Letter from the Editor
Illustration by Mike Thompson
Our Partnership Issue began in early 2021 with a simple idea – or so we thought: an entire issue devoted to the complex relationship between fashion and the wedding industry, even with marriage as an institution. Over time, our team’s definition of partnership expanded to include ideas of collaboration and togetherness within the fashion system and abroad.
As submissions came in, we were thrilled by the many different perspectives that the FSJ community brought to the table. There were thoughtful considerations of collaboration within historical communities, examinations of some of fashion’s most famous unions, and reflective looks at the nature of collaboration among luxury brands. What we didn’t have, however, was a single essay exploring weddings – the impetus behind this entire issue.
Coincidentally, just as the final few drafts trickled in, our Editor-In-Chief, Laura Snelgrove, was invited to attend Milan Bridal Week. Laura used the opportunity not only to learn more about the future of the wedding industry, but also to bring a much-needed critical eye to the subject. I encourage you to read her thoughtful essay, “Nice Day for a Ghost Wedding.”
As it was, Laura’s very first bit of published writing in FSJ was about weddings. And indeed, The Fashion Studies Journal has been exploring the concept of partnership and collaboration since its inception, sharing powerful written works about fashion as collective action, co-creating clothes with children, and even collaborative pieces coauthored by writers across disciplines. Togetherness was perhaps most directly addressed previously in our Fashion and Motherhood issue, exploring a variety of different types of partnerships in life.
Image by Sanem Odabaşi
Today, we are very excited to share FSJ’s Partnership Issue: a collection of eleven essays, mixed media works, and personal narratives that explore a wide range of subjects revolving around ideas of togetherness and fashion. In the issue, Rica Cerbarano writes of the powerful creative collaboration between Charlie Engman and his mother Kathleen McCain. Elizabeth Bye, Chelsey Thul, Muna Mohamed, and Jennifer Weber review the GIRLS Community Co-Design Project, which aimed to design and produce culturally appropriate athleticwear in collaboration with middle and high school aged girls of East African descent. Additionally, Emma Hague presents a collection of interviews and profound portraits of farmers working together in the UK fibershed movement. We encourage you to explore each of the thought-provoking pieces in this issue as you consider the role of partnership in your own life. I’d also like to extend a special vote of thanks to Sanem Odabaşi for providing illustrations that can be seen here and throughout this issue.
Finally, FSJ wants to take a moment to address the importance of togetherness, collaboration, and unity in this time of widespread tumult. As the horrors of war ravage through communities around the world, and COVID-19 continues wreaking widespread havoc, my mind immediately returns to the motivational saying we first saw back in March 2020: “Apart Together.” Today, more than ever, community, collaboration, and connection are the hallmarks of my practice as an educator. And finding solutions to connect with one another at a time when physical closeness is difficult if not outright impossible, has certainly been one of the challenges of our time.
As we continue moving toward a more equitable, feminist, queer, and actively antiracist future – in fashion or otherwise – it’s important to remember that this work cannot be done alone. It takes a village, and we’re so grateful that you are a part of ours. Whether this issue finds you apart or together -- from my fellow editors and myself, we wish you safety, good health, and above all, peace.
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Anthony Palliparambil, Jr.
Deputy Editor
