Yara De Vries

About

This research investigates how reflective practices such as wardrobe archiving and podcast storytelling enable individuals to reclaim agency over their visual identity within a cultural system increasingly shaped by surveillance and commercial control. Drawing on Foucault’s theory of panopticism and Timothy Snyder’s work on freedom, my research looks at how awareness—rather than behavioural change—can act as a subtle but powerful form of resistance.

The research is conducted through a five-episode podcast series, called The Wardrobe Archive, in which participants—ranging from designers, educators, students, media professionals to everyday wearers—are invited to bring two garments: one symbolizing their private identity and another representing their public identity. Through these curated wardrobe selections and structured questions according to the theme of the episode, we unravel the layered narratives, contradictions, and sociopolitical structures embedded in a system shaped by the decisions behind our wardrobe.

By approaching fashion through an audio format—a visual medium experienced in a non-visual way—this project creates space for new narratives to emerge. This method invites us to talk about and rethink fashion in innovative ways, moving beyond conventional visual analysis. The foundation for this approach draws on Robert Griffin’s theories of anonymity, which suggest that stepping away from the visual gaze opens up possibilities for alternative stories and meanings to surface.