Archivist - Curator - Researcher - Writer
Fashion Studies (MA), 2024
She/her
Language Spoken: English, Afrikaans, Flemish, Dutch
Raised on an olive farm on the outskirts of Cape Town in South Africa, fashion was easily the least popular field to pursue. It was however Michelle's interest in art that led her to express herself creatively by completing a BA degree in Fashion Design. The emphasis placed on interdisciplinary theories and methodologies that contribute to the advancement of the fashion industry motivated her to further her studies abroad. Now, as a Master's Degree student in Fashion Studies, she is excited to work in the curatorial, research, and archival departments of the fashion industry. In her meticulously planned moments of leisure, you could easily find Michelle outdoors completing sport challenges, reorganising the organised, or illustrating with her Copic markers.
The value of dress artifacts and their iterations: A case study on the iteration of look 145 Winter 1966, Balenciaga.
Fashion Studies (MA), 2024
This thesis explores the creation, trajectory and transformational value of Look 145 from creation to present. A look that was first presented by Spanish couturier Cristobal Balenciaga in the 1966 Winter Haute couture collection. By analysing the transformational value of one dress this thesis aims to reveal the various historic and contemporary ways archives and their artefacts create, reinforce, and potentially dismantle forms of hierarchy and power through prioritisation. This thesis contributes to the field of Fashion and Cultural studies and hopes to bring light to a space that often goes unnoticed.