Animism and Transhumanism: The Yin and the Yang. Finding a balance between nature and technology.
Carlos Gago Rodriguez • Future of Fashion, Omnichannel Lecturer & IM Tutor
For millions of years the human being has been the dominant species on Earth, molding the planet at its own will, transforming, taming, destroying. Global warming and other man-made calamities such as pandemics, are making clear that it’s time for a radical change: either we evolve, or we accept the fact that we are doomed.
The evolution required from us as species isn’t just about changing our lifestyle, it involves re-thinking the notion of human beings entirely. On one hand shifting from exploiting the planet to serving it, and on the other transcending the physical nature of our bodies – after all, hyper-consumerism powered by industries such as Fashion and Beauty is led by an obsession with the body, often at the expense of our spiritual nature. The embryonic phase of this evolution is known as Post-humanism.
Since the very concept of fashion is centered around the body, as well as the desire to impress other humans, it is very hard to imagine a future for this industry in a world in which mankind steps back in favor of other species that do not consume clothes. However, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, two major “movements” that could ideally represent a new expression of fashion are gradually making their way in the collective imagination. In the vocabulary of trend forecasting, these take the names of Animism and Transhumanism.
Animism and Transhumanism are the modern yin and yang: each one exists because the other one does, and in order to positively deliver they must be harmoniously balanced. This research aims to analyze the declinations of this balance, exploring not only its current manifestations but also envisioning its possibilities for the future of fashion.
