About

I work as a researcher, writer, artist and teacher. My work is centered around the cultural, economic, social and political role of dress and fashion. I’m interested in the power structures of industrial, commercial fashion and the exploration of alternatives. My latest works revolve around the relation between human and non-human animals in fashion (the existing relations that are present but overlooked, and the proposition of new ones) and paratext, the many snippets of text in fashion media and how they affect our fashion/clothes vocabulary and narratives. I use existing visual, textual and textile materials that I collect and re-arrange. My work is often collaborative and participatory, taking the shape of installations, archives, texts, workshops and publications.

I have a background in Fashion Design (BA, AMFI) and Fashion Strategy (MA, ArtEZ). In collaboration with Onomatopee I’ve published two books: Fashioning Value – Undressing Ornament (2015, reprint 2018) and Dictionary Dressings (2016). My most recent book is What to buy for the fashion – focused reader in your life (2020, reprint 2021) and I’m working on (S)Mother Tongue, a publication on fashion vocabularies and writings. Together with Hanka van der Voet I’m the co-editor of A Magazine Reader. Works of mine are published/shown in/at; Vancouver Art Gallery, Press & Fold, MetropolisM, Vestoj, Hordaland Kunstsenter, Matto, D&K Lookbook, Melbourne Art Book Fair symposium, Modus, Harvard Design Magazine, Portal, Mode and Mode, State of Fashion, ArtEZ Professorship, Viscose Journal and MacGuffin. I wrote texts for various artists and designers and was an artist in residence at the Jan van Eyck Academy (NL), Sointula ArtShed (CA), ArtsIceland (IS), and Material Matters lab (CA).
I’m a member of  Warehouse, a place for clothes in context in Amsterdam 

Since 2023 I’m a PhD candidate at RMIT School of Fashion & Textiles (AUS) and a researcher at the ArtEZ Fashion Professorship (NL). I’ve lectured practice-based research, fashion theory and writing at various Dutch universities such as Willem de Kooning Academy, Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Royal Academy of The Hague and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, and permanently at the MA Critical Fashion Practices of ArtEZ. In addition, I regularly visit international design and art programs as a guest lecturer, tutor and external examiner.

Contact
Mail: contactfemkedevries@gmail.com
Instagram: @fmkdvrs