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Women Who Run With Heels

Name
Jahmuna Claire McClean
Education degree
Master
Subject area
Design
Study programme
Fashion, Clothing and Textiles - New Landscapes for Change
Institute
Architecture and Design
Year
2020

This collection is a study of the meeting between two juxtaposing words; natural and artificial and the enormous complexity of their definitions.

I became inspired by the philosophical term deconstruction created by french Philosopher Jacques Derrida. Derrida wanted to shed light upon the way we view the world, working against binary thought processes, shedding light on the privileging and hierarchy of words, people, sexuality, religion, etc, further developing a critical analysis against modern philosophy and linguistics. He encourages people to dismantle their excessive loyalty to any idea’’ and thereby ‘learn to see the aspects of the truth that might be buried in it’s opposite.

As a graduate, but also as a private person I feel the tension in the public climate debate more than ever and I have been constantly trying to argue and rationalize my validation as a fashion designer. I applied the deconstructive theory to my MA collection, in the curiosity of what this mindset might offer up of new thoughts, ideas, concepts that could be translated into compelling, satirical, beautiful and refreshing imagery, silhouettes, shapes, cuts, prints, details, etc.

Dismantling one’s loyalty to any belief, idea, object, can be very difficult, but seems very relevant to try to do. The fashion industry is a field that could benefit from dismantling its language and behaviour. The enormous disconnect between human life, the products we consume, and the nature it has come from have seemed to have reached its limit's and we have become strangers to our own resources. Perhaps by disassembling the excessive loyalty to the fast-paced and profit-based business model, our industry in a full circle from brand to production and to end consumer might learn to see possibilities and sustainable solutions in the meeting with nature, seeking truth and meaning that lie somewhere in between, between trust and doubt.

The Royal Danish Academy supports the Sustainable Development Goals
Since 2017 the Royal Danish Academy has worked with the Sustainable Development Goals. This is reflected in our research, our teaching and in our students’ projects. This project relates to the following UN goal(-s):
Responsible consumption and production (12)
Climate action (13)