Fashion: A Manifesto

‘Fashion has become desperately uncool. But into this new space we’re seeing a flood of upcycling, the use of reclaimed deadstock and an army of widely divergent bodies and faces. Is that enough to save fashion from the obsolescence it probably deserves?’

 

From the court of Louis XIV to TikTok’s Avant Apocalypse, psychoanalyst and clothes lover Anouchka Grose takes an unexpected look at fashion to unpick the hold it has on so many of us. But rather than insisting we give up on the thrills that fashion has to offer, Grose outlines a radically new approach to the way we represent ourselves and looks forward to a future where our clothes treat us – not to mention the planet – more kindly.

Anouchka Grose is a psychoanalyst and writer practising in London and a member of The Centre for Freudian Research, where she regularly lectures. Her books include No More Silly Love Songs: A Realist’s Guide to Romance and A Guide to Eco-Anxiety: How to Protect the Planet and Your Mental Health and her journalism and fiction have appeared in the Guardian, the Independent and Granta. She is also extremely fashionable.

‘Delicious and substantive. Grose’s wry tone makes her manifesto a joy, but this small book (enticingly produced, with pink cloth covers) has a serious intent.’ Clare Messud, Harper’s

‘Spirited, serious, and funny all at once.’ Clare Farrell