Fashion & Culture
“Fashion & Culture” leverages your students’ inherent interest in fashion to dive into the language of clothing and explore how it is used to represent wider cultural ideas.
This project invites students to explore how clothing communicates identity, culture, and societal values. They examine how fashion choices are shaped by personal expression, cultural heritage, and shifting social trends—learning to see clothing as a form of visual language.
Students study traditional and contemporary styles to understand how fashion evolves and how it reflects ideas of identity, group belonging, and class. Through a series of hands-on projects, they design original hats, outfits, and shoes that incorporate these ideas. The unit may culminate in a classroom fashion show or parade, allowing students to showcase their creative interpretations and insights.
Good for:
All Ages
Student Examples
*We looked at traditional hats from around the world. Student artists chose a hat that they had a connection to to focus on.*
“I'm South Korean and African American. The flowers represent South Korea. My friend and I split the fabric and each put on a piece of the veil. I put on the ribbon because it kind of complements the veil and I put the twine around to finish it.”
Audrea, 2nd Grade
*We talked about the phrase “walk a mile in their shoes”, and discussed how shoes can represent people and personalities. We talked about who they wanted to be at age 45, and then they created shoe sculptures to represent their future self!*
“I decided to do an octopus because I want an octopus when I grow up, and it's my dad's favorite animal. I decided to make a treasure chest because octopuses like treasure, and I made it colorful because octopuses can color change."
Leah, 3rd grade
Student artists were challenged to decide on an activity or event and create a prototype for an outfit that they would be comfortable wearing to that occasion. They had to largely construct this from grocery bags, packing and tissue paper, and tape.