Kawamura Y. Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies

Berg, Oxford, 2005. — 134 p. — ISBN: 1-85973-809-5.Fashion-ology is a study of fashion. It is neither the study of dress nor the study of clothing, which means that the two, fashion and dress/clothing, are different concepts and entities which can be or should be studied separately. Fashion-ology is a sociological investigation of fashion, and it treats fashion as a system of institutions1 that produces the concept as well as the phenomenon/practice of fashion. Similar to the sociology of art that studies the practices and institutions of artistic production (Wolff 1993: 139), Fashion-ology is also concerned with the social production process of the belief in fashion which exists in people’s minds, and which begins to have a substance and life of its own. Items of clothing must go through the process of transformation to be labeled as fashion.This book is intended as an introduction to fashion studies for students in any social science discipline but especially those in sociology of the arts, culture, occupation and/or organizations. In addition, those who study fashion design and the business side of fashion, for instance merchandising and marketing, could also benefit from this book as it describes the institutional processes through which designers and other fashion-related occupational groups go through. Fashion-ology involves the study of individual and institutional social networks in the world of fashion, giving a clearer picture and an understanding of how designers become famous and how their reputations are maintained and reproduced so that they continue to be the key players in fashion production. Such knowledge and information would be useful and meaningful for anyone who wishes to go into the fashion industry, which works to sustain people’s belief in fashion.