Welcome to the Fashion Psychologist; your one stop shop for all things fashion psychology related. Here I will share easy to read, accessible summaries of academic research relating to fashion psychology from a range of publications; reviews of topical events; and share my views, from a psychological perspective on goings on in the world of fashion, beauty and media.
In the last few years fashion psychology has grown from a small burgeoning field to one that is becoming widely recognised. Fashion, retail and the media are paying more and more attention to the emotional, cognitive and generally psychological implications of the fashion world on individuals and society as a whole. Only last month Elle UK published an article entitled “9 women on how they use fashion to feel empowered: You don’t need a costume to be a real life wonder woman”. Perhaps unwittingly, what they were discussing here was the psychology of fashion; the link between what we wear and how we feel, behave, and even how we think.
In 2014 Professor Carolyn Mair launched the world’s first fashion psychology programme; including the psychology for fashion professionals MA, and the applied psychology in fashion MSc, both at the University of Arts London’s, London College of Fashion. Since then, the programme has seen three cohorts graduate and go off into a range of diverse and exciting roles such as fashion marketing, buying, styling and design; taking with them their newly acquired psychological knowledge. Dawnn Karen in the US has taken fashion psychology and founded the Fashion Psychology Institute, which offers on line training in fashion psychology to those with undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in psychology.
Fashion psychology is not a new field, and in fact was first coined in the late 19th century by American psychologist Henry James. It was also explored and discussed by Brit Thomas Carlyle, most poignantly in his seminal text , Sartor Resartus (1869).
Despite its longevity and newly found popularity, fashion psychology is yet to receive its own academic journal, meaning that fashion psychology students and enthusiasts alike must look to non-peer reviewed publications, pop-psychology articles and text books, which due to their nature, although still highly informative, become dated almost as soon as they are published. In any field of science, whether natural (biology, geology etc) or social (economics, psychology etc) current, up to date academic research is needed, to ensure the advancement of the field. Currently, research on clothing including colour, style, provocativeness, the impact of fashion images on self-esteem, and consumerism in fashion are published across a range of journals such as The Journal of Fashion and Marketing Management; The Journal of Social Psychology; Body Image; and The Journal of Problem Solving. Some of which require paid access.
Here, the fashion psychologist will bring ideas together, taking interesting articles relating to fashion psychology, from disparate sources and summarise and critically evaluate them; all in one place. Welcome to The Fashion Psychologist.
The Fashion Psychologist 