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Mutable Creatures
A fashion philosophy book
I have written a book on the philosophy of fashion, exploring the aesthetics and phenomenology of clothing from the perspectives of Martin Heidegger, Søren Kierkegaard, and Emmanuel Levinas.
This text is an examination of how the clothes that we wear have a profound ability on the persons that we are. The focus is on how personal identity intermingles with the artistry, aesthetics, and inherent social elements of clothing.
At the heart of this book is the belief that autonomy is paramount within our clothing. We can use clothes to expand our identity beyond ourselves, or we can use them to provide a calmning and anesthetic stasis, necessary for meditation and personal development.
This book is separated into five chapters, four of which are rich with fashion philosophy and theory. The fifth chapter is a short story, designed to convey the topics within this book in a clear and creative way.
Chapter Designs & Inside view
Each chapter has been designed by me, with the aim of emulating the feeling of the content they relate to.
Topics covered
Existentialism
Existentialism plays an implicit role in this book, as the text examines clothing from a deeply human and individualist perspective.
Anti-Aesthetics
Heidegger and Kierkegaard, whilst believing in the existence of aesthetics, are vehemently against it. Heidegger, rather, urges that art be looked at as a tool for bringing about truth and knowledge. This is explored and contrasted within the book.
Phenomenology
This book looks at Martin Heidegger’s specific brand of phenomenology, focusing on his ideas conveyed within Being And Time. The notion of Dasein is a explored as a tool for understanding selfhood.
Aesthetics
Exploring clothing from a perspective for art and aesthetics takes a large role in this book. In fact, perhaps the most important part of this book is the discussion that aesthetics can enmesh with one’s identity, when considered from a phenomenological perspective. I explore the idea that an aesthetic experience can be understood as a stoppage or modulation of time, experienced by the observer.
Autonomy
At the heart of this book is the concept and necessity of autonomy. Our ability to make decisions for ourselves about how we appear in the outside world is deeply significant to who we become as people.
Fiction
The final chapter of this book contains a short story, designed to illustrate the ideas prevelant in the book, and help cement and solidify these ideas.
How to get a copy
This book is in the Alpha stages, in that this is essentially a first rough draft. Printed copies will exist in due time, but as of right now none exist. In the future when digital copies are produced, they will go on sale on this page.
However, you can still read this book in its rough stages. Contact me if you would like more details.