Renate Stauss
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator for Fashion Studies
- Department: Communication, Media and Culture
- Graduate Program(s): Global Communications
- Track(s):Fashion
- Office:G-401
- Office Hours:By appointment
Professor Stauss joined The American University of Paris in 2013. As a lecturer in Fashion Studies, Cultural & Critical Studies she has been working at a number of universities in London and Berlin since 2003, at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, Goldsmiths College, Esmod, and the Berlin University of the Arts. She was part of the faculty at the Royal College of Art in London in the Department of Critical Studies for ten years. Following her studies in Fashion Communication (BA) and Communication, Culture and Society (MA) Stauss completed her PhD on听Dress as Therapy: Working with Dress on the Self in Therapeutic Settings听(University of the Arts London).
The focus of her teaching and scholarship lies on the sociology and politics of fashion and dress, including the following subjects: relationships between dress and identity, fashion under socialism, the emotional and sensory impact of dress, the role of dress in political protest, fashion for a sustainable world, and fashion education 鈥撎齢ow we learn and teach fashion. Renate has published in the area of fashion studies, fashion theory and pedagogy. Recent publications included book chapters in听听(2023)听and听听(2022). She is the co-founder of听听and听听鈥 The fashion education podcast and platform for connection, research and development, and educational consultancy.
Current research interests include:
- fashion and politics
- the role of dress in political protest
- the perception and potential of fashion
- the emergence of fashion theory
- fashion education 鈥撎齢ow we learn and teach fashion
Research Areas and Areas of Expertise:
- fashion theory
- cultural history of fashion (1900鈥)
- sociology of dress and fashion
- fashion and politics
- sustainability in fashion
- dress as therapy
- fashion education
Education/Degrees
- PhD, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, UK
- MA Communication, Culture & Society, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
- BA (Hons) Fashion Communication, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London, UK
News
- I am currently organizing the听听Facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, online event, 10 October 2024 (with Prof Franziska Schreiber)
- The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education wants to create connections and actions within and across different fashion learning cultures and contexts. It was founded in 2019 as a participatory and outcome-oriented space and a series of conferences focused on the learning and teaching of fashion. It aims to explore and illustrate the diversity and complexity of the field and the practices of fashion education, and to foster a greater understanding of its pasts, presents and futures 鈥 methods, values and didactic, pedagogic and epistemological questions 鈥 creating a global exchange to inspire mutual learning, collaborative research and shared action.
- The rich and inspiring contributions and proceedings of the last听听are open access. Watch and listen to some of the most inspiring voices in and around fashion education: Tanveer Ahmed, Ben Barry, Zowie Broach, Sunny Dolat, Matthew Drinkwater, Kimberly Jenkins, The Malvestidas, Sarah Mower, Alistair O鈥橬eill, Sandra Niessen, Yvonne Ntiamoah, Dilys Williams and many many more.
- . I recently launched a podcast on learning and teaching fashion (with Franziska Schreiber).
- Fashion is a great teacher听because it provides a fantastic lens to learn about the world and its people, about history, politics and culture. Join听Renate Stauss听and听, professors of fashion theory and fashion design in Paris and Berlin to discover the most inspiring voices in fashion education, their take on the how and why of learning and teaching fashion, their doubts and hopes, their lessons from fashion. Episodes include interviews with:听,听,听,听听and听,听,听,听.
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Publications
- (2023)听鈥楲ooking Like a Woman, Feeling Like a Woman, Sensing the Self: Affective and Emotional Dimensions of Dress Therapy鈥 in: Parkins, Ilya & Filipello, Roberto (eds.)听Fashion & Feeling: The Affective Politics of Dress.听Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 153鈥176. (book chapter)
- (2022) 鈥楧ress as Therapy: Working with Dress in Psycho-medical Settings 鈥撎鼴etween Control, Cure, Care and Creative Play鈥 in: Ankele, M., De Wyngaert, E., Ferreira, L. M., K枚lmel, M.-J., Lamot, Y. H., Stauss, R.,听Mirror Mirror: Fashion & the Psyche. Veurne, Belgium: Hannibal Books, pp. 133鈥151. (book chapter)
- (2021) 鈥楾he Doubters, or, To Love Fashion Is to Doubt Fashion: An Impossible Interview鈥 in:听Vestoj: The Journal of Sartorial Matters.听Issue No. 10: On Doubt, pp. 93鈥105.听
- (2021) 鈥楻.I.(a)P.: On Fashion, Branding and Irony 鈥撎鼳n Interview with Professor Wowo Kraus鈥 in:听Fashion Practice: The Journal of Design, Creative Process & the Fashion Industry.听Vol. 13, Issue 3, pp. 486鈥501.听
- (eds.) (2021)听The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education 鈥 The Proceedings.听25 September 2020, The American University of Paris,听digital event, online publication. (with Franziska Schreiber)听/sites/default/files/download/Digital%20Multilogue%20on%20Fashion%20Education%202020_The%20Proceedings.pdf
- (2020) 鈥楳apping Fashion Education: Kontext, Dimensionen und Zuk眉nfte鈥 in:听Design & Bildung.听Vol. 3, pp. 118鈥29. (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2020) 鈥楾he Deceptive Mirror: The Dressed Body Beyond Reflection鈥 in:听Fashion Theory.听29 May听听(with Lucia Ruggerone)()
- (2020) 鈥楶assing as Fashionable, Feminine and Sane: 鈥淭herapy of Fashion鈥 and the Normalisation of Psychiatric Patients in 1960s US鈥 in:听Fashion Theory.听Vol. 24(4), pp. 601鈥637. ()
- (2019) 鈥榃hat Fashion is Not (Only)鈥 in:听Vestoj: The Journal of Satorial Matters.听Issue No. 9: On Capital, pp. 55鈥75. ()
- (2017)听Dress as Therapy: Working with Dress on the Self in Therapeutic Settings.听PhD Thesis, London: University of the Arts London.
- (2015) 鈥楩ashion Cultures Revisited: Book review' in:听Costume.听Vol. 49(1), London: Maney Publishing.
- (2014) 鈥楾he wetsuit is not fashion: A Conversation with Heidi Julavits鈥 in: Heti & Julavits & Shapton (eds.)听Women in Clothes.听London: Penguin,听pp. 405鈥406.
- (2010) 鈥業nterview with J枚elle Chariau鈥 in: Chariau, J枚elle (ed.)听Drawing Fashion: A Century of Fashion Illustration.听Munich/London: Prestel, pp. 20鈥23.
- (2009) 鈥楳ode鈥 in: Peretz, Pauline (ed.)听New York: Histoire, Promenades, Anthologie & Dictionnaire.听Paris: Robert Laffont, pp. 1164鈥1165.
- (2008) 鈥楽ymposium Review:听The Death of Taste: Unpicking the Fashion Cycle鈥听in:听Fashion Theory听Vol.12(2), June, pp. 261鈥266. (with Ane Lynge)
- (2008) 'Die zivile Uniform als symbolische Kommunikation: Book Review' in:听Costume.听Number 42听London: Maney Publishing, pp. 195鈥196.
- (2008) 'She Shines' in:听Fat.听Issue A, pp. 98鈥103.
- (2006) 'Erwin Wurm's 59 Positions' in:听Fashion in Film Festival.听(catalogue), London: FFF, p. 40.
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Podcasts
- (2020鈥 )听Fashion is a great teacher: The fashion education podcast.听听(Concept, interviews and editor)
- (2020) 鈥楧ilys Williams on her reality and utopia of fashion education and enabling students to fly鈥 Episode 1 of听Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber , 21 September, interview: Renate Stauss (56鈥)听
- (2020) 鈥榁alerie Steele on experiential learning, the importance of methodology and whacking the myths of fashion鈥 Episode 2 of听Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, 16 October (34鈥)听
- (2020) 鈥榋owie Broach on fashion as a privilege and a drug, on freedom and wisdom鈥 Episode 3 of听Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, 29 December, interview: Renate Stauss (59鈥)听
- (2021) 鈥楢listair O鈥橬eill on fashion as agency听and听the importance of understanding fashion through its making鈥 Episode 4 of听Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, 3 March, interview: Renate Stauss (47鈥)听
- (2021) 鈥樚Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, 26 May, (54鈥)
- (2021) 鈥樷櫶Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, 29 September, (47鈥)
- (2022) 鈥樷櫶Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, 19 May, interview: Renate Stauss (47鈥)
- (2022) 鈥樚Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, 10 October, (35鈥)
- (2023) 鈥听Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, interview: Renate Stauss, 8 June, (49鈥)
- (2023) 鈥樚Fashion is a great teacher听鈥 The fashion education podcast by Renate Stauss & Franziska Schreiber, interview: Renate Stauss, 21 August, (58鈥)
- (2024) Sandra Niessen on 鈥楧e-Fashion: From Fossil Fuel Fashion to a Fashion Pluriverse鈥, Multilogue Moments: Provocation at听The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education 2023 鈥撎De-Fashioning Education,听A Critical Thinking and Making Conference, Berlin,听24.1.2024,听听(28鈥)
- (2024) Sunny Dolat on 鈥楻econsidering Efficiency as a Priority鈥, Multilogue Moments: Provocation at听The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education 2023 鈥撎De-Fashioning Education,听A Critical Thinking and Making Conference, Berlin,听31.1.2024,听听(18鈥)
- (2024) Anjana Das & Mayank Mansingh Kaul on 鈥楻ethinking Made in India鈥, Multilogue Moments: Provocation at听The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education 2023 鈥撎De-Fashioning Education,听A Critical Thinking and Making Conference, Berlin,听7.2.2024,听听(18鈥)
- (2024) Otto von Busch & Christina Moon on 鈥樷楩ashion & Vitality鈥欌, Multilogue Moments: Provocation Dialogue at听The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education 2023 鈥撎De-Fashioning Education,听A Critical Thinking and Making Conference, Berlin,听14.2.2024,听听(23鈥)
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Conferences & Lectures
Conference Organisation
- (2024)听听鈥撎齝oncept, organisation & host of conference, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany, co-facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, hybrid event, 10 October 2024 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2024) 鈥楽ymposium on Fashion Communication for Socio-Ecological Transformation鈥 (20 April) hybrid / 91视频 (co-organisation with Elsa Darlington, Fiona Schlumberger, Kathryn Galloway, Michelle Doyle, Maddie Czarnik, Sara Wynn) Alumni & Students at 91视频)听/symposium-fashion-communication-socio-ecological-transformation
- (2023)听听concept, organisation & host of conference, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany, co-facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, hybrid event, 15-16 September 2023 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2023) 鈥楧eFashion Test Kitchen 鈥 Student Think Tank of The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education 2023 x Fashioning Education鈥 concept, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany, co-facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, hybrid event, 15-16 September 2023 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2022)听鈥 concept, organisation & host of conference, facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, online event, 12 October 2022 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2022)听听concept & organisation, facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, online event, 5 October 2022 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2022) 鈥楾ransformation Through Fashion Education? Towards Systemic Change鈥 Symposium, Fashioning Education series, Berlin University of the Arts, online event, 19 May (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2021)听听concept, organisation & host of conference, facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, online event, 1鈥2 October 2021 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2021) 鈥楾he End of Fashion Education? Towards New Beginnings鈥 Symposium, Fashioning Education series, Berlin University of the Arts, online event, 26 May (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2020)听听concept, organisation & host of conference, facilitated by The American University of Paris, France, online event, 25 September 2020 (with Franziska Schreiber)
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Conferences, talks, lectures听(recent, selected)
- (2023) 鈥楧ecentering Fashion Education 鈥撎鼺ashion in 3D: Decolonizing, Deconstructing, Decentering鈥 ZonaModa Interntaionl Conference, University of Bologna/Rimini, 20 October, invited chairing of conference session
- (2022) 鈥楾he Politics of Fashion Education: Developments, Discriminations and Dreams鈥 invited talk, Fashion Politics Series, Parsons Paris & London College of Fashion, online event, 21 January (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2021) 鈥楧on鈥檛 / Look in the Mirror! 鈥撎齌he Gendering Politics of the Dressing Mirror鈥 conference paper, Fashion Tales 2021: Politics Through the Wardrobe, Modacult 鈥 Centro per lo studio della moda e della produzione culturale,听Universit脿 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan / online event, 17鈥19 June 2021 (with Lucia Ruggerone)
- (2021) 鈥楾he End of Fashion Education? Towards New Beginnings鈥 invited lecture, Design Pedagogy Symposium, School of Form at SWPS University Poland in collaboration with the Center for Philosophical Technologies at Arizona State University, US, online event, 20 May 2021 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2021) 鈥楧ress Therapy 鈥撎鼴etween Control, Cure, Care and Creative Play鈥 invited lecture, Central Saint Martins, London, online event, 17 February.
- (2021) 鈥楧ress as Therapy: Working with Dress in Psycho-medical Settings 鈥撎鼴etween Control, Cure, Care and Creative Play鈥 conference paper, Curative Things: Medicine / Fashion / Art, facilitated by Leeds Arts University, online event, 12 February.
- (2021) 鈥楨verything Is Constructed: Of Fashion, Ambiguity and Interstices鈥 invited talk, Hochschule Hannover, University of Applied Sciences and Art, Germany, online event, 26 January.
- (2020) 鈥楩ashion Education: Dimensions, Contexts and Futures鈥 invited lecture, Annual Conference of the Network Fashion Textile, Germany, online event, 26 September (with Franziska Schreiber).
- (2019) 鈥楲ost in Reflection: Clothes, Mirrors and the Self鈥 paper delivered at: The Annual Conference of the Association for Art History, Brighton, UK, 6 April (with Lucia Ruggerone).
- (2018) 鈥楽elf-fashioning: Using Foucault鈥檚 鈥淭echnologies of the Self鈥 to Analyse Fashion鈥 invited lecture, New York University, London, 15. November.
- (2018) 鈥楶assing as Fashionable, Feminine and Sane: 鈥淭herapy of Fashion鈥 and the Normalisation of Psychiatric Patients in 1960s US鈥 Passing: Fashion in American Cities, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, 5 May.
- (2017) 鈥業n the Land of Mirrors: V锚toth茅rapie in France. On Forced Forms of Self-reflection and Image-based Notions of a Fashionable Self鈥 Revisiting the Gaze: Feminism, Fashion & the Female Body. Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, London, UK, 28 鈥29 June.
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Workshops听(recent, selected)
- (2024)听听professional development workshop for fashion educators, 17 September, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2024) 鈥榁alues in Learning and Teaching Fashion鈥 invited professional development workshop, 25 June, Fashion Department, Saint Martins College, University of the Arts London, UK (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2024)听听professional development workshop for fashion educators, 13 March, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2023)听听professional development workshop for fashion educators, 26 September, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2023)听听professional development workshop for fashion educators, 28 March, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2022)听听invited workshop at Face Summit, Central Saint Martins, 14 October (with Marteena Mendelssohn & Franziska Schreiber)
- (2022) 鈥楩ashion Education Retreat鈥, professional development retreat for fashion educators, 14-15 September, Gutshof Sauen, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany, (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2022) 鈥榁estimentary Protest: Dress as Visualized Resistance and Agency鈥 invited workshop, International Week, FH Bielefeld, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, online event, 2 May.
- (2022) 鈥榁estiment盲rer Protest: Kleidung als visualisierter Widerstand und Handlungsmacht听invited workshop, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany, Film Costume Design, online event, 24 January.
- (2021) 鈥榁estimentary Protest: Dress as Visualized Resistance and Agency鈥 invited workshop, International Week, FH Bielefeld, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, online event, 4 May.
- (2020/1) 鈥業 love it! Werte/n in der Designlehre鈥 (鈥榁alues and Evaluation in Design Education鈥) concept, professional development workshop, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany, online event, 25 November 2020 & 22 January 2021 (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2019) 鈥楩ashion Education Retreat鈥, two-day professional development workshop for fashion educators, 30 September鈥1 October, Gutshof Sauen, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany, (with Franziska Schreiber)
- (2019) 鈥楩ashion Education: Learning and Teaching Fashion in Theory and Practice鈥 professional development workshop for fashion educators, 1 April, Berlin Center for Higher Education, Germany (with Franziska Schreiber)
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Panels, Public Commentary, Media Coverage & Juries听(recent, selected)
- (2024) invited external member of the reader appointment committee, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, 18 March
- (2023) invited external member of the professorial appointment committee, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, 9 October
- (2022) 鈥楪lobal Perspective: How might we create fashion that includes repair mechanisms for the planet, people, culture and the economy?鈥 鈥 Think Tank鈥 invited participant, 202030 The Berlin Fashion Summit, Germany, online event, 1 March.
- IJFS (2022) 鈥業ntroducing International Fashion Scholars 101鈥 International Journal of Fashion Studies, cross-platform campaign (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), 18 January (public profile)
- Drake, Kitty (2022) 鈥樷淚鈥檓 never pleased with myself. I always think I could do better, that I鈥檓 lazy, that I don鈥檛 make enough effort鈥 鈥 Karl Lagerfeld鈥 in Stack Magazine, online resource, January,听听(review of article)
- Nike (2022) Nike Cultural & Societal Trends 鈥撎鼸xpert interview, with Sally Lohan, 24 January. (Interview)
- Stauss, Renate (2022) 鈥楳ode-Sch枚pfung鈥 in:听Junge Kirche.听01/2022, pp. 30鈥31. (Interview article)
- Cosmo / WDR (2021) 鈥楽weatpants鈥, WDR, Radio Cosmo, 4 January. (radio interview)
- Echtzeit / DLF Kultur (2021) 鈥楽turm und Zwang: Wir k枚nnen nicht anders鈥, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, 16. Juni 2021, 16-17 Uhr,听听(radio interview).
- Hergt, Kerstin (2021) 鈥楧ie Unerh枚rten鈥 in:听Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten.听3 July.听听(Interview article)
- Idris, Rem茅e (2021) 鈥楴ew Modes of Learning鈥 in:听The Lissome, online resource, January,听听(interview)
- No毛l, Aya (2021) 鈥淢y Tutor Doesn鈥檛 Even Know What a Dankmeme is!鈥 On Age and Experience in Fashion Education鈥 in: Granary 1, online resource, 29 July,听听(15.8.2021) (Interview)
- (2021) 鈥楻e-Defining Fashion Culture: From Fast Desires to True Pleasures and Beauty鈥 panelist,听202030 The Berlin Fashion Summit, Germany, online event, 22 January,听
- (2021) 鈥楩ashion Culture 鈥 Think Tank鈥 invited participant, 202030 The Berlin Fashion Summit, Germany, online event, 7 January.
- (2020) Jury member of the competition 鈥楤ielefelder Modepreis鈥 (fashion prize) FH Bielefeld, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, 25 January.
- Stauss, Renate (2020) 鈥楩ashion in Times of Covid-19: Chanel, Clinical, Creative: Three Face Masks Show the Complexities of Fashion鈥 91视频 Learning Laboratory, Episode 9, 12 May,听/digital-campus/explore-discover/aup-at-home/learning-laboratory-renate-stauss听//听听(12.5.2020)
- (2019) Jury member of the competition 鈥楾ransparenz in der Modebranche鈥 (Transparency in Fashion) Loveco, Berlin, Germany, 26 August.
- (2018) 鈥楳ode & Diversit盲t: Mehr als nur ein Marketingtrend?鈥 (Fashion & Diversity: More than a Marketing trend?)听member of panel discussion, Ethical Fashion, Prepeek Powered by Fashion Changers, Kraftwerk, Berlin, Germany, 3 July.
Affiliations
- Member of The International Council of Museums, UK
- Member of Network Fashion Textile, Germany
- Member of Culture(s) de Mode, France
- Member of The Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion
Research Areas
- fashion theory
- cultural history of fashion (1900鈥)
- sociology of dress and fashion
- fashion and politics
- sustainability in fashion
- dress as therapy听
- fashion education
Awards, Fellowships and Grants
Grants (recent)
- 2024: John H. Lewis Jr. Faculty Development Fund听(Symposium on Fashion Communication for Socio-Ecological Transformation鈥 (team bid)
- 2020-2024: Faculty Development Grant, The American University of Paris
- 2023: Berlin University of the Arts, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2023)
- 2023: Network Fashion & Textiles, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2023)
- 2023: 91视频, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2023)
- 2022: Senate Berlin, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2022)
- 2022: Network Fashion & Textiles, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2022)
- 2022: Teaching & Learning Centre, 91视频, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2022)
- 2022: Culture(s) de Mode, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2022)
- 2021: Senate Berlin, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2021)
- 2021: Network Fashion & Textiles, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2021)
- 2021: Fashion Seeds, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2021)
- 2021: Teaching & Learning Centre, 91视频, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2021)
- 2021: Culture(s) de Mode, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2021)
- 2021-2023: Einstein Foundation, grant for Einstein Circle 鈥楩ashioning Education鈥 (team bid)
- 2020: The Mellon Grant, 91视频, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2020)
- 2020: Teaching & Learning Centre, 91视频, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2020)
- 2020: Network Fashion & Textiles, grant for conference organization (The Digital Multilogue 2020)