xoxo,

-       Cyana

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