Pudding Seminar: Rachel Worth (alumna), ‘The Fabric of Our Lives: Why Clothes Matter’

Rachel Worth is Professor Emerita at the Arts University Bournemouth, UK, where she was Course Leader for the undergraduate degree in ‘Fashion Studies’ and, latterly, Head of Research and Professor of Dress History.

She studied history at Newnham College, University of Cambridge (1982-5); obtained a PGCE (secondary level) in History / Humanities at the University of Bristol and then an MA and PhD in History of Dress at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. 

After a spell in clothing retail management, Rachel has spent most of her career teaching and in fashion education. She has researched widely the history of non-elite clothing, in particular, issues around democratisation and the relationship between clothing and class. She is the author of Dress and Textiles(Dovecote Press, 2002); Fashion for the People: A History of Clothing at Marks & Spencer (Berg, 2007); Clothing and Landscape in Victorian England: Working-Class Dress and Rural Life (I. B. Tauris, 2018), Fashion and Class (Bloomsbury, 2020) and, most recently, The Hidden Life of Clothing: Historical Perspectives on Fashion and Sustainability (Bloomsbury, 2023).

Rachel sews and is a passionate advocate of ‘slow fashion’ and sustainable practices in clothing design and making.

All staff, students, senior members and alumnae are very warmly invited to attend the Pudding Seminars. Talks usually last between 20-25 minutes, followed by time for questions, comments and discussion before we finish at 1.50pm, to allow people to get to 2pm appointments. Please note that coffee and cake will be available from 1 o’clock with the seminar starting promptly at 1.15pm. Details of all our seminars can be found at: https://newn.cam.ac.uk/research/pudding-seminars