Mo Shi
About
Dr Mo Shi is a fashion researcher whose work explores the cultural, political, and institutional conditions surrounding Chinese fashion archives. Her doctoral thesis examined how Chinese fashion professionals understand and produce history through their archival practices. The research sheds light on how social ideology shapes the logic of archival interpretation and argues for the creation of autonomous frameworks within the field of Chinese fashion archiving.
Prior to commencing her PhD, Mo worked in various archives across museums and fashion companies, including the V&A Museum, Net-a-Porter, and Vivienne Westwood. These experiences not only sharpened her technical and curatorial skills, but also shaped her approach to the archive as a cultural and critical method. Since 2015, she has collaborated with the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, designing and delivering a series of undergraduate short courses in fashion history and fashion management.
Mo is the founder and director of the Asia Fashion Heritage Foundation, an independent initiative that aims to advance research, education, and cross-cultural dialogue around fashion archives in Asia. The foundation works to connect designers, institutions, and scholars across East Asia and the UK, with a focus on activating archival practices as tools for innovation, identity-making, and public engagement.
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