From swimsuits to spacesuits, clothing directly connects the body to social life and the political world and can be seen as ‘sites of political struggle’ (Parkins 2002).

Clothing is central to ideas around identity, participation, inclusion and exclusion. It reflects, and shapes, how we see ourselves now and imagine different futures.

Far less investigated is the fact that many socio-politically charged artefacts of clothing are patented inventions.

Patenting is a key way of studying inventions over time. Inventors describe specific problems they seek to resolve and their solutions in visual and textual detail and in doing so provide fascinating insights into radical transformations and everyday happenings.

We are also interviewing contemporary inventors engaged in designing, making, adapting and hacking clothes to fit different kinds of bodies, activities, and social, political and cultural beliefs.