FSAD 1250

Signifier vs. Signified

Signifier = what you literally see (object/image/word).

Signified = the idea/feeling attached to it.

Why is representation significant in fashion?

Because the visual + the meaning can be rearranged (the same signified can adopt a new signified).

Trade Dress

The overall “look” of a brand — packaging, color, style — that becomes distinctive.

Ex. Tiffany blue

Framing

The choices around the image:

• Who’s in the ad?

• What bodies?

• What setting?

• What’s left out?

Hegemony

The dominance of one group, state, or person over others, maintained through a combination of political, economic, and cultural influence, rather than just force.

Cultural Hegemony

Manipulates beliefs/explanations/perceptions/values so that the imposed, ruling class (elite) worldview is cultural NORM (Marx).

Emotional Design

How a product feels / creating delight.

Human Centered Design

Identifying problem

Visceral

• Instant reaction —> “is it pretty?”

• Pure look/feel.

Behavioral

Is it easy to use? (function)

Reflective

What does owning it mean? (status, identity)

Textile Structural Design

How threads are arranged to build fabric (weaving, knitting, spinning). It’s the engineering side of fashion—how texture, pattern, and strength come from structure.

Spinning

Twisting fibers into yarn so they hold together.
S-twist spirals like the middle of an “S”; Z-twist spirals the opposite way.

Warp vs. Weft

Warp = vertical; weft = horizontal.

Weaving

Uses these pre-made thread systems from spinning and crosses them

S vs Z Twist (draw it)

Simple Weave

Threads cross at right angles in a basic over-under pattern. Uses one set of warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads.

Compound Weave

Uses more than one set of warp and/or weft threads. Multiple layers or directions of threads overlap.