TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF NEW YORK FASHION RETAIL

The first event organized by the research fellows was a roundtable discussion titled, “Tracing the Evolution of New York Fashion Retail,” and was held in the afternoon of December 6, 2013 at Parsons School of Design. Focusing on the research process and methodology, the 2013 Stutz fellows, Maureen Brewster and Junyao Peng, presented and discussed their research alongside Parsons faculty members Dr. Elaine Abelson, Dr. Christina Moon, and Dr. Ethan Robey. The respondents were selected for their work in fashion retail and cultural history of New York City, and gave a short introduction of that work before weighing in on the work of Women of New York Fashion.

Dr. Abelson has written extensively on women’s history, urban history, and American cultural and social history – including When Ladies Go A-Thieving: Middle Class Shoplifters in the Victorian Department Store (1990), which was an instrumental source for year one research. Dr. Moon has focused on material culture, social memory, and the ephemeral and everyday in her work; her doctoral dissertation, “Material Intimacies: Labor, Creativity, and the Global Fashion Industry” (2011), focused on the cultural labor of the New York City’s Garment District. Meanwhile, Dr. Robey was selected for his specialty in American and European nineteenth- and twentieth-century visual culture, display, and consumerism, as well as his expertise in New York City cultural history.

Dr. Hazel Clark moderated the resulting panel discussion between the 2013 fellows and the respondents, which brought up some important questions about access to ephemera and primary source material – particularly through archival access – which was a central issue in year one research. The respondents also provided insight into other avenues for inquiry, including film and fiction, in which one could use the representation of the store as a primary source; it was also suggested to use MBA case studies on department stores and retail fashion, so as to investigate more about the inner workings of the industry. After the discussion was opened up for audience participation, there were further suggestions for continued research, including interviews with industry professionals and New York City walking tours. The event culminated with a small reception.