Like Fashion Fictions?
Want to get involved by running your own Fashion Fictions activity?
The project has an open ethos: anyone, anywhere can organise an activity. We’re delighted that this invitation has been taken up in communities, schools and universities around the world, with over 3000 people taking part so far and more than forty people in our Organisers Network.
To get started, read this introductory page before exploring possible approaches on the Methods of organising page.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Fashion Fictions activity look like?
Fashion Fictions activities are really varied. They can incorporate any of the three stages – writing fictions (Stage 1 – Worlds), creating prototypes (Stage 2 – Explorations) and enacting worlds (Stage 3 – Enactments) – individually or in combination. They vary in duration from a short one-off workshop to an extended project, and can take place in person or online.
They can involve just a few people or a larger group. The participants might be a group of friends, a class of schoolchildren, a local guild or enthusiast group, a cohort of students, people visiting a festival or an international network.
You can plan an activity to suit your particular context and interests.
What are the benefits of taking part?
Participants have told us that they find Fashion Fictions activities to be fun and creative as well as thought-provoking. Organisers often appreciate the project’s imaginative, playful and speculative approach as a novel way of exploring issues of sustainability and social justice in relation to fashion.
We love to see people organising their own Fashion Fictions activities as it helps us to spread the word about the project and draws in diverse perspectives to the visions that we generate together.
Do I have to ask for permission to run a Fashion Fictions activity?
No! You don’t need to ask for permission to use the materials on the website to organise an activity. We are, though, always very happy to hear about activities that are being planned – email Amy to share your ideas. And don’t forget to tell us about your activity when it’s finished!
Am I qualified to run an activity?
No specific qualifications are needed to organise an activity! You might be an experienced facilitator or educator, or someone without any experience of coordinating an activity of this type. Enthusiasm is the most important thing 😊
Are there any rules about what I can or can’t do?
In general, our ethos is very open: we’re happy for you to run your activity however you wish. All of our resources are published under a Creative Commons licence, meaning that you can adapt them as needed. For example, you don’t have to stick to our workshop plans exactly – you can make changes to suit your particular situation.
Because Fashion Fictions is a kind of game, it does have some rules to frame the speculative activity. We ask you to stick to these rules to maintain the coherence of the project. You can find them in the familiarise yourself section, further down the page.
Other than that, the only rule is that you should tell us about your activity by filling in an online form when the activity is complete. This is crucial for us to understand how the project is developing and report to our funders.
Do I need lots of materials and equipment?
Not necessarily! Lots of the methods of organising require very little equipment (e.g. pen and paper).
What help is available?
There are various resources within this (Organise) section of the website that should help you to plan your activity. We don’t have the capacity to get involved in your activity directly but are happy to answer questions by email or have a chat online to help you develop your ideas: drop Amy a line to ask for help.
What is the Organisers Network and how can I join?
We launched the Organisers Network in 2022 as a way to support people running Fashion Fictions activities and as a space for mutual learning. The first network activity was an online workshop where members came together to explore and discuss ideas for activities they would like to run. In the future, we aim to create further opportunities for organisers to meet, exchange ideas and support each other.
You can become a member of the network by completing the Organisers Network form. Note that you don’t have to have any concrete plans for running an activity to join us – all are welcome! You can also opt in to be part of the network when you complete the form to tell us about a completed activity.
Do you want to know about my activity when it’s finished?
Yes, definitely! Please fill in the tell us about your activity form when you’ve finished, even if your activity was very small in scale. This information is crucial for us to understand the impact of the project and relay news of this impact to our funders. It also helps us to inspire others to get involved and develop the support we can offer.
I’d prefer to showcase the project than organise an activity. Is this possible?
Yes! Please see the World Tour page to learn about our pop-up exhibitions of various types and opportunities to host your own World Tour, whether low-key or larger in scale.
You are very welcome to share the Introduction video or any other materials from the website in talks and lectures. Please let Amy know if you do this – we’re always keen to hear! Amy also has some capacity for giving talks about Fashion Fictions; email her if you’d like to discuss.
Can I use the structure of Fashion Fictions to speculate about a non-fashion context?
Yes! Please feel free to adapt the Fashion Fictions materials for spheres other than fashion. You will find advice (including instructions for creating a bespoke version of the interactive world generator) on the Adapting Fashion Fictions page.
Please let us know about your activity – it’s valuable for us to know about all interpretations of the project, including those outside fashion.
Familiarise yourself
Before starting to plan a Fashion Fictions activity it’s a good idea to get a good handle on the project’s key principles and structure.
Introduction
First, watch the Introduction video for an overview:
Rules
Next, familiarise yourself with the ‘rules‘ of Fashion Fictions. All of the fictions should:
- be contemporary realities in parallel worlds, rather than futures in our own world; each world has split from our own at some point in history, when a key event caused it to develop along a different path
- be positive and enticing, in terms of individual satisfaction, social justice and sustainability
- be physically possible (no magic, aliens, time travel or speculative technologies that aren’t viable in the here-and-now)
- think beyond what happens, or even feels plausible (to you), today
Stages
In order to plan an activity you will need to choose which stage, or stages, of Fashion Fictions you are most drawn to. Follow the links to browse previous outputs at each stage:
While Fashion Fictions activities are very flexible, you should bear in mind that each stage has a different balance of invention and experience:
A note about ‘fashion’
The word ‘fashion’ has many potential interpretations, and for many people it will bring to mind catwalks, upmarket stores and aspirational lifestyles. However, this project uses a much more inclusive interpretation of the term, encompassing pretty much every contemporary experience of wearing clothes (which, of course, has social and emotional, as well as practical, functions).
So: if the f-word is tripping you up, feel free to think in terms of clothes-wearing instead.
Ready to explore the possibilities?
Go to the Methods of organising page to explore twelve different ways of running a Fashion Fictions activity:
Want more background information?
The About and things to watch and read pages give further insight into the thinking behind the project.
