1 August 2023

The MAK Vienna exhibition 'Critical Consumption' shows the development of the fashion industry into one of the biggest producers of waste

According to the press release, the upcoming exhibition 'Critical Consumption' at the MAK Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna is aimed primarily at consumers; but as far as Fashion.at has gained an insight, the exhibition will also be an interesting source of inspiration for designers. From 30 August 2023 to 8 September 2024, the exhibition will show more than three hundred years of the development of the fashion industry, from the early industrial production of fabrics, the implementation of fashion as an economic factor, the ever-shorter trend waves and changing consumer behavior, to today's overproduction. It traces the history of mass fashion consumption since the 18th century and explains how technological advances, global expansion and digital processes have led to the phenomenon of fast fashion.

In recent years, 'critical consumption' has become a theme not only for consumers, but also for designers, who are increasingly focusing their creativity on consumers' demands for sustainable and fair products in terms of materials, production processes, and working conditions. The exhibition will provide a holistic picture from various angles, such as the production, logistics and consumption of clothing, or the market factor of fashion, including working conditions in the different stages of production, by showing historical artifacts as well as contemporary artworks and footage, such as the 2017 documentary '15 Hours' by Chinese director Wang Bing.

The press release describes the goal of "Critical Consumption' as encouraging visitors to reflect on their own consumption patterns. The exhibition also raises questions about the value of clothing and the affordability of refusing to consume in today's capitalist society.

On the opening evening on 29 August at 18:00, the MAK invites you to the panel talk (in German and English) 'How can we consume fashion responsibly?' with Alec Leach (author 'The world is on fire but we're still buying shoes'), Madeleine Alizadeh (founder dariadéh, content creator) and Sabinna Rachimova (founder, lecturer, consultant, SABINNA, Fashion Revolution Austria), moderated by exhibition curator Lara Steinhäußer.

Images, from left: Detail of a 19th-century silk-woven portrait of Joseph-Marie Jacquard, inventor of the punch-card-based jacquard loom. © MAK/Branislav Djordjevic. Right: Wang Bing, Documentary 15 Hours, Hong Kong, 2017. Courtesy of the Chantal Crousel Gallery, Paris. © Wang Bing.