Online Fashion Systems,   

2025/2026 Syllabus
The Online Fashion Systems module explores how fashion operates within digital cultures, networks, and infrastructures. Framing aesthetic strategy as a critical and creative method, the course investigates how online systems shape meaning, identity, and value — and how practitioners can engage with, subvert, or reimagine these frameworks.

Through a mix of theory, practice, and experimentation, participants will engage with digital platforms, images, and interfaces as cultural materials. The module emphasizes digital agency and literacy, encouraging participants to see the internet not only as a medium but as a dynamic structure for connection, communication, and creation.
   
Are.Na Group Channel
Assesment & Deliverables 
Author Guidelines 
Additional Resources []
06 

SHARING SESSION (1)



19/11/2025 
11:00/15:00 This session marks the beginning of the module’s reflective phase, shifting focus toward the individual development of each participant. Students will present their gathered findings, references, and examples, articulating the red thread that connects the diverse elements within their personal curated collections, and red links that are ready to be explored. The aim is to uncover underlying themes, methodologies, and aesthetic or conceptual continuities that have emerged through research and experimentation.

Through collective discussion, we will explore how individual practices relate to broader frameworks of fashion, technology, and digital culture, and how curatorial decisions shape both meaning and audience perception. Each presentation functions as a space for self-assessment and dialogue, allowing participants to situate their practice within the shared vocabulary and critical perspectives developed throughout the course. Constructive feedback will be provided in an open group setting, encouraging reflection and further refinement ahead of the final session.



[!!] In this session, we will focus exclusively on presentations and peer-to-peer critique. Please review the critique/reference document beforehand, and be attentive and constructive in your responses during the session.

please prepare A 10 minute presentation that shows your curatorial exploration accoording to the following setup ⇅

Goal Develop a curation that translates insights from your two initial examples (one digital, one physical) into a new digital form. This exercise treats curation as both a research method to uncover aesthetic strategies that help, guide you toward articulating your own emerging aesthetic category or conceptual thread.
 
Steps  
1. Identify a Conceptual Thread
Reflect on the two curations you brought to class, and the material you’ve gathered so far in your Are.na Channel. What connects them — formally, thematically, politically, or affectively?
→ Consider what kind of narrative, aesthetic, or value system runs through your gathered material.

2. Choose a Platform
Select an online space that resonates with your approach. Try to be specifc, for example:
Are.na, Soot, Tumblr, Cargo, Hotglue, HTML, Wikipedia, your world of text,  common.garden or another platform of your choice. Try to be specific and take time to experiment and explore non-default environments. 
→ Think about how the platform’s structure, community, and visual logic might influence your curation.

3. Assemble Your Collection
Gather and/or upload 6–10 items (images, texts, links, sounds, or fragments).
Let your selection be guided by your conceptual thread rather than aesthetic coherence alone.
→ Think in terms of relation, rhythm, and dialogue between materials.
4. Annotate Your Materials
Add short annotations (2–4 sentences each) that describe:
  • Relevance: Why this item belongs here
  • Influence: How it connects to your practice and/or research
  • Connection: How it relates to other items or your defining of an aesthetic category focus

5. Reflect Critically
After building your collection, take a step back and consider:
  • What narrative or logic is emerging?
  • How does the platform itself curate your curation — through interface, tagging, or visibility?
  • How does this environment reshape your sense of authorship or control?
  • What does this process reveal about your own aesthetic or conceptual position?



Throughout the process; try to think about following:
  • What is your guiding principle or narrative thread?
  • How do the platform’s aesthetics and affordances shape your choices?
  • What kind of public or audience does your curation and/or chosen platform invite?
  • How does this curation translate your research interests into visual or relational form?






INDEX  NEXT
PART of the Critical Fashion Practices MA programme at Artez University of the Arts.