The Routledge Companion to Fashion Studies

"An original and intriguing set of essays from a range of contributors who, across the eight sections of the book, employ diverse scholarly lenses to examine fashion's theories, histories, practices, embodiment, places, media, and futures. The chapters reinforce that fashion is active, it is a representative and shaper of cultures, not merely the product of an industry. The volume demonstrates how fashion demands to be studied, how it sheds light on who we are and who we can aspire to be. This book adds new dimensions to what we know and how we think about fashion."

Hazel Clark, Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York, USA

"Compiling an anthology is like putting together a menu: you have to cater to a wide range of tastes, look to both tradition and the future, and do the best with what is available. At best it must be lively, innovative, and convincing. On all counts, this is a stand-out 3 Michelin-star compilation. As the editors aver, 'fashion is culture in all its plural and diverse manifestations.' The essays in the volume keep this assertion alive while asserting new ground. You will leave wholly satisfied, but with the intention of returning to it, again and again."

Adam Geczy, The University of Sydney, Australia

"This exciting collection offers both breadth and depth in terms of its analysis of fashion. The editors have brought together a wide range of disciplines and approaches to fashion that emphasizes its significance as culture in the very broadest sense, as aesthetic discourse and practice, industry and technology, communication and meaning. The main introduction and section introductions frame the issues very well and orientate the reader as to the contributions of individual authors and papers. This Companion makes a valuable contribution to fashion studies."

Joanne Entwistle, Kings College London, UK