Extracting Data from Fashion Trends

Using exhibition research as a starting point, we began our work with a deep–dive survey to familiarize ourselves with both the objects in Items as well as the vision of curators. We discerned some key themes: each piece seemed representative of the ways in which fashion can signal camaraderie with a given culture; each signified the ways in which sartorial choices can influence the ways that people live their lives. From these conclusions, we came up with a set of charged questions that could yield yes/no, either/or answers. For example:

• Was it selected for innovative design or production features, or because it made an artistic statement?

• Did it spark social change, or was it the product of a specific moment in cultural history?

• Was it worn to conform or rebel?

• Why was it considered modern?

The final step was to visualize the findings of our investigation in a mural: a format worlds apart from the spreadsheets that data is usually associated with.

Data Items: A Fashion Landscape dominates three 20–foot walls on MoMA’s sixth floor. It comprises two grids hand–drawn by Accurat co–founder Giorgia Lupi. Both position the exhibition's 111 items according to thorough systems of classification born from our research.

In the first layer—the Landscape—we provided an overview of each Item and the exhibition. Objects are situated on the grid according to the time period of their emergence (the Y–axis) and their section in the exhibition (X–axis). Each data point is further demarcated according to characteristics such as whether it's a garment or accessory, or, at the other end of the subjectivity spectrum, what type of message it sends. For example: the color of shading at a data point's base symbolizes a) belonging to a group or culture b) rebellion or emancipation or c) status, uniqueness, or achievement.