The Journal

Vol. 01

Hey there,

Welcome to the new home of Annotating Fashion.

In the last Journal, I shared that Annotating Fashion was leaving Substack and moving to a new home. Well, here it is! I’m so excited to have you here.

The name remains the same, as does the content you’ve come to know over the past year. But the mission—the mission has evolved.

Keep reading and I’ll explain.

When I started this platform last year, I was writing fashion theory essays and regular short musings on the industry and life. I had no real vision for where I wanted Annotating Fashion to go; it was more like a side hustle that fuelled my love for researching, writing and fashion theory.

That was until last month, when I had a call that changed everything.

A simple question—“So, tell me about Annotating Fashion, what is your goal with it?”—led me to a breakthrough. I won’t go into the whole conversation, but what I will say is that I started the call with a platform that felt more like a side hustle and left with a new mission and sense of purpose.

I knew this could be something bigger than what I was creating. I just needed a little clarity and confirmation that I was on the right path. And now, here we are.

So, you’re probably wondering: “That’s great, but what’s changed? Who are you now? What is this new purpose, and what’s staying the same?”

What’s new?

Annotating Fashion is no longer a newsletter; it’s now an online publication that sits in the gap between traditional online fashion media and academic journals.

It’s a platform that aims to democratise fashion studies and change the trajectory of fashion media—exploring the industry through the lenses of sociology, history and culture to understand the ‘why’ behind what we wear and how it shapes our societies and identities.

Moving forward, Annotating Fashion will place a greater emphasis on including essays and commentary that speak to fashion systems and designers outside of the traditional Western lens—bringing non-Eurocentric narratives to the forefront that are so often left out of mainstream fashion media.

What is the new purpose?

We believe that when we understand the why, we dress better, consume with more intention, and see fashion as the social and cultural phenomenon it truly is.

Currently, access to fashion studies is often gated behind the hallowed halls of academic institutions. Meanwhile, mainstream fashion media remains dominated by aesthetics and consumer-led content that reinforces narrow, Eurocentric narratives and fashion systems. Annotating Fashion exists to bridge that divide, making rigorous fashion discourse accessible to everyone.

What’s staying the same?

Annotating Fashion is a membership-based platform. Your membership gives you access to:

• NOTES ON FASHION: The flagship essay series that aims to take fashion theory out of the hallowed halls of academia and bring it into the mainstream. Explore key ideas from Roland Barthes, Pierre Bourdieu and Georg Simmel, through to modern-day thinkers like W.E.B. Du Bois, bell hooks, Joanne Entwistle, Agnès Rocamora, Monica L. Miller and more.

  These aren’t peer-reviewed papers, but deeply researched articles grounded in theory with pop-culture tie-ins to get you thinking and provoke conversations for change and inspiration in the field of fashion.
  Click here for access to a Free essay.

• THE BIBLIOGRAPHY: A comprehensive database featuring every resource used to write the Notes on Fashion essays.

• INTO THE ARCHIVE: Magazine and book scans from an archive spanning over 20 years. Unpacked with annotations that help you to delve deeper into fashion’s past. Launching Wednesday 13th May

• IN CONVERSATION WITH…: Monthly interviews with designers, stylists, photographers and other creatives.

• THE JOURNAL: Our fortnightly newsletter of short musings on fashion and life, curated recommendations, and previews of Notes on Fashion essays and Into the Archive posts.

However, as part of our mission to democratise fashion studies and change the trajectory of fashion media, we offer a limited number of barrier-free memberships via our new Open Access Initiative for those who are currently unable to self-fund.

Become a Founding Member

To celebrate our new home and our first anniversary (a month late but still), I’m offering a limited-time Founding Member discount.

Because you’re part of this original mailing list, I want to give you the first opportunity to join the new platform with 50% off an Annual Membership.

This is my way of saying thank you for supporting independent fashion media and research, and for moving into this next chapter with me.

Enjoy 50% Off with code FOUNDER50

Valid until May 10