Parker's Pensées Ep. 68 - What Does Theology Have to Do With Fashion? - w/Dr. Robert Covolo
Feb 19, 2021
Dr. Robert Covolo, author of Fashion Theology and a PhD holder, dives into the surprising connections between fashion and theology. He discusses how historical figures like Augustine and Tertullian influenced fashion perceptions. Covolo reflects on modern Christians' engagement with clothing as a cultural identity and its implications for personal expression. The conversation also tackles Kuyperian theology, ethical fashion, and the complexities of navigating faith within contemporary styles. It's a thought-provoking exploration of belief and self-presentation!
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How Fashion Theology Began
- Robert Covolo discovered fashion theology through pastoral work with students and reading Abraham Kuyper.
- He saw a theological need to relate Christ's lordship to the global academic field of fashion studies.
Augustine's 'Dress As Text'
- Augustine saw dress as a kind of text that communicates meaning within society.
- He resisted Tertullian's strict separation of church culture and broader society while limiting fashion's excesses.
What Makes Fashion 'Fashion'
- Fashion proper is distinct from mere dress because it depends on rapid cycles of attention and replacement.
- The modern fashion system emerges where iterative change and consumer replacement become cultural logics.
