The Fashion Studies Journal Information

The Fashion Studies Journal (FSJ) is a quarterly online journal. Founded in 2012 by students in the MA Fashion Studies program at Parsons School of Design (New York, NY), it began as a platform for graduate-level writing in the emerging field of fashion studies. In our first years, we were a strictly academic publication, approaching fashion phenomena from cerebral, critical, and at times (we hate to admit it) inaccessible angles. With our 2016 relaunch, however, we shifted our emphasis away from strictly academic writing. Today, we are here to make connections: between ideas and objects, and between ourselves and the fashion-literate population at-large. Through critical, thoughtful writing, we seek to carve a space to address current issues facing the contemporary fashion landscape, while simultaneously examining these issues through the lenses of history and theory. As a multivalent practice that embodies not simply concerns of industry and design, but also those pertaining to gender, race, politics and cultural heritage, fashion undoubtedly merits both a critical and celebratory approach, and it is the goal of FSJ to unwrap, analyze and present fashion to our readers in a way that is both true to its spirit while also discerning of its nuanced nature. Our varied editorial approach – from substantive news reporting to in-depth academically driven essays – is not only geared to offer our readership a novel perspective, but also provides a platform for a wide range of contributors, from emerging academics and journalists, to established practitioners and scholars. Beyond publishing, FSJ also seeks to break down the "fourth wall" of academic writing by forging real, person-to-person connections through an open peer-review process, but also through events such as our annual Fashion & Spinach dinner series, book clubs, workshops, film screenings, and clothing swaps. Indeed, at its core, FSJ stands as a community for fashion thinkers of all backgrounds, and it is our hope to engage, challenge and inspire our readership to continue building this community and furthering the cause of this common pursuit.