Laura Bovone, a researcher collaborating in the project ‘Emotional Culture and Society' (CEMID) at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) -supported by Seguros Zurich- has published the book Rappresentarsi nel mondo. Comunicazione, identità, moda. In this publication, she analyzes the communicative potential of fashion and how the form of dressing results in a "second skin" with which we show ourselves to the public. Laura Bovone is professor of Sociology of communication at the Catholic University Il sacro Cuore in Milán.

Why are you interested in the conflict between fashion and Identity?

I like the way people express the inner world, the way in which communication is posible in our society,  reinforcing its existence. Fashion is an important instrument to communicate Identity.

Fashion identifies us with a particular social group. Why do some people convert it into a lifestyle?

There have always been groups of people who reject the main fashion trends and present themselves as if they were the agents who oppose them. Nevertheless, this doesn´t mean they are not interested in fashion and, mainly, in the way they dress. Actually, they claim to be different, an aspect they share with those addicted to fashion.

In the period of one year, there are several trends. Do they affect these personal identity changes?

I believe that fashion production is like a large wardrobe where everyone can choose clothes according to his values, emotions, plans and so on.  It is clear that fashion is an important instrument to transmit our identity but not the only way to express it. There are other ways to do this, for example, smiling as we speak or cutting our hair in a certain way.

¿Can the way we dress look like a mask that hides the true identity of the people?

It's very difficult to communicate identity because it is an inner feeling and we decide whether or not we want to externalize it. We can do it with our outward appearance: body, voice, gestures, clothes, things, social practices, etc. Moreover, we would like to determine the identity of the others, but we only have their appearance to go by. Since Sociology is an empirical discipline, it deals with the identity that is represented.