[Ad]dressing mamma. Fashion practices of consumption, use and disposal at the liminality of pregnancy

This thesis explores the everyday practice of dress worn through first time, full-term pregnancies into the initial postpartum phase. Conducted through the lens’ of consumption, use and disposal, it aims to understand everyday dressing acts through a period of liminal change, understand how this influences the impact on the wearer’s sense of self, and how and if these practices sit within a ‘sustainable fashion’ framework. The research questions for this study were: What are the drivers of the consumption, use and disposal of clothing during pregnancy and the postpartum period?; Can you dress sustainably during pregnancy and into the postpartum period? And; Can you dress sustainably whilst supporting personal identity during pregnancy and into the postpartum period?

Taking a constructivist approach with a feminist lens, the research was conducted with a bond of five women over nearly two years, through the practice of intimate individual wardrobe studies, held both prior to their babies arrival and after. Data was analysed using a thematic method.

This research finds that although practices of dress through pregnancy could be framed as sustainable, they often hold tension at the cost of the individual wearer’s sense of self and therefore do not sit within a broader sustainable framing. This research also finds that if one is to address the social aspects to sustainability it can come at a cost to the environmental considerations.