In an industry as wide, fluid and impactful as the fashion industry, we must always remember to be critical. The industry should always strive to reinvent itself - something which must imply a reflection upon itself, our many societies and its inhabitants, art, and culture. Our goal should always be to transform and take into consideration the social and environmental impact it has upon us and the world. We had a chat with the founding editor-in-chief of Viscose Journal Jeppe Ugelvig. Viscose - A new journal for fashion criticism was launched between Copenhagen and New York in 2021. The periodical publishes critical writing and research projects by a wide range of authors from the worlds of art, fashion, literature, and academia. Through specially edited thematic issues conceived in partnerships with institutions and museums, Viscose gives space to projects that challenge and expand the possibilities of research, practice, and critique of fashion.

Q How did Viscose come to be, and why the name viscose?

A Viscose was born from our own frustration regarding the lack of platforms for fashion criticism. We were interested in cultivating a space that could discuss fashion beyond its crazed industry, drawing on a pool of contributors from a variety of disciplines. Viscose, a synthetic textile made of wood pulp, felt like an emblematic name for such an endeavour. It's an in-between textile with an ultra-modern modern history.

Q Why is fashion criticism so important today?

A In a globalized consumer capitalist society, fashion surrounds all of us; all industries are, in a way, fashion industries, because they adopt fashion's logic of perpetual newness. We find fashion to be an urgent topic that must be intellectualized by a larger group of people. And we think these people already exist and are looking for things to read.

Q How can we create more spaces for critical fashion reflection in the industry?

A Corporate fashion giants and national/regional talent prizes should dare to think "fashion" beyond cash support for name-sake brands. Instead, they should acknowledge their responsibility in supporting a much more diverse and expanded definition of fashion production—including publishing.