Research
My research lies at the intersection of history, fashion and politics. For me, clothing practices and technologies are critical to understanding material ecologies, body cultures and the ethics of everyday life. One strand of my research concerns the social, political and historical significance of uniform clothing in policing, military and public service roles. I am also interested in design practices - clothing, graphic art and political ephemera - within social and political movements.
Another strand concerns recent histories of climate-adaptive clothing. In my latest project I consider whether material practices of weather-proofing are symptomatic of social relations in the Anthropocene. As PI on the NWO-funded 4-year project “Synthetic Adventures: (un)sustainability and (dis)comfort in the design, making and use of outdoor clothing” (2026-2029) I lead a small team exploring cultural drivers for the growth of outdoor clothing consumption in the face of complex environmental problems. We examine developments in water-resistant synthetic textiles, how they transformed expectations of leisure clothing and shaped perceptions of everyday weather. Cultural imaginaries of comfort and security, reflecting distinct styles of living in the Global North, frame this investigation into the relationship between climate and clothing.
My research has reached wider audiences through blogs (The Conversation, RTÉ Brainstorm), TV and radio interviews (BBC UK, ABC Australia) podcast interviews (New Books Podcast), articles (Selvedge Magazine, BBC History Magazine) and media communications (NRC, The Independent, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, BBC News, CNN, Middle East Eye, National Geographic). I hold various editorial roles: co-editor of the Palgrave Studies in Fashion and the Body book series, advisory board member of journal Fashion Theory and previously editorial board member of Journal of Design History. In addition, I am part of the editorial team developing Palgrave Handbook on Fashion and the Body to be published in 2028.
