Anna
Sadkowska

Thesis Title: Interpreting Fashion and Ageing: A phenomenological exploration of older men's experience of fashion

Anna is a PhD student in the School of Art & Design. The relationship between fashion and ageing has recently become topical, especially within the context of the current socio-demographic changes, such as the development of ageing populations and maturing of the so-called baby boomers generation. These global phenomena have resulted in a stronger link between fashion and aging than ever before.

In recent years fashion and ageing has been studied from various perspectives including physiology, sociology and design studies. Indeed, no matter what discipline we operate within, this relationship seems to be analysed mainly from the angle of bodily deterioration distorting and dimming the complexity of the embodied lived experience. What is also common in all these initiatives is that they mainly focus on women, neglecting the topic of older men and their experience of growing old.

Anna's PhD project entitled Interpreting Fashion and Ageing: A phenomenological exploration of older men's experience of fashion (fully funded by the AHRC) aims to respond to this identified gap in knowledge through qualitative, practice-based study in which Anna explores the embodied experience of ageing through the lens of clothing and fashion.

While the underpinning aim of my PhD research is to expose new, alternative strategies for fashion research and practice, this project also explores the possibility of adapting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a fashion design methodology. IPA makes it possible to use older male fashionistas' lived experiences of clothing as a set of data, and the researcher's practical explorations as one of the research methods. Additionally, by allowing the design process to be catalysed by the participants' narrations, the issues of communication, inter-generational dialogue and cultural significance can be challenged and confronted.

Anna's research interests span a variety of topics including fashion and ageing, masculinity, phenomenology, art and design research methodologies and qualitative research methodologies.

Director of Studies

Professor Tom Fisher

Research Groups / Centres and Projects

Digital Craft and Embodied Knowledge Research Group

Publications

• SADKOWSKA, A., WILDE, D., and FISHER, T. (2015: forthcoming). Third Age Men's Experience of Fashion and Clothing: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Age, Culture, Humanities: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2(1).
• SADKOWSKA, A., WILDE, D., and FISHER, T. (2014). Fashioning Age: New Strategies of Knowledge Production and Dissemination within the Field of Cultural Gerontology - paper presented at the Aging and Society: 4th Interdisciplinary Conference, Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester, UK.
• SADKOWSKA, A., FISHER, T., WILDE, D., and TOWNSEND, K. (2014). Interpreting Fashion and Age: Arts-Informed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as a fashion research methodology - paper presented at The Fashion Thinking, History, Theory, Practice, 30 October 2014 - 1 November 2014, University of Southern Denmark, Kolding, Denmark.
• SADKOWSKA, A., and WILDE, D. (2014). Bringing experience together: methodological collaboration between fashion design and phenomenological psychology - paper presented at the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment (CADBE) Annual Conference, 10 June 2014,Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
• SADKOWSKA, A. (2014). Fashioning Age: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a Fashion Design Methodology – paper presented at the First Annual Professional Research Practice (PRP) Conference 2014: Breaking Boundaries, 15 May 2014, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
• SADKOWSKA, A. (2014) ‘Fashion Equilibriums': Older men and their perception of fashion and clothing - paper presented at the 8th International Symposium on Cultural Gerontology (Meaning and Culture(s): Exploring the Life Course) 2nd Conference of the European Network in Aging Studies (ENAS), 10 - 12 April 2014, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
• Work featured in: MCNAMARA, C. and SZITA, J. (eds.) (2013) Masterclass: Fashion & Textiles: Guide to the Worlds Leading Graduate Schools. Amsterdam: Frame Publishers.