Course Description:

Fashion is inherently political. We see this in the way our clothing produces social signals to ways it is bought, sold, worn, and produced. In this six-week class the Rational Dress Society, in collaboration with the Arts Research Collective (ARC), will position fashion in the context of theory and practice. Students will learn to sew a JUMPSUIT of their very own alongside lessons and discussions on topics including, Marxism, feminism, cyborgs, revolutionary dress, the environment, labor, and the end of western capitalism.

What is this course about?

This course will be structured in two parts. In the first half, we will learn to sew JUMPSUITS using a free pattern designed by the RDS. In the second half, we will learn to design our own personal uniform, to replace all clothes in perpetuity. Alongside sewing, patternmaking, and design demonstrations, RDS cofounders Abigail Glaum-Lathbury and Maura Brewer will lead a series of discussions and workshops to reimagine how a post-consumer society might look. Together, we will turn theory into practice and form new bonds of solidarity in times of self-isolation.

What will students learn?

This class is designed for any individual who would like to make a JUMPSUIT regardless of prior sewing experience. Together with online workshops, supplemental instructional videos, and resources, students will create a RDS monogarment from start to finish while discussing the historical and theoretical framework of our current political landscape. Lessons are designed to facilitate critical engagement with media, theory, and fashion paired with technical and practical sewing demonstrations.

Read more about this course at www.artsresearchcollective.com/enroll