WEARABLE PROTEST: WHAT IS FASHION ACTIVISM?

We invite you to a lecture and creative workshop with KCCC resident Justina Semčenkaite.  Justina is a trained fashion designer focused solely on sustainability. Working on conceptual objects, creating them to escalate different social issues in parallel she teaches sustainable fashion subject at Vilnius Art Academy. During the lecture, the audience will be invited to get acquainted with the history of activism in fashion and to delve into the influence of clothes and the meaning of what they wear. The short creative workshop following the lecture will not only allow you to theoretically try on activist clothing, but also to contribute to its creative process. All are welcome!

Fashion and activism have always been connected, but in the 21st century it became an inevitable reality along with the increased amount of protests and the general desire to resist. The first manifestations of activism in fashion date back to the 18th century, when the extravagant fashion of the aristocracy was simplified to everyday costume during the French Revolution. Over time, changes in political systems, increased influence of the middle class, and the effects of the Industrial Revolution helped fashion find even more ways to express an oppositional stance. Abandoned corsets, jeans, a mini skirt, a bikini swimsuit are just a few of the many that have testified to fashion in the context of activism. Today fashion is no longer just a description of a certain style of dressing or a short-term popularity. In the modern world, fashion is a complex cultural phenomenon that contains different meanings and interpretations.

PLACE: KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didzioji vandens st. 2)

TIME: 21th March, 6-7:30 PM

Free entrance