Research is at the heart of what we do, driving a deeper understanding of how the worlds of fashion and film have intersected since the dawn of cinema. We work with filmmakers, scholars and critics, distributors, fashion designers, artists and film archivists internationally to develop new thinking on both fashion and the moving image, and to provide an independent platform for critical debate.

We go beyond showcasing contemporary fashion film. Rather, our festival seasons address current industry practices in a broader cultural and historical context. We explore the intersections between fashion and cinema throughout the entire history of the moving image, going back to the late-19th century. As well as bringing into focus remarkable costume and set design, we have examined questions around fashion’s representation and mediation through cinema and other screen media, film’s tendency to draw on fashion as a form of visual spectacle, and fashion’s powerful ability to both reflect and shape social and political realities.

Interdisciplinary by its very nature, our research spans not only fashion, costume and the moving image but also crosses over into design, art, literature, popular visual culture, aesthetics, politics and society.

Our research has been supported by numerous funders and partners, including the Arts and Humanities Research Council UK, British Council, British Film Institute, French Institute, Arts Council England, University of the Arts London, and CUNY.

We organise public workshops, seminars and symposia, and have participated in events at venues including the Arnhem Mode Biennale, AIGA’s international design conference, and Yale University.