Jeannine Diego

Fashion designer Jeannine Diego discusses the intersection of community, punk rock and the self-making performance of fashion that we all do every day. This episode also features guest Kristin Stewart, a doctoral student whose research investigates the historical influence of men's clothing on masculinity.---About Jeannine DiegoWith more than 25 years of fashion industry experience in various contexts and regions traversing a broad range of competencies, Jeannine Diego’s creative practice informs her research and focus on sustainable design. Her areas of interest lie at the intersections of fashion and politics expressed through self-making practices of undisciplined bodies, particularly in Cuba and Mexico. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and found expression in documentary film projects. Her documentary film A Wardrobe, An Island (2024) journeys through the mirrors and wardrobes of four Cuban women attempting to make a history of their own. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and a Master’s Degree in Critical Theory. She is Assistant Professor of Fashion Design at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts.About Kristin StewartKristen Stewart earned a B.F.A. in Fashion Design from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2002 and an M.A. in Fashion and Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2008. Prior to entering the Media, Art, and Text Doctoral Program at VCU, she was the Nathalie L. Klaus Curator of Costume and Textiles for the Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia, with previous professional experience as a research associate for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a curatorial assistant for the Department of Textile Arts of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Her research interests focus on the intersection of social power and gender identity as manifested in established sartorial codes.--VCUarts Uncharted is recorded in the Community Media Center in the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU. Music by Felipe Leitão. For more information, visit arts.vcu.edu/uncharted.