Feeling Fashion – Details, episodes & analysis

Today’s guests are Erin Spencer and Bec Cerio from Sydney-based Sock Drawer Heroes, Australia’s leading gender expression store. Bec and Erin started Sock Drawer Heroes in 2018, shortly after Erin began to affirm their gender as a trans masc non-binary person. At the time, they struggled to find the gender expression products they needed in Australia.  

In this episode we’ll discuss why gender affirming products aren't just clothing — they’re life-changing essentials.

Show notes:

The Sock Drawer Heroes Website

Sock Drawer Heroes on Instagram

Today’s guests are designers Kate Reynolds and Amanda Cumming from independent Melbourne fashion label PAGEANT.  

After working for iconic labels such as Christopher Shannon, Christopher Kane and Perks and Mini, Amanda and Kate established PAGEANT in 2010. Since then, PAGEANT has established a worldwide cult following and was a winner of the prestigious Tiffany & Co National Designer Award and a finalist for the BT Emerging Designer Award.

In this episode we’ll discuss what’s it’s like to start a fashion brand, how to maintain a solid collaborative relationship, and what it means for fashion to be socially responsible.

Show notes:

PAGEANT's online store

Today's episode is slightly different. Adele's former master's supervisor Prof Pia Ednie-Brown is interviewing her about Adele's research and creative projects. 

In particular, they discuss Adele's experience wearing a onesie every day for the last thirteen years — a project exploring how the clothes we wear impact our lives. 

Prof Pia Ednie-Brown is an Australian architectural researcher and creative practitioner, with a practice called Onomatopoeia. She worked in the School of Architecture at RMIT for two decades, where she specialised in creative practice as a vehicle for research. Currently, she is an honorary Professor of Architecture at the University of Newcastle. She lives and works in Naarm Melbourne. 

This podcast was made possible with support from the Alastair Swayn Foundation, find out more at ⁠alastairswaynfoundation.org⁠. 

Today’s guest is neuroscientist Dr Carolyn Mair.  We’ll discuss how clothes shape our identities and alter the inner workings of our minds — evoking comfort, confidence, or even fear.   

Carolyn created the psychology of fashion department at the London College of Fashion. She is currently a consultant for fashion brands and author of The Psychology of Fashion.  Carolyn has published broadly in academic and popular media and is frequently featured by outlets like the BBC, Sky News, The New York Times and more! 

My conversation with Carolyn was recorded in front of a live audience at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Melbourne. It was part of the Feeling Fashion launch event.

This podcast was made possible with support from the Alastair Swayn Foundation, find out more at alastairswaynfoundation.org. 

Welcome to Feeling Fashion, the podcast that delves into the social and emotional affects of Fashion, unravelling the complex and often invisible elements at play when we wear clothes. Join host, Dr Adele Varcoe as she interviews guests about the intricate tapestry of feelings woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. 

Thank you to the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University, my amazing guests, the incredible research team Remie Cibis and Julie Gork, and audio engineer Thomas Phillips.

Show notes:

Feeling Fashion on Instagram

We’ve all had times when we’ve felt uncomfortable or out of place in what we’re wearing. For some, these moments are in primary school when mum forced you to wear that really embarrassing sweater, for others it might be that time you went to a costume party and got the brief wrong.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from our listeners about times in their lives when they’ve felt uncomfortable in what they were wearing, and what their discomfort revealed to them about themselves. 

If I asked you to swap your entire wardrobe with me for one year, would you do it? Im talking socks, jocks, shoes – everything.

 In this episode you’ll meet the person who said yes. After searching for almost two years I met the artist James Nguyen at a bar in New York. He agreed to swap his wardrobe of black and grey Uniqlo basics with my wardrobe of colourful onesies.  

 We discussed how clothing intersects with identity, and the swap’s profound impact on his day-to life 

Today’s guest is Dr Julie Gork, a lecturer at RMIT University and former trend forecaster whose research explores fashion and blindness.

We discuss what a blind perspective can teach us about the multi-sensory experience of dress — and the senses we neglect when we fixate on sight above all else.

Show notes:

www.juliegork.com

Sometimes we only need to imagine wearing an outfit to feel its transformative power. In this episode, we’ll discuss what this anticipation reveals about the intangible nature of fashion—and the role language plays in shaping these dreams and desires.

Today’s guests are three fashion writers: Dr Laura Gardner an editor, lecturer and co-publisher of Mode and Mode; Dr Winnie Ha Mitford, a writer who uses language, sound and live performance; and Dr Sean Ryan, a researcher and senior lecturer at RMIT University whose research focuses on the tensions between philosophy and fashion. 

Today’s guest is creative producer Jeremy Smith, who proudly enjoys being a fly buzzing in the face of those who need annoyance on equity and justice. 

Jeremy has a form of dwarfism called Achondroplasia, but it wasn't until his late thirties that he chose to fully embrace this difference and identify as a disabled person. Today we’ll be discussing his journey from avoidance to acceptance—and the role social media and fashion played in his self-discovery.   

Jeremy lives in Boorloo (Perth) and is a senior producer for Performing Lines in Western Australia, a production company that creates boundary-pushing performances with some of Australia’s best independent artists. 

Throughout his career, Jeremy has promoted artistic bravery, self-determination, and authentic representation. He has also brokered opportunities by supporting initiatives in remote regions and developing key arts and disability programs. 

Shownotes:

Jeremy Smith - A Mile in My Shoes

The Relationship is the Project: A guide to working with communities