The first stage of Fashion Fictions generates outlines of fictional fashion cultures and systems – Worlds – presented via 100-word sketches.
Each outline offers a brief sketch of an alternative fashion culture or system, including an explanation of the historical juncture – genuine or invented – which caused this parallel world to split off from our own.
You can get a sense of the variety of topics explored in the fictions via this visual map, which is based on analysis of the first 120 Worlds.
World 215
in which 1ft-tall humans use clothing materials appropriate to their size
World 214
in which people protect their privacy via anti-surveillance dress
World 213
in which brands and retailers make transparency and traceability the norm
World 212
in which choice is limited and natural year-round textiles thrive
World 211
in which a cotton-to-cloth system operates in every village
World 210
in which a farmer finds he can use natural resources in place of chemicals
World 209
in which a thriving art school has a community ethos dating back to 1845
World 208
in which bodies don’t exist; we are our thoughts, feelings and opinions
World 207
in which people wear textural sculptures made from textile waste
World 206
in which babies’ clothes are all secondhand gifts
World 205
in which all clothing belongs to the community, rather than individuals
World 204
in which people routinely compliment strangers on what they are wearing
World 203
in which everyone has a doll of themselves, complete with matching wardrobe
World 202
in which people navigate the world via sounds emitted by living organisms’ chakras
World 201
in which Syonan Island is influenced by Japanese culture
World 200
in which a five-piece mandatory wardrobe is issued by the government
World 199
in which China becomes the epicentre of the global fashion system
World 198
in which every household sustains one traditional artform
World 197
in which the Covid pandemic reshapes human-nature connections
World 196
in which social media is replaced by artificial intelligence
World 195
in which fashion revolves around Southeast Asia, rather than Europe
World 194
in which people live in a simulated world due to environmental devastation
World 193
in which customisable uniforms reflect the wearer’s profession
World 192
in which synthetic dyes were never discovered
World 191
in which clothes are built for functionality rather than aesthetics
World 190
in which the Earth Day movement gives rise to an eco-anarchist subculture
World 189
in which Malay culture undergoes an influential renaissance
World 188
in which pantheism is a popular religion and faith is expressed through dress
World 187
in which an annual fashion week celebrates South Asian textile heritage
World 186
in which individual capsule wardrobes are created with the help of AI
World 185
in which fashion manufacturers are forced to pay for their crimes
World 184
in which synthetic fibres are banned for clothing production
World 183
in which UK clothing cultures are strongly regional and slow to change
World 182
in which fashion focuses on the vicarious consumption of historical garments
World 181
in which clothes are treated as intimate friends and ageing is coveted
World 180
in which there is no concept of “more”
World 179
in which a higher intelligence comes to Earth
World 178
in which footballers lead the transformation of consumer culture
World 177
in which an identical garment, worn by all, expresses creativity
World 176
in which an island has enjoyed a shared wardrobe for decades
World 175
in which peak oil leads to the cease of synthetic fibre production
World 174
in which wearable technology communicates antiracist messages
World 173
in which sewing clubs are more common than slimming clubs
World 172
in which radical anarchist sewists destroy capitalism
World 171
in which clothes become part of the extended household
World 170
in which stitched signatures represent complex identities
World 169
in which clothes are marketed using only personalised images
World 168
in which ironing becomes an unstoppable trend among young people
World 167
in which traditional handmade costumes are worn across the world
World 166
in which each year, a school alternates female- and male-gendered uniforms
World 165
in which a hopeful mindset emerges after a thirty-year pandemic
World 164
in which body modifications are a mandatory marker of identity
World 163
in which odour-colour synesthesia is triggered by natural dyes
World 162
in which pollution alters both human skin and notions of beauty
World 161
in which metaverse-dominated life prompts a return to cultural heritage
World 160
in which an international unified educational syllabus leads to gender equality
World 159
in which clothing designers and suppliers must be licenced
World 158
in which a multi-ministry taskforce promotes Singaporean style
World 157
in which obstructive censorship of sexual identity does not exist
World 156
in which individuals can possess only thirty heirloom garments at a time
World 155
in which a hybrid fashion language emerges in 19th century Singapore
World 154
in which rising sea levels drive humanity to live underwater
World 153
in which a pandemic causes everyone to see only in x-ray vision
World 152
in which clothes are perceived as mediums of spirituality
World 151
in which India is not colonised by the British, supporting craft cultures
World 150
in which a free and open-source fashion movement thrives
World 149
in which Rwanda creates a new nutrient-led fashion system
World 148
in which Dhaka garment workers travel worldwide to share their skills
World 147
in which a landfill waste quota leads to centralised garment recycling
World 146
in which insecticides are banned and clothes-eating bugs are valued
World 145
in which digital clothing must be worn in images posted on social media
World 144
in which refugee communities generate a revolutionary fashion system
World 143
in which global clothes swaps take place every six months
World 142
in which an incredible new material transforms the fashion system
World 141
in which countries issue mandated uniforms
World 140
in which non-recyclable clothes are banned
World 139
in which clothing options are limited as a strategy for world peace
World 138
in which a ban on cotton leads to domestic production of a hybrid fibre
World 137
in which bright young minds inspire the deconstruction of societal hierarchy
World 136
in which companies must produce their goods in the country of sale
World 135
in which people express their love for fashion through clothes swaps
World 134
in which textile materials are selected with great care and understanding
World 133
in which a woman president leads radical change in fashion culture
World 132
in which the making of clothes is a spiritual healing process
World 131
in which clothes are embellished with mantras, ideas, thoughts, and feelings
World 130
in which biopolymer-based textiles correspond with a culture of reuse
World 129
in which an inspirational book leads to an emphasis on quality over quantity
World 128
in which the ecological and social knowledge systems of shamanism shape fashion
World 127
in which climate change drives an inventive umbrella recycling culture
World 126
in which sentient bio-garments make decisions for themselves
World 125
in which everyone makes their clothing, just as they do their food
World 124
in which city-dwelling sheep provide an abundance of wool fibre
World 123
in which a focus on nature makes trend forecasting obsolete
World 122
in which a revolution has taken place regarding garment waste
World 121
in which a fashion-based curriculum is mandatory throughout school education
World 120
in which clothing libraries foster an appreciation of ‘wearing stories’
World 119
in which craft and design education, rather than rote learning, is highly valued
World 118
in which mutated jellyfish are used to create mesoglea fabric
World 117
in which distinctive local fashions enrich the wider cultural tapestry
World 116
in which unisex jumpsuits for all are made via a hi-tech production process
World 115
in which clothing is made of eco-friendly fabrics such as recycled materials
World 114
in which a society hides underground for 500 years to avoid colonisation
World 113
in which coloured clothing, changed every ten years, identifies the wearer’s age
World 112
in which Thailand’s self-sufficiency philosophies gain global influence
World 111
in which body imperfections and modifications are celebrated via clothing
World 110
in which new fabrics can no longer be produced
World 109
in which fashion designers become repair artisans in every area
World 108
in which clothes are made from scent-infused yarns, supporting well-being
World 107
in which garments are exchanged like money
World 106
in which each citizen receives 20kg of silk yarn as their birthright
World 105
in which a countercultural movement resists exploitative corporations
World 104
in which Singapore must maximise use of its local resources
World 103
in which Japanese, rather than Western, culture dominates Southeast Asia
World 102
in which a pandemic has caused everyone to see only in grayscale
World 101
in which garments are designed and produced in clear view of consumers
World 100
in which consumers are fully informed of the impacts of each purchase
World 99
in which ‘coolhunters’ are vilified and local notions of coolness flourish
World 98
in which a peaceful and prosperous Africa has never been colonised
World 97
in which wearing stained and soiled clothing signifies style and prosperity
World 96
in which for centuries textiles have been made only from plant-based food waste
World 95
in which Kim Kardashian and fellow influencers promote sustainable clothing use
World 94
in which globalised trade is no longer possible due to microbial transfer
World 93
in which intergenerational teaching and learning supports resourcefulness
World 92
in which mending skills abound on a land mass forgotten for 500 years
World 91
in which a Sewing, Theatre, Ecology, and Mindfulness curriculum guides learning
World 90
in which crinoline-like clothing forms are worn by all
World 89
in which ‘dandy grannies’ are key fashion influencers
World 88
in which genderless fashion dates back as far as the Spanish Armada
World 87
in which clothes start to tell their owners the stories of their own production
World 86
in which commercial space stations require a new approach to fashion
World 85
in which The Emperor’s New Clothes is interpreted as fact rather than fiction
World 84
in which sweatshop production is illegal, prompting a rise in making
World 83
in which sewing is a highly regarded core school subject
World 82
in which citizens must disassemble garments into their component materials
World 81
in which global supply chains are terminated and localised fashions emerge
World 80
in which wearing the same outfit for a month is considered normal
World 79
in which brands must manufacture all garments within their own postcode
World 78
in which oversupply of fabric waste leads to its use in the building trade
World 77
in which intimate knowledge of garments’ material inputs leads to a culture of gratitude
World 76
in which genderless school uniforms are made from locally grown undyed cotton
World 75
in which plant and flower pigments are injected to colour human skin
World 74
in which textiles are used to grow food from seed before being remade into clothing
World 73
in which diverse body types are glorified and clothes are unsized
World 72
in which wild one-night-only rented assemblages are worn at speakeasy clubs
World 71
in which water and power shortages lead to a shift in the nation’s laundry habits
World 70
in which we wear bio-monitoring spacesuits, cleaned by electricity
World 69
in which textile production has been discontinued and fashion has fractured
World 68
in which people wear only black and white, with no colour permitted
World 67
in which a clothing tax leads to nudity becoming common in everyday life
World 66
in which clothes are better adapted to our bodies and are mended many times
World 65
in which consumers must spend time working in agricultural fibre production
World 64
in which uniform garments are issued; surface accessories express the self
World 63
in which lockdown seeds new human-nonhuman communities
World 62
in which clothes are sold via Teletext, increasing garment literacy
World 61
in which increased hemp cultivation unexpectedly leads to gender-free fashion
World 60
in which fashion focuses on zero waste lifestyles, Maker skills and upcycling
World 59
in which a local focus on textile waste transforms clothing practices
World 58
in which hyperlocal production is coupled with a culture of virtual worlds
World 57
in which a tailor-made clothing movement has spread from town to town
World 56
in which citizen oversight of scientific research leads to responsible polyester use
World 55
in which cities have shared community wardrobes and fashion is a party
World 54
in which adults can own only 10 items of clothing at any time
World 53
in which biological garments are grown at home or in local material-makeries
World 52
in which a global digital network connects custom-makers and clients
World 51
in which the Covid pandemic prompts the emergence of a new system of consuming
World 50
in which people connect via unique signatures sewn into each others’ clothing
World 49
in which waged labour is abolished, creating a convivial, ludic society
World 48
in which talent competitions and Nobel Prizes reward textile resourcefulness
World 47
in which radical fashion students transform the industry and design training
World 46
in which a city is famous for its network of municipal clothes libraries
World 45
in which all textiles are used initially as curtains before being remade into clothes
World 44
in which members of a niche movement personify a book for a year via their clothes
World 43
in which blue clothes, which cannot be sold, are traded at community hubs
World 42
in which mass production is rejected in favour of locally derived ‘base-lines’
World 41
in which usable elements of damaged garments are traded as spare parts
World 40
in which fabric making is located on and integrated with the body
World 39
in which a child-led uprising transforms industry and consumer practices
World 38
in which prehistoric humans used plants, rather than skins, to clothe the body
World 37
in which everyone on the planet is restricted to a capsule wardrobe
World 36
in which professional menders, like tattoo artists, help to tell stories
World 35
in which digital fashion marketplaces limit the need for physical clothing
World 34
in which the film and TV industry recirculates the clothes used in production
World 33
in which celebrities must wear secondhand clothes, influencing others
World 32
in which the centre of fashion ends and the periphery thrives
World 31
in which disposal of clothes is illegal and makers have ongoing responsibility
World 30
in which sewing becomes an unstoppable trend among young people
World 29
in which a textile-inclusive STTEM curriculum leads to a skill-share community
World 28
in which wartime ‘digging for victory’ leads to widespread natural dyeing practices
World 27
in which Cuba leads a post-capitalist heirloom-chain economy
World 26
in which school uniform libraries transform attitudes to pre-worn clothing
World 25
in which a popular uprising leads to worldwide policies for clothing durability
World 24
in which secondhand-only editorial styling turns fashion upside down
World 23
in which post-Brexit Britain seeks to become a world leader in crafts
World 22
in which radical influencers exclusively dress from their parents’ wardrobes
World 21
in which the textile industry learns from the paper industry to minimise waste
World 20
in which tanneries become museums to discover the mistakes of the past
World 19
in which the purpose of the fashion ‘season’ is turned on its head
World 18
in which people rush back to the villages in search of greenery, food and clothing
World 17
in which young men become obsessed with sewing
World 16
in which a commission on fashion’s role in ecocide is underway
World 15
in which people wear a single outfit for the rest of their lives
World 14
in which subsidised clothing factories are accessible to local people
World 13
in which a radical global environmental strategy has led to nomadic lifestyles
World 12
in which every high street has a repair salon, each with its own unique style
World 11
in which commercial clothes production has ceased and people dress ‘by chance’
World 10
in which making by hand is a quasi-devotional act and path to ‘enlightenment’
World 9
in which learning to sew is a teenage rite of passage, like learning to drive
World 8
in which clothing is deeply embedded in enduring subcultural communities
World 7
in which the WWII Utility Clothing Scheme continues to the present day
World 6
in which local councils run free libraries of occasional and formal wear
World 5
in which clothes rationing has led to local distinctiveness
World 4
in which eye-catching fashion statements are constructed from foliage
World 3
in which community laundries are thriving social hubs
World 2
in which chemical dyes have been banned worldwide
World 1
in which the buying and selling of clothing has long been illegal