(HOFF) Human Oriented Fast Fashion Framework
(HOFF) Human Oriented Fast Fashion Framework
Date
Spring 2025
Spring 2025
Professor
Project Link
Github
Project Description
This was the final research paper for INFO-657 Digital Humanities. The Human-Oriented Fast Fashion Framework (HOFF) examines ethical, creative, and critical dimensions of fast fashion. The central aim was to consider how archival methods of provenance and documentation could be reimagined to address a contemporary question: what would it look like to preserve garments always culturally in flux? The framework explores what a structured approach to capturing the factors shaping and driving fast fashion might entail.
Methods
Since the project is theoretical, we began by reviewing archival theory and current research on fast-fashion archiving to lay the foundation for the framework. Through that review, we identified a gap in how existing archival models address objects whose cultural meaning and value are unstable. As a result, we developed the concept of the “phantasmagorical cultural object,” a term we created to describe the ever-changing nature of fast-fashion artifacts. With this concept established, we transitioned to a synthesis phase, in which I combined Python with data scraped from Instagram to map relationships for the selected garment in our case study. This process culminated in a diagram that visualizes the connections across the five layers we selected for this project, providing a structured view of how these layers interact around a single garment.
Role & Contributions
This was a collaborative project undertaken with Nick Brenner. My role encompassed conducting the primary research, developing the conceptual frameworks that guided the project, and synthesizing our collective findings into a cohesive analysis.
Learning Outcome
Research
Rationale
Recognizing that traditional provenance methods fail in the fast-fashion industry prompted us to write this paper. Seeing how quickly things move and change in this industry, how nothing ever stays the same for long, made us question how archives can keep up. As I worked on the paper, I found myself asking questions about the limits of the existing frameworks: how do you capture objects whose meaning is constantly shifting and debated? Instead of treating fast-fashion garments as mere products, I wanted to focus on the people, culture, and the impact the garments have on our environment. This paper made me realize how much archival theory still has to evolve to account for materials that resist stable interpretation.
Gallery
Project Description
This was the final research paper for INFO-657 Digital Humanities. The Human-Oriented Fast Fashion Framework (HOFF) examines ethical, creative, and critical dimensions of fast fashion. The central aim was to consider how archival methods of provenance and documentation could be reimagined to address a contemporary question: what would it look like to preserve garments always culturally in flux? The framework explores what a structured approach to capturing the factors shaping and driving fast fashion might entail.
Methods
Since the project is theoretical, we began by reviewing archival theory and current research on fast-fashion archiving to lay the foundation for the framework. Through that review, we identified a gap in how existing archival models address objects whose cultural meaning and value are unstable. As a result, we developed the concept of the “phantasmagorical cultural object,” a term we created to describe the ever-changing nature of fast-fashion artifacts. With this concept established, we transitioned to a synthesis phase, in which I combined Python with data scraped from Instagram to map relationships for the selected garment in our case study. This process culminated in a diagram that visualizes the connections across the five layers we selected for this project, providing a structured view of how these layers interact around a single garment.
Role & Contributions
This was a collaborative project undertaken with Nick Brenner. My role encompassed conducting the primary research, developing the conceptual frameworks that guided the project, and synthesizing our collective findings into a cohesive analysis.
Learning Outcome
Research
Rationale
Recognizing that traditional provenance methods fail in the fast-fashion industry prompted us to write this paper. Seeing how quickly things move and change in this industry, how nothing ever stays the same for long, made us question how archives can keep up. As I worked on the paper, I found myself asking questions about the limits of the existing frameworks: how do you capture objects whose meaning is constantly shifting and debated? Instead of treating fast-fashion garments as mere products, I wanted to focus on the people, culture, and the impact the garments have on our environment. This paper made me realize how much archival theory still has to evolve to account for materials that resist stable interpretation.
Gallery