Fabric first: mapping fashion’s epistemic infrastructures through material intelligence
Fabric first: mapping fashion’s epistemic infrastructures through material intelligence
This paper examines fabric as epistemic infrastructure in contemporary fashion design, positioning material intelligence as a form of knowledge production that links education, industry, and sustainability. Presented at the What is Fashion? conference (University of Westminster, 2025), the talk traces fashion’s collapse into surface aesthetics and proposes a material reorientation “Fabric First” as both pedagogical method and design philosophy. Drawing from case studies including Marine Serre, KNWLS, and Craig Green, it explores how post-corporate studios function as systems of care, circularity, and speculation. The presentation also connects these industry logics to teaching practice through the concept of fabric-first pedagogy, arguing that the future of fashion lies in material research, not digital simulation.
fashion studies, fabric-first pedagogy, design education, material intelligence, studio practice, hybrid workflows, fashion epistemology
Coats, Matthew
7e54315f-55b2-48fe-a6a8-61e4c075ffae
10 October 2025
Coats, Matthew
7e54315f-55b2-48fe-a6a8-61e4c075ffae
Coats, Matthew
(2025)
Fabric first: mapping fashion’s epistemic infrastructures through material intelligence.
What is Fashion Conference, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
This paper examines fabric as epistemic infrastructure in contemporary fashion design, positioning material intelligence as a form of knowledge production that links education, industry, and sustainability. Presented at the What is Fashion? conference (University of Westminster, 2025), the talk traces fashion’s collapse into surface aesthetics and proposes a material reorientation “Fabric First” as both pedagogical method and design philosophy. Drawing from case studies including Marine Serre, KNWLS, and Craig Green, it explores how post-corporate studios function as systems of care, circularity, and speculation. The presentation also connects these industry logics to teaching practice through the concept of fabric-first pedagogy, arguing that the future of fashion lies in material research, not digital simulation.
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Published date: 10 October 2025
Venue - Dates:
What is Fashion Conference, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, 2025-10-10
Keywords:
fashion studies, fabric-first pedagogy, design education, material intelligence, studio practice, hybrid workflows, fashion epistemology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 507571
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/507571
PURE UUID: 4cf6a6a4-b5b1-44b8-a4a5-24dc6ff71e27
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Date deposited: 12 Dec 2025 17:45
Last modified: 13 Dec 2025 03:05
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Contributors
Author:
Matthew Coats
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