This Special Issue follows the Painted Garments symposium which took place on 22 May 2026, hosted by UAL Camberwell College of Arts.

This Special Issue will explore links between and within painting, textiles and fashion. From artists who depict clothing in their work to designers inspired by painting and those working directly onto or in response to garments and textiles, we invite contributions from artists, designers and academics working at the intersection of these subjects.

We invite contributions that concentrate on the reciprocal exchanges among painting, textiles and fashion. We especially welcome abstracts from artists, art historians and theorists as well as writers and academics in associated fields.

The Painted Garments symposium featured a diverse range of presentations, from art and fashion historical approaches to critical thought and live performance. We welcome development of papers from the symposium but will also be glad to see contributions from others that might expand the range of discourses following the event.

Suggested themes could include, but are not limited to:
- The relationship between painting and the material, symbolic and cultural functions of clothing;
- How painted garments and textiles might give voice to racial, social and/or environmental injustices;
- Critical and theoretical interpretations of the intersections between the mediums;
- The role of painted garments and textiles as forms of resistance;
Wearable paintings/paintings as garments;
- Fashion items translated from paintings;
- Artists working directly onto garments and textiles;
- Explorations of identity through the intersection of painting, textiles and fashion;
- Textiles and fashion as subjects for painting;
- Art/fashion histories approach to painting.
- We invite the following formats:

- Articles (4000–6000 words, including notes and references);
- Research reports (2500–4000 words);
- ‘In Conversations’ with artists, designers or scholars (2000–4000 words);
- Reviews of events and new publications (750–1500 words).

Guest Editors:
Dr Tom Cardwell (t.cardwellarts.ac.uk)
Dr Sarah Kate Wilson (infosarahkatewilson.com)