This paper reports findings from an ongoing ethnographic study of the biodesign community. Drawing from perspectives in cultural, fashion, and science and technology studies, the paper analyzes sociological themes that emerged from targeted interviews with industry professionals and findings from multiyear fieldwork in the biodesign community, made up of a loose affiliation of start-ups, student groups, DIY bio labs, museums, creative hubs, art/design/fashion schools, and academic science groups. Findings indicate that while some fashion practitioners are optimistic about biodesign’s ability to mitigate the deleterious impacts of fashion production on our planet, biodesign's potential positive impact on fashion is colored by values from the technology, science, and fashion cultures from which it is emerging.
Specifically, cultural forces within Silicon Valley and venture capital, traditional science, fashion hierarchies, and the public at large present a complex, multifaceted landscape that must be carefully navigated. The complexity of these problems is nonetheless met with consistent optimism from members of the field, who find hope in their claim that, rather than the usual top-down control and mastery in design, it is cooperation and humility that are an intrinsic and necessary part of biodesign, which they argue could potentially point the field toward a better future.
Elizabeth Wissinger is a professor of Sociology at BMCC, and faculty member in the Master of Arts and Liberal Studies at the Graduate Center, where she teaches Fashion Studies. She writes and speaks about fashion, technology, and embodiment in the US and internationally. Her books include This Year’s Model: Fashion, Media, and the Making of Glamour (2015), the edited collection Fashioning Models (2012), and the Routledge Companion to Fashion Studies (2022).
Cite This Paper
Wissinger, Elizabeth. “Can Biodesign Fix Fashion?” Arts Imagining Communities to Come, Guayaquil, Ecuador, 8-11 November 2021. Cumulus Association, 2023. Accessed [month, day, year].