An international fashion research project exploring the 'craft of use'

Alternative Dress Codes

The choices we make about what we wear are influenced by life present, lives past and our ideas about our future selves. Expressions of values, aspirations, heritage, understanding and the physical shape of our bodies build a rationale for dress that transcend narrow commercial views about fashion. Instead they give us broader perspectives that honour our reality as well as our aspirations; and connect our psyche with our fibre and fashion choices.

Colour contrary

"I'm wearing my usual clothing, I dress like this all the time, no matter where I go, no matter what I do… I dress like this for a funeral. I wear colourful clothes, always. Today I am wearing yellow pants, purple shirt, pink shoes, a sweater with a big flower on it, and a hat that a craft person in Toronto made…

I always aim to do the exact opposite of what everybody is doing. So everybody dresses drab and dark and boring, and I do the opposite. And I do that in just about all aspects of my life. I try to do the opposite of what everybody does… I realise [I am] being contrary to everybody else… in my opinion the world is upside down. And it should be flipped. So I do my best. I think everybody should dress like I do (laughs)."



Vancouver - January 2013
Photograph by Jeremy Calhoun

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