Dr. Luuc Brans
Political-Cultural Sociologist
I'm Luuc. I research the politics of the climate crisis in fashion. More broadly, I'm interested in sociology at the intersection of culture, politics, and sustainability. I'm currently a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven, and a Lecturer at Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Amsterdam. I am affiliated to Harvard's Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs. Roam around this website to learn more about me and my work.
research
Coming from a background of cultural sociology & political science, my general research interests lay at the intersection of culture, politics, and the climate crisis. My PhD project at KU Leuven entitled Fashioning Ideology, Ideologizing Fashion investigated how fashion became more political as a consequence of the climate crisis. I focused on key players across Europe includingfashion journalists, activists, apps, and policymakers to see how political ideologies came forwardi in the fashion world - a process I coined 'ideologization'.My research always takes an international angle. During my PhD, I was twice a visiting scholar at Harvard's Sociology Department and affiliate to the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs. I did fieldwork in the UK, USA, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. I defended my PhD in December '24 to jury members affiiliated to KU Leuven, University of Amsterdam and Harvard University.I currently develop a research agenda that takes this forward and focuses specifically on the way climate issues in culture may feed political polarization around such issues. Focusing on green influencers in fashion as 'sustainable-cultural entrepreneurs', I am curious how the inequality inherent to cultural production (who is the oatmilk elite that gets to speak on green issues?) leads to moralization and polarization around climate issues.Do you work in the fashion industry and want to talk? Or are you a journalist and do you want to learn more? Shoot me a message!
Publications
Email me for open access versions
- Forces for Change? How the legitimation of fashion in fashion magazines gains a political-ideological edge. With G. Kuipers in Cultural Sociology (2023) Link to article
- 'Who made my clothes? How transparency apps bring politics to cultural consumption and production' in Journal of Consumer Culture (2023) Link to article- Kuipers, G., L. Brans & L. Carbone (2023) ‘The Myth of Trickledown: How fashions do (not) spread in European fashion magazines and what this tells us about power and status in the European fashion system’ in:
Almila, A.M. & D. Serkan (eds.) Fashion’s Transnational Inequalities: New Social and Economic Approaches Routledge: London. Link to chapter
- 'Nations, Nationalism and the Nation State' (with T. Kuhn & T. van der Meer) In: Political Science and Changing Politics (2017). Amsterdam University Press- Fans, not critics? Attitudes and role conceptions towards sustainability among European fashion journalists
(under review)
- Making fast fashion past fashion? How the EU and the UN are resetting the rules of the fashion game (drafting)
Projects
Apart from researching, I love sharing academic knowledge with students of all ages and backgrounds. I primarily do so through my teaching and podcast producing.🎓I have years-long teaching experience at various levels, from high school to master's programmes, covering subjects from history to sociology and politics. I've taught in the bachelor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam (2016-2019), the master's program of sociology at the KU Leuven (2020 -), history and civic education in secondary education in Amsterdam (2015-2018). Moreover, I also organized winter and summer schools at the UvA. Outside formal education, I developed media literacy programmes to counter disinformation for schools throughout Europe.🎙Podcasting . I've been producing academic podcasts since 2016. I'm currently co-producing the Culture & Inequality Podcast of the European Centre for the study of Culture and Inequality (EUCCI). Listen below!
About me
I'm a cultural sociologist with a keen interest in anything at the intersection of culture & politics. A few brief facts about me:🇪🇺 Amsterdam born & raised, but currently Brussels based. I've also lived in Edinburgh & Berlin. Currently learning French 🇪🇺🎓I hold a BSc in Political Science (minor cultural sociology) from the University of Amsterdam, as well as a MSc in Nationalism Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Both with distinction (cum laude) 🎓📸My current academic interest in fashion sparks from my experience as a fashion model in London, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam & Tokyo in the early 2010s. 📸🍷In my spare time, I enjoy films, hiking, good food, and even better wine🍷
Contact
Want to exchange thoughts? Just want to know more? Or do you work in fashion and do you want to share your experiences?My channels are always open. Shoot me a message using the contact details below.