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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Fashion as Design by The Museum of Modern Art

4.8
stars
2,819 ratings

About the Course

Fashion as Design focuses on a selection of garments and accessories from around the world, ranging from kente cloth and denim to turtlenecks, swimwear, and 3D-printed dresses. Through these garments, you’ll take a closer look at what we wear, why we wear it, how it’s made, and what it means. Hear directly from a range of designers, makers, historians, and others working with clothing every day—and, in some cases, reinventing it for the future. Studio visits, interviews, and other resources introduce the history and development of each garment and their changing uses, meanings, and impact over time....

Top reviews

SM

May 27, 2020

I would highly recommend this course for someone passionate about the industry. It's an Insightful course too deepen inside the fashion world, through history, identity, sustainability, and much more.

MP

May 15, 2020

Excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommended it to many. I am a mature student ( 55) and after this, I really feel I want to study a masters in fashion sustainability. Thanks for inspiring me.

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1 - 25 of 657 Reviews for Fashion as Design

By Imogen B

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Oct 2, 2019

Although I found most of what was featured in the course interesting, and it allowed me to approach fashion from a more academic perspective for the first time, I feel there are some areas where it falls short slightly. Due to the course being based on an exhibition, I sometimes felt as though I wasn't really exploring the topic as much as I would have liked, as if I was just paying to go through the exhibition, rather than through a course. The way that everything was peer-assessed and reviewed is, while a good idea, sometimes a bit irritating as I would spend lots of time and effort forming a (hopefully!) insightful reflection, and would look at other people's submissions to see one-word answers. It felt a bit strange that I ended up getting the same certificate from the course as another person despite putting in a lot more effort. I would have liked my thoughts (or at least the final essay) to be seen by a professional, so I could actually improve my writing skills and knowledge of fashion. However, I fully understand that it would really be impossible to allow this for the thousands of people taking the course- I think this may be more of a flaw with my expectations rather than one of the course itself. I also thought there was a slight disconnect between the nature of the course week-by-week and the final essay. The multiple choice knowledge questions, quizzing us on dates and names doesn't match up to the final essay, which was very self-reflective and quite subjective in nature.

By Antonia A B

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Apr 9, 2018

This course is excellently taught and very engaging, I have enjoyed it immensely and cant wait to do further courses produced by MOMA! Great course, I would highly recommend it :)

By Samanya G

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May 26, 2020

“A frog in a well cannot discuss the ocean, because he is limited by the size of his well. A summer insect cannot discuss ice, because it knows only its own season. A narrow-minded scholar cannot discuss the Tao, because he is constrained by his teachings - Zhuangzi

I am a fashion enthusiast, I love colors, weaves, drapes, patterns. but my knowledge is very limited. with all this struggle I entered into the middle age with no acquired knowledge in my favorite subject. when I opted to join this course I didn't know anything about MOMA, I thought that 'fashion as design means they might teach fashions and designs, like a crow with one eye view I saw two words fashion and design and jumped into this course. but here the scenario is entirely different. I did my Ph.D. and post-doctoral in literature, I am a freelance journalist and writer. so it is very much obvious for me to have enthusiasm in history. exactly there this course connected to me. how much I enjoyed this course I cannot explain in words.

MoMA by giving its hand helped me to come out of my well. prepared me to see the sea. what I truly appreciate MoMA is its nature of rebellious progressive attitude . in each and every seminar I observed that the resource persons are from various corners.

in India, I usually observe suppressed communities wearing suits either occasionally or when to address very simple gatherings where that is very unusual to upper classes . recently I had to watch a movie. the protagonist in that movie is from the lower caste, he always wears a coat even in sultry summers ..when a person questions about this he answers that there is much difference between Gandhi wearing kollayi ( simple khadi fabric to wrap around) Ambedkar wearing a suit. this difference is all about the caste equation. likewise, designer Kerby Jean- Raymond, in his PowerPoint presentation when he googled ''a black in hoodie '' the pictures that appeared on the internet really made me get shocked.

The fifth-week topic lifecycle also made me aware of the truth that how much pollution these garments manufacturing industries are making especially the truth that jeans can occupy an increasingly problematic space. and the awareness that 80% of women labor is receiving very low wages is heart-wrenching. and designer and scholar Pia Interlandi's invention ''little black death dress'' is really thought-provoking. this is an unending list actually because the topics picked by MoMA are truly amazing.

now coming to the point -a reflection of my wardrobe, I would like to explain how my perception has been changed by Hari Neff's approach of unisex fashion and gender binary. before listening to Neff I always chose my clothes with feministic enlightenment . in India modesty and culture bearers are always women. men from every corner of India wear only pants and shirts unless they are from very remote areas. on the contrary to male dressing patterns, women use to carry their culture on their shoulders with various types of dressing, and undetachable ornaments. as a thorough learner of feminism, I thought that wearing a traditional saree is really feminine, it controls movement and it shows sexuality. instead of saree I preferred women to wear pant shirts.. yes under the influence of bra-burning feminism. but now after reading ''the unisex project and Le smoking '' I came to a big realization that what we were thinking about these masculine pant shirts, suits are really not unisex they were taken the form of men's wear, adapted for women's wear. finally, I caught the point that Hari Neff talked about ... it's true if a woman gains power, dominance from dawning a man suit then how sustainable is that a power source? it is true clothes are just for 'clothes ' sake. what we have to do is'' looking at the people in the clothes, and what they are doing ,. a gesture, a personality ''and finally what our bodies are doing in those clothes. finally like Hari Neff I gave up the thought of whole clothes thing. what I am wearing is not important, how much confidence I have as a woman in this male dominant world is more important.

one another thing that touches deep down of my heart is Bernard Rudofsky's statement of 1944 - '' the female figure is redesigned from time to time, like furniture or automobile bodies. I do not look like how I was twenty years back, not even two years back. it keeps on changing irrespective of my hard efforts to be in the shape that the fashion market implies to be. the urges and cravings of certain foods and toughest decisions of not consuming them are really horrible day to day wars. I have a few favorite dresses from two years back . to fit into them I am fighting to suppress my hunger pangs.but if we closely think about this it appears what Rudofsky said is true and as the sun rises in the east that female figure is redesigned from time to time. when I think in this context kawakubo 1997 spring/summer collection ''body meets dress, dress meets the body - and become one '' appealed to me a lot. yes we are not for dress, the dress is for us, for our comfort.

finally, I am very happy to acknowledge the truth that I have enjoyed this course very much, and it changed my perception towards so many issues, it made me get enlightened, to get aware. thanks a thousand times to MOMA.thanks a lot.

We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet. We need to awaken ourselves. We need to practice mindfulness if we want to have a future we want to save ourselves and the planet.--Thich Nhat Hanh

By Candace A

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Dec 1, 2019

Highly practical and ambitious material challenging us to think about the current landscape of fashion, as well as the future, and how we can improve the the industry with sustainable practices.

By Pallabi S

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Aug 31, 2018

It would really help if the professors themselves could review our subjective assignments.

By Carmen S

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Oct 21, 2018

The information presented is good, I especially enjoyed the footage from presentations held at MoMa. Unfortunately, every week ends the same when it comes to the reflective stage (same questions, pretty generic) and I feel this steals us from the possibility to better internalize the information.

By Rita Z

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Jan 31, 2018

I really recommend everyone to take this course! I have learned so much throughout these 7 weeks and I now have a different perception about many different things! Thank you

By Anastasija L

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May 13, 2019

The course is very interesting for those, who is connected to the fashion industry in one way or another. However I expected to have more information about life-circle of clothes: how it is produced, what exactly happens after an item is thrown away etc.

By Tatiana P

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Jun 9, 2020

It's a great course not only for fashion lovers, but anybody interested in history, design, activism or sustainability. I subscribed just for fun, but got so much new knowledge and inspiration!

By Deborah G

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Nov 26, 2019

Brilliant course. Eye - opening. It gave me the language to describe some of my views on fashion which I never even knew existed. Looking forward to more fashion courses from MoMA!

By Vani V

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Nov 12, 2019

I really enjoyed this course. It opened my thoughts and provide a lots of new inspiration. I always wanted to learn about fashion and what goes into garment making. It was great to hear from so many different speakers and their experiences. It shows how people view what you wear and what message we send to others. Fashion can be bold, can be subtle but to make it who we are as a human being is truly liberating.

By Melody L

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Jun 27, 2018

Highly recommend this course to anyone! It provided me with a new way to view my own wardrobe, pick my outfits, and evaluate how my subconscious notions towards articles of clothing are shaped. Although there is a huge emphasis on sustainability in fashion schools, tracing the history of fashion provides insight in how to spread awareness of sustainability surrounding fashion to the general public.

By Mariella F

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Sep 30, 2019

This course is so informative for ANYONE who's interested in Fashion, whether you're a professional in the field or an amateur fan like me. I enjoyed every weekly course. I'm now returning to NYC to hopefully visit the MoMA and look at their collection through this research team's eye and with the knowledge I've acquired during these month and a half.

By Shahd M

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May 28, 2020

I would highly recommend this course for someone passionate about the industry. It's an Insightful course too deepen inside the fashion world, through history, identity, sustainability, and much more.

By Mage I

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Apr 17, 2018

I really enjoyed this course. I love the facts and new things I have learned about garments and items that I use in my every day life but also other objects from other cultures.

By Isabel C O I

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Jan 27, 2020

I had high expectative in this course. It has fulfilled my expectations completely, but not only that, I have found what I was looking for and more; an amazing perspective about clothes and their history and the future of garment. Connections with some garments and culture that I didn't know that exist. I have started to understand High Couture somehow, which I used to think about like What is this supposed to be created for?. I am very thankful to Paola Antonelli, Michelle Millar Fisher, Stephanie Kramer and Anna Burckhardt for these amazing course and the rest of the people who made this course posible. Maybe one day I could watch at my wardrobe and Identify my personal 111(or less) Items and be proud and know everything about them and about why do I want to be wearing that.

Thank you!

By Daniel F

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Apr 11, 2020

I began the course thinking would be just focused in aesthetic, I always saw fashion and art together but but separeted of the politic or not with the same conotation until this course, like separeted pieces but after this course I can more clearly that we are all connected in different ways to think, to buy, to build, o create, to pay and the impacts of any decision for the rest of the world. Im really impressed and proud of the content.

By Carol-Anne R

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Dec 4, 2017

This was a wonderful overview of fashion and clothing. I was not aware of so much information behind what I wear and choose not to wear. Fashion as Design is the course everyone should start with regardless of their career course or interests. Clothing we all wear, and what it is, why we wear, who designs, creates, recreates, where it comes from before it reaches us, and how we fit into the tapestry of what clothing is, should be learned by everyone.

I would love to continue with courses like this course and learn more about other types of design like textile design, furniture or houses.

Thank you to Paola Antonelli, Michelle Millar Fisher, Stephanie Kramer, and all the other students of the course. I learned so much from you all. I hope to one day return the gift. Be well, and be creative.

By SANDRA A

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Dec 3, 2018

Muy contenta, me ha encantado y muy agradecida por comprender la moda y sus orígenes históricos profundos , que bueno sería poder encontrar formaciones relacionados en temas a la moda sostenible, textiles sostenibles, emprendimientos de marca en moda sostenible .. Gracias por esta maravillosa oportunidad.

By Mariela R

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Feb 25, 2018

I really loved this course. I've learned so much about some items that I didn't have any idea. It's great to see the other side of fashion, that one that it is not the one we are used to. The course reveals the social side of fashion, fashion as an expression, as a weapon to survive, as a cultural tool.

By Maite P

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May 16, 2020

Excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommended it to many. I am a mature student ( 55) and after this, I really feel I want to study a masters in fashion sustainability. Thanks for inspiring me.

By Verónica L

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Jul 16, 2019

This course was an amazing experience. Every lecture, every video an the interviews were like complements to my past knowledge about fashion. Thanks to MoMa and Coursera!

By Harini H

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Apr 7, 2019

Thank you Fashion as Design team for creating this wonderful course! I have learned so many new things and increased my awareness of the true cost of fashion. I had no idea fashion was the second most polluting industry in the world, that it consumed so much energy and water and how it contributed to climate change and water pollution. I had stopped buying clothes for a while now because I have enough for my needs but if and when I do need something new I'm only going to buy second-hand clothing because I cannot in good conscience purchase anything new knowing the terrible social and environmental impact it has on the world. This course has completely changed how I look at fashion and what I will purchase in future. I love everything I own but now I value and appreciate them so much more. I did not know that you could grow your own clothes and that was such a cool thing to learn about. It's wonderful to know that sustainable alternatives to non-recyclable textiles and animal-derived leather is being produced. I loved the merging of technology with fashion as seen in Asher Levine's biker jacket prototype. All in all, this was an amazing course.

By Gillian K H

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Jun 12, 2020

I enjoyed the course content and would like to learn more. There were issues with the Coursera website, I could not see what I had submitted and I found connecting with fellow students impossible. No feedback other than pass or fail makes one feel distanced from MoMa - I now realise that the content is supplied by MoMa but the course credit is from Coursera which seems to be a processing house rather than a place of learning. The final assessment is done by Peers so it's a bit hit and miss. It could just be this particular course, perhaps others have more professional feedback. I would think about paying for the certificate, I did but does it mean anything other than I answered the quizzes correctly? A bit disappointing but I am still glad that I did it.

By Anca

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Apr 17, 2020

This was a great course - interactive, with stories that make concepts easy to understand and memorise. It changed the way I looked at fashion and now I'm more aware not only at my fashion choices, but on how they influence the environment and people around the globe.