Special Issue of Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion: Atmospheres

Special Issue of Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion
Atmospheres 

This Special Issue explores the diverse atmospheres of men’s fashion. Over the last decade the notion of atmosphere has been a focus of increasing academic interest in areas such as philosophy, human geography, architecture, design and marketing. These studies have sought to address the conceptual and philosophical underpinnings of the term or sought to understand how the spatial practices of design, architecture and scenography produce or generate certain atmospheres. Despite this work, ambiguity surrounds the term, given atmosphere is neither a subject nor an object, inhabiting a nebulous space in between. According to philosopher Gernot Böhme, atmospheres are not to be attributed to the experiencing subject alone, nor are they entirely a property of a physical environment. Yet atmospheres emerge out of arrangements of things and people and are perceived as a quality of an environment or situation. Historically the notion of atmosphere referred to gaseous envelopes surrounding celestial bodies while in the 19th century the term began to take on emotional and affective register, wherein contemporary definitions of atmosphere refer to character or mood of a place or situation, or a mood or feeling produced by a work of art. In these latter senses there is a decidedly spatial character to atmosphere, as a physical environment we are immersed in or affected by. However, atmosphere can also possess a material basis, in physical objects, such as painting, sculpture or performance, from which a certain atmosphere emanates.  While atmosphere may envelope a crowd, or an audience, or even a historical period, they are experienced intimately, as immediate and viscerally felt encounters. In these senses, atmosphere connotes spatial, emotional and sensuous experiences transpiring at the level of the body.  

This Special Issue of Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion is devoted to an exploration of atmosphere in the globally distributed spaces, situations and practices of men’s fashion. Given fashion shares with atmosphere many spatial, bodily and affective dimensions, the aim of the issue is to examine the ways men’s fashion can be productively understood with reference to the notion. Perspectives may encompass how the aesthetic forms and practices of men’s fashion actively generate and produce atmospheres as in fashion shows and films, fashion photographs, publications and retail environments. While the act of wearing fashion is co-productive of atmospheres, if one thinks of a fashionable precinct, such as the dancefloor or club, as constellations of movement, people and things, they are generating powerful and affecting atmospheric conditions. Moreover, there may be historical or contemporary atmospheres conducive to certain social relations and practices, political transformations or creative innovations that offer promising areas of enquiry. Given the innumerable spaces in which men’s fashion has been and is present, we invite diverse perspectives employing empirical, theoretical, historical approaches to the exploration of atmosphere in men’s fashion. Queer methodologies and perspectives are encouraged as are engagements with new social media and digital platforms used for the production and dissemination of men’s fashion. Creative, practice-led and visual approaches are most welcome, as well as environmental and/or sustainable perspectives which engage the atmospherics of meteorological phenomena and/or environmental dispositions.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

• atmospheres of men’s fashion shows,
• atmospheres of creativity,
• atmospheres of inclusion,
• queer atmospheres,
• trans and/or gender fluid atmospheres,
• atmosphere and digital media,
• atmosphere and social media,
• the fashion archive and atmosphere,
• historical atmospheres,
• atmosphere and the men’s fashion image,
• environmental atmospheres,
• atmosphere of music video.

Please e-mail a Word or PDF abstract of 200–300 words to the guest editor, Todd Robinson (todd.robinson@uts.edu.au) by 30^th March, 2023. Abstracts’ submissions should include a title, 6–8 keywords, approximate word count including references, author’s full name, affiliation, email address, institutional postal address and a short biography of around 50–100 words. The editor will aim to let prospective authors know their final decision as soon as possible.

Full manuscripts’ deadline is 30^th June, 2023.

 All submissions must follow Intellect’s house style: https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/1748/house-style-guide-6th-ed..pdf

Manuscripts should be a maximum of 7000 words. It is the author’s responsibility to clear the usage rights for all images to be published.